A review by saluki
Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence

3.0

Grimdark fantasy with a capital G!

Jorg Ancrath, the Prince of Thorns, is possibly one of the vilest characters I've ever read. At fourteen years old, with his band of mercenary brothers, he is responsible for all manner of evil deeds. Their grotesque killings, pillaging and rapes are the norm. Jorg feels no remorse, no regret, and even philosophises that his actions are honest and real. Survival, no matter the moral cost, is true honest living.

There are some backstory flashbacks to Jorg at eleven years old... a tragic event spurs him to leave the privileged royal seat and take to the road. They are interesting sequences but I couldn't quite believe he would leave his home and survive the wild of this harsh world at so young an age. At fourteen/fifteen he comes across as the ultimate survivor, and at times I felt he overcame impossible odds a few too many times. Still, with that said, it's a horrific story that I couldn't stop listening to. Normally I lose interest in evil main characters who have no redeeming features and Jorg almost seems proud to admit he had:

So few sins untasted.

He is aware that wrongs have shaped him, but that doesn't stop him revelling in the stink of death in its many flavours.

Many a bloodbath and disturbing actions make this the most uncomfortable fantasy I've read. Yet, I liked it. Joe Jameson narrates the audio version and his softer tones with a northern english accent worked well for Jorg's young voice (the voice reminded me of Kit Harington... Jon Snow in HBO's Game of Thrones).

Not for the faint-hearted.