I just finished Emperor of Thorns by Mark Lawrence. Wow, that was a gripping read.
I’ve never read or watched anything with such a morally reprehensible protagonist. Jorg Ancrath makes Darth Vader look warm and cuddly. How the author explains whether Jorg is a hero, anti-hero, or villain:
I think Jorg could be described as all of them. What Jorg certainly is not is ordinary. He’s a prodigy, extremely intelligent and creative, old beyond his years, charming, a very skilled swordsman. Yes he has failings – anger control issues, a lack of scruples, a poor singing voice, an inability to compromise, lack of empathy, but he is in the traditional fantasy vein, someone extraordinary.
It was shocking when it was over; there’s no more? Interestingly, at the end the author explained why he made 3 books, rather than 5 or 6. He felt he had told the complete story and further additions wouldn’t be as good. I respect that.
The author did write the Red Queen’s War trilogy, which I think is a prequel. It’s definitely going on my list. My reading list seems to always get longer, no matter how much I read.
