Prince of Thorns

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.