Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
It felt a little rushed getting to the end, but the actually ending was really good. Didn't see that coming. I'm interested to see where Prince of Fools goes, since that's in the same world, if I'm not mistaken. Especially given the, um... effects.
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I definitely enjoyed book 3 more than book 2. The the different threads of the plot were much easier to grasp and bring together. I wish there was more exploration into the Builders technology and how it's accessed. I appreciate Jorg dying in the end because so few books have the courage to actually do that. I really really wanted to love this series but there was just something throughout the last 2 books that was holding it back. I feel I still don't totally understand how the magic worked.
Though I did find that this book started off a bit slow and even though there were some parts (mostly the five years earlier chapters) that took a bit to grab me, I very much enjoyed this book. I didn't expect this book to end the way it did, but I found the ending was satisfying nonetheless. If you've read and enjoyed the first two books then you shouldn't be disappointed with this final instalment.
Originally I gave this book 5/5 but then had to demote it due to the cope out ending. I’m still mad thinking about the ending. I had an inkling that it was where the book was heading and then had to force myself to finish. The ending just doesn’t fit with the plot he was building up for the part two books. Felt like the author just said a big f you and didn’t want to write anymore of these books. 🤷🏻♀️
I've read this series in quick succession, and while I can no longer really distinguish one book from another I can tell you that they've just gotten better and better. I don't think I've ever read anything so solidly within the heroic fantasy genre, yet so subtle and beautiful. The way a post apocalyptic earth is woven into a fairly traditional sword and sorcery setting is masterful. Picked this series up on a whim because I read about Prince of Fools (his new book) on some blog, so very very glad I did.
" They fell choking, perhaps drowning with their own ghosts, strangled by lost loves, choked by disapproving parents, or whatever tawdry fragments of their past haunted them. We all carry the seeds of our own destruction with us, we all drag our history behind us like rusted chain."
" They fell choking, perhaps drowning with their own ghosts, strangled by lost loves, choked by disapproving parents, or whatever tawdry fragments of their past haunted them. We all carry the seeds of our own destruction with us, we all drag our history behind us like rusted chain."
This is another one where I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the ending, but it feels like it could be no other way than the way it was. Jorg, in the end, defied all expectations and yet somehow still met them.
I don't think there was any better way to end this series. I absolutely agree with the author's note at the end of the book about not wanting to milk a successful franchise with more books than are necessary and furthermore, his reluctance to dilute the powerful narrative voice of Jorg.
Emperor Of Thorns is the final book in the broken Empire trilogy. I prefer the second book over this one, it’s also the best in the trilogy, but EoT was a decent conclusion to the story.
We have a similar structure in this book as in book two ‘King Of Thorns’. The main story arc follows Jorg in the present time but we do get some interwoven chapters looking back on his history. These 'history' chapters continue after events in KoT and mainly tell the story of how Jorg he ended up in his current situation 5 years after events of KoT in the present time. In some way this was already used in book one, only did I consider them more as flashbacks at that moment. I feel they are more interwoven in the overall story in books 2 and 3.
Finally there is also the perspective of Chella, the necromancer. Her story provides some information to the main story, some insight about the Dead King, but I must say I liked those chapters a little less.
So what’s this all about? Simple put: it still is about Jorg Ancrath and his desire to become Emperor of The broken Empire. We follow Jorg in the present time on his way to congression. But this time we also have the Dead King who comes to the fore. He is the big antagonist in the conclusion of the trilogy. His screen time remains limited, but he is spoken off sufficiently in order to emphasize the threat of him and his army of the undead. Personally I feel the actual threat wasn’t really there as it mainly remained Jorg’s story and his road to become Emperor. It’s just one of multiple problems I have with this book and the trilogy in general.
I still ended up liking the trilogy, but I wasn’t blown away by it. The series just misses that sparkle that makes me give a book a 4 or 5 star rating. We do have Jorg Ancrath in each book, a compelling and (mostly) unlikable character, and very well written by Mark Lawrence. His writing style in general is very unique. I also liked the structure Lawrence used in books 2 and 3: chapters bringing the present time story with Jorg’s past interwoven in separate chapters. I liked those chapters more than Chella’s story.
What really lacks in the book are compelling side characters. We get to know multiple characters along the way that play a role in each book in the trilogy, but they are barely fleshed out.
Also the worldbuilding remains unsatisfactory. We get again a larger view of the world and some explanation along the way regarding the Builders, but I still feel much more could have been done.
Finally I also have to say that this book mostly lacked a thrilling and exciting story. It’s more a book about the character Jorg Ancrath. We follow his adventures from one place to the next and although the story in itself is interesting, it lacked that sparkle I mentioned earlier. Maybe a better use of the Dead King could have provided that, but Lawrence chose not to bring his tale that way. The lack in story is also the main reason why I’ll only give this book a 3 star rating.
Conclusion:
As mentioned, a decent conclusion to a decent trilogy. Maybe it’s just me in not raving about this trilogy, but I just expect more from a fantasy tale. It’s not that I didn’t like it, but it isn’t a masterwork either. I'm not banning Mark Lawrence from my reading list, but I'll not immediately start another Lawrence book either. Maybe in the (far) future.
Rating: 7.3 / 10
Series Rating: 7.27 / 10
We have a similar structure in this book as in book two ‘King Of Thorns’. The main story arc follows Jorg in the present time but we do get some interwoven chapters looking back on his history. These 'history' chapters continue after events in KoT and mainly tell the story of how Jorg he ended up in his current situation 5 years after events of KoT in the present time. In some way this was already used in book one, only did I consider them more as flashbacks at that moment. I feel they are more interwoven in the overall story in books 2 and 3.
Finally there is also the perspective of Chella, the necromancer. Her story provides some information to the main story, some insight about the Dead King, but I must say I liked those chapters a little less.
So what’s this all about? Simple put: it still is about Jorg Ancrath and his desire to become Emperor of The broken Empire. We follow Jorg in the present time on his way to congression. But this time we also have the Dead King who comes to the fore. He is the big antagonist in the conclusion of the trilogy. His screen time remains limited, but he is spoken off sufficiently in order to emphasize the threat of him and his army of the undead. Personally I feel the actual threat wasn’t really there as it mainly remained Jorg’s story and his road to become Emperor. It’s just one of multiple problems I have with this book and the trilogy in general.
I still ended up liking the trilogy, but I wasn’t blown away by it. The series just misses that sparkle that makes me give a book a 4 or 5 star rating. We do have Jorg Ancrath in each book, a compelling and (mostly) unlikable character, and very well written by Mark Lawrence. His writing style in general is very unique. I also liked the structure Lawrence used in books 2 and 3: chapters bringing the present time story with Jorg’s past interwoven in separate chapters. I liked those chapters more than Chella’s story.
What really lacks in the book are compelling side characters. We get to know multiple characters along the way that play a role in each book in the trilogy, but they are barely fleshed out.
Also the worldbuilding remains unsatisfactory. We get again a larger view of the world and some explanation along the way regarding the Builders, but I still feel much more could have been done.
Finally I also have to say that this book mostly lacked a thrilling and exciting story. It’s more a book about the character Jorg Ancrath. We follow his adventures from one place to the next and although the story in itself is interesting, it lacked that sparkle I mentioned earlier. Maybe a better use of the Dead King could have provided that, but Lawrence chose not to bring his tale that way. The lack in story is also the main reason why I’ll only give this book a 3 star rating.
Conclusion:
As mentioned, a decent conclusion to a decent trilogy. Maybe it’s just me in not raving about this trilogy, but I just expect more from a fantasy tale. It’s not that I didn’t like it, but it isn’t a masterwork either. I'm not banning Mark Lawrence from my reading list, but I'll not immediately start another Lawrence book either. Maybe in the (far) future.
Rating: 7.3 / 10
Series Rating: 7.27 / 10
I think this series was great and definitely brutal! I would recommend it to people so as long they won't judge me too hard for reading a book involving issues that are considered hard to read. I do however feel that King Jorg was one if the most awful characters and just when you think he cares or shows emotion, he may just kill you. without giving away the end, I wish a different death on an important character.