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Road Brothers
(The Broken Empire #[10 short stories])
by
10 short stories from the lives of Jorg and his Road Brothers. Contains spoilers for the Broken Empire trilogy. 5 of the stories have previously been published in anthologies, Contains the short story 'Sleeping Beauty' that is also sold separately. A total of 43.000 words or just over half the length of Prince of Thorns.
Cover by Pen Astridge.
Index:
A Rescue
Sleeping Beauty
Ba ...more
Cover by Pen Astridge.
Index:
A Rescue
Sleeping Beauty
Ba ...more
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Kindle Edition, 124 pages
Published
December 14th 2015
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Start your review of Road Brothers (The Broken Empire, #3.5)

So this is the old, shorter Road Brothers with ten stories. You can no longer buy this edition.
The new, 50% longer Road Brothers with fourteen stories can be found here:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
& can be bought in kindle on Amazon.com and in kindle & hardcover on Amazon.co.uk or bookdepository.com AND on Amazon.com there is also a kindle catch up that contains just the additional 4 stories!
Vote on which of the ten stories you liked best here:
http://www.easypolls.net/poll.html?p=.. ...more
The new, 50% longer Road Brothers with fourteen stories can be found here:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
& can be bought in kindle on Amazon.com and in kindle & hardcover on Amazon.co.uk or bookdepository.com AND on Amazon.com there is also a kindle catch up that contains just the additional 4 stories!
Vote on which of the ten stories you liked best here:
http://www.easypolls.net/poll.html?p=.. ...more

Originally reviewed at Bookwraiths.
By now, most fantasy fans have either read or heard all about Mark Lawrence’s seminal work Prince of Thorns and The Broken Empire trilogy it launched. Some love Jorg Ancrath and his world; others hate him and/or the place; but everyone has strong feelings about the story. Yet Jorg’s tale is not a solitary one. In fact, throughout his journeys, the young Ancrath prince is accompanied by many companions, the most important of which are his road brothers. ...more
By now, most fantasy fans have either read or heard all about Mark Lawrence’s seminal work Prince of Thorns and The Broken Empire trilogy it launched. Some love Jorg Ancrath and his world; others hate him and/or the place; but everyone has strong feelings about the story. Yet Jorg’s tale is not a solitary one. In fact, throughout his journeys, the young Ancrath prince is accompanied by many companions, the most important of which are his road brothers. ...more

More brilliance from Mr Lawrence. How I have missed the Broken Empire and its memorable inhabitants!

If you're a fan of The Broken Empire saga, then you know that it was very much Jorg's tale. While every reader has a favorite from his band road brothers, we really only got to know them through their interactions with their Prince/King. Any background that we were able to glean came largely from conversations on the road.
With Road Brothers: Tales from the Broken Empire, Mark Lawrence allows many of those brothers to step off the road and tell their own tales. These are stories that strip away t ...more
With Road Brothers: Tales from the Broken Empire, Mark Lawrence allows many of those brothers to step off the road and tell their own tales. These are stories that strip away t ...more

Despite being a fan of Mark Lawrence, I didn't buy this book straight away as it's a series of short stories - not my favourite format. I was wrong to not to believe in him. I strongly recommend reading the Broken Empire series first, but if you do, this is a fantastic addition.
I really liked the author's footnotes for each story, giving additional information on the background of each tale.
Highly recommended for those who fondly remember the likes of Rike and Red Kent and would like to know mo ...more
I really liked the author's footnotes for each story, giving additional information on the background of each tale.
Highly recommended for those who fondly remember the likes of Rike and Red Kent and would like to know mo ...more

So, it's basically been two years since I read The Broken Empire series. I read it in my freshman year of college, and now I'm a junior in a few months. I've forgotten most of the side characters and plot lines, but retained the main ones. (Not the fault of Mark Lawrence, but it's just that I've become an adult and I can't ruminate on plot lines of books past forever. I've got work and school to focus on.) This was more of an experience of really finding out just how badly I need to re-read the
...more

Don't read this collection of short stories unless you've read Mark Lawrence's The Broken Empire. Here be spoilers. Road Brothers does exactly what it says – short stories sketching in back story for Jorg's band of brothers, offering tasty little snippets of history, to colour in the details.
So I'm assuming that if you've read Mark's other books, you'll be no stranger his style, which offers astute observations on the darker side of human nature set in a world that's still picking up the pieces ...more
So I'm assuming that if you've read Mark's other books, you'll be no stranger his style, which offers astute observations on the darker side of human nature set in a world that's still picking up the pieces ...more

A Rescue
- a story about Makin in different moments of his life at the Tall Castle - 3★
Sleeping Beauty - a mix between the famous Perrault/Grimm's fairytale and SFF - 3.5★
Bad Seed - a story about Red Kent - 4★
The Nature of the Beast - a story about Rike and Chella's sister, wonderful in its implications - 4.5★
Select Mode - a story of Jorg and the Nuban - 3★
Mercy - a second story about Makin, this one about a most common theme in this series: revenge - 4★
A Good Name - ...more
Sleeping Beauty - a mix between the famous Perrault/Grimm's fairytale and SFF - 3.5★
Bad Seed - a story about Red Kent - 4★
The Nature of the Beast - a story about Rike and Chella's sister, wonderful in its implications - 4.5★
Select Mode - a story of Jorg and the Nuban - 3★
Mercy - a second story about Makin, this one about a most common theme in this series: revenge - 4★
A Good Name - ...more

***update: a little info here on the upcoming print edition: https://thatthornguy.com/2017/06/02/o... ***
I read some of these tales as far back as the summer of 2014 and after all this time they still resonate with me. To me Mark Lawrence is and has always been an artist unmatched in talent and skill. His stories beat with a heart that makes them both powerful and unique.
I would also like to take this opportunity to applaud Pen Astridge for her once-again brilliant cover, it is fantastic!
...more
I read some of these tales as far back as the summer of 2014 and after all this time they still resonate with me. To me Mark Lawrence is and has always been an artist unmatched in talent and skill. His stories beat with a heart that makes them both powerful and unique.
I would also like to take this opportunity to applaud Pen Astridge for her once-again brilliant cover, it is fantastic!
...more

A killer (hah) collection casting limelight on Prince Jorg’s boon companions. The stories are action-packed and thought-provoking at the same time with many a familiar face.
Mark Lawrence writes some of the most well-rounded characters in genre fiction. Good can be bad, weak can be strong, down might, in fact, be up. With this author, expect nothing, expect everything.
Parallelism!
—The only thing I did wrong, seeing this is #3.5, was read this out of order. What’s also neat is to see his Sim sto ...more
Mark Lawrence writes some of the most well-rounded characters in genre fiction. Good can be bad, weak can be strong, down might, in fact, be up. With this author, expect nothing, expect everything.
Parallelism!
—The only thing I did wrong, seeing this is #3.5, was read this out of order. What’s also neat is to see his Sim sto ...more

My goodreads target of 42 books to be read (and reviewed) in 2015 continues to mock me, supremely confident in its inevitable victory as - even now - I just crawl over the halfway line. However, I am determined to go down fighting and Mark Lawrence's latest publication - an anthology of short stories about Jorg and his "brothers"- is an easily digested morsel which nonetheless packs quite a punch.
Jorg bestrode the Broken Empire trilogy dominating his stage as completely and charmingly as Shakes ...more
Jorg bestrode the Broken Empire trilogy dominating his stage as completely and charmingly as Shakes ...more

A collection of short stories from the Broken Empire.
I stretched this out as long as possible, but alas, I have finally come to the end. I enjoyed it, although none of the stories knocked my socks off the way the novels do, which I suspect comes from the length more than anything else.
Recommended if you're a fan of the world; otherwise, there's not enough information to put things in context. ...more
I stretched this out as long as possible, but alas, I have finally come to the end. I enjoyed it, although none of the stories knocked my socks off the way the novels do, which I suspect comes from the length more than anything else.
Recommended if you're a fan of the world; otherwise, there's not enough information to put things in context. ...more

Excellent 4.5 of 5 stars
http://lynns-books.com/2015/12/29/roa...
Road Brothers is a fantastic little book of treats which, if you love The Broken Empire, I feel you simply have to read. Coming in at approximately 120 pages it contains 10 separate stories that take us back in time and shares with us some of the histories and motivations behind the characters of Jorg and his brothers.
This anthology was something of a revelation to me. I’ve always protested that I don’t really enjoy short stories an ...more
http://lynns-books.com/2015/12/29/roa...
Road Brothers is a fantastic little book of treats which, if you love The Broken Empire, I feel you simply have to read. Coming in at approximately 120 pages it contains 10 separate stories that take us back in time and shares with us some of the histories and motivations behind the characters of Jorg and his brothers.
This anthology was something of a revelation to me. I’ve always protested that I don’t really enjoy short stories an ...more

Fantastic. Amusing return to the Broken Empire, but more specifically, to parts of Jorg's story. Can't have enough of that. And now through other characters, like Sir Makin, Kent, Rike, Gorgoth and others.
The fact that I read The Broken Empire in October of last year and I still remember who these characters were and their nuances despite Jorg's extremely dominant voice is proof of how the author wrote an amazing work back then.
I did wish a story with William, specially when he (view spoiler) ...more
The fact that I read The Broken Empire in October of last year and I still remember who these characters were and their nuances despite Jorg's extremely dominant voice is proof of how the author wrote an amazing work back then.
I did wish a story with William, specially when he (view spoiler) ...more

This collection of short stories is a great companion to the Broken Empire Trilogy. It gives a much appreciated insight into the characters' pasts and minds. Surprisingly, though, the best stories, at least in my opinion, are those revolving around secondary characters, like Red Kent, Gorgoth, or Sim.
I particularly enjoyed the following stories:
* Bad Seed (Kent's origin story)
* The Nature of the Beast (Rike's side story)
* Mercy (Makin's revenge story)
* The Secret (Sim's story)
In the collection t ...more
I particularly enjoyed the following stories:
* Bad Seed (Kent's origin story)
* The Nature of the Beast (Rike's side story)
* Mercy (Makin's revenge story)
* The Secret (Sim's story)
In the collection t ...more

A very interesting collection of short stories about Jorg Ancrath's Road Brothers and their stories. We have Gorgoth (yess! Gorgoth), Sim, Makin, the Nuban (a very young and reckless Nuban) or big Rike and the witch and even Jorg, characters we long to read more about, and these collection it's the perfect choice (and the only one) to read more, to find more about them. Stories about honour, about justice, about Jorg and his brother, William, about their father, King Olidan, about loyalty, about
...more

Grimdark shorts from the Broken Empire.
A really good collection of short stories from the Broken Empire by Mark Lawrence. I haven't read the sequels to the first book in the trilogy 'Prince of Thorns' and admittedly it was a few years ago when I read that. What this means is that I was unfamiliar with most of the characters; their personalities and backgrounds. All stories were well-written with Sleeping Beauty being a particular highlight. Fans of Lawrence may have read some of these already, b ...more
A really good collection of short stories from the Broken Empire by Mark Lawrence. I haven't read the sequels to the first book in the trilogy 'Prince of Thorns' and admittedly it was a few years ago when I read that. What this means is that I was unfamiliar with most of the characters; their personalities and backgrounds. All stories were well-written with Sleeping Beauty being a particular highlight. Fans of Lawrence may have read some of these already, b ...more

Well worth splashing out some pennies for this little gem. I've not read any of the short stories before, even though some of them available individually, and my favourite is Know Thyself. A fascinating insight into the lives of some of the brothers, and somewhat lighter in tone than the main series itself (which is good, because sometimes the darkness of the characters and the situations they find themselves in, can be a little overwhelming for those who prefer light and fluffy most of the time
...more

This is a superb collection of short stories, if you are a fan of The Broken Empire this will be a great treat. My review is on my blog:
https://leonahenry.wordpress.com/2016... ...more
https://leonahenry.wordpress.com/2016... ...more

Every additional story with Jorg is a little gift! That last story: "Know thyself", is my favorite one, closely followed by "Select Mode". A sidestory with Katherine would've been nice too.
...more

I'm going to preface this by saying that I normally hate short stories. I feel like they only give me the smallest taste of what I really want. I absolutely loved Road Brothers. I am a huge fan of the Broken Empire books but one thing that I felt was lacking, especially in Prince of Thorns, was any real backstory on any of Jorg's murderous little band. Road Brothers remedies that shortcoming. If this had been the Interlude between chapters Prince of Thorns would have been one of my favorite book
...more

Ahh I do love the Broken Empire series and now we get a brief glimpse of the characters that we don't get to hear much about. Usually in anthologies, I'd make a list of the ones I particularly enjoyed and jot them down here for you all to mull over and tell me how clever I am to chose those stories but it's impossible to do that with this one because they're all so good. Though I have to say that I think I preferred the second Makin story rather than the first, just so I can have a touch of nega
...more

Road Brothers is basically ten more reasons why you owe it to yourself to read Mark Lawrence and get yourself inducted into his Broken Empire series. His writing is just as beautiful in short form as it is long, and I loved getting the chance to get some further insight into some of my favoirite characters tied to Jorg's tale. I was sad to see the series end, but any extra time to spend in this world is the icing on the cake.
...more

I loved the Broken Empire Trilogy ever since the first book, where I met Jorg and his road brothers. After the Emperor of Thorns, I've felt the need to reread it again every once in a while, and every time I feel it, I succumb to it without any fight.
To read this, to read Jorg's and his road brother's individual story, was like reacquainting myself to a very long time friend. The memories of those three books while I read them came back as I read every story in here.
I love it. ...more
To read this, to read Jorg's and his road brother's individual story, was like reacquainting myself to a very long time friend. The memories of those three books while I read them came back as I read every story in here.
I love it. ...more

A great companion to The Broken Empire trilogy, providing insight into some of Jorg's Road Brothers. With The Broken Empire being so neatly tied up, this collection of short stories is a welcome return to that world and it's characters, delving a little into how they came to be. There's even a couple Jorg short stories which is wonderful, because who knew I missed him so much?
...more

If you loved the Broken Empire trilogy, this book is great. You get a little more backstory from some of the characters that played a big role in the main characters lives but didn’t get much of the spotlight during the original trilogy. Some characters from the Red Queen’s war trilogy have cameo’s here and there too. It was great.
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Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/MarkLawrence...
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“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.”
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