Mark’s review of Prince of Thorns (Broken Empire, #1) > Likes and Comments
1725 likes · Like
all the links work. Also loved Prince of Thorns. Can't wait to read the next one.
Thanks! August 2013 for Emperor of Thorns.
Happy to answer any book-related questions here!
which of the three books is your favorite?
Is Gunlaw based in the same universe as the Broken Empire trilogy or is that a spoiler question?
Hi Caleb - no, Gunlaw's something entirely different. I've no idea if the book will ever see the light of day, it will have to convince a publisher yet.
I have just started a tale in the Thorns setting but without any Jorg etc. No idea where it's heading but I've not written this kind of fantasy for almost 2 years now so I thought I'd have another taste of it!
Favourite of the three... that's like 'which of your kids do you love most'. Prince is most uncompromising and maybe the most original. King is the more complex and daring in its structure. Emperor is the hardest hitting I think. I think book 3 is my best work.
& for that matter I'll answer Qs here too if you've any.
Exciting to hear there are two different books in the works.
Hope Gunlaw gets picked up, I like the idea of a fantasy/western fusion. And glad to hear there might be more coming in the Thorns world. Felt like the second book really expanded so much on what else is waiting for Jorg out in the world that it would be great to continue to explore it. Thanks for the great stories.
Caleb wrote: "Exciting to hear there are two different books in the works.
Hope Gunlaw gets picked up, I like the idea of a fantasy/western fusion. And glad to hear there might be more coming in the Thorns world..."
I'm torn on this. I definitely want the last thing people remember about Jorg and the Broken Empire series to be how good the final book of the trilogy was, not which book of an endless series they finally gave up on.
I also want to write new and different stuff - stretch the envelope in different directions.
On the flip side the Thorns universe has great potential left in it and it would be very fun to play in. Also, an author depends on his readers, and readers often don't like change. So people who like reading Mark Lawrence probably do want more in a similar vein than to be led out among cyborg octopi time-travelling through the multi-verse or whatever.
A Cyborg, time-traveling octopus sounds good!
Paired with a trilogy about a psychotic, yet lovable boy trying to take over the world? ....Not a bad start to the Mark Lawrence canon if you as me. :-)
I feel like it's a weird question to ask if Prince or King was better. I usually look at series as a whole and not the separate pieces that make it up. So far I like this trilogy a lot though, will for sure buy the next book on release. :)
the overview is a sensible one, but of course most people will judge book 1 in order to decide whether to buy book 2 and repeat the process for book 3 - if you look at King of Thorns reviews a large percentage of them volunteer an opinion on whether it's a better or worse book than Prince of Thorns.
Liked both books in different ways..Prince was gritty and dark, King was deep and intelligent. I really liked the new characters in King and way old characters were finished. No "happily ever after" cliches...
ah, it's all hearts and flowers in book 3 though - you just know Jorg will settle in a little cottage and we'll leave him with his pipe and slippers and the sun setting red in the west...
Well that's unusual! Almost every shop in the UK is sold out of King of Thorns and Prince of Thorns is to be found almost everywhere... I found it in WHSmiths, Waterstones and Forbidden Planet in Bristol 3 days ago. Whilst I support bricks & mortar shops, if they let you down Amazon will sell you a copy for £3.86!
I should conclude by saying that whilst I love GRRM's series my work is nothing like his.
I agree Mark...you ate the first Mark Lawrence not the next GRRM....who is your favourite character besides Jorg....I love Makin..he's like the friend everyone wishes they had. have to say I'm missing the book now...I have moved on to Joe Abercrombie's Red Country now. Good news that Emperor is out on August...that's my birthday present sorted.
Something about your writing style is incredibly readable, I don't even know what it is. Most books I sit down to read for half an hour and I make no progress at all. When I sat down earlier to start King of Thorns, half an hour later and I was 60 pages in. I'm a slow reader, I dunno what mutations you're causing in my brain.
hi Liam - I'm a slow reader myself, but I know what you mean. The right book can suck a person in and not let go.
I have to admit, I was really surprised I liked your book. :) Lots of violence, the rapes, and the fact that the main character was an evil psychopath. HOWEVER, you were not gratuitous. You did not sicken us with graphic & detailed descriptions of those acts. And while Jorg was set up to be utterly loathed, I didn't feel that way. Don't get me wrong. I didn't like him. But you led me through his madness & made it at least understandable, even if I did not have sympathy for him. Plus, all of his enemies were just as horrible & twisted. It wasn't like I was devastated with Jorg's successes against 'heroes'....they were all bastards, too. Lastly, it wasn't depressing. George RR Martin writes interesting stories that have evil people in them, too...but he's the opposite of everything I've listed & I stopped reading at book 4. He's gratuitous, rubs your face in sickening acts, his anti-heroes are evil just for the sake of being so, the 'good guys' get hammered down, and honestly, I just couldn't take it. I'm hoping that you manage to maintain the delicate balance & that I will enjoy your other books as much as I did in this one. Thank you!
Katie wrote: "I have to admit, I was really surprised I liked your book. :) Lots of violence, the rapes, and the fact that the main character was an evil psychopath. HOWEVER, you were not gratuitous. You did..."
Great to hear, Katie. I hope the remainder of the trilogy holds up for you.
On the subject of the rapes (which do exist) I wonder if you'd be suprised to see they occupy a small paragraph in total or if that accords with your memory http://mark---lawrence.blogspot.co.uk... it seems many people come away with the impression they were far more / more prominent.
Mark wrote: "Katie wrote: "I have to admit, I was really surprised I liked your book. :) Lots of violence, the rapes, and the fact that the main character was an evil psychopath. HOWEVER, you were not gratui..."
I was surprised as well when certain people brought up the rapes like they were a prominent part of the story. Jorg only really brings up that girl in Mabberton and then later tells Rike to pay for sex and not rape women when they get to the Lower City (can't remember what it was called to be honest.)
Mark wrote: "On the subject of the rapes (which do exist) I wonder if you'd be suprised to see they occupy a small paragraph in total or if that accords with your memory"
I don't have the book in front of me, but no...I'd add at least one more specific reference to Jorg's mother's rape in there. My memory puts it with more detail than the two that you listed on your page. Plus, there were TONS of implied rapes with the pillaging that Jorg's group did (at this point, I don't know if there were tons of times it was implied, or if the number of rapes itself was just sizable). You don't have to write graphic details for rapes to be disturbing or memorable. That they happen *at all* in a story can be abhorrent. I didn't like it & it made me uncomfortable, but it didn't break the story for me. Now, if you have ever read "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant"...in that book (if I remember correctly) there was one rape. ONE. It wasn't written about in a graphic manner, but it KILLED the book for me. The main character/hero has leprosy, is cured of it by being thrown into another world & one of his *first acts* is to rape the daughter of the leader of a group of locals who give Thomas food & shelter...all because he's basically horny & can finally f*ck again. THIS is the character that I have to root for? No. It pissed me off I haven't bothered reading another one of those books. Gah.
Katie wrote: "Mark wrote: "On the subject of the rapes (which do exist) I wonder if you'd be suprised to see they occupy a small paragraph in total or if that accords with your memory"
I don't have the book in ..."
Whoa! That sounds quite unsettling but idk; the rapes in Prince of Thorns are just there at least; just seem to be there to fit the times. Now this is basically the future but its a medieval world that they live in and despite how sick and twisted rape is... It happened a quite a bit in those kinda societies, it's just a harsh truth that pillagers, conquerors and bandits would rape people (not just women) when they attacked a certain place or whatever. It's just being true to their medieval society, not really shoving rape down your throat (I didn't intend for that to be a pun... I really didn't)
Katie wrote: "Mark wrote: "On the subject of the rapes (which do exist) I wonder if you'd be suprised to see they occupy a small paragraph in total or if that accords with your memory"
I don't have the book in ..."
I have read Donaldson and actually that rape was far more graphic and covered far more lines than anything I've read since in a fantasy book. It's actually copied in the comments on the link I gave you.
That link is comprehensive though - whatever readers might think they remember. And as to implied rapes... the line 'There was a war' implies a ton of them generally speaking.
Wow, Robin Hobb and Terry Brooks in the same day?!! That's got to be a cool feeling. Two legends of the genre positively acknowledging your work. Congrats Mark!
Heh - not quite in the same day, but yes, very cool. I'd just finished my 10th Hobb book when I discovered she'd read and loved Prince of Thorns (she said: "Dark and relentless, the Prince of Thorns will pull you under and drown you in story. A two in the morning page turner.") And it's very strange to get that from someone whose books so engrossed me. Then a great review from Peter V Brett who I'd discovered only a year earlier and really liked... then Rick Riordan and Terry Brooks... unreal!
Well, your books are on my long list of books to read (including mr. Brett's), so I can't wait to finally get around to them. There's not enough time in my life to read everything that I want, it seems.
Nick Tab...this book should be on the top of your list!
Kim wrote: "Nick Tab...this book should be on the top of your list!"
Damn straight!
Consider it moved to the top then! I'm in the middle of John Marco's Lukien series right now, but the very next book I read will be Prince of Thorns. You can count on it!
I like it when stories end. I just read a 10 book series that has not ended yet, The last 5 books were the same story with different character names.
Congrats Mark! Looks like you have been accepted into a pretty exclusive club.
Heh - like Groucho Marx I'm always suspicious of any club willing to lower their standards sufficiently to permit me entrance :)
Just updated my 'review' to include the Gemmell Award link! :)
I signed up for the early give away of the Emperor of Thorns. I am sure its random but I am feeling lucky. The power of positive thought.
Greg wrote: "I signed up for the early give away of the Emperor of Thorns. I am sure its random but I am feeling lucky. The power of positive thought."
good luck! Currently the odds are 3429:1 against you - it's the most popular giveaway on Goodreads!
I'm totally with you Greg. I don't want to have to wait 15 years to see how a story ends. I call it the Jordan Syndrome. I love authors who can wrap up a story in 3 or 4 books and then move on to another idea.
Ha. Thanks Nick. I hate it when a story does not end.... even is a series. I recently read a book where the author basically wrote To Be Continued..... at the end . The next book is out so I can pick right up but I just think it is lazy or greedy.
Mark wrote: "Greg wrote: "I signed up for the early give away of the Emperor of Thorns. I am sure its random but I am feeling lucky. The power of positive thought."
good luck! Currently the odds are 3429:1 aga..."
If I win I will tell you my technique on how to win paper raffles. I have won a lot of thinks but nothing big like a car yet.
11 hours left to vote in the Gemmell Awards (3 clicks/no registration) http://www.gemmellaward.com/page/the-...
I am SOOOO excited for the release of Emperor of thorns~!!! Mark, you have wrote an absolute masterpiece, probably my favorite series of all time and top 5 books ever and I have read 1000's of books. I can't wait to see what you write next.
have been slow finding this series, liked the first alot about to start KoT, cant wait
voted. in all seriousness, I like "Red Country" it was a good book. Yet, it was not as good as KoT.
back to top
message 1:
by
Caleb
(new)
Jul 09, 2012 09:19AM
all the links work. Also loved Prince of Thorns. Can't wait to read the next one.
reply
|
flag
Thanks! August 2013 for Emperor of Thorns.
Happy to answer any book-related questions here!
which of the three books is your favorite?
Is Gunlaw based in the same universe as the Broken Empire trilogy or is that a spoiler question?
Hi Caleb - no, Gunlaw's something entirely different. I've no idea if the book will ever see the light of day, it will have to convince a publisher yet.I have just started a tale in the Thorns setting but without any Jorg etc. No idea where it's heading but I've not written this kind of fantasy for almost 2 years now so I thought I'd have another taste of it!
Favourite of the three... that's like 'which of your kids do you love most'. Prince is most uncompromising and maybe the most original. King is the more complex and daring in its structure. Emperor is the hardest hitting I think. I think book 3 is my best work.
& for that matter I'll answer Qs here too if you've any.
Exciting to hear there are two different books in the works.Hope Gunlaw gets picked up, I like the idea of a fantasy/western fusion. And glad to hear there might be more coming in the Thorns world. Felt like the second book really expanded so much on what else is waiting for Jorg out in the world that it would be great to continue to explore it. Thanks for the great stories.
Caleb wrote: "Exciting to hear there are two different books in the works.Hope Gunlaw gets picked up, I like the idea of a fantasy/western fusion. And glad to hear there might be more coming in the Thorns world..."
I'm torn on this. I definitely want the last thing people remember about Jorg and the Broken Empire series to be how good the final book of the trilogy was, not which book of an endless series they finally gave up on.
I also want to write new and different stuff - stretch the envelope in different directions.
On the flip side the Thorns universe has great potential left in it and it would be very fun to play in. Also, an author depends on his readers, and readers often don't like change. So people who like reading Mark Lawrence probably do want more in a similar vein than to be led out among cyborg octopi time-travelling through the multi-verse or whatever.
A Cyborg, time-traveling octopus sounds good!Paired with a trilogy about a psychotic, yet lovable boy trying to take over the world? ....Not a bad start to the Mark Lawrence canon if you as me. :-)
I feel like it's a weird question to ask if Prince or King was better. I usually look at series as a whole and not the separate pieces that make it up. So far I like this trilogy a lot though, will for sure buy the next book on release. :)
the overview is a sensible one, but of course most people will judge book 1 in order to decide whether to buy book 2 and repeat the process for book 3 - if you look at King of Thorns reviews a large percentage of them volunteer an opinion on whether it's a better or worse book than Prince of Thorns.
Liked both books in different ways..Prince was gritty and dark, King was deep and intelligent. I really liked the new characters in King and way old characters were finished. No "happily ever after" cliches...
ah, it's all hearts and flowers in book 3 though - you just know Jorg will settle in a little cottage and we'll leave him with his pipe and slippers and the sun setting red in the west...
Well that's unusual! Almost every shop in the UK is sold out of King of Thorns and Prince of Thorns is to be found almost everywhere... I found it in WHSmiths, Waterstones and Forbidden Planet in Bristol 3 days ago. Whilst I support bricks & mortar shops, if they let you down Amazon will sell you a copy for £3.86!I should conclude by saying that whilst I love GRRM's series my work is nothing like his.
I agree Mark...you ate the first Mark Lawrence not the next GRRM....who is your favourite character besides Jorg....I love Makin..he's like the friend everyone wishes they had. have to say I'm missing the book now...I have moved on to Joe Abercrombie's Red Country now. Good news that Emperor is out on August...that's my birthday present sorted.
Something about your writing style is incredibly readable, I don't even know what it is. Most books I sit down to read for half an hour and I make no progress at all. When I sat down earlier to start King of Thorns, half an hour later and I was 60 pages in. I'm a slow reader, I dunno what mutations you're causing in my brain.
hi Liam - I'm a slow reader myself, but I know what you mean. The right book can suck a person in and not let go.
I have to admit, I was really surprised I liked your book. :) Lots of violence, the rapes, and the fact that the main character was an evil psychopath. HOWEVER, you were not gratuitous. You did not sicken us with graphic & detailed descriptions of those acts. And while Jorg was set up to be utterly loathed, I didn't feel that way. Don't get me wrong. I didn't like him. But you led me through his madness & made it at least understandable, even if I did not have sympathy for him. Plus, all of his enemies were just as horrible & twisted. It wasn't like I was devastated with Jorg's successes against 'heroes'....they were all bastards, too. Lastly, it wasn't depressing. George RR Martin writes interesting stories that have evil people in them, too...but he's the opposite of everything I've listed & I stopped reading at book 4. He's gratuitous, rubs your face in sickening acts, his anti-heroes are evil just for the sake of being so, the 'good guys' get hammered down, and honestly, I just couldn't take it. I'm hoping that you manage to maintain the delicate balance & that I will enjoy your other books as much as I did in this one. Thank you!
Katie wrote: "I have to admit, I was really surprised I liked your book. :) Lots of violence, the rapes, and the fact that the main character was an evil psychopath. HOWEVER, you were not gratuitous. You did..."Great to hear, Katie. I hope the remainder of the trilogy holds up for you.
On the subject of the rapes (which do exist) I wonder if you'd be suprised to see they occupy a small paragraph in total or if that accords with your memory http://mark---lawrence.blogspot.co.uk... it seems many people come away with the impression they were far more / more prominent.
Mark wrote: "Katie wrote: "I have to admit, I was really surprised I liked your book. :) Lots of violence, the rapes, and the fact that the main character was an evil psychopath. HOWEVER, you were not gratui..."I was surprised as well when certain people brought up the rapes like they were a prominent part of the story. Jorg only really brings up that girl in Mabberton and then later tells Rike to pay for sex and not rape women when they get to the Lower City (can't remember what it was called to be honest.)
Mark wrote: "On the subject of the rapes (which do exist) I wonder if you'd be suprised to see they occupy a small paragraph in total or if that accords with your memory"I don't have the book in front of me, but no...I'd add at least one more specific reference to Jorg's mother's rape in there. My memory puts it with more detail than the two that you listed on your page. Plus, there were TONS of implied rapes with the pillaging that Jorg's group did (at this point, I don't know if there were tons of times it was implied, or if the number of rapes itself was just sizable). You don't have to write graphic details for rapes to be disturbing or memorable. That they happen *at all* in a story can be abhorrent. I didn't like it & it made me uncomfortable, but it didn't break the story for me. Now, if you have ever read "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant"...in that book (if I remember correctly) there was one rape. ONE. It wasn't written about in a graphic manner, but it KILLED the book for me. The main character/hero has leprosy, is cured of it by being thrown into another world & one of his *first acts* is to rape the daughter of the leader of a group of locals who give Thomas food & shelter...all because he's basically horny & can finally f*ck again. THIS is the character that I have to root for? No. It pissed me off I haven't bothered reading another one of those books. Gah.
Katie wrote: "Mark wrote: "On the subject of the rapes (which do exist) I wonder if you'd be suprised to see they occupy a small paragraph in total or if that accords with your memory"I don't have the book in ..."
Whoa! That sounds quite unsettling but idk; the rapes in Prince of Thorns are just there at least; just seem to be there to fit the times. Now this is basically the future but its a medieval world that they live in and despite how sick and twisted rape is... It happened a quite a bit in those kinda societies, it's just a harsh truth that pillagers, conquerors and bandits would rape people (not just women) when they attacked a certain place or whatever. It's just being true to their medieval society, not really shoving rape down your throat (I didn't intend for that to be a pun... I really didn't)
Katie wrote: "Mark wrote: "On the subject of the rapes (which do exist) I wonder if you'd be suprised to see they occupy a small paragraph in total or if that accords with your memory"I don't have the book in ..."
I have read Donaldson and actually that rape was far more graphic and covered far more lines than anything I've read since in a fantasy book. It's actually copied in the comments on the link I gave you.
That link is comprehensive though - whatever readers might think they remember. And as to implied rapes... the line 'There was a war' implies a ton of them generally speaking.
Wow, Robin Hobb and Terry Brooks in the same day?!! That's got to be a cool feeling. Two legends of the genre positively acknowledging your work. Congrats Mark!
Heh - not quite in the same day, but yes, very cool. I'd just finished my 10th Hobb book when I discovered she'd read and loved Prince of Thorns (she said: "Dark and relentless, the Prince of Thorns will pull you under and drown you in story. A two in the morning page turner.") And it's very strange to get that from someone whose books so engrossed me. Then a great review from Peter V Brett who I'd discovered only a year earlier and really liked... then Rick Riordan and Terry Brooks... unreal!
Well, your books are on my long list of books to read (including mr. Brett's), so I can't wait to finally get around to them. There's not enough time in my life to read everything that I want, it seems.
Nick Tab...this book should be on the top of your list!
Kim wrote: "Nick Tab...this book should be on the top of your list!"Damn straight!
Consider it moved to the top then! I'm in the middle of John Marco's Lukien series right now, but the very next book I read will be Prince of Thorns. You can count on it!
I like it when stories end. I just read a 10 book series that has not ended yet, The last 5 books were the same story with different character names.
Congrats Mark! Looks like you have been accepted into a pretty exclusive club.
Heh - like Groucho Marx I'm always suspicious of any club willing to lower their standards sufficiently to permit me entrance :)
Just updated my 'review' to include the Gemmell Award link! :)
I signed up for the early give away of the Emperor of Thorns. I am sure its random but I am feeling lucky. The power of positive thought.
Greg wrote: "I signed up for the early give away of the Emperor of Thorns. I am sure its random but I am feeling lucky. The power of positive thought."good luck! Currently the odds are 3429:1 against you - it's the most popular giveaway on Goodreads!
I'm totally with you Greg. I don't want to have to wait 15 years to see how a story ends. I call it the Jordan Syndrome. I love authors who can wrap up a story in 3 or 4 books and then move on to another idea.
Ha. Thanks Nick. I hate it when a story does not end.... even is a series. I recently read a book where the author basically wrote To Be Continued..... at the end . The next book is out so I can pick right up but I just think it is lazy or greedy.
Mark wrote: "Greg wrote: "I signed up for the early give away of the Emperor of Thorns. I am sure its random but I am feeling lucky. The power of positive thought."good luck! Currently the odds are 3429:1 aga..."
If I win I will tell you my technique on how to win paper raffles. I have won a lot of thinks but nothing big like a car yet.
11 hours left to vote in the Gemmell Awards (3 clicks/no registration) http://www.gemmellaward.com/page/the-...
I am SOOOO excited for the release of Emperor of thorns~!!! Mark, you have wrote an absolute masterpiece, probably my favorite series of all time and top 5 books ever and I have read 1000's of books. I can't wait to see what you write next.
have been slow finding this series, liked the first alot about to start KoT, cant wait
voted. in all seriousness, I like "Red Country" it was a good book. Yet, it was not as good as KoT.
