nordicowl's review
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
enbyglitch's review against another edition
5.0
Clever and enjoyable as ever. More humor and less violence against women and animals was much appreciated.
Had expected this one to take place after Emperor of Thorns and thereby imagined a very different scenario, but I enjoyed Lawrence taking more time in the fascinating setting of the previous trilogy.
Lots of fun characters and references, and I'm excited to see more in the next book :)
Had expected this one to take place after Emperor of Thorns and thereby imagined a very different scenario, but I enjoyed Lawrence taking more time in the fascinating setting of the previous trilogy.
Lots of fun characters and references, and I'm excited to see more in the next book :)
mandykins007's review against another edition
4.0
I can't say enough positive things about this author. His writing style is stupendous. The Broken Empire trilogy has found a place in my all time favorite series and this book, although not part of that series, solidified it there for good. Realistically flawed characters. Rich storytelling. Heaps of macabre wit. Looking forward to starting The Liars Key asap.
jere's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
eldi_qevani's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Stars
A book about the journey of a coward prince named Jalan(The opposite of Jorg) and a viking named Snorri.
Enjoyed a lot more the 2 chapters where this book connected to Jorg's storyline and the last 5 chapters.
The rest was a boring journey where nothing happens and we meet forgettable characters for 1-2 chapters along the journey.
Still im not used to Mark's writing style but I will still continue to read this trilogy
A book about the journey of a coward prince named Jalan(The opposite of Jorg) and a viking named Snorri.
Enjoyed a lot more the 2 chapters where this book connected to Jorg's storyline and the last 5 chapters.
The rest was a boring journey where nothing happens and we meet forgettable characters for 1-2 chapters along the journey.
Still im not used to Mark's writing style but I will still continue to read this trilogy
marklpotter's review against another edition
3.0
I am giving this a three star rating because of the writing alone. Mark Lawrence has a way with words that I really enjoy. However the story itself is tries to hard and the ending left me wanting. I think there were just too many elements involved to make the juggling seem easy. This is a coming of age story starring Jal, a rather self important prince, nowhere near the top of the line of succession, and if it had stuck with that and tossed in a nice bit of magic then I think this might have been near the top of my list for the year.
Snorri's story is crafted well and he's a good companion for the coming of age bit and interesting in his own right. While Jal is the main character, Snorri isn't far behind and that's much to do with the way they are linked, which is the only interesting magic in the whole story. Now I know that every good book doesn't have to involved magic but if you're going to have it then it shouldn't be a plot device to bind two characters together and then left alone, which is what happens here.
The whole necromancer aspect seems more of a zombie storyline since the magic used there is never explored. So at this point we have a coming of age, buddy comedy, with zombies and very little explanation as to how any of this has come to pass. There is just too much left without explanation, too many bits and pieces, and that makes it feel like they were tossed in to simply further the plot without much thought as to how the played in to the world.
Which brings me to the world itself. It's obviously earth, at some point, with not quite distinguishable areas but enough to make it jarring. This is the main point that brought this down from for stars to three. Vikings, Christians, and more references to the past, coupled with no explanation whatsoever on how things came to be the way they are makes it appear that Lawrence wanted to sprinkle some familiar things throughout the story, possibly to make readers comfortable. I fell like this is the biggest failure of the book. It's obvious that it's the future for the human characters but who knows when or how. It's honestly a bit jarring and plays hell on the suspension of disbelief.
I'll end this by saying the Mark Lawrence is a wordsmith and regardless of my problems with this story, and the contrived ending, that his way with words, his skill with language, made this an fun and easy read. Lawrence has a craft when it comes to putting words together in a manner that makes the reader smile and the eyes slide from one page to the next. In fact it is this skill that carries the book and will make me read more from Lawrence in the future. I am hoping that practice makes perfect when it comes to crafting of the story itself next time because character creating, dialog, and the use of words are skills that Lawrence possesses in spades!
Snorri's story is crafted well and he's a good companion for the coming of age bit and interesting in his own right. While Jal is the main character, Snorri isn't far behind and that's much to do with the way they are linked, which is the only interesting magic in the whole story. Now I know that every good book doesn't have to involved magic but if you're going to have it then it shouldn't be a plot device to bind two characters together and then left alone, which is what happens here.
The whole necromancer aspect seems more of a zombie storyline since the magic used there is never explored. So at this point we have a coming of age, buddy comedy, with zombies and very little explanation as to how any of this has come to pass. There is just too much left without explanation, too many bits and pieces, and that makes it feel like they were tossed in to simply further the plot without much thought as to how the played in to the world.
Which brings me to the world itself. It's obviously earth, at some point, with not quite distinguishable areas but enough to make it jarring. This is the main point that brought this down from for stars to three. Vikings, Christians, and more references to the past, coupled with no explanation whatsoever on how things came to be the way they are makes it appear that Lawrence wanted to sprinkle some familiar things throughout the story, possibly to make readers comfortable. I fell like this is the biggest failure of the book. It's obvious that it's the future for the human characters but who knows when or how. It's honestly a bit jarring and plays hell on the suspension of disbelief.
I'll end this by saying the Mark Lawrence is a wordsmith and regardless of my problems with this story, and the contrived ending, that his way with words, his skill with language, made this an fun and easy read. Lawrence has a craft when it comes to putting words together in a manner that makes the reader smile and the eyes slide from one page to the next. In fact it is this skill that carries the book and will make me read more from Lawrence in the future. I am hoping that practice makes perfect when it comes to crafting of the story itself next time because character creating, dialog, and the use of words are skills that Lawrence possesses in spades!
scrollsofdragons's review against another edition
4.0
I adored this book, it was so funny and interesting, the pages kept turning. I loved the guy's friendship, how they went from strangers who are complete opposites to guys who have each others backs and care about one another. I loved Jal, yes he was a coward and selfish but he was wonderful to read, so funny and so easy to root for, I just adore him.
Everything was so amazing and I loved it but there was one problem and that was with the world building. I just don't think we got enough to fully understand, maybe if you read the broken empire but i hadn't and so it was a little lax in that department.
Everything was so amazing and I loved it but there was one problem and that was with the world building. I just don't think we got enough to fully understand, maybe if you read the broken empire but i hadn't and so it was a little lax in that department.
sbrot's review
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
legacy9486's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The audiobook was one of the best I have heard, it made the book 5/5 for me.
mkhaas29's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. Seems like a good start but honestly Prince Jalan’s crass and man-whore focus was distracting, not entertaining. I get being a rogue wit with a singular focus on the ladies as a character attribute, but it was childish and made me roll my eyes more often than not.