Half A War (Shattered Sea book 3), by Joe Abercrombie

Reading multiple books and waiting until I finish a historical trilogy to review that has led to quiet the hiatus in blogging, so I thought I’d post this before Britain melts on Monday and Tuesday. 

Half A War is the third and final part of Joe Abercrombie’s Shattered Sea trilogy, and I liked it a lot. Those who have bought the first two books need have no worries on the final part proving lacklustre. Recurring characters build on the previous two books, and we have a new POV character in the form of Princess/Queen Skara, whose kingdom gets ruined by the High King and forces her to flee to the nascent alliance between old enemies Vansterland and Gettland. 

The pace moves along at a good rate, neither flitting so rapidly there’s no space to breathe nor being slow and turgid (there is a prolonged period in one place but that fits in with the story and is contrasted by a journey elsewhere). 

Downsides are few. I didn’t especially like one small twist at the end (both obvious and slightly disappointing the way it happened but it doesn’t alter anything significantly). If you prefer more complex stories then the relative simplicity may put you off but personally I found this an enjoyable, engaging, and effortless read that I consumed pretty quickly (not something that’s always the case these days). 

I've kept this pretty brief as it's the third entry so spoilers are more annoying and it's pretty much a buy or avoid for those who've read earlier books in the series.

So, I recommend this but, obviously, after the first two books. Book 2 is reviewed here, and book 1 is reviewed here.

 

For those wondering, I’m currently re-reading The Inheritance of Rome by Chris Wickham, Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding (which I may review if I haven’t already as I read it a long time ago), and the final part in a Seleukid history trilogy by John D. Grainger, which I will review on a collective basis.

Thaddeus

Review: Half the World (Shattered Sea, book 2), by Joe Abercrombie

It’s been a little while since I read the first of these (Half a King), but I did remember enough to be able to follow along most of the characters that appear in this book, set a little way down the line.

The High King’s power waxes ever greater, and lesser kings and kingdoms are none too pleased at having to kneel before another. Yarvi, the protagonist of the first book, is ever-present and the driving force behind a bid to break the power of the High King and forge an alliance. The POV characters, however, are both new. Thorn Bathu is a wild, angry, and rather violent young lady who accidentally kills a man and is saved by Yarvi from execution, while Brand (whose whispered word secures her release) was set to be a warrior but gets ostracised for his deed.

The pair end up with Yarvi, and assorted rapscallions, on a ship destined to cross half the world to try and secure friends for Gettland and prise away allies from the High King. Along the way Thorn gets a serious training in weapons, and Brand discovers the warrior life he dreamt of was not necessarily it was cracked up to be.

As ever with an Abercrombie book it’s very easy to read, with engaging characters, a detailed, compelling world, and a plot that cracks along but also has slower moments to help the pacing and give the characters time to grow. I was reading another book at the same time, but still got through the almost 500 pages pretty rapidly. If you liked the first book you’ll like this, and I’m looking forward to the third.

Thaddeus

Review: Half A King (Shattered Sea Book 1), by Joe Abercrombie

It’s been a long time since I read a whole book in 2-3 days. But I read this one that fast.

Admittedly this was partly due to the internet being down which meant I played a lot of video games and read far more than usual. Nevertheless, if I’d been less taken with Half A King I would’ve done something else with my unexpected abundance of time.

The story follows the tale of Yarvi, a young lad of royal blood missing most of one hand. Naturally, this has rather held him back in the approximately Anglo-Saxon/Viking fictional world in which he lives. Hard to be a great warrior when you’re half a king.

The premise is that his father and brother suddenly die and he ends up being thrust into the role of king, something that nobody seems to want, including himself. But he soon discovers there are far more uncomfortable seats than the throne.

The narrative sticks with Yarvi throughout rather than switching points of view, and it works. The world is bitter, and cold, and so are the people, but along the way force of circumstance brings him together with some unlikely allies as they strive to escape the torment of fate and return to their homes.

One thing I especially liked, and won’t spoil, is the ending, which I think the author absolutely nailed.

All in all, a very good read and I’m glad I had it to hand to help occupy the time when a wiring problem set me adrift from the internet.

Thaddeus