Prince of Thorns

In all honesty. This is probably my favourite fantasy series of all time. Jorg is such an indepth and well written character. Along with all his crew. Mr. Lawrence has breathed life into them effortlessly. The only reason it isnt 5 stars is the ending of this series was too hard to bare after getting attached to the characters.

Gave up at 18%.

This is silly

The Broken Empire series and the Red Queen's War are set in the same universe. Both fit quite nicely with the whole “one man's journey to greatness”, although they're darker than the usual fare. Jorg, the protagonist of the Broken Empire, is an absolute bastard who's only redeemable trait at first is his sheer determination in getting what he wants. Jalan, the protagonist of the Red Queen's War, is a lustful coward who just might be more than that, if pressed. Great stuff; just different enough from the typical fantasy stories to be interesting. Both are mostly first person, and focus on a handful of characters.

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%

Excellent book. Within a chapter or two I was hooked. I just finished it at 2am and am now writing this review. Can't wait for future tales of Jorg!

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.

The story starts off slow and takes awhile to get used to the writing style. But after that that’s when things get interesting with Jorg

5/10

One of life's greatest joys is knowing that the main character in this book is a fictional person. I have never experienced anything as obnoxious as this guy. Listening to him yap is even worse than having to wait for Simon to finish Wind and Truth.

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. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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.

Literally hated this book.

Sorry Mark.

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 love the character work, devious though they may be. I know some might not like Jorg, but he is interesting. The book also went to places I wasn't expecting.

This was Mark Lawrence's debut and first in The Broken Empire trilogy where we follow Jorg, a prince to one of a hundred kingdoms all vying to become Emperor and reunite the lands. He's also a character who has suffered some unimaginable hardship and loss. He has seen terrible things and it broke him as a child so that now, as a young man, he is whip sharp and hardened.

Prince of Thorns is a fast-paced dark science-fantasy (grimdark, specifically) following Jorg and his road brothers as he tries making his first advances to be King. I knew this was going to be a Sci-Fantasy before starting out but if I hadn't there are plenty of clever little nods to it that Lawrence has worked into the prose before the point where it becomes readily obvious. At times, you can tell this was a debut and the writing could use a touch more polish and this doesn't impact on the story.

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.

6/10

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.

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 am torn as to how to rate Prince of Thorns. While I enjoyed the characters, I had trouble with certain moment that can be classed as ‘edgy'. The main character is needlessly violent in situations where it made no sense. It also repeat A Song of Ice and Fire's tradition of putting children into very mature situations. Jorg is fourteen years old and yet acts, speaks and thinks as an adult.

Many noted the extreme brutality and rape being present in the first chapter. While I am opposed to using sexual assault as a way to show the gritty reality of the world, I was able to move past it here as it wasn't described in much detail. I did skimp through those parts though.

In the end Prince of Thorns is a flawed book. It left little impression on me. Even though I enjoyed the characters, Makin especially, I haven't been itching to read the two sequels and see what comes next. This may just be the genre of grimdark not being my cup of tea.

As a small disclaimer, I must say that the author himself called me a sociopath on Twitter. While I would like to say that my feelings are not at all changed, I cannot. Much of my reluctance to read King of Thorns and Emperor of Thorns may very well be due to being personally insulted by Mr. Lawrence.

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.

Wow. That was a wild ride. Thats all.

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.

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.