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Jan 10, 2012

Carol rated it:

Here's Cliff Notes to my review: The Blade Itself Lite, with significantly less character development, a typical revenge plot and little redemption.

Feels suspiciously like watching a dog-fight video from ASPCA. Violent, powerful with a lack of finesse, subtlety or characterization, and the only redeeming aspect might occur at the end. The main character resists personal growth and opportunities for redemption, and commits violence after violence. We open as he watches a man die with More...

25 comments like (12 people liked it)

Aug 22, 2011

Mordant rated it:

You won’t put down this book. Or you will be disgusted right away. I think there is little in between. I am quite torn how to judge the „Prince of Thorns“. It’s almost as hard to explain to friends as „Kushiel’s Dart“ by Jacqueline Carey. They might think of you as a pervert when you try to. Think of this book as candy with caltrops – sweet, but then you suddenly get hurt!
I don’t want to spoil you what happens, but a lot of things that don’t quite compute make a lot of sense after a certai More...

6 comments like (18 people liked it)

Jan 12, 2012

edifanob rated it:

I read the German edition. What a great debut. So expect a review in German.
I will read the english edition too and will post this review near publishing date in August.

Nach langer Zeit habe ich mal wieder ein Buch in Deutsch gelesen.
Ein großartiges Debut von Mark Lawrence.
Ich werde das Buch auch in English lesen und reviewen. Allerdings erst im August.

Und hier ist nun die deutsche Review.
Bevor nun jemand anmerkt, dass es diese Review auch auf Ama More...

7 comments like (5 people liked it)

Jan 22, 2012

Nathan (SkynJay) rated it:

Forget all the comparisons, the book is nothing like GRRM or Abercrombie's work. It is however, very good. A very tight and focused sprint to the finish, when finished with this short book I was shocked by how much world building was actually involved. And it is a world that I can not wait to learn even more about.

Dont be alarmed, this book at first seemed to be dark for darkness sake. But we gain revelations toward the end that changed my view somewhat. It is not an every More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Jan 11, 2012

Todd rated it:

I got half way through 'Prince of Thorns' and could go no further. The over-the-top violence that some have written about didn't bother me or put me off the book. No, what DID put me off the book was this- I never, for even one moment, bought the 'Justin Bieber Meets Rambo' title character.

Yes, I've read ASOIAF, several times, and I'm aware that there are preteen and teen characters of derring-do in those books. The difference, and it is a fundamentally crucial one, is that George R. More...

3 comments like (4 people liked it)

Feb 21, 2012

Leo Elijah rated it:

FULL REVIEW AVAILABLE HERE: http://bit.ly/pD0Tpg

Mark Lawrence’s debut novel, Prince of Thorns, is the hardest book I’ve ever had to—and likely will ever have to—review. It’s not your usual fantasy novel; I’ll make that clear right now. I’ll also make it clear that I've not given it a good rating, like everywhere else I've seen. I seem to be one of the only people I've come across right now that doesn't like this book. But I don't. I have to give it a 1* rating, because it worked for m More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Aug 06, 2011

Dan rated it:

Prince of Thorns is, on the surface, a remarkably twisted little book. As one of the most talked about debut novels to release this year- which I took as a pinch of salt, in the interest of not getting my hopes up after having them dashed by Orullian’s The Unremembered- it is aggressively being called “the British answer to George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones“. It makes sense; many new fans are flocking to the books of ASOIAF in the wake of HBO’s fantastic television adaptation, and Harper Vo More...

7 comments like (12 people liked it)

Nov 13, 2011

Jon rated it:

I read this novel for the Fantasy Book Club October 2011 group read. Join us here for the discussion, including a Q&A thread with the author.

You'll have to wait until the end of October to find out what I think about this debut novel. I may drop a few clues during the discussions, though.

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Dec 05, 2011

Simon rated it:

Dark, brutal and not for the faint hearted are the first things I would say to anybody thinking of reading this. Relentless, engaging and exciting are the second things.

An intriguing fantasy setting that is more than meets the eye at first glance. Rough, despicable rogues are the protagonists that the author does a good job of making you route for by the end of the book, if you don't throw it down in disgust after the first couple if chapters.

Apparently the first in a pro More...

0 comments like (6 people liked it)

Mar 20, 2011

Makaia rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Sep 17, 2011

Neil rated it:

This is one of the fastest paced fantasies I’ve read in a long while. The story never lets up and a surprising amount happens, including the main character's back-story. This pace makes it a real page turner and the short chapters will have you “reading one more” until it’s done.
Many comparisons are being made to George RR Martin but I think it’s fairer to compare Lawrence to Abercrombie and Lynch as it shares the same sense of dark humour. Readers should be warned this book is very dark a More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 14, 2011

Lillian rated it:

Barely got into the first few pages and I love it.

---------------AFTER READING-----------------

First of all, let me narrow down the audience: those who can not handle the darker side of Medieval England are advised to GTFO. Go home and enjoy your happy-ending Disney tales. There will be enough rape, murder, and other delightful things in this book that will make softer readers a bit uncomfortable.

Second: if you're looking for a hero, move along. This Prince C More...

2 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jan 17, 2012

Foxessa rated it:

Book 1 of the Broken Empire. Ace.

Attempts to out-gritty everybody. Without redeeming qualitities, still it doesn't have the courage of its convictions as by the end the the protagonist (and his wretched My Great First Personness narrative) provides hints of possible redemption through -- ho hum, lurve.

Why is it that guys (and they are by and large guys), who have never ever had personal contact with the infinite variations of the evil and foul things that humans do to each More...

8 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 23, 2011

Michelle rated it:

Spectacular.

Full review, by Stephan and I, published under The Ranting Dragon

Also, an interview with the author.

Prince of Thorns is the spectacular debut novel of talented new British author, Mark Lawrence. The first installment in the Broken Empire trilogy, it promises to be one of the most exciting releases of 2011. Dark, captivating, relentless and haunting, this brilliant epic fantasy more than delivers in all regards.

Imagine the earth as a deso More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Feb 13, 2012

Adam rated it:

No. No, no, no, no, no! You can not write a book about self-determination and the philosophy of choices, and end it with a Deus Ex Machina! It compromises all of your hard work and makes the reader think that you don't actually care what your book is saying.

And, right up until the very end of the novel, I was pretty sure the author did care.

But first let me give some context. In the fantasy novel forum and blog circle, this book was trumpeted as dark dark fantasy; an experi More...

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Feb 08, 2012

Donovan rated it:

I read this after the mentor for my novel writers course recommended I undertake a review of the first page. I'll use it here, but before I do, this is a fun read and not to be taken too seriously. It is also violent in nature. It is the first in The Broken Empire series.

Review
The opening page to ‘Prince of Thorns’ will find you immediately seized by a variety of morbid and bloody literary hooks and is clearly not a novel for the pacifistic reader. Mark has been very clever in his More...

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Feb 08, 2012

drey rated it:

I loved the cover of Prince of Thorns and added it to my library list; it finally came home…

drey’s thoughts:
This is a somewhat disturbing story of a boy who watches as his mother and younger brother are murdered, then grows up a bloodthirsty and vengeful mercenary. It’s raw, bloody, and cold. This is not for the faint-hearted; you can barely believe that the main character is only thirteen years old.

There is not much that’s redeemable about Jorg, yet you’re drawn to him. More...

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Jan 21, 2012

Webbweaver rated it:

Seeing his mother and brother slain before his eyes, has left Jorg Ancrath changed into something of a monster, who leads a horde of bandits in murdering and pillaging the countryside. He has sworn to take back the kingdom which is rightfully his, but in order to do so, he must return to his father’s castle and face some very dark magic.

In this first book of dark fantasy in his Broken Empire series, Lawrence sets a stage in a new era of sorcery and magic that is climbing out from th More...

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Jan 18, 2012

Jamie rated it:

Grit. That's about the only word that sums up this book. Defiantly not for the faint of heart, but not nearly as violent as some of the other reviews I've read have suggested. But I also read horror.
The writing is unusual. The only thing that saves the first person perspective is the fact that the main character truly is as brilliant as he sets himself up to be. Without his shimmer of poetry and form I would have never gotten though it.
That being said, I feel that the main characte More...

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Jan 17, 2012

Ruth rated it:

c2011. This is an unredeemingly awful story. The writing is good as is the pace but there is absolutely no degree of light and shadow at all. Lots of gratutious violence and I had a huge problem with the simply improbable protagonist (Jorg Ancrath - between 10 to 14 years of age). I know that all the violence in the beginning of the book is all explained by the end - but really - at no time was I eager to turn the page and I was conscious that I was frowning when I was reading this book. I have More...

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Jan 15, 2012

kamelin rated it:

"Ich schluckte die Nacht, und die Nacht schluckte mich" [German Review]

Als der neunjährige Jorg hilflos mit ansehen muss, wie Mutter und Bruder vor seinen Augen abgeschlachtet werden, zerbricht etwas in ihm. Nachdem er erfährt, dass sein Vater den Überfall nicht rächen wird, schließt sich der Junge kurzerhand einer Gruppe von Halsabschneidern und Straßenräubern an, die er schon bald anführt. Plündernd und mordend zieht er durch das zerrissene Reich, bis er ein Jahr vor s More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 29, 2011

Mark rated it:

I first heard about this title back in late September 2010 and have been sweating to get my hands on it ever since!

When I first got the manuscript I was dismayed - it is written in first person. I don't know why I dislike first person, and I don't even know why I still feel I don't like t when all the books I've read that have used it have been fine and enjoyable novels. But that is how I felt.

The second feeling that came over me reading the first chapter was hesitation. More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 28, 2011

Mackay rated it:

Let's get this out of the way first: Lawrence has a way with words; he is a master of pacing; and he can keep one turning the pages. But my issues with this dark fantasy all revolve around the narrator and protagonist Jorg. He's not credible as a fourteen-year-old, nor as a ten-year-old in the flashbacks. Orson Scott Card has a lot to answer for in creating a superhero out of a child; other writers ought not follow that paradigm, and Lawrence had no need to. For this reader, his choice thoroughl More...

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Dec 18, 2011

Melody rated it:

Pada masa depan setelah dunia hancur akibat senjata pemusnah massal, berdirilah kerajaan-kerajaan yang saling mencaplok dan berperang sebagaimana pada zaman pertengahan. Jorg Ancrath, putra mahkota Kerajaan Ancrath, mengalami kejadian tragis sewaktu berusia 9 tahun. Kereta kudanya diberhentikan, lalu ibu dan adik laki-lakinya dibantai di depan matanya oleh Count Renar penguasa negeri tetangga. Meskipun demikian, ayahnya memilih diam saja daripada berperang dengan pelaku kejahatan itu. Maka Jorg More...

7 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 26, 2011

Algernon rated it:

This one didn't really work for me, but don't let my grumpy old self stop anyone from giving it a try and making their own opinion. Best of luck Mark, on your Goodreads favorite listing and in the year sales figure. I wish you a long and interesting creer in the field of fantasy.

For a debut novel it is quite competently written, with a mix of what seems to be the ingredients for success in 2011 : a teenage main actor in order to attract the younger readers, extreme violence and a total More...

1 comment like

Nov 09, 2011

Sue rated it:

FINALLY! A character with no real morals. I'm so sick of the heroic tediums and saving people. For once it's nice to have a character who instead of just spouting on about how he knows it's important to have no weakness, it's a character who actually does what he says! Normally anti-heroes have some sort of redemption, but I don't see any redemption here.

I honestly wished the story was longer <spoiler>I really wanted Jorg to go back and kill his father and especially kill the q More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Oct 17, 2011

Stephan rated it:

This review was first published at The Ranting Dragon.

Prince of Thorns is the spectacular debut novel of talented new British author, Mark Lawrence. The first installment in the Broken Empire trilogy, it promises to be one of the most exciting releases of 2011. Dark, captivating, relentless and haunting, this brilliant epic fantasy more than delivers in all regards.

Imagine the earth as a desolate wasteland. The dead rest uneasily and hundreds of claimants battle for vari More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Oct 16, 2011

Megan rated it:

(Re-posted from http://theturnedbrain.blogspot.com)

I came to this book via a rather controversial review on Tor.com. (Although you should note the review has some stuff in it that I think is a little spoilerish). This is another example of how a negative review can influence someone to seek out a book just as much as a positive one. (A fact that seems lost on the commenting editor from Voyager). Mark Lawrence's 'Prince of Thorns' was always going to split opinions. The main character i More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Oct 12, 2011

Courtney rated it:

One hell of a debut novel. Dark, compelling, and fast-paced, with a stark clarity to the prose that works perfectly for the tale. The reviews I'd read prior to reading the actual novel had given me the impression that Lawrence's protagonist Jorg would be a cold-blooded, Machiavellian sociopath - so I was surprised (in a good way) by the depth of raw emotion in the book. Even though at times Jorg's dialogue might recall the cheerful sociopathy of a character like Alex in Clockwork Orange, pain More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Sep 29, 2011

Sandino rated it:

За тая книга прочетох в няколко от блоговете за фентъзи и фантастика, които следя. Представяха я като смесица от Линч, Абъркромби и Глен Кук. Направо ми потекоха лигите и нямах търпение докато пристигне. За съжаление доста ме разочарова особено на фона на големите ми очаквания. На първо място форматът. Реших да се се бръкна с повече кинти и да си я купя с дебели корици. Книжката очевидно е доста тънка по принцип и за да могат да я направят представителна с твърда и да изглежда по- голяма са перн More...

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