Half a King

Shattered Sea, Book 1

By: Joe Abercrombie

Narrated by: John Keating

Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

Yarvi, second son of the feared King Uthrik and the ruthless Queen Laithlin of Gettland, was born with a useless hand, and cannot hold a shield, or make fast a knot, or pull an oar, or do any of the things expected from a man. Left an outcast, he's surrendered his birthright and been given a woman's place as apprentice to Mother Gundring, Gettland's Minister, training to be an adviser, diplomat, healer and translator.

But when his father and brother are murdered by Grom-gil-Gorm, King of neighboring Vansterland, Yarvi is forced to take the Black Chair and become king himself - or half a king, at least - swear an oath of vengeance against the killers of his father, and lead a raid against the Vanstermen. Betrayed, left for dead, and enslaved on a rotting trading galley, Yarvi will need all his Minister's wit and cunning to escape, and all his diplomacy and knowledge to keep a rag-tag band of other slaves together on a month long trek across the frozen wastes of the utmost north. Among them are Sumael, the ship's single-minded navigator, Rulf, an ex-raide, Jaud, an ex-baker, and Nothing, a mad old man with a mysterious past and an almost magical skill with a sword. And their owner, the brutal Captain Shadikshirram, will be dogging their heels at every step. Father Peace may be the patron god of Ministers, but to reclaim the Black Chair, Yarvi will have to strike a deal with Mother War, and once you've invited the mother of crows to be your guest, there can be no telling whose blood will be spilled.

©2014 Joe Abercrombie (P)2014 Recorded Books

Half a Novel

I purchased Half a King right around when it was released and receiving mostly glowing reviews. This would be and was my first foray into a Joe Abercrombie novel after hearing about how great of a fantasy author he is. I have to say that Half a King draws you in right away. Yarvi, the novels main character is not your typical fantasy character. He's born with only one full working arm/hand. This disability absolutely defines Yarvi as a prince, a son, and a person.

However as the novel continues on you see Yarvi begin to build into so much more. And for that I really enjoyed Half a King. I think the way that Joe Abercrombie weaved in both a fascinating tale with a novel that watches the struggles of Yarvi mutate over time was fascinating. Yarvi as a character is just so unlike what you normally read in a fantasy novel. However the rest of Half a King feels like such a standard fantasy fare. An adventure that leads to a rather convenient conclusion leading to future novels in the series.

I loved the world and character building in Half a King, but the adventure itself is dull and moves far to quickly. There's never any weight put at Yarvi or his companions dangers. Things just move and get figured out with little thought or reflection. So the novel just keeps moving never lingering in one spot or with one idea. And that's really where my love for Half a King started to fade. The deeper I got into the book the more my love for the character of Yarvi began to waver and my disappointment with the standard fantasy adventure began to grow.

I still believe that Half a King is absolutely worth a read especially if you don't dip your toe in the fantasy well all that often. It's an interesting premise that doesn't utilize its ideas as well as it could. I'm not sure if I'm going to continue with the series but at this point am at least glad I read Half a King.

What An Excellent Start For A New Series

Any additional comments?

I can not give this book enough praise. From the story thru the narration. I can hardly wait to see what is in store for Yarvi next.

An enjoyable listen

I really enjoyed this. The book itself is well written and the narrator was awesome.

not as good as previous series

not a fan of the narration. the story was okay, but not the bloody nine et al.

A Solid YA Fantasy With Abercrombie's Signature

This was a quick read that I was able to knock out during a couple of long driving days. It had a lot of interesting elements, including the main character and his flaws, and a few other interesting side characters. This book has a very strong "Count of Monte Cristo", "Ben-Hur" or "Gladiator" theme to it, a kind of riches to rags to riches story. Joe Abercrombie is a good fantasy writer, and his strengths really showed in this novel. I also liked that it was a YA-oriented story, which we need more of out there. He was still able to tackle major themes and craft a well-told story, even though it does have a very fast pace.

Just OK

The crown is stolen from a prince who can't really fight for himself so he has to use his wits and persuasion to form an army to retake his throne. Not bad but I enjoyed his First Law books more.

Extraordinary storyworld in the post-Game of Thrones culture

A deft narrator brings these wonderfully-realized characters to life.

Half a King is the best kind of opening, full of promise for the trilogy. I'be got book 2 ready to go.

Great story

I really enjoy this authors writing, the story was a lot of fun and the narrator did a wonderful job. My only gripe was that the main character was not really that likeable. overall I still really enjoyed this book though and the world is interesting enough to want to read more.

Not a typical Abercrombie

More of a young adult story and atypical of Joe Abercrombie. Not crazy about the narration.

I really enjoyed this series

I've been binging medieval series and this was definitely one of my favorites. It has fantastic character building and the writing and narration keeps you wanting to stay up way too late to find out what happens next.