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Broken Empire #1.5
Select Mode
A short story set in the Broken Empire. It features Jorg and The Nuban shortly before the start of Prince of Thorns. The story originally appeared in the Unfettered Anthology edited by Shawn Speakman.
The story can also be found in the anthology Road Brothers: Tales from the Broken Empire.
The story can also be found in the anthology Road Brothers: Tales from the Broken Empire.
10 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2014
10 people are currently reading
3922 people want to read
About the author
Mark Lawrence
90 books55.8k followersMy books vary a LOT - so
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[My new book The Book That Broke The World is out now!]
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Mark Lawrence is married with four children, one of whom is severely disabled. Before becoming a fulltime writer in 2015 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.
[My new book The Book That Broke The World is out now!]
Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/marklawrencea...
Blog here: http://mark---lawrence.blogspot.co.uk/
I'm on Youtube now! *excitement!*
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIrB...
Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/MarkLawrence...
https://www.instagram.com/mark___lawr...
Threads
https://www.threads.net/@mark___lawrence
Blue Sky
https://bsky.app/profile/marklawrence...
Three-emails-a-year newsletter here:
http://eepurl.com/cimnK1 #Prizes #FreeContent
I'm even on Tumblr!
https://www.tumblr.com/blog/marklawre...
Pintrest!
https://uk.pinterest.com/princeofthor...
Plus I have free stuff on Wattpad!
https://www.wattpad.com/user/MarkLawr...
Mark Lawrence is married with four children, one of whom is severely disabled. Before becoming a fulltime writer in 2015 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews
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August 17, 2024One of 14 short stories to be found in Road Brothers, giving backgrounds on Jorg and various of his brothers.
"They call me a monster and if it were untrue the weight of my crimes would pin me to the ground. I have maimed and I have murdered and if this mountain stood but a little higher I would cut the angels from their heaven. I care less for accusations than for the rain that soaks me, that runs down every limb. I spit both from my lips. Judgment has always left a sour taste."
Audio here:
https://soundcloud.com/empire_of_thor...
Generously read by author T.O. Munro.
Join my Patreon
Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter #prizes
..
"They call me a monster and if it were untrue the weight of my crimes would pin me to the ground. I have maimed and I have murdered and if this mountain stood but a little higher I would cut the angels from their heaven. I care less for accusations than for the rain that soaks me, that runs down every limb. I spit both from my lips. Judgment has always left a sour taste."
Audio here:
https://soundcloud.com/empire_of_thor...
Generously read by author T.O. Munro.
Join my Patreon
Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter #prizes
..
April 13, 2023
"Select Mode" is a short story from the Broken Empire that takes place during Jorg's childhood, before the events of Prince of Thorns. The short story, part of the Road Brothers collection, focuses on young Jorg's relationships with Father Gomst and the Nuban, both of whom are potential father-figures for Jorg in the absence of any healthy relationship with his actual father.
As someone in a position of moral authority, Father Gomst could have fostered a healthy father-son relationship with Jorg. Unfortunately, his own moral backbone is not strong enough to compete with Jorg's uncompromising personality. Father Gomst is a rather tragic figure: he is not a bad person, but he lacks the strength of character to live up to his own moral ideals.
In contrast, the Nuban is someone with strong moral character. He embodies the ideals of brotherhood that Jorg tries to create with his band of Road Brothers. After the rejection from his father and death of his brother, only the Nuban is able to provide some sense of a moral compass for Jorg.
"Select Mode" also cleverly explores the mash-up of fantasy and science fiction that we see throughout the Broken Empire series. Fragments of ancient Builder technology survive in the post-apocalyptic world of the Broken Empire, and technological phrases such as "select mode" and "failure to connect" are reinterpreted in this new context. "Failure to connect," in particular, has a deeper meaning for many of Jorg's relationships.
As someone in a position of moral authority, Father Gomst could have fostered a healthy father-son relationship with Jorg. Unfortunately, his own moral backbone is not strong enough to compete with Jorg's uncompromising personality. Father Gomst is a rather tragic figure: he is not a bad person, but he lacks the strength of character to live up to his own moral ideals.
In contrast, the Nuban is someone with strong moral character. He embodies the ideals of brotherhood that Jorg tries to create with his band of Road Brothers. After the rejection from his father and death of his brother, only the Nuban is able to provide some sense of a moral compass for Jorg.
"Select Mode" also cleverly explores the mash-up of fantasy and science fiction that we see throughout the Broken Empire series. Fragments of ancient Builder technology survive in the post-apocalyptic world of the Broken Empire, and technological phrases such as "select mode" and "failure to connect" are reinterpreted in this new context. "Failure to connect," in particular, has a deeper meaning for many of Jorg's relationships.
July 20, 2021
"The thorns woke me. They gave me sharp new truths to savour. Held me as my little brother died, embraced me for the long slow time it took my uncle's men to kill my mother. I woke dark to the world, ready to give worse than I got."
A short review for a short story from the world of the Broken Empire. This takes place shortly before the start of Prince of Thorns. To be honest there's not an awful lot to it. I mean, it's only ten pages worth of action and having read the first it didn't really add an awful lot.
I'm a big fan of the horror genre. I was brought up on it and as a result I'm well acquainted with the short story. Authors like Robert McCammon, Joe Lansdale and particularly Stephen King rip it up with this style of fiction and it's a very hard act to follow. It's an unfair comparison but one I make anyway. I make no apologies, life isn't fair... particularly in the world of the Broken Empire.
One thing you should know about Mark Lawrence's series is that it's not for kids. It is dark and brutal, pulling absolutely no punches and giving zero fecks about your feelings. The main character is more akin to a villain than a hero, so you've got to have that in mind when you pick this one up. I remember an interview where the author said he was aiming for A Clockwork Orange in a fantasy setting and it's a very apt comparison.
So what I think this short does is give you a taster of what's in store for you if you do start the series, just not quite as hardcore. We get the main character of Jorg, who's been taken captive along with one of his band of merry psychopaths. It gives you an insight into his back story and the darkness and sheer ruthlessness of his personality. That I enjoyed quite a bit, sicko that I am. So what I'm going to recommend is that you read this one before you start Prince of Thorns as an introduction. I think that would work really well for someone who's not quite sure.
It'll give you a taste of Lawrence's writing style and prose, which are bloody good. Bleak, ruthless but with a touch of artistry. Just like Mr Ancrath. But if you've read the first I wouldn't bust a gut to get hold of this one. It's collected in Lawrence's compendium Road Brothers so you can just rattle through it when you read that one. Or forget what I said and read it whenever you want. Enjoy!
A short review for a short story from the world of the Broken Empire. This takes place shortly before the start of Prince of Thorns. To be honest there's not an awful lot to it. I mean, it's only ten pages worth of action and having read the first it didn't really add an awful lot.
I'm a big fan of the horror genre. I was brought up on it and as a result I'm well acquainted with the short story. Authors like Robert McCammon, Joe Lansdale and particularly Stephen King rip it up with this style of fiction and it's a very hard act to follow. It's an unfair comparison but one I make anyway. I make no apologies, life isn't fair... particularly in the world of the Broken Empire.
One thing you should know about Mark Lawrence's series is that it's not for kids. It is dark and brutal, pulling absolutely no punches and giving zero fecks about your feelings. The main character is more akin to a villain than a hero, so you've got to have that in mind when you pick this one up. I remember an interview where the author said he was aiming for A Clockwork Orange in a fantasy setting and it's a very apt comparison.
So what I think this short does is give you a taster of what's in store for you if you do start the series, just not quite as hardcore. We get the main character of Jorg, who's been taken captive along with one of his band of merry psychopaths. It gives you an insight into his back story and the darkness and sheer ruthlessness of his personality. That I enjoyed quite a bit, sicko that I am. So what I'm going to recommend is that you read this one before you start Prince of Thorns as an introduction. I think that would work really well for someone who's not quite sure.
It'll give you a taste of Lawrence's writing style and prose, which are bloody good. Bleak, ruthless but with a touch of artistry. Just like Mr Ancrath. But if you've read the first I wouldn't bust a gut to get hold of this one. It's collected in Lawrence's compendium Road Brothers so you can just rattle through it when you read that one. Or forget what I said and read it whenever you want. Enjoy!
January 20, 2014
Oh Jorg.... That was good. I miss you. Keep being you.
I read this some after reading the trilogy and it was good to get a taste after some time.
Keep writing these little things Mark. Please.
I read this some after reading the trilogy and it was good to get a taste after some time.
Keep writing these little things Mark. Please.
November 8, 2017
Entertaining especially if you only have a short period and don't want to get into something longer.
January 16, 2014
Mark Lawrence, quite simply, has my favorite prose in all of fantasy. I could read his work day in and day out and never tire of it.
January 6, 2014
One of the reasons I read what Mark Lawrence writes is his unique ability to push my emotional and intellectual buttons with a turn of phrase. He has the singular talent for shining a spotlight on gut-wrenching emotions-- what fuels it, what it gives rise to, how it feels.
Just take a look at this line: "xxx if it speaks for heaven then I have words of my own to speak back". Once again, he has captured and spurred my imagination with one line. With this one line, he tells me of Jorg's pain, regret, anger, frustration. With this one line, Mark Lawrence has enabled me to relate to Jorg, know what drives him, understand the emotions wrapped around his being like an invisible blanket.
In this short story, we are reminded of the significance of the thorns in Jorg's life--
It takes
hundreds of days
for the earth
to revolve
around the sun.
It takes
but moments
for joyfulness
to be drained
from a life.
Just take a look at this line: "xxx if it speaks for heaven then I have words of my own to speak back". Once again, he has captured and spurred my imagination with one line. With this one line, he tells me of Jorg's pain, regret, anger, frustration. With this one line, Mark Lawrence has enabled me to relate to Jorg, know what drives him, understand the emotions wrapped around his being like an invisible blanket.
In this short story, we are reminded of the significance of the thorns in Jorg's life--
It takes
hundreds of days
for the earth
to revolve
around the sun.
It takes
but moments
for joyfulness
to be drained
from a life.
Read
January 24, 2017You can find my general review (whole trilogy) in the first book:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
May 12, 2016
Ah, so this lends more explanation to what exactly happened in the last few chapters of the first book. I had an idea about some of the things that were mentioned, but I still didn't want to assume. I'm not sure this short story is even important enough in the grand scheme of things, but I'm glad we got another glimpse of the Nuban.
January 17, 2014
Mark has done it again - what an awesome short story. It was great to see Jorg again...being Jorg. It gave me chills when he broke the guy's neck. Mark Lawrence is incredibly talented and brought Jorg to life again in the space of only a few words, his prose as lulling and striking as always, unafraid to delve into the dark depths of Jorg's mind. It had me wishing there were another three hundred pages. I can never get enough of Jorg or of Mark's writing.
June 5, 2015
Nice little tidbit of a story. But whats the point ?
Read
September 20, 2021My review of Prince of Thorns is here.
I slept until my ninth year, deep in the dream that blinds us to the world. The thorns woke me. They gave me sharp new truths to savour.
A very short, but stunningly well written story in The Broken Empire series. Definitely recommended reading for after Prince of Thorns.
☆ Blog | Twitter ☆
I slept until my ninth year, deep in the dream that blinds us to the world. The thorns woke me. They gave me sharp new truths to savour.
A very short, but stunningly well written story in The Broken Empire series. Definitely recommended reading for after Prince of Thorns.
☆ Blog | Twitter ☆
January 12, 2014
More from my favourite character in modern fantasy, the brutal Jorg Ancrath as we travel back to his younger days before the time of the Prince of Thorns and at the tender age of just 13 and guaranteed you won’t have met a young man such as this before. This is a free short story from the author’s website and if you haven’t sampled this fantastic character yet I recommend it more than highly.
December 31, 2013
Nice to re-visit Jorg again, is it wrong that I miss him?
June 25, 2024
Select Mode was an interesting short story that provided some more information as to the ending of the first book. A little too short for my taste but Mark is certainly a great writer.
February 4, 2015
"(...)All bonds can be slipped, all thorns torn free. It’s simply a matter of pain, and of what you’re prepared to lose..."
This short story is amazing! And you can read it without having read the first book of The Broken Empire trilogy, though I recommend that you do.
It takes us back to the start of Jorg and the Nuban's adventures. Who doesn't love the Nuban? They encounter a group that worships a mysterious arch. When someone passes through it, it can declare 'Fail' or 'Select'. That's why the group call themselves 'The Select'. They judge their prisoners by the word that the arch says as they pass through it, and kill the ones that aren't 'Select'.
Remember that this fantasy book is set on a future post-apocalyptic Earth. I loved how the remaining technology (that doesn't always work as intended) is misunderstood by the people in Jorg's time. They view these artifacts as Gods or magic.
A very nice story with, again, beautiful prose by Mark.
"(...)No absolution in this storm—the stain of sin is past water’s touch..."
May 18, 2014
An excellent story full of little jorgisms as little Jorg (it takes place within the period covered by Prince of Thorns)encounters a monastic order in self-imposed servitude to a relic of the builders. I particularly liked the glimpse into the past with father Gomst making an appearance and also the strange cloying "magic" of the builders that twisted the local fabric of the universe.
At 3000 words it will entertain without keeping you up all night to finish it.
At 3000 words it will entertain without keeping you up all night to finish it.
July 29, 2018
It's a bit gritty and dark, and not what you'd expect. I will not say more because it will spoil an otherwise short story that should need no introduction.
I read this before the Broken Empire, and it was very weird because I had no idea about the setting, but Mark did a marvelous job of introducing me to the basics in such a short story. This is actually what reminded me of the trilogy itself so I took to reading it the very next day.
I read this before the Broken Empire, and it was very weird because I had no idea about the setting, but Mark did a marvelous job of introducing me to the basics in such a short story. This is actually what reminded me of the trilogy itself so I took to reading it the very next day.
December 24, 2014
4.15
I tend to not like audio books- in this case novella- and I've only listened to one other before this one but I really enjoyed Select Mode. T.O. did a very nice job of being the voice and was also part of the reason I liked this little novella.
I tend to not like audio books- in this case novella- and I've only listened to one other before this one but I really enjoyed Select Mode. T.O. did a very nice job of being the voice and was also part of the reason I liked this little novella.
January 7, 2014
a brilliant taster for those who havent read the broken empire series and an excellent extra story for all those who love jorg.
June 14, 2016
Stellar prose! It just blows my mind how easy Mark Lawrence weaves complicated physical and philosophical concepts into a short story!
December 5, 2014
originally posted at: http://thebookplank.blogspot.com/2014...
Yes I am going to say it once again. Mark Lawrence is currently on the big names when it comes down to Epic Fantasy. His first series, The Broken Empire completely won me over, it was rich, dark and eerie, earlier this year he launched his second series, The Red Queen's War, again with a lot success. I was recently going through my shelves and came across these books, they urged me to venture once again into the amazingly rich world (yes i can talk for hours about how the world of Mark Lawrences books intrigue me), this time with another short story, set between Prince of Thorns and King of Thorns.
Mark Lawrence wrote this story with the thought in mind to make this a self contained story, enjoyable for readers who are not familiar with The Broken Empire, yet. Select Mode takes place prior to the events of the first book Prince of Thorns. If you do have prior knowledge of the series that undoubtedly you would have felt the same when you read the first sentence of the story. Jorg is back in his bad-ass attitude. Now I have praised the series because of the transition of Jorg as a protagonist and was good to say that Mark Lawrence captured him in his arrogant self once again. Both Jorg and The Nuban are caught by an order that worships an ancient relic of the Builders (yes those people once again). The Builders have been mentioned in having build several parts of the world. The relic that they worship judges a person on whether he passes or fails and I think you can already feel that when you fail, it doesn't end well with you. But as they, Jorg and the Nuban are being led to the relic, something happen and it wouldn't be a Jorg influenced story if he would act and react with the utmost innocence. Jorg also isn't a person that likes to be captured and with his quick wit and sharp mind he easily set something into motion that... you will have to figure that out for yourself! But let me say it is true to Jorg's character.
The great thing about Select Mode is the ease of access to the story and makes Prince of Thorns and the whole The Broken Empire series readily approachable. If you like this writing style (which you will) that you are safe and sound for the rest of the series. Select Mode is a fairly short story with only 10 pages but it already covers a lot of background of the whole series. It gives a nice insight in the younger years of Jorg and how several things came to pass but also you get to see a glimpse of the world that Mark Lawrence uses in his books. Part Epic Fantasy, part dystopian and part Science Fiction. The good stuff.
At the end of the story you will have developed a either a love or hate relationship with Jorg and even though you hate him, you will want to read his adventures. I know you want to. It´s this trait about him that will urge you to read one. Select Mode is a great place to start.
Yes I am going to say it once again. Mark Lawrence is currently on the big names when it comes down to Epic Fantasy. His first series, The Broken Empire completely won me over, it was rich, dark and eerie, earlier this year he launched his second series, The Red Queen's War, again with a lot success. I was recently going through my shelves and came across these books, they urged me to venture once again into the amazingly rich world (yes i can talk for hours about how the world of Mark Lawrences books intrigue me), this time with another short story, set between Prince of Thorns and King of Thorns.
Mark Lawrence wrote this story with the thought in mind to make this a self contained story, enjoyable for readers who are not familiar with The Broken Empire, yet. Select Mode takes place prior to the events of the first book Prince of Thorns. If you do have prior knowledge of the series that undoubtedly you would have felt the same when you read the first sentence of the story. Jorg is back in his bad-ass attitude. Now I have praised the series because of the transition of Jorg as a protagonist and was good to say that Mark Lawrence captured him in his arrogant self once again. Both Jorg and The Nuban are caught by an order that worships an ancient relic of the Builders (yes those people once again). The Builders have been mentioned in having build several parts of the world. The relic that they worship judges a person on whether he passes or fails and I think you can already feel that when you fail, it doesn't end well with you. But as they, Jorg and the Nuban are being led to the relic, something happen and it wouldn't be a Jorg influenced story if he would act and react with the utmost innocence. Jorg also isn't a person that likes to be captured and with his quick wit and sharp mind he easily set something into motion that... you will have to figure that out for yourself! But let me say it is true to Jorg's character.
The great thing about Select Mode is the ease of access to the story and makes Prince of Thorns and the whole The Broken Empire series readily approachable. If you like this writing style (which you will) that you are safe and sound for the rest of the series. Select Mode is a fairly short story with only 10 pages but it already covers a lot of background of the whole series. It gives a nice insight in the younger years of Jorg and how several things came to pass but also you get to see a glimpse of the world that Mark Lawrence uses in his books. Part Epic Fantasy, part dystopian and part Science Fiction. The good stuff.
At the end of the story you will have developed a either a love or hate relationship with Jorg and even though you hate him, you will want to read his adventures. I know you want to. It´s this trait about him that will urge you to read one. Select Mode is a great place to start.
July 7, 2021
3.5 stars---
July 23, 2014
Select Mode by Mark Lawrence is a ten page, short story about a mini adventure between Prince Jorg and the Nuban. The short story did further confuse me in regards to the world building of this series, and did nothing further to amend my concerns regarding Jorg's mary sue status. As I stated in my review of Prince of Thorns, there are a lot of quirks about this story that makes it difficult to like, but with this short story being only a ten pages, I decided to give it a read. I really do want to like this series, but it lacks the detail and complexity that I typically enjoy seeing in a story meant to be serious.
I am likely the odd reviewer out, because more likely than not, most readers don't have a need to finish a series they started like I do, even if they dislike a story, but I read this short story for completeness. Overall, there really is not much to judge from ten pages, so since this story did not blow me away, I gave it the same rating I gave Prince of Thorns, two stars saying that the book was "ok". Although, the ending made me roll my eyes a little. I did not understand why the arch's initial response was predictable, but I don't understand the sudden and dramatic change in the end. It was unnecessary and yet again, very mary sue worthy.
I am likely the odd reviewer out, because more likely than not, most readers don't have a need to finish a series they started like I do, even if they dislike a story, but I read this short story for completeness. Overall, there really is not much to judge from ten pages, so since this story did not blow me away, I gave it the same rating I gave Prince of Thorns, two stars saying that the book was "ok". Although, the ending made me roll my eyes a little. I did not understand why the arch's initial response was predictable, but I don't understand the sudden and dramatic change in the end. It was unnecessary and yet again, very mary sue worthy.
February 23, 2015
Another gem from Mark Lawrence.
This awesome short story features Jorg and Nuban with some Builder magic. Along with The Sleeping Beauty, the other Jorg short story, Select Mode is definitely going to delight the readers longing to read more Jorg. Mark Lawrence is a master wordsmith and this wonderful story is the proof, along with his other works.
This awesome short story features Jorg and Nuban with some Builder magic. Along with The Sleeping Beauty, the other Jorg short story, Select Mode is definitely going to delight the readers longing to read more Jorg. Mark Lawrence is a master wordsmith and this wonderful story is the proof, along with his other works.
April 5, 2014
Wow! That was awesome. A great extra, and definitely welcome because like everyone else, I miss Jorg and am going to miss him afterward. Please write more of these.
Please.
(PS. does anybody have speculations on WHAT the arch actually is for? I'm too stupid to figure it out.)
Please.
(PS. does anybody have speculations on WHAT the arch actually is for? I'm too stupid to figure it out.)
July 16, 2014
An interesting and clever short story with the familiar, witty writing style we have become accustomed to from Mark's work. Although it was a brief read it created an extremely vivid story and deserves a fully justified 5/5.
October 28, 2015
I miss my favourite psychopath :'-(
November 12, 2014
Nice twist there at the end. Not a very surprising one, but still a nice one. Plus, the Nuban <3
January 16, 2022
2.5* Short. Nice. Entartaining. A little confusing from time to time though. It's really short so no problem I guess. Anyway, I miss Jorg. Time to start King of Thorns. So excited!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews