Zach Allison's Reviews > Emperor of Thorns

NO DIRECT PLOT SPOILERS - ONLY THEMES DISCUSSED HERE.

What a way to end the trilogy and Jorg's story - a story I fell in love with from the very beginning. Lawrence captures elements of the human existence through Jorg's tale that are not easily verbalized. Most remarkably, he shows the growth of a character who morphs from one marred by a lifetime of cruel encounters with the reality of life and the mere cost of being alive, creating a bitter and vengeful individual, to one who learns to understand that it is okay to love and be loved and that, in the end, we must all confront and make peace with the sins of our past. Part of Jorg holds on to the bitterness that was carved into his essence from the thorns, while the other half struggles to grow beyond old haunts - a dichotomy that I believe is mirrored in his own flesh: with one half of his face burned and scarred, the other untainted. In short, Mark Lawrence deserves praise for beautifully and poetically introducing and displaying a character who so clearly fights just as many battles with his soul on the inside, as he does with his sword on the outside.

Another element of Lawrence's writing on which I'd like to remark are the philosophical parallels prevalent throughout the trilogy. From the very beginning, his characters address many of the problems philosophers have been dwelling over for thousands of years. What happens when we die? Do we have souls? Are there multiple realities? Are we really alive or only dreaming? Should I kill thousands to save millions? A child to save a world? At what point do humans draw ethical boundaries? Do we all have boundaries? Do monsters walk among men or do we all have at least a sliver of humanity that keeps us from doing the unthinkable? Lawrence addresses all of these themes and more and as a lover of wisdom myself I sincerely appreciate the deeper melodies that resonate in his books.

I can't wait to see what awaits me in his second trilogy, The Red Queen's War. Given my love for the Broken Empire Trilogy, I am sure I won't be disappointed. It pleases me to think so. A job well done, Mr. Lawrence. Thank you for producing such wonderful books.