The Broken Empire series by Mark Lawrence

The Broken Empire Trilogy by Mark Lawrence

I don't think I've come across a series that divided me this much for a long time. I couldn't even finish the first book the first time I picked the series up, but I'm glad I went back and finished the series.

The Broken Empire Trilogy is Prince of Thorns, King of Thorns and Emperor of Thorns and follows the story of ruthless aristocrat Jorg Ancrath and his quest to become emperor.

Winner of Worst Gallant Prince Award: Jorg Ancrath.
Art by Kim Kincaid at The Twirling Dragon blog.

Now Jorg isn't your typical heroic knight in shining armor, heck, he isn't really even a typical anti-hero when the series starts off. Jorg is 13 and is wandering around the countryside with a gang of murderous thugs. It's not that he's a captive, or that he's travelling with them by necessity, he's a willing participant in rapes, murder, and looting. Stand up guy, right here.

The thing is, Jorg is a broken shell of a human. When he was nine-years-old his younger brother and mother were murdered by a rival aristocrat. Jorg escaped only because he was hidden and immobilised in a thorn bush.

He also posed for this terrible cover picture.

The reader comes in at the tail end of Jorg's murderous sabbatical, with the prince deciding to return home and face his demons.

The first book is arguably the hardest to get through. Jorg is not a pleasant human being. He kills with abandon and steps on the corpses of enemies, strangers, friends and family to get what he wants. He's also a rapist and keeps company with other rapists. There's a terrible beauty to a character like that. You can see how effective he is getting what he wants, but he's such a broken human being that you can't help but feel sorry for him.

Lawrence's series shows one of the best examples of character development I've read since George R.R. Martin's Jamie Lannister. Over the course of three books, Jorg sheds his "angry teenager" personality and grows into a likable character without compromising his ruthless nature - he just gets better at hiding it.

It's hidden behind that nifty chair, probably.

Of the three books, King of Thorns is the best. Things take a turn for the mind-bending and Lawrence really opens up the world, with Jorg and his "road brothers" exploring the continent. King of Thorns dives into magic, the other cultures and even the history of the setting. It is also the book where Jorg is a mature adult - and the change of personality from the first book is remarkable.

Unlike the majority of fantasy books, the Broken Empire Trilogy isn't set in a strange, unfamiliar land. It's set on Earth possibly thousands of years in the future after a nuclear war and society has regressed back to a medieval stasis.

There are numerous cryptic references to the Builders and their "magical" items and square buildings, and the maps of King and Emperor of Thorns show a slightly changed Europe.

I wonder if soccer is still a big thing over there.

The mentions of the Promise of Noble Chen (reverse Noble Chen), Builder Suns, and various other bits and pieces fit in nicely with walking ghosts and various individuals who can control the elements. The setting is rich and brutal.

Of the three books, I think I was most disappointed in Emperor of Thorns, but only because it seemed like the ending felt both drawn out and rushed. Half of the book is spent following the characters in transit and the climax of the series felt slightly underwhelming.

Which is a shame, because I really love the artwork on this cover.

Each book is told in two parts. One part happening in the "present day," while the other takes place "X years ago" and builds on young Jorg's background. It's an interesting concept, but essentially cuts the book in half, forcing Lawrence to tell two separate stories, leaving some characters and events feeling underdeveloped.

Lawrence isn't afraid to get his hands dirty and kill characters left and right, but he does it so constantly that it leaves the cast feeling a little bare and underpopulated. There are a few characters who make brief appearances and then disappear, making them all the more memorable for escaping the body count.

The writing is solid and the series is a decent read, but it left me slightly unsatisfied. It's worth a look to see the character development and the concepts.

Three stars.