He still is not buggered by any conscience but he comes to an understanding that every evil committed comes back around in some way. In other words, Jorg changes. As in book one there’s the overwhelming enemy force, but next to that and even more important Jorg has to fight himself at every step. The mental conflict and the change from the black and white prince into a slightly older, more developed king. Not by doing more of the same stuff, which I would have loved anyway, but by evolving the story into something with even more depth. Where book one was mainly a brutal, action-packed ride through a plot that surprised me at every turn, book two takes a slightly different route. The focus of this story is mainly about the inner workings of Jorg. ‘King of Thorns’ met mine and convinced me again of Lawrence’s brilliance. So now it’s time to review the sequel, with one big spoiler embedded in one of my paragraphs, but first it’s time to see what others had to say…ĭavid Stoit of Fantasy Book Review opines: “ Sometimes it is hard for a sequel to meet its expectations. It’s been almost a year since I’ve read Prince of Thorns, but I feel like I still recall most of the details. This series continues to polarize people, although in fairness those who despised Prince of Thorns were unlikely to read the sequel, and I don’t think they really picked up on the plot and what Mark Lawrence was going for. But playing fair was never part of Jorg's game plan.One sentence synopsis: King Jorg takes several big risks in order to defy attempts to bow before the would-be Emperor, but it could cost him his newly-won kingdom. Faced by an enemy many times his strength Jorg knows that he cannot win a fair fight. Every good king knows to bend the knee in the face of overwhelming odds, if only to save their people and their lands.

Every decent man prays this shining hero will unite the empire and heal its wounds. A six nation army, twenty thousand strong, marches toward Jorg's gates, led by a champion beloved of the people. First though he must gather his own pieces, learn the rules of play, and discover how to break them. He saw the game and vowed to sweep the board. The long road to avenge the slaughter of his mother and brother has shown Prince Honorous Jorg Ancrath the hidden hands behind this endless war. The land burns with the fires of a hundred battles as lords and petty kings fight for the Broken Empire.

I've walked from pawn to player and I'll win this game of ours, though the cost of it may drown the world in blood. To reach greatness you must step on bodies, and many brothers lie trodden in my wake. The second book in the Broken Empire series, Lawrence takes his young anti-hero one step closer to his grand ambition.

King of Thorns by Mark Lawrence