Review: The King of Thorns by Mark Lawrence

[SFF Chronicles News]

26th June 2013 04:20 PM

Tim James

I think it is fair to say that the books of Mark Lawrence can be described as harsh. Not in a bad way, the world that is lived in and the characters are harsh, but there is more to it than that. There have been criticisms about some of the things that happen in the book(s), that perhaps things have been a little too brutal, but that is the world.

If people believe that the middle/dark ages – the time period many fantasy worlds are based on – were all sunlight through cherry blossom and that bad things did not happen, even disturbing things then they are living in a dream world. They were mud choked, full of blood, rape and treachery, probably to an extent that The Broken Empire books only scratch the surface.

But… these novels are not set in a comparable middle age blueprint, in some ways they have to be considered science fiction over fantasy as they are set in our own world, in the future.

I remember when I was reading Prince of Thorns (first book in the series) and I felt that Lawrence’s use of religion seemed to be based on Christianity, well it was Christianity, but it grated for me. I kept telling myself it was different but I did not think it worked. Until the story unfolded and revealed that this was our world after a nuclear war. Then everything made sense.

Lawrence said it was something that was only brushed upon in the first story, but it would be looked at in greater detail in this next novel. And he was not joking, here we get some depth and world building (and a bigger map) that really lets us feel this new world, what has happened to the old as it was burned away and left behind.

There is a lot of fun guessing just where they are in the new/old world and how it compares to what we know, and there is a lot of fun in guessing just what the ancient structures that have become castles once were. And there is a lot of interest too, in the seemingly odd things, like a graveyard encased in a kind of resin just to preserve it. Was it done by accident or design, and if the later, why?

This in itself, the old world elements, from the recognisable to the more Science Fiction remnants, an AI in a ‘computer’ that is a ‘real’ man, literally a ghost in a machine, a recording of a person. These things and so many more were enough to keep be gripped to the page, but you cannot talk about a book like King of Thorns without looking at the central character.

For me Jorg of Arcanth has to be one of the finest creations in recent times. Yes, has been stated elsewhere and time again, he is a truly nasty piece of work and the fact that he tells his own story just adds to that, but it also speaks of a kind of honesty, that he is not hiding the fact from both the reader and himself. No one can be truly irredeemable, and we see some other sides of Jorg in these pages. At times he is as ruthless and nasty as he has always been, but we see little chinks in the armour, a sign that he is growing in character as well as age.

The apparent rape of another character turns out not to have been what it seems (Lawrence really keeps his literary feet shuffling as he pulls the rug from under you not once, but twice); his decision with his new very young wife shows a slightly more tender side (even if the reasons are not exactly the most noble) and the conflict he goes through when deciding whether or not to murder his baby half brother is believable and humanising. The outcome of it all is even more devastating because of it.

Yes Jorg is still ruthless, but he carries a humanity that he seems to deny but is still there.

Lawrence throws in some great action sequences that really give the book some set piece highlights, and prooves to be as ruthless with apparent main characters as he ever was in the first novel. In some ways, for me, this was one of the weaknesses, with one real POV character we have little time to really come and know the rest of the cast, so when they die there is not the impact there might have been – although to be fair, when it really needs the impact it is there – but this all comes through Jorg’s perceptions of the people around him.

The climax at the end it just about spot on. If I was going to say anything negative about it, then it would be it happened to quickly. That is but a quibble though. It is a superb wrap up to an excellent second novel, that is spilt over four years, with some grim revelations, some stunning world building, and a different central character. (I also liked Jorg’s new queen, a more than perfect match for him, even if he has not realised it by the end of the book). There is so much I liked about it that I could rattle on forever, but that would be pointless: go and read the book!

I said at the end of my review of the first book that I felt Lawrence would grow as he continued, and I feel that my words have been justified, this takes all the promise and runs with it. Even if it turns out that this is the high point of the trilogy, the third novel will still be a special something to look forward to.

 

[Werthead]

King of Thorns by Mark Lawrence

Jorg of Ancrath has seized the throne of Renar and now rules the Highlands as a king and a sworn enemy to his father. When one of his companions is consumed by fire magic, Jorg resolves to take him across the Broken Empire to a distant volcano where he might find help. But this is the beginning of a longer journey across the continent as Jorg seeks new allies to stand against another king who may be able to unite the Empire...a king more noble and honourable than Jorg.

King of Thorns is the middle volume of The Broken Empire trilogy and the sequel to 2011's Prince of Thorns. Like its predecessor, it is an at-times uneasy and bleak read but also one that is interesting, broodingly atmospheric and fairly well-written.

As with before, the focus is on Jorg and his band of not-so-merry cutthroats and pillagers. The events of Prince of Thorns have, if not mellowed Jorg, than certainly caused him to re-appraise his life. The result is a less amoral and ruthless Jorg than before and one who is more introspective. Whilst there's still plenty of mayhem in the book, Jorg is less likely to cause it (at least not without more convincing need than before).

The book is structured as two narratives unfolding simultaneously: a flashback set four years in the past (picking up just after the end of Prince of Thorns) and a present-day storyline focused on a massive battle as Jorg's kingdom comes under attack. This structure is the book's biggest weakness: the battle takes place over a short period of time but the flashbacks are much longer and dozens of pages pass between each present-day interlude. Each interlude also relies on events from the flashback to make sense, meaning that we are in the dark about Jorg's plans until he reveals a new weapon, tactic or group of allies that was explored in the preceding flashback sequence. The structure means that the battle feels like a sequence of amazing coincidences and turns of fate which have only just been set up a few pages earlier (so whilst not technically a series of deus ex machina, they do feel a bit like them). What would have worked better (and fortunately the book can be read this way) is if the flashbacks had been one continuous narrative, followed by the present-day storyline taking all of the revelations from the flashbacks and letting them unfold in one go.

Moving beyond that issue, King of Thorns is mostly a success: the characterisation is stronger, the prose is better and the book is more nuanced than its predecessor in terms of morality and consequences. There are also some outstanding sequences, such as a creepy encounter with the undead in a swamp and what appears to be a typical heroic quest which goes rather badly wrong at the end. The book asks some hard questions about rulership and ambition, but on occasion the novel feels like a retreat from Prince of Thorns's hard-edged ruthlessness. A key conflict in the novel is that Jorg's enemy is, in many ways (well, almost all ways), a better man than Jorg and Jorg himself wonders if he should be opposing him or become allied to him. This conflict is all-too-neatly undone by a plot twist revealed quite late in the novel that confirms if this other force wins, the consequences will be horrendous. This feels like the author giving his character too easy of an 'out' of his moral dilemma. The novel also handles its main female character, Katherine, rather oddly. After giving her quite a lot of development through the book (her letters are the only part of the novel not from Jorg's POV, giving her an interesting perspective on events) she vanishes in a rather confused and muddled way in the finale. Hopefully this will be clarified in the final novel in the series.

King of Thorns (****) is a highly intriguing novel, though it can be bleak and hard-going. The structure is problematic and some character arcs are better-handled than others. Those who had a hard time time believing that a 14-year-old could do all the things he did in Prince of Thorns won't find much more plausibility here (though Lawrence amusingly subverts Jorg's occasionally-threatened Gary Stuness several times). However, the novel is also well-written with some excellent turns of phrase and features some memorable setpiece moments. The overall direction of the series remains compelling, even if this is a slight step back from Prince of Thorns in quality. The novel is available now in the UK and USA.

 

[Werthead]

Emperor of Thorns by Mark Lawrence

Jorg of Ancrath now rules seven kingdoms and is one of the most powerful rulers on the continent. The time is coming when he will make his claim to the throne of the Broken Empire and try to unite the nations behind him. But there are forces gathering in the world which want to stop him. Powerful, ancient machines, like those that broke the world with their weapons of fire, are debating whether to scour the world of life and start again from scratch. The enigmatic Dead King has conquered the islands of Brettan and now marches on the mainland. This time, Jorg faces enemies that even he may struggle to master.

Emperor of Thorns concludes the Broken Empire series that started with Prince of Thorns and continued with King of Thorns. This trilogy tells the story of Jorg, a young man with the quick wits of Locke Lamora, the charm and resourcefulness of Kvothe but (to start with, anyway) the moral compass of Gregor Clegane. He has a rough loyalty to his men and those members of his family he doesn't want to actively murder, an unhealthy obsession with his young aunt and an inability to let any insult, challenge or threat pass unmolested.

Emperor of Thorns presents Jorg with his biggest challenge yet, although it's also one he's rather well-prepared to face. When Frodo Baggins reached Mount Doom, he didn't really have much more to hand than the clothes he left the Shire in, and had to face his destiny alone, apart from his plucky sidekick Sam. By contrast, Jorg of Ancrath reaches his fate in this book equipped with a neural link to a sophisticated AI and an orbiting array of satellites, in-depth knowledge of the world before the breaking and a magic sword. Although the odds are still against Jorg, I felt a surprising lack of tension in this novel, despite Lawrence's track record with both murdering major characters without much warning and throwing in interesting curveballs to the narrative. Some of these things happen here as well, but for the most part Jorg has a smooth ride across the continent to Vyene, and his ultimate destiny.

The novel alternates sections set in the present day, chronicling Jorg's ride across post-apocalyptic Europe, with sections set in the past, as Jorg has to travel deep into Africa to confront an old enemy and try to woo an ally. There's some interesting twists and turns here, but ultimately the flashbacks slow down the main narrative (this problem also afflicted King of Thorns). A "special edition Godfather" version of this trilogy which re-orders the flashbacks and present-day storyline into a linear sequence of events may be a worthwhile endeavour, and prevent the issue of Jorg apparently being out of his depth and incapable of handling the next challenge, but then a flashback reveals he picked up some awesome knowledge or ability four years earlier which means he can now deal with the problem.

At the same time, Lawrence remains one of epic fantasy's most interesting writers, of both prose and character, and Jorg develops in interesting ways in this book, leading to the conclusion being both logical and appropriate. A sequence set in a town that's been stripped of life is creepy and eerie and the concluding sequence in Vyene is appropriately blood-splattered, giving us back the uber-ruthless Jorg of the first novel. The first-person narrative means that some of the secondary characters are not as fleshed out as perhaps they could be (getting someone else's opinion of Jorg's activities from the outside would be interesting), but we do get to learn more about recurring semi-enemy Chella as we get chapters from her POV as well and discover more about the Dead King and his plans.

Emperor of Thorns (****) concludes one of the more narratively interesting epic fantasies of recent years with fire and wit, but it's grasp of structure and tension is not as effective as it could be. The novel is available now in the UK and USA.