TL;DR: The darkest book I’ve read with an anti-hero that appears irredeemable, Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence is a disturbing look at motivations, rage, and manipulation wrapped in fantasy.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 3/4
At thirteen, Jorg Ancarth (Prince Jorge) runs with a gang of ruthless killers, who take what they want no matter the cost. He has an agenda, but none of his crew know it. When he stumbles across someone he knew from his past life, his agenda shifts and the reader comes along for the ride as he attempts to get back in good with his father, the King.
Full disclosure, I am not someone who likes grim dark fantasy, horror, books with a lot of fighting and gore, and sociopath main characters. However, this book was well-written and the author did a great job giving you glimspes of what could be a redemption for Jorg’s behavior. Does it happen? Well, you’ll have to read it to find out. But I will say this was a fascinating read, and not just because the book was good, but because it also became an introspection of me to figure out why I continued on past chapter one and read the book in two sittings.
For all these reasons and more, I gave it 4.75 stars.
The Plot
Prince Jorg Ancarth rules a band of brothers. Brutal and efficient, they spend their time killing, raping and pillaging across the land. But none of them know who he is. He’s just their leader, a take no prisoners thirteen year old who promises riches and death and mostly delivers.
When Jorg stumbles across a priest from his old life, his path shifts. No longer is he just looking to stick it to a Count in another land, but now he wants to face his father, the King, and reclaim his right to the throne.
What follows is a gruesome tale of deceit, death, wizards, power struggles, politics – did I mention death? – as Jorg stakes a claim for the throne as rightful heir.
Can he outwit his enemies and his friends to become a king before fifteen? Or does his need to never back down and his luck break him?
What I liked & liked less
If you can get past the first chapter, then you’ll most likely be able to finish this book. Yes, that’s where I want to start this part of the review. I almost didn’t get past the first chapter. The only reason I did was because while there was talk of rape, there wasn’t any showing of rape.
I hated this character. And then he fascinated me. And then I understood some of what drove him and why he would sacrifice anyone to achieve his goals. And then I saw glimmers of deeper connections to people still alive – guilt, regret – that he stamped out to do what was necessary.
He’s also incredibly smart and has an agenda. I wanted to see where his agenda took him and just how far he’d go to get it. And believe me, it goes far beyond what I ever expected. But then I didn’t expect a fourteen year old (he turns fourteen in the first few chapters) to be a sociopath.
I thought the world building was good, although not as well-developed as it could’ve been. There are moments where I was a little lost, but the story was good enough to keep me reading. I also wanted to know more about some of the people he traveled with, which kept me reading.
But the biggest reason was I wanted to see where the book would go and if I’d be able to finish it. And I did, because the writing is good. Mark Lawrence starts this book out in a brutal fashion, so you know exactly what you’re getting if you decide to continue.
Some can’t finish. Some do and hate it anyway. Some, like me, found it fascinating that I could read a book in a tone and genre that I don’t tend to read and wondered why it appealed to me.
To Sum Up (Too Late!)
If you like grim dark fantasy, you’ll like this book. If you like an anti-hero that you can’t cheer for, but are interested to see where his story leads, you’ll like this book. If you’re fascinated by a sociopath and can stomach the first person narrative of that sociopath, you’ll like this book. If you like wondering why something like this could be interesting and don’t mind facing a few hard truths about yourself, you’ll also like this book. For all that and more, I’m giving this 4.75 stars.
About the Author
Mark Lawrence is married with four children, one of whom is severely disabled. Before becoming a fulltime writer in 2015, his day job was as a research scientist focused on various rather intractable problems in the field of artificial intelligence. He has held secret level clearance with both US and UK governments. At one point he was qualified to say ‘this isn’t rocket science … oh wait, it actually is’.
Mark used to have a list of hobbies back when he did science by day. Now his time is really just divided between writing and caring for his disabled daughter. There are occasional forays into computer games too.
If you wish to purchase this book, pick your vendor of choice here, or just cave to the man and get it from Amazon here.
Originally published on Feedium. This fills in the Anti-Hero square on my Fantasy Bingo 2022 card.