King of Thorns is the
second book in The Broken Empire Trilogy (preceded by Prince and
succeeded by Emperor). It’s dark fantasy, set in a medieval(ish),
magical world several centuries after mankind has undergone a nuclear
holocaust, which destroyed the vast majority of ancient (ie advanced)
technology and reduced our race to swords and spears, castles and
knights.
The protagonist is Jorg
Ancrath, a complex chap who doesn’t so much have shades of grey as
small variations of black. Accompanied by a few associates (some
perhaps even worse than Jorg), he spends much of his time travelling
what’s left of Europe, seeking knowledge, power, allies and to sate
his own curiosity. The other half of the book (the story flits back
and forth) is four years after that journey, when he’s defending
his modest kingdom from a man they say is destined to reunite the
Empire.
King of Thorns keeps
all that was to like about the first book and adds to it. In addition
to the interestingly grim Jorg and the intriguing setting (which has
elements of both past and future), it feels better balanced and takes
its time (in a good way) without ever letting the plot get bogged
down. The past and present chapters fit perfectly well together, the
writing style is very easy to read and conveys a strong impression
with relatively few words. There’s also a nice little twist near
the end, which I shan’t spoil.
I particularly like the
setting. Post-apocalypse is done to death, and a world where things
are back on their feet but not back where they were (almost as the
9th century or so was to Rome following the Dark Ages) is
more interesting.
Downsides? Quite few,
to be honest. The map is one of those which covers two pages, which
means the paperback version has much of it disappear where the pages
meet.
I’d strongly
recommend it, but as it’s book 2 in a series, do make sure you read
Prince of Thorns first. They’re dark fantasy, so if you’re more
after snuggling up in bed with a fairy or two The Broken Empire may
not be for you. But if you like the works of Martin, Abercrombie or
Lynch you should definitely give this series a look.
Thaddeus
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