Prince of Thorns

By: Mark Lawrence

Narrated by: James Clamp

Author Mark Lawrence has won over audiences everywhere with Prince of Thorns, his exciting debut novel.

Nine-year-old Prince Jorg is forced to watch as his mother and brother are slaughtered. Fleeing the palace, Jorg joins a bloodthirsty band of thugs. But he’s determined to take back what’s rightfully his, so he returns to the castle a few years later - unaware of the dark and powerful magic that awaits.

©2011 Bobalinga, Ltd. (P)2012 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

“Vivid … full of wonder. This book is brilliant.” ( Galaxy Book Reviews)

An anti-hero that is hard to align with

I have read and listened to a lot of fantasy books and I have no issues with anti-heroes as lead characters; however, Jorg just isn't an interesting character and I was never able to get behind him. At 9 years old Jorg experiences a terrible trauma as his mother and brother are killed while he is helplessly caught within the thorns of a nearby briar patch. His father, the king, is unwilling to risk war with Count Renar, who is behind the murders, and he basically agrees to put the matter aside in exchange for some economic concessions. This shapes Jorg into a monster bent on revenge against both Count Renar and his father.

Jorg becomes the leader of a band of thugs at the age of 13 and the book is experienced from inside his mind. That is a dark place and frequently Jorg envisions ruthlessly killing those he interacts with. Sometimes those thoughts are converted to action and sometimes they aren't but they are constant. Jorg frequently kills men 3 times his size through an improbable series of events and he quickly furthers his agenda against his father and Renar. Eventually it is uncovered that there are more powerful individuals behind the scenes who manipulate key people as pieces in a giant game of thrones. Jorg himself discovers that he is being manipulated and he adds his puppet-master to his list of targets.

Now I love a good revenge tale more than most and I'm willing to let questionable behavior slide in the name of revenge on those "who deserve it" but this book never got me there. Jorg is too young, has no redeeming qualities at all, and the improbable events are just too unbelievable. There is also nothing truly unique about the fantasy world although the book does get interesting at times it doesn't really last.

This isn't a terrible book but I still suggest that you pass on this one. If you want to listen to dark, gritty fantasy or root for an anti-hero then there are much better choices available. I give this 2.5 stars only because James Clamp did a decent job on the narration and his performance kept the story moving along. It just never wound up where I wanted it to be.

No F**king Unicorns

Any additional comments?

If you are looking for friendly talking dragons, and Happily Ever After this book is NOT for you. Violent, dark and brooding. Reminds me of books by Brent Weeks and Joe Abercrombie. I am downloading the second book now. This one was a bit short for my taste.

All Grit And Gore, Very Little Story

Mr. Lawrence can obviously write. The vividness of the battle scenes in Prince of Thorns proves that. They are good. But, the problem is that same talent to write is not translated into other parts of the book. Most importantly, character development and plot. This story is very shallow in those departments. It feels like a draft of a complete novel.

For me, it was just lazy dark fantasy. A decent listen for sure, but not some elite (or even great) tale. It barely registered as average thanks to Mr. Lawrence's writing of the aforementioned battle scenes.

But, I stand by my statement that the story itself is lazy. It tries to be grit and gore and no more. Prince Jorg is one dimensional and never developed into the sort of anti-hero that I could root for. The encounters that stand in his way seems like they are only partially serious.

I suggest it if you like a nice, quick dark fantasy listen/read, but know going in that you are going to get a tale that is about blood and Prince Jorg's quest for vengeance with no meat to the bones.

A revenge fantasy

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

yes, i was drawn in and found this a very enjoyable listen. I am about 70% of the way through and cant wait to hear more.

Any additional comments?

was very satisfied with the narration. Of course this is my opinion, but it was a good listen

just a meh fantasy/sci-fi

The story struggles to find itself as it goes from revenge to conquest and back again. It tries hard to make you like a band of raping, plundering, and murdering thieves with a thirteen year old boy at its head.