Prince of Thorns

ByMark Lawrence

Release Date: 2011-08-02
Genre: Epic Fantasy

Score: 4.5

4.5

From 1,164 Ratings

Description

BOOK ONE IN THE BROKEN EMPIRE TRILOGY

“Prince of Thorns deserves attention as the work of an iconoclast who seems determined to turn that familiar thing, Medievalesque Fantasy Trilogy, entirely on its head.”—Locus

When he was nine, he watched as his mother and brother were killed before him. By the time he was thirteen, he was the leader of a band of bloodthirsty thugs. By fifteen, he intends to be king...

It’s time for Prince Honorous Jorg Ancrath to return to the castle he turned his back on, to take what’s rightfully his. Since the day he hung pinned on the thorns of a briar patch and watched Count Renar’s men slaughter his mother and young brother, Jorg has been driven to vent his rage. Life and death are no more than a game to him—and he has nothing left to lose.

But treachery awaits him in his father’s castle. Treachery and dark magic. No matter how fierce his will, can one young man conquer enemies with power beyond his imagining?

Reviews

Very good, but very dark
4
By Eleazar Hernandez
Prince of Thorns (Broken Empire #1) by Mark Lawrence is a brutal descent into the mind of a teenage sociopath bent on revenge.

The protagonist, Jorg Ancrath, is not a hero. He’s a cold, calculating little fella shaped by trauma and powered by rage. The book is violent, unflinching, and told entirely from his point of view, pulling you into a dark psyche as he rationalizes murder and mayhem.

This isn’t a sunshine and butterflies world of magic spells and talking dragons. This is a Robin from the Hood and his “merry if they’re robbing and killing you” men living in a shattered empire built on blood, where morality is optional and survival is everything story. The author blends grimdark fantasy with a little post-apocalyptic sci-fi, hinting at a deeper world beneath the carnage. It’s disturbing, compelling, and impossible to look away… kinda like a car crash.
Starts with him raping two girls
1
By hallamydolla
I was told this was insane but wow that’s wayyyy to much for me.
Unsure
2
By JBag84
Made to page 160ish out of 185. Had to stop reading. I know this isn’t a hero story. He has no loyalty. He kills friends for speaking against him. The one that that gets close to it he does nothing too.
He turns from the real enemy to go after count.

If you are board it’s something to pass the time but it’s not a story that drags you in.
Never got off the ground
2
By RandyGarmon
I know others really enjoyed this book, but the story never took off for me. There were a couple of moments where I thought “finally we’re about to get interesting” and then it was back to boring. The potential was there. The execution was not.
Pretty good book
5
By joe gorrilla movie
I’ve read through the series a few times and it is one of my favorite trilogies. I really like the way that the author brings you into the character of the person.
Literally the BEST book out there.
5
By Wivvilor
I love the book. I just started reading it a few days ago and the whole dialogue and message inside it gives readers a deep feel inside of it. Like it actually FEELS real and all. I would DEFINITELY recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy and sci-fi and medieval and such. Really good book.
Little bit of everything
4
By Bryaeric
Decent book overall. I got a little lost at times with the random mix of magic, illusions, mind control, and modern/futuristic technology though. But it is a fantasy novel so I guess you can’t really complain. Think of Fallout mixed with game of thrones but with less monsters.
Horrific
1
By JeHa08
Literally opens with the lead 13 year old boy raping two girls and then setting them on fire.
Base and not worth your time or money
1
By GTCall
A morally low book if I’ve ever found one. I kept reading past the beginning hoping that there would be something of redeeming value in this book but there’s not. I can’t speak for the whole book because I only read the first ten percent but nothing later in the book would redeem that beginning. What’s more, I had the sense that it would only get worse from there.
Great read
5
By Sean Guidry 1976
I love the way that these books were written and totally introduced me to an entirely different t type of hero.