Prince of Thorns
Ratings262
Average rating3.6
I think I've figured out a plot twist that comes later in the series. That is quite disappointing, so I hope it twists again.
The story felt very bare and minimalist. I am baring in mind this is a debut so the next books will only get better. I don't feel any attachment to Jorg but in all fairness the audio for this book really emphasised how young and angst he sounds to that may be part of the problem.
I know the other books in the trilogy get longer, so I hope that they are packed with more world building and character work so I can enjoy the series more.
I heard there's a lot of controversy around this book but I guess the people talking about it read only fairy tales. Seriously, there are so many other grittier series. Even A Song of Ice & Fire has more violence in 100 pages than this one in 300.
The main character is a 14 year old boy filled with anger on a path for revenge. The age was my biggest problem. He doesn't think or act as he should. It would've been more believable if he was at least 16 and even then I'd have a problem comprehending why his brotherhood follows him. So what if he's a psychopath? He's in his early teens!
The writing gets better and better and by the end of the book it's... good. The story feels rushed but at the same time drags way too much in some places. The lack of description makes it sometimes difficult to understand and imagine the scenes.
The world setting is interesting though I really don't understand how could society return to medieval ways so much. Also, what the hell is with this “Jesu” and “fecking” thing? Seriously, does Lawrence really think people would distort those words into these forms while still reading Plato without any problems?!
All in all it's a book with great potential that wasn't achieved. But it's also authors first book and by the end of it you can see he has improved. I hope the King of Thorns will be better. The reviews suggest it will... but sadly we're living in a world where crap like Twilight and Shades of grey rule the selling charts.
Horrible main character, poor writing, poor storyline, and poor twist of events. When I first read the premise I thought “Sounds interesting and different”. Nope. All just trying to shock you so that it stands out amongst the crowd. Completely unrealistic. Grown men practically worshiping a teenage brat? HA. Keep dreaming.
I really wanted to like this based on the premise but I couldn't get through the writing - a lot of “made up” language and the narrative skipped around events in a way that was really hard to follow and comprehend. Just not for me.
So, I have tried to read this book a couple of times and just did not get into it. Don't know what it was, it is nothing to do with the book. I don't know why,but I think tha it was something to do with the timing. First time was when it first came out and at the time I had little kids and it ultimately boiled down to the choice of read or sleep and it was obvious that the choice would be sleep. The second time, I just couldn't get into it.
Any ways, this time I finally took the plunge and this time I really enjoyed it. I think the times that I have read it before. I could not get my head around what it was. I know that this is my problem but once I had made that shift in my head the book clicked. It helped that I follow Mr Lawrence and follow his blog. This gave me some insight and the light went on (nothing creepy, it;s just that when I read his reviews of the books that I liked I could kind of see the influences). Once I got my head around the fact that this is like a ‘dystopian fantasy' rather than the traditional sense of fantasy. It's like taking the idea of Terry brooks one step further and then mixing in mad max in John boorman's excaliber with a bit of American psycho. That was what made it click and then I really got into it and the book got its thorns into me and that was it. excellent book. Now onto the next one.
Well this really had a different kind of protagonist hell I wouldn't even really call Jorg that...
It was a wild ride people said it was gonna be horrible and shocking i guess there was some but nothing as big as people were saying but either way i really enjoyed the book and am currently buying and reading the rest
The protagonist is a 13 years old psychopath leading a band of 36 cutthroats, who are able to defeat a trained army of 200 soldiers. This says it all.
I'm supposed to empathize with a noble born spoiled brat who goes about torturing farmers, raping their daughters and burning them alive. Someone who believes himself to be superior to everyone else, as there is 100 contenders to the throne, and he is sure he is the one who will win it. See the Empire is Broken (oohhh, I see what you did there mister!), and there are a lot of factions fighting to be the one who rules them all. This boy, who is one of the dozens of sons of a king, who while men attempted to murder him and his family, escaped death by jumping out a window and falling on a bush of Thorns (oohhh, you did it again!), is our one and true savior.
And why does he believe he will win you say? Why is that at 13 years old, better then all the other 100 small armies? Why he alone can fight the undead while his friends run in fear? Why he can go up to an army with a white flag, and at the first opportunity, betrays its significance and kills their leader? Intelligence? Training? Magic? No my dear readers, its because he knows it's all a game, and therefore, he wins.
He is the one who can say things like
- I will run away from this battle
- “You don't want to do that”
- Why, because you will kill me if I do?
- No, because I know its not a good idea
- Oh, OK then.
Read 1:27 / 9:19 16%
Clearly inspired by Joe Abercrombie's First Law series, this first of a trilogy is relentless in its violence, creative in its magic and strongly implies a far future rather than past in its depiction of the world in which it is set. There is a great deal to like, but its cynicism is total and that eats away at the reader's ability to care about its protagonist and storyteller. But I will read on.
I loved this novel, I thought it was great. If you can get through the first few chapters and actually get into the story, it's amazing! It was written really well and I can't wait for the next book in the series.
I truly relished how the protagonist, Prince Jorg Ancrath, was presented, constructed and how you can root for him throughout his journey despite that he's a horrific individual. This all critics can agree on, but I focused more on the fact that he is a monster; he's a character of the most sinister nature that you will be appalled by his behavior as well as be constantly on edge to what he will do next.
The story and its conclusion remind me of «A Clockwork Orange» in the way that the reader follows a despicable teenager as he commits heinous acts to then at some point reflect on his actions. Yet, don't expect regret or absolution from his part this time around; I liked the way the author incorporates fantasy elements; it's not like he establishes a clear magic system but I like the “casualness” of it all, as it doesn't attempt to overwhelm the reader with aspects that are difficult to understand nor does it give power beyond reach to those who exert it (and the bases are well established, so things don't just “happen” without reason).
It's definitely a great read, to the point it could be called “simple” or straightforward once you start reading, but the author plays with your expectations just like the antagonists play with Jorg's. Without giving anything away, there are instances towards the second part of the novel that recontextualizes everything you understood about the character as well as his desire for revenge, which enriches the narrative in retrospect. Then, when the story began to reach its climax and the protagonist began his retaliation, I simply couldn't stop reading.
The story is dark and rather graphic (murder, rape, torture, acts of genocide, etc.), so read at your discretion. But, if you want to experience an engaging story with a protagonist to be amazed at, as well as be shocked at his atrocious actions, then I can assure you're going to have a good(?) time.
If you've read/watched «Berserk» (Rest in Power, Miura Sensei), then this should be a Tuesday Tea Party.
2.5 out of 5 stars – See this review and others here.
The main conceit of this novel revolves around the notion of the “anti-hero.” Prince Jorg, the leading man, is a horrible person. He lies, cheats, steals, rapes, murders, pillages, plunders, etc. Despite these minor shortcomings, I held out hope that he would overcome his psychopathology and seek redemption for his wrongdoings. To a fault, I'm firmly tied to the conventional tropes of the genre, which did not set me up well to embrace this novel.
Author Mark Lawrence effectively communicates Jorg's all-consuming rage and thirst for revenge that stems from the murder of his mother and brother. Everything is a bit too easy for him, though. He's seemingly invincible to ghouls, monsters, and the strongest of men. Despite his desperate and improvised plans, he's met with very little resistance when executing said plans. As you learn more about Jorg's past, you realize that this may be by design, but it lowers the stakes of what is occurring. Additionally, Lawrence's plotting feels haphazard and cobbled together. Jorg flits from place to place, driven by his random whims and impulses–with not enough time spent in any one location for major plot beats to hit as hard as they should. Overall, I struggled to invest in the characters and the plot, but, surprisingly, I'm hesitant to give up on Jorg and his potential for redemption just yet...even Darth Vader turned his back on the dark side, right?
Whoa, there were so many twists and turns.
Not exactly a fan of the MC, Jorg. The writing is great, I was enthralled in the story. It is super dark and gritty.
Jorg's age bothered me, not gonna lie.
Overall, I enjoyed it and I'm curious about the next book. I'll keep reading.
I read Lawrence's Book Of The Ancestor trilogy last year, one of my favourites, and have been meaning to dive into his older work for a while now. What better than to read his debut title for the bingo challenge?
Things I love:
??? The prose. Lawrence has a way to perceive the world through a filter that's more thoughtful and philosophical than, in lack of a better term, visually observant. It's refreshing.
??? As with Book Of The Ancestor, this trilogy is clearly a world much bigger, more intricate than what you're introduced to in the first book. Who are these Old Builders, hm? It intrigues me so that it has elements that hint that while this world seems primitive it's built upon an old world that was clearly very technologically gifted.
Things I did not like:
??? Jorg is such an obnoxious character, unsympathetic. I have zero interest in whatever his goal is and if he manages to reach it.
??? I often felt a little lost, as if the something wasn't clearly explained or delivered. Having read some of Lawrence's later work, I know he can do better. Perhaps my expectations were too high, or this is simple a matter of it being his debut and he's grown as a writer.
I'm happy I read it. I'm not sure I'll continue onward to finish the trilogy, though. If I did, it would be to understand this world better, not to learn of Jorg's future endeavours.
//
r/fantasy Bingo Card 2021: Backlist Book.
Also fits: First Person POV, Revenge-seeking Character, Title __ of __.
A unique read. I liked Lawrence's style of writing blending the past with the present. Jorg's character was an interesting one to follow, and his actions were far beyond what any 14 year old would do unless given the circumstances he was.
Executive Summary: This wasn't quite as dark as I expected it to be, but it's still pretty dark. I'm much more interested in the world building than the main character however. 3.5 stars.Audiobook: James Clamp does a fine job narrating, but nothing special. He doesn't really do voices or anything, but reads at a good pace and volume. This books works well enough in audio that I'll continue on that way. It's not a must listen though.Full ReviewI've owned this book for nearly 3.5 years from a daily deal or something, but I've been avoiding it. I'm kind of done with grimdark fantasy. All the reviews for this book, even from those who like it talked about how unlikeable Jorg is. I just haven't been in the mood to give it a shot.This book would probably still be sitting on my unread pile if not for [b:Red Sister 25895524 Red Sister (Book of the Ancestor, #1) Mark Lawrence https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1481038440s/25895524.jpg 45777900]. I LOVED that book. While I'm waiting for the second one I figured I'd finally give this a shot.It turned out it wasn't as dark as I was expecting. I also didn't find Jorg as unlikeable as I expected to. I'm not sure if that says more about this book, or about me. Jorg is certainly far less likeable than most anti-heroes tend to be. He doesn't really seem to have any redeeming qualities. I'm not sure he's really an anti-hero rather than a straight up villain. The only thing that really leaves me uncertain is the people he's doing horrible things really aren't any better for the most part. So really this is a book full of awful people. There was maybe one supporting character that seems alright. Maybe 2. One doesn't even get a name, his just referred to by his nationality.Typically I prefer character driven stories, which requiring liking characters. I was pretty indifferent towards them. What I enjoyed most was the world building. As the book unfolds some details about the setting became more and more apparent, and I'm really hoping that aspect is explored further in the later books.The magic system isn't well defined at all, another thing I don't typically enjoy. I hope we get some sort of details about where the sources of power comes from. I'm hoping it ends up tied back to some of the world building aspects that really excited me.Overall, I thought this book was fine, but very dark. I'll need to be in the right mood to pick up the second book, but I do plan on picking it up eventually. If you haven't read any Mark Lawrence however, I'd still recommend starting with [b:Red Sister 25895524 Red Sister (Book of the Ancestor, #1) Mark Lawrence https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1481038440s/25895524.jpg 45777900] rather than this book.
After all the fantasy books with their good hearted heroes, it's nice to read a good one with a cruel and ruthless main character, and I almost read it in one go.
I like Mark Lawrence's writing but I don't think this is the story for me, I just didn't connect with the characters even by the end so I won't be continuing with this series. I do have the first books in his other series which I'm going to try and hopefully fit better.
Mark Lawrence can write. I'll give him that. There's an odd, dark poetry to what he does. At points, I found myself craving more of his prose, and at other points I found myself rolling my eyes at the melodrama. In the end, I wanted more, though. I'm moving on to Book 2 of the Broken Empire with due haste.
Jorg Ancrath, as a character, is the poster child for Grimdark Fantasy. The entire book is a revenge plot to level vengeance against the man who had his mother and brother killed. Without remorse, guilt, or pity, Jorg hacks his way through a bloody landscape backed by his band of “brothers”–mercenaries who, while interesting fodder, are expendable in Jorg's mind. Nothing will stop him from his goals, not even the only “friends” he has.
It is hard to like Jorg. He's charming in that way that serial killers can be charming. He's intelligent. He's fearless. There are aspects to his character that are mesmerizing, but in the end, it is hard to like him. Lawrence really twists the fantasy hero archetype and says, here's a guy who checks the boxes, yet he's really a madman with a goal.
If you like your books bloody, then this is the one for you. If you want subtlety, then move along.
I liked it, but it's not going to hit the list of my favorite books. I'll still read the next one in the series, and I'm looking forward to checking out Lawrence's new series that begins in April, 2017.
Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence is an absolutely incredible story of antihero Prince Jorg as he seeks to take his rightful place and exact revenge on his enemies. I almost DNF'd this book in chapter one because of a horribly wicked and distasteful thing the protagonist did - almost the first thing we see Jorg do. But as the novel progresses the reader learns more about the teenage prince and how he got the way he is. I don't condone all, or most, of the prince's choices, but Mark Lawrence has done a remarkable job of writing a character that is both compelling and horrible at the same time. Understanding Jorg's history and trauma humanizes him, and I found myself rooting for the brothers despite them being terrible human beings. In many ways this is a coming-of-age story, and Jorg's journey is really something to behold. If you enjoyed the various shades of gray characters found in A Song of Ice and Fire, the phrase “game of thrones” is even used in the book, you might find this series likable too. There's also some really compelling world building, including an unexpected twist about the setting. I don't want to spoil anything, but I was pleasantly surprised to find this story loosely akin to two other books I've read recently: A Canticle for Leibowitz and Anathem. Lawrence does a great job revealing information and blending elements together. While I was occasionally confused about the rules of this world, overall I throughly enjoyed this book and plan to move directly on to King of Thorns. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️