King of Thorns by Mark Lawrence is the second book in The Broken Empire Series. In this book, King Jorg has to defend his new kingdom against the huge army of an adversary who wants to unite the nations. The odds are stacked against him, old enemies continue their attempts to bring him down, and the struggle between of a fire mage and a dead king are threatening to tear him apart.
The Cover: This is a good cover in my opinion. There is a cloaked man sitting on a stone throne draped with a red cloth, wresting one hand on a skull, and holding a large blue disc in the other. Similar to book 1, he is surrounded by dead bodies, or rather, sitting atop a mound of dead bodies, with more swords jutting up all around. It ties in well with the series covers and the title stands out in the large silver font against the dark black/grey cover art. Likewise, the author’s name contrasts well in a white font at the top of the cover. It is a solid fantasy image and encompasses the story within.
The Good Stuff: This is a solid fantasy novel by Mark Lawrence. His is an author with strong writing skills, and I was pleased to see his characters grow in this book. My issues with the first book disappeared with book 2. The first person POV didn’t bother me at all. I’m not sure if it is because I was expecting it and had already accepted that it would be first person, or if the first person POV writing has improved to the extent that I hardly noticed it. I also found Jorg to be much more likable in this book.
The Bad Stuff: This is a personal preference only. I love my fantasy to be set in a medieval type setting with all kind of creatures like elves, ogres, dragons, vampires, zombies, etc… But the magic of this type of fantasy world is disrupted when modern technology is introduced. I have seen a few authors do this, (including my favourite author). A modern world destroyed and returned to more primitive times. It is a good idea and lots of people love it, but I prefer not to see modern items like guns and watches in my fantasy.
Overall, I enjoyed this book more than book 1 and will finish the series. There are strong fantasy elements and a good story that continues on from the 1st book. Like any good fantasy, there are power struggles, politics, and betrayals, as well as magic, monsters, strong friendships and comradery. Book 2 gets a dream tainted, sword clashing, dead raising, 4 out of 5 golden bookmarks from me.
Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries.
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