I just finished reading King of Thorns, the second book in Mark Lawrence’s Broken Empire trilogy. I’m surprised the books aren’t more famous. It’s a gripping read.
Anti-heroes have been in style for a couple of decades but I struggle to call the teenaged King Jorg an anti-hero. He’s not a good man pushed to bad deeds by an evil world. He’s no Tyrion, rife with redeeming qualities. Jorg’s straight up evil. The Hundred Kingdoms are a bad place, and he’s the baddest dude around, so he starts conquering stuff at 14 years old. He’ll use magic, science, trickery, treachery and lies to get what he wants. He’s cruel, clever, confident and immensely entertaining.