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Prince of Thorns

(The Broken Empire #1)

Mark Lawrence (Goodreads Author)

3.85 · Rating details · 105,402 ratings · 7,523 reviews

Before the thorns taught me their sharp lessons and bled weakness from me I had but one brother, and I loved him well. But those days are gone and what is left of them lies in my mother's tomb. Now I have many brothers, quick with knife and sword, and as evil as you please. We ride this broken empire and loot its corpse. They say these are violent times, the end of days wh ...more

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Hardcover, 373 pages

Published August 2nd 2011 by Voyager (first published 2011)

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Start your review of Prince of Thorns (The Broken Empire, #1)

Mar 07, 2011 Mark Lawrence added it · (Review from the author) · review of another edition

Shelves: mine

Great to see Prince of Thorns still getting so many reviews in its 10th year!

You can now get a 10th anniversary signed special edition!

Grim Oak Press have produced a deluxe leatherbound edition with full colour internal art.

85 of 750 (plus 52 lettered) copies remain - they'll be gone soon.

https://grimoakpress.com/collections/...

+++++++++++++++++++

Those of you wanting to get a copy of The Broken Empire signed & numbered, limited edition, omnibus … well, you're too late. All gone. You can, however ...more

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Nov 07, 2013 Rick Riordan rated it it was amazing

I've heard of dark fantasy and anti-heroes, but this is the darkest fantasy with the anti-est anti-hero I've ever encountered. Our protagonist Jorg is only thirteen, but do not mistake this for a kids' book! Jorg is already the leader of a cutthroat gang of marauders, and has killed more men than most seasoned warriors -- including innocent civilians and a few of his own followers. Despite all this, I found myself rooting for Jorg, especially as more of his past is revealed, and we learn why he ...more

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Mar 01, 2013 Robin Hobb rated it it was amazing

I had to grit my teeth several times to get through this, and more than once I wondered, "Why was this recommended to me?" Then the pieces began to fall into place. Not a tale for the faint of heart, but well worth it to prevail. Trust me. ...more

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Sep 22, 2011 Elspeth rated it did not like it

Shelves: fantasy, dnf, in-mourning-for-the-trees-lost

I can't get behind a book that has the main character raping girls in the first few pages.
No thanks, I am good.
I have read a lot of books with rape in them, but I have to say they were mostly with a female protagonist.
One of my favorite fantasy series, The Deed of Paksenarrion, Pak's lets herself be tortured for five days and nights, and rape isn’t the only thing that she has to suffer.
I understood why the character did this, I also understood why the author wrote the story the way she did.
I I can't get behind a book that has the main character raping girls in the first few pages.
No thanks, I am good.
I have read a lot of books with rape in them, but I have to say they were mostly with a female protagonist.
One of my favorite fantasy series, The Deed of Paksenarrion, Pak's lets herself be tortured for five days and nights, and rape isn’t the only thing that she has to suffer.
I understood why the character did this, I also understood why the author wrote the story the way she did.
I can see why an author will do this to their female leads, it can make them stronger, give them motivation to become the best they can be to fight evil in whatever form it comes in.
There are a couple of reasons I have issues with the main character being rapist, the first being the obvious. I cannot empathize with a rapist, there isn’t a good enough reason in the world for me to like a person that commits such a crime. I can’t think of another author that has had their main character act in the way Jorg has.
This leads into my second reason for disliking the course of actions of this book. It’s an easy out, a cheap shot in making the main character be evil, and he is evil, this is not the actions of an anti-hero. I like a good anti-hero, I enjoy the show Dexter, and Richard Kadrey writes a mean one with his Sandman Slim series.
I like books where the author takes time to build the story so the reader and the character get to know each other and settle their differences.
In this book there isn’t time, the author just jumped right in with this disgusting display to portray what a horrible man Jorg is.
This is why I will not be reading this book, it’s not all the reasons, but it’s the top two.

EDIT: Here is the rape scene that people are saying never happened.

(view spoiler)

...more

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Mar 12, 2013 Anne rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Um?

Shelves: read-in-2015, recommended-by-a-not-stupid-friend, kindle, ewwwww, fantasy

I'm purposely using cat gifs to try and soften this review up a bit. I don't think it will help, but I just couldn't bring myself to search for anything bloody by the time I finished this book.

See that little boy on the cover, in all of his 14 year old glory?
By the fifth page, I hated his guts. He repulsed me. Repulsed! And I'm not talking about just disliking his personality.
Oh, no! Full-on skeeved out.
The kid is an unrepentant murderer and rapist!

description

So why 4 stars, huh?
Weeeeell, he's just insane ...more

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Nov 18, 2011 carol. rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: no one, really

Shelves: assassin, epic-fantasy, yuck, fantasy, video-game-fantasy, dick-lit

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 his belly ri 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 his belly ripped open, while some of his men loot corpses, rape women and set buildings on fire, and another comes through and chops off heads. Ostensibly it is in pursuit of a larger goal, but what it translates to is a path of casual violence, both intimate and large. I get that that's what the author means to show, but I felt sort of sick and uncomfortable reading it. The most interesting parts were the "four years ago" flashbacks that begin to flesh out how our lead became the dysfunctional person he is. The tragedy looms large and awful, but the story lacks the sense of spiraling into rage that would helps us understand how he transformed the killing and it's aftermath into the path he did.

An interesting angle is the sort of post-apocalyptic connection that is at first hinted at with literary references, and then becomes more obvious. Forgive me, but it reminds me strongly of the trend later Shannara books took, with mysterious ruins, mutated populations and nuclear waste leaks. In this first book, there is little that is unique except (view spoiler)

Character building is a fatal flaw in Prince of Thorns. The band of twisted merry men are each little more than a significantly defining characteristic. Furthermore, the only two positively influential people in the prince's life are created out of the simplistic racial stereotypes of the "Magical Negro," and the "wise Asian teacher" who has the child's best interest in mind despite being a slave/indentured servant. The prince himself is more than a wee bit overqualified, like a master video game assassin; an expert tactician, skilled in hand-to-hand combat, decent blade work, physically fast, good horsemanship, able to use a crossbow, and all despite being only fifteen.

While I've dabbled in gaming, I've always stayed away from the flat-out warfare/shooter video games (excepting Bioshock and it's lovely period inspired weirdness). I feel like I'm seeing a trend in modern fantasy towards books inspired by that kind of video-game based storyline that focuses on the imagery of violence and quest-driven action with minimal characterization. Personally, I like my people and worlds more fully developed, but I can see where this book might appeal to that population.

One uncharacterized star

Cross posted at http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2012/1... ...more

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Jan 22, 2012 Lis rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Potential serial killers/rapists and murderers as a how-to manual.

Recommended to Lis by: Unfortunately, me.

Shelves: reviewed, fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Note from 2022: I wrote this review when I was 12 or something, and it's gotten a lot of views since then. I look back at it now expecting to cringe, but I honestly still agree with the spirit of what's been written, even if I would go about it a different way if I wrote it now. But for the sake of transparency, I guess I'll leave it how it is. It has seemed to resonate with some people, and made other people quite angry. I also think that author ML, beyond this initial debut series, has written ...more

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Sep 20, 2016 Petrik rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Grimdark fans

Buddy read with Jorg's fangirl, Anna

Here it is, I finally got around to this famous Grimdark novel. Let it be known first that Prince of Thorns is not my first Mark Lawrence’s book, the first was Red Sister, his newest and what the majority of his fans considered as his best work so far. Though I can’t say the same for the series yet, Prince of Thorns, the first book in the Broken Empire trilogy, one of the most famous Grimdark fantasy in the market and Mark Lawrence’s debut novel is inferior co ...more

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Apr 22, 2013 Terry Brooks rated it it was amazing

This month I am recommending both PRINCE OF THORNS and KING OF THORNS by Mark Lawrence. They are two of three, with the third not yet published. I have read the first and am halfway through the second. As a fantasy tale, Prince Jorg Ancraft's story is quite extraordinary. It begins when he is 13 and already a stone cold killer with a horrific past. This is a dangerous and risky protagonist for any author to put forth, but Lawrence does it with verve and confidence. It is like a train wreck from ...more

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Aug 24, 2011 Peter rated it it was amazing

I kept seeing good things and/or controversy about Prince of Thorns everywhere I looked, and everyone loves controversy. I decided to take the arc along with me to Worldcon in Reno, with the intention or reading it by the pool (I am still not comfortable taking an expensive eReader poolside).

Boy, am I glad I did.

Prince of Thorns had me by the balls in the first chapter. I found myself stealing time to read just a page here and a page there, and whenever a rare block of time opened, I commandeere ...more

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Feb 09, 2018 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Pretty much everyone in this book is a damn bastard! And a big thank you to Mark Lawrence, a cool as hell author who steered me away from things I wouldn't be able to handle. Authors like that rock in my world! Kudos

Jorge and his crew are the people you love to hate. I know Jorg went through hell as a child (well he's still a child to me at 14) But that doesn't mean you have to grow up being a dick. Sure, kill all of the people that were involved in your family's killing but not innocence. And n ...more

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Aug 09, 2021 John Mauro rated it it was amazing

My complete review of Prince of Thorns is published at Grimdark Magazine.

Prince of Thorns is simultaneously a grimdark fantasy, a post-apocalyptic dystopian thriller, and an epic revenge narrative told from the point of view of a first-rate sociopath. The sociopath in question is Honorous Jorg Ancrath, a brutally violent prince-child whose actions are not guided by any accepted sense of morality. As we learn more about the tragedies of Jorg’s childhood, we recognize how he became so twisted and ...more

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Nov 26, 2019 Charlotte May rated it really liked it

Shelves: supernatural-paranormal, epic-fantasy

3.5 ⭐️

“Tell me tutor’ I said. “Is revenge a science, or an art?”

Okay. So Prince Jorg is a fucked up little psycho. After suffering serious loss due to violence, at a young age. Jorg is hell bent on revenge.
With his band of brothers they raid and pillage their way through their enemies towns until they reach the final showdown.

Jorg is a hard character to root for. He is just such a messed up kid I can’t get on board with his behaviour. There is rape, racism, murder, torture. You name it. Also ...more

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Jan 08, 2012 Michael rated it really liked it

I had heard so many good things about this book and although I'm not a fan of the gritty dark fantasy I think this was done exceeding well. Mark's prose is very well written and I found myself noting a number of particularly well done sentences, which is unusual for me to notice.

From time to time, fans of my series ask me to do a prequel on my character Royce and how he was when in the Black Diamond Thieves Guild and before the calming influences of Gwen and Hadrian started to shape him. From no ...more

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Nov 24, 2016 Alex ☣ Deranged KittyCat ☣ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommended to Alex ☣ Deranged KittyCat ☣ by: Petrik

Shelves: adult, magic, audiobooks, dystopia-post-apocalyptic, fantasy, all-time-favorites, adventure, sci-fi, 2016-favorites, alternate-history

Disclaimer: This is not a book for the faint-hearted or the easily offended. There is violence and a 14 years old prince with a total lack of conscience.

description

Now, did you ever have a really bad day? Did you ever want to punch something/someone just to vent your anger? Did someone ever belittle you and you had to hold your tongue? Did you ever imagine how it would be if you were free to do whatever the f*ck you want to? No morals or laws to contain you. No conscience to keep you in check.

description

Well, yesterd ...more

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May 10, 2022 Matt's Fantasy Book Reviews rated it really liked it

Check out my new youtube channel where I show my instant reactions to reading fantasy books seconds after I finish the book.

A good start to the series involving bad people doing bad things to each other

Prince of Thorns was a very enjoyable read for me, in part because of the positive trajectory this book took through it's telling. As I started the book I was extremely worried that I was going to hate it, as I didn't love the writing style and the dual storylines (one past, one present) felt ...more

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Feb 27, 2014 Sean Barrs rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, 2-star-reads, 3-star-reads

I’ve always had very mixed feelings about Lawrence’s world, but at this point in the series I did actually think it was fairly good. I thought the second book was much the same, then the third book was the complete ruination of this fantasy universe, but I’ll address that fully in my later reviews of the series. For now though, the Prince of Thorns was exciting and dark. However, it did have some major problems that limited it severely.

A dark protagonist

Initially, the first few chapters al ...more

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Sep 25, 2014 Petros Triantafyllou rated it it was amazing

For more than a year I had only written 1 review for The Broken Empire trilogy. A terrible mistake, and one I regret deeply, considering it's my favorite story, and Lawrence my favorite author respectively. Each installment deserves a separate review, so i'm here to deliver.

Lawrence's debut is a milestone in modern fantasy. Solid writing and well-crafted characters, witty humor and sentimental elements, controversial circumstances and teeth-grinding situations, all skilfully combined in creating For more than a year I had only written 1 review for The Broken Empire trilogy. A terrible mistake, and one I regret deeply, considering it's my favorite story, and Lawrence my favorite author respectively. Each installment deserves a separate review, so i'm here to deliver.

Lawrence's debut is a milestone in modern fantasy. Solid writing and well-crafted characters, witty humor and sentimental elements, controversial circumstances and teeth-grinding situations, all skilfully combined in creating a novel that will redefine the term grimdark.

The world building is well structured and ever-expanding, with elements closely resembling that of an alternate universe in medieval times. In comes the (easy to understand yet complex to define) magic system, that combined with the aforementioned world building gives you the impression of a random, and usually seen in fantasy, fantastical world. Pleasantly shocking revelations prove you otherwise.

“I think maybe we die every day. Maybe we're born new each dawn, a little changed, a little further on our own road. When enough days stand between you and the person you were, you're strangers. Maybe that's what growing up is. Maybe I have grown up.”

The Protagonist, Jorg of Ancrath (pronounced like it's spelled, not "Yorg"), is one of the most controversial characters in modern fantasy. He begins his journey as a crystal-clear villain, and proceeds into carving his path as a beloved Anti-Hero, creating a lot of debates in fantasy fiction cycles, for whether he should be despised or praised, loved or hated. The answer is none of them. He should simply be enjoyed. You don't have to like a character in order to enjoy his story. And, considering the realism (and humanism) that characterizes Mark's world (as seen with the moral and theological issues raised, as well as the inner struggles of the characters), that's a story one doesn't usually find in fantasy (or in fiction in general), and surely doesn't simply dismiss.

All in all, i find The Broken Empire to be the greatest fantasy fiction story of the decade, belonging to the top of your TBR list, unless you are one of those little sisses who can't stand the realism on Mark's books. It's a medieval story for fuck's sake, of course they will rape, kill & pillage (and not necessarily in that order).

You can find more of my reviews over at http://BookNest.eu/ ...more

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Jun 20, 2013 Kaora rated it did not like it

Nope.

I hated the main character from the start. He is a 14 year old boy leading a gang of ex-convicts. He is the anti-hero, with the book opening detailing his rape of farmer's daughters, and frequent visualizations of just about every person he meets dying to his blade in their chest or cutting off their head. Yeah we get it. You have to be cruel and disgusting to be the leader and you are the young boy that is so "bad" he frightens ghosts.... Riiight.

At some point I just stopped caring.

At lea ...more

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Jun 27, 2013 Bookwraiths rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, grimdark, library, own

Originally reviewed at Bookwraiths Reviews

I’d heard a lot about Prince of Thorns before I picked it up. Naturally, some of the reviews were positive and some of them were negative. After reading the novel, I can honestly say I understand both points of view, because I found myself mesmerized by Mr. Lawrence’s first-person narrative yet horrified by the person I was reading about. But, beyond any doubt, this is a book that every fantasy fan should read at least once - and many will read over and ...more

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Sep 28, 2016 James Tivendale rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy

Introduction to the Prince of Thorns - Prince Jorg. Mark Lawrence's creation of a charismatic, intellectual evil being that is arguably on par with Anthony Burgess's Alex DeLarge from A Clockwork Orange. Unlike American Psycho's Patrick Bateman and other fictional psychopaths - we are presented reasons to sympathise with our pal Jorg as an event when he was 10 shocked his very soul and led to his stupidly cool nickname (see the book title) :)

This book is shown (like many good debut books I have Introduction to the Prince of Thorns - Prince Jorg. Mark Lawrence's creation of a charismatic, intellectual evil being that is arguably on par with Anthony Burgess's Alex DeLarge from A Clockwork Orange. Unlike American Psycho's Patrick Bateman and other fictional psychopaths - we are presented reasons to sympathise with our pal Jorg as an event when he was 10 shocked his very soul and led to his stupidly cool nickname (see the book title) :)

This book is shown (like many good debut books I have noticed) in two parts. A current day presentation of events - Jorg coming back after 4 years on the road of murdering, pillaging, raping and all manner of naughty things but also what happened four years ago following on from the tragic event up to meeting his gang of your road raggamuffins before his 4 years debauchery/discovery started. Or his gang of 'droogs' as brother Alex would have said.

Speaking of his gang. It is a tight-knit bunch. Jorg is heartless the majority of the time but certain people for whatever reason he takes under his wing. His pals include colourful characters such as dark skinned, warrior-esque Nuban, childlike monster Gog, Knight of the Realm - Makin and large beefcake of a brute Rike. You can see he has composed a colourful and interesting gang who follow him completely - as road brothers, but also because of his wit, intelligence and I think they are slightly scared but also in awe of him.... even though at the books finale he is still only a fresh-faced fourteen-year-old. Also, I am not sure if anyone has made this connection before but his gang reminded me a bit of Kaladin and Bridge 4 in Stormlight Archives. Obviously with two very different gang leaders but the camaraderie and even the makeup of the personnel in said gang is very similar. The language in this book is not that difficult. It is a young adult fantasy in the way it is written although the tone of it is very grim and despondent.

I read this first half of the book about 4 months ago and put it down. The reason is that, well - it didn't seem very fantasy. More historical in a fictional world. The first half of the book is about road battles, court happens and just political conversations. They even follow the same God and study the same philosophers as us here on Earth. I picked this up again today - and literally, as soon as I got past the first half of the book - we are escorted into a pleasant typical fantasy whirlwind featuring necromancers, mages, monsters, dead people etc...

The book is full of great scenes - a nice courtly showdown of Jorg vs a Knight and fighting the dead in an underground tunnel are two of many.

This book does come to a nice conclusion but I can't wait to see what happens in King of Thorns. I will say, Jorg father seems like a right b*stard and there is always a girl who blinds our heroes vision and thoughts, sigh. It makes good fiction, though.

If you haven't checked it out please do.

Your friend, James x
www.youandibooks.wordpress.com

...more

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Feb 16, 2011 seak rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2011

I had a lot of fun with this one. I'd read lots of discussion before actually jumping in and I have a couple things to say about it.

1. The rape at the beginning, while I in no way support this type of behavior, isn't graphic and does a good job showing how depraved these guys actually are. If it didn't include rape in some way, I really don't think it would have been nearly as believable, I mean, this is medieval times. Nobles were supposedly exercising their droit du seigneur. Again, not that I I had a lot of fun with this one. I'd read lots of discussion before actually jumping in and I have a couple things to say about it.

1. The rape at the beginning, while I in no way support this type of behavior, isn't graphic and does a good job showing how depraved these guys actually are. If it didn't include rape in some way, I really don't think it would have been nearly as believable, I mean, this is medieval times. Nobles were supposedly exercising their droit du seigneur. Again, not that I support the behavior or even that I enjoy reading about it. I don't and I'm glad it's never really revisited, at least not in action.

2. Many have said that Jorg, the main protagonist, is too young. First, he definitely acts his age. If anyone says one thing, he wants to do the opposite. That's got teenager written all over it. Second, I really don't think people remember being that age and aren't giving it nearly enough credit. An intelligent teenager could easily act this way, especially given how Jorg was raised and how he spent all his time during the last 4 years.

3. It's hard to believe a small band could defeat a much larger group of soldiers as happens toward the beginning. Actually, it wasn't. We're told they're the best at what they do, no one stands a chance against them. Then, without getting into too much detail, they strategically make it happen. Disbelief suspended.

Told in the first person and alternating, but not every other chapter, between the present and chapters that begin with "Four years earlier," Prince of Thorns is an unruly tale of revenge. Prince Jorg watched his mother and brother murdered and will do whatever it takes, and I mean WHATEVER it takes, to make things right.

After falling in with the worst humans alive, a band that could fit in nicely with the likes of Joe Abercrombie's Black Dow and company, Jorg's every thought is centered on reeking havoc for his sworn enemy, Count Renar.

As you can imagine, Jorg has some pretty evil thoughts and yet this book is amazingly hard to put down. For some reason, you can't help but root for him. He's had it bad, but his attitude, outside of all the really bad stuff (which is a lot), is pretty compelling and I loved it. Jorg makes things happen. It doesn't matter the odds either, he has no fear of such petty things and it's great, especially given his age, which as I mentioned above, in no way phased me and really only added to my enjoyment of the story. I love rooting for the little guy.

Seriously, go read Prince of Thorns now. It's a really quick read too, both in terms of page length and the fact that you won't be able to put it down. ...more

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Oct 02, 2016 Luna. ✨ rated it liked it

Shelves: grimdark, badassery, okay-shelf

3.5 STARS ★★★

"Tell me, tutor,' I said. 'Is revenge a science, or an art?”

*I'm going to use Joffrey gifs for this review.

* warning this review contains un marked spoilers

description

Firstly I feel I need to clarify my rating because it honestly nearly got 4 stars. But I just couldn't get past the start, I absolutely hated it, I, nearly DNF at 10%. I was really excited to read prince of thorns it had been on my the list for ages, I can remember staring at it and thinking can't wait to read it i do not r ...more

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Jun 13, 2022 Sofia rated it it was amazing

Shelves: stock-side-characters, dark-dark-dark, grimdark, science-fiction

There’s a line in “Not the Same Anymore” by The Strokes that always reminds me of this book: The child prisoner grows up to seek his enemy’s throat cut. This is the essence of Prince of Thorns: an exploration of how one Jorg Ancrath, after watching his family get brutally murdered in front of him, falls into the depths of his unchecked rage and becomes a Dostoevsky-style psychopath. It’s at once a psychological thriller, a frightening dystopia, a grimdark classic, and a fascinating character stu There’s a line in “Not the Same Anymore” by The Strokes that always reminds me of this book: The child prisoner grows up to seek his enemy’s throat cut. This is the essence of Prince of Thorns: an exploration of how one Jorg Ancrath, after watching his family get brutally murdered in front of him, falls into the depths of his unchecked rage and becomes a Dostoevsky-style psychopath. It’s at once a psychological thriller, a frightening dystopia, a grimdark classic, and a fascinating character study.

Prince of Thorns can be disorienting. The story is told in a refreshingly nonlinear manner. Since it’s written in the first person with Jorg as a very limited narrator with tunnel vision, the scope of the rest of the Broken Empire is never clear. When we learn about some aspect of the politics, culture, or even the side characters, it is only because Jorg found it important enough to point out. We’re not even sure if certain characters are alive or not, since Jorg doesn’t care enough to check. While some characters may seem shallow and two-dimensional, this is because they are only seen from Jorg’s point of view, and he only sees people as things he can use. This sets the book apart from many other fantasy novels that followed, and helps establish Prince of Thorns as a haunting probe into the mind of a truly despicable person.

Jorg Ancrath is many things. He is distressingly hilarious. He is deeply disturbed. He is dangerously amoral. His often directionless rage and resentment is coupled with his heavy depression and despair, adding unexpected layers to his character. He often reveals a philosophical side, his burning love of knowledge peeking out from behind a brutish exterior. Make no mistake, though—he is a brute, a violent and unhinged psychopath. But he is also an abused child hiding a deep sadness and regret. His story is gripping and horrifying and unflinchingly bloody, pulling me in from the very first page.

Prince of Thorns is an iconic book with an undeniable legacy. The modern Crime and Punishment, the fantastical Clockwork Orange—it’s been called many things, but it is truly an original, genre-bending classic that has set the standard for all future grimdark novels.

4.5 stars

...more

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Feb 18, 2020 Hamad rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: good-covers, adult-books, 2020-reads, fantasy, paperbacks

This Review ✍️ Blog 📖 Twitter 🐦 Instagram 📷

“Tell me, tutor,’ I said. ‘Is revenge a science, or an art?”

After reading and loving Lawrence’s Impossible Times series earlier this year, I decided to start reading his other books. This is also a known controversial series in the adult fantasy world and I always stand somewhere in the middle when it comes to those. I like to think of myself as a fair reader and I succeed in seeing what people liked or hated in those kind of books.

The story ...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Gene rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy

Prince Jorg ran away from his castle with a band of highway robbers. This merry company kills, rapes, burns, and does all kinds of related activities with full Jorg's participation. Did I mention sometimes the merry band is afraid of Jorg? Did I mention Jorg is only fourteen? Anyway, the guy decides it is time to return home. This is where the real fun begins.

The shocking part of the book - atrocities committed by 14-year-old - did not work for me. There are several reasons. I suspect I became ...more

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Jul 10, 2018 Dana Ilie rated it did not like it

Shelves: abandonat

DNF at page 200.
Is not the violence and the age of the Prince Jorg, but apart from that the book is not tell me anything.....
I will give it another try at the insistence of a friend

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Feb 20, 2015 Kelly (and the Book Boar) rated it really liked it

Shelves: liburrrrrry-book, stabby-stabby, read-in-2015, black-as-mitchell-s-heart, mc-i-love-but-am-supposed-to-hate

Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/

4.5 Stars

“War, my friends, is a thing of beauty. Those as says otherwise are losing.”

If George R.R. Martin wrote young adult stories, they’d probably end up a little something like Prince of Thorns. In the first four pages the reader is exposed to raping and pillaging and beheadings . . .

The Prince of Thorns is Prince Jorg – a boy who watched his mother and younger brother get murdered and who was pretty much left for dead ...more

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Aug 07, 2011 Jeffrey Keeten rated it it was amazing

Like most of the reviewers I'm baffled as to who I could possibly recommend this book to or if I should recommend it. On the other hand I couldn't put it down. The protagonist, Prince Honorous Jorg Ancrath, is someone I abhored/admired from the first page until the last page. This book is disturbing, compelling, haunting, beautiful, disgusting and completely entertaining. The writing whispers evil thoughts into your mind. Your hand itches for steel. You start running through your mind every pett ...more

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Sep 11, 2013 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 21th-century, fiction, epic, united-states, fantasy, british, literature

Prince of Thorns (The Broken Empire #1), Mark Lawrence

When he was nine, he watched as his mother and brother were killed before him. At thirteen, he led 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 hi Prince of Thorns (The Broken Empire #1), Mark Lawrence

When he was nine, he watched as his mother and brother were killed before him. At thirteen, he led 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?

The Broken Empire Trilogy is a trilogy of fantasy novels written by American-British author Mark Lawrence. The first volume, Prince of Thorns, was published on August 2, 2011. The second, King of Thorns, was published on August 7, 2012. The third and final volume, Emperor of Thorns, was published on August 6, 2013.

تاریخ نخستین خوانش نسخه اصلی: روز بیست و پنجم ماه ژوئن سال 2018میلادی

عنوان: شاهزاده ی خارها: کتاب نخست از سه گانه امپراتوری درهم شکسته؛ نویسنده: مارک لارنس؛ مترجم: امیررضا لطفی پناه؛ تصویرگر سعید فرهنگیان؛ دبیر مجموعه: نیما کهندانی؛ تهران، نشر باژ، 1398؛ در 316ص؛ شابک دوره 9786222190569؛ شابک جلد نخست 9786222190606؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان امریکایی برای نوجوانان - سده 21م

از یک کودک سلطنتی ممتاز، بزرگوار شده توسط مادری دوست داشتنی، «هونوریس جورگ آنکرث» شاهزاده‌ ی خارها شده است؛ پسری دلربا (و شاید فریبنده)، و فاسد، که گروهی شوم، از مجرمان را، در مجموعه ای از تاخت و تازها، و جنایات، رهبری میکند؛ دنیا در آشوب است: خشونت فراوان، کابوسها در همه‌ جا ست؛ «جورگ» قابلیت اینرا دارد، تا بر مرده و زنده، سلطه یابد؛ اما آنجا، هنوز چیزی وجود دارد، که دلسردی‌ را در او باقی می‌گذارد؛ در برگشت به قلعه‌ ی پدرش، «جورگ» باید، با وحشت‌هایی از کودکی‌ خویش، روبرو شود، و با دستهایی که مخالف او هستند، آینده ای برای خود بتراشد؛ هنگامیکه او نه ساله بود، مادر و برادرش را دید، که در برابر دیدگان او کشته شدند، زمانیکه او سیزده ساله بود، رهبر گروهی از دزدان و قاتلان شد؛ در پانزده سالگی، میخواهد تا پادشاه شود...؛

برای شاهزاده «هونوریس جورگ آنکرث»، زمانش رسیده تا به قلعه ای برگردد، که رویش را از آن برگرداند؛ تا چیزی را بگیرد، که حق اوست؛ از روزیکه به خارهای خارزار دوخته شده، و آویزان ماند، و مشاهده کرد، که مردان «کنت رنار» مادر و برادر جوانش را، سلاخی کردند، او به سوی بیرون ریختن خشم خود رانده شد؛ زندگی و مرگ برای او، چیزی بیش از یک بازی نیستند، و چیزی برای او باقی نمانده، تا از دست بدهد؛ اما خیانت و جادوی سیاه، هنوز در قلعه‌ ی پدرش منتظر او هستند؛ مهم نیست که اراده‌ ی او چقدر تواناست، آیا مردی جوان، می‌تواند دشمنانی با قدرتی فراتر از خیال او را، مغلوب کند؟

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 18/06/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی ...more

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About Mark Lawrence

Mark Lawrence

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The Broken Empire (3 books)

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Dragons, demons, kings, queens, and the occasional farm boy (with a special destiny, of course): Fantasy literature has it all! To celebrate...

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Quotes from Prince of Thorns

“Memories are dangerous things. You turn them over and over, until you know every touch and corner, but still you'll find an edge to cut you.” — 652 likes

“Tell me, tutor,' I said. 'Is revenge a science, or an art?” — 573 likes

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