King of Thorns

By: Mark Lawrence

Narrated by: James Clamp

The follow-up to Mark Lawrence' s thrilling debut novel Prince of Thorns, King of Thorns continues the tale of antihero Jorg Ancrath. After wresting back control of his kingdom from those who murdered his family, Jorg sees the land erupt with hundreds of battles fought by lords and petty kings. More daunting still, he faces an enemy many times his own strength. Jorg may not be able to win this battle in a fair fight, but he wields a rage and cunning that just might even the odds.

Also listen to the first book, Prince of Thorns.©2012 Bobalinga, Ltd. (P)2012 Recorded Books

Better than most middle books

Was looking to cure my itch while I wait for the new Red Rising book to be written. Saga is holding me over nicely!

So perfect

Such an amazing piece of work, mark lawrence is such a good writer, so witty, awesome plot, awesome character development, and narrator was a perfect fit.

Better

Better than the first book, he gets better at writing scenes to where they are more clear, BUT like every other review, he jumps around alot in the timeline, which can be great storytelling BUT some important details are skimped upon for dramatic reveal later on.

Watch me

Jorg is the most complex and conflicted character I have ever read. Prideful to a fault and a strength. Witty, diabolical, cruel, passionate, loving, nihilistic, regretful and many others all at almost the same time. ML made him a believable and likeable atrocity.

Better

While this series features the most unlikable characters I’ve seen in any other series I’ve read so far, they make sense in the ci text of the world. I think this installment was a great improvement, in plot, in characters, in world building, and even in the quality of prose and mechanics.

That being said, there is still too much of the deus ex machina and convenient outcomes to resolve the key prophecies and plot points and to remove the impossible barriers standing in the way of our protagonist.

Given there is another sequel here, it’s not really a spoiler to report that he “wins” though this leaves him with an even bigger challenge, without some key allies but with new allies by his side.

I guess I will have to listen to the final installment of the trilogy now after my investment in the story!

Tension spoiled by Lawrence bouncing around timeline & disposable characters

My biggest qualm with the book is that the first half is just a bunch of wandering and adventure without purpose. It’s also hard to really care about Jorg or any of his brothers, so when the stakes are high, I just didn’t care if someone would die. Additionally, with all the jumping around timelines, it can get a bit confusing at times. Specifically the big flaw I see in the time jumps are that characters are seen in the future before they’re put into a risky situation in the past. So then there’s no tension since I know they make it out okay.
The story is interesting. It’s odd, because it feels like fantasy, but the Lawrence tries to make it sci-fi. Only problem is he doesn’t really explain how it could possibly/theoretically work. He just says vague things that are somehow meant to convince.

Epic book mediocre performance

The book is brilliant but the narrator completely misses the tone of the most emotional scene. It's a bit of a shame really.

Compelling

Mark Lawrence never fails to keep you hooked throughout the entire book. This series is a must read.

Fantastic Story

The Narrator has a very limited vocal range. Other than that the story is great. The series is exceedingly dark and violent. Honestly this is the most villainous mc i’ve ever read of in a fantasy series, but it’s novel and I love it.

Great sequel!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

James Clamp returns with a masterful reading of Mark Lawrence's "King of Thorns." One of my favorite audiobook performances.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I like Jorg...and I hate him. I guess that's why I like him. He's complicated, but not arbitrarily so.

What does James Clamp bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Clamp manages distinct voices for each character and is very consistent. He breathes a kind of personality into Jorg that I might have missed if I were just reading it on my own.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Jorg wrestles with the unintended effects of his necromancy (trying not to give too much away).