HarperVoyager Half a King Paperback – Big Book, 29 January 2015

If you're a Abercrombie fan, you should beware: this is NOT like his other books. It's written to be more approachable, have less bulk, and be much faster paced. On all accounts, Abercrombie succeeded. Unlike some other recent fantasy novels which seem to add bulk for the sake of it, this gets to point FAST and is action packed. In fact, it doesn't really stop - something is always developing and changing. This is honestly a breath of fresh air from the normal tomes that I read.I'd avoid some reading some of the other reviews on here because they just outline the plot of the book and ruin the surprises. Just read the blurb, otherwise you'll have every twist ruined. Essentially, though, it feels like a coming of age story with heavy influences from Norse/Viking history. I was truly surprised how gripped I was by this story from the very start.I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a fast-paced, action-packed, and approachable fantasy book. It's about 400 pages and takes absolutely no time to get through, as it hooks you straight in. Again though, beware if you're an Abercrombie fan, as it isn't like his other books.

‘Half a King’ is the first book of the new trilogy, ‘The Shattered Sea’, by Joe Abercrombie. Known for his ‘The First Law’ trilogy, and now spoken about as one of the most successful writers of epic fantasy in the field today, Half a King departs from the author’s usual genre and instead moves towards the Young Adult market. It represents a coming-of-age tale in a fantasy world, a classic of the genre, whilst still having a distinct subversive touch on how these stories usually develop in the genre.So, what is Half a King about?The book features Yarvi, the youngest son of the King of Gettland and the Golden Queen. In a land where combat prowess and physical strength dictates the success of the monarch and any man, Yarvi is a cripple with only one good hand and no skill in warfare. Never having expected to inherit, he is suddenly thrown into the role of king after his father and elder brother are slain by treachery. However, before he can avenge anyone and bring to justice his father’s killers, he’s betrayed and sold into slavery. Only to find himself suddenly at the oar of a galley with newfound friends and companions. When escaping the galley it’s a long trek to his homeland, and he must escape the vengeful pursuit of the galley’s captain if he wants to then reclaim his throne.Half a King is something different and an all-new setting that doesn’t have anything to do with The First Law series books. The world in this book is reminiscent of Scandinavia in early middle ages, and much of the elements in the book are similar to classics of the epic fantasy genre. Abercrombie hints at entire political, economic, and religious backgrounds; albeit without delving into these and maintaining them as mentions within the book, giving a rather simplistic and one-dimensional feeling to the book. This is fitting of the genre of the book and it being a young adult novel, but ought to be taken in mind by an older reader who wants to give the book a try.Half a king is extremely readable right from the start, and with a very clear prose. It stands at three hundred and seventy three pages, and is divided into four parts then subdivided into further chapters. It reads with the same brisk prose that the author uses in his previous novels, albeit with less violence and graphic language. There is little to no graphic content, though the book does have some not-too-graphic adult situations. It is notably more simplistic from a moral perspective and character development perspective – fitting for its young adult nature but underwhelming and disappointing for a more mature reader. The twist given to the classic coming-of-age story is something which I came to really enjoy in the book, and is suitably reminiscent and in the style of previous books of the author. Albeit, really toned down.Initially the constant self-depreciation of Yarvi gets slightly annoying, though one gets quickly used to it, and the tone of the rest of the book is fresh and original. Yarvi grows and changes a lot over the course of the story, as do the character’s around him, and good dramatic and adventurous scenes keep the plot moving along well. I personally found some of the characters rather one-dimensional when it came to those who weren’t around Yarvi, and little came to be truly known about them. Good guy and bad guy distinctions seemed to have little edge, and quite a few characters came off as stereotypical. It seemed to be as such rather simplistic and with a noticeable modernist tone, though the book was enjoyable to read from cover to cover and succeeds as a young adult fantasy book.As such, Half a King is definintely a good young adult fantasy book, and is suitably entertaining once you get into its story. However, older readers might find it too simplistic and toned down, particularly if they liked the author’s previous work. The world seems to have little depth to it in this first book, and the morality isn’t really delved into. However, it wasn’t bad by any means and is worth reading for the people who like young adult fiction.

Yarvi was never meant to ascend to the throne of Gettland. Born the younger son of the king and with a crippled hand, he was in training to become a Minister until his father and elder brother were killed and he was forced to assume the role he was ill-prepared for. However treachery soon means that Yarvi is fighting for his life, assumed dead but actually sold into slavery. Joining a group of fellow misfits Yarvi battles back to Gettland and fights for revenge on his would-be assassins.I hadn't read any Joe Abercrombie books until now and didn't really view myself as a fan of the fantasy genre. however reading my way through the George R R Martin books I found myself wanting more. Abercrombie's reviews are excellent and this seemed like a good introduction to his work. Written as a YA novel it sometimes seems a little superficial and lacking detail but it is clear to see that Abercrombie has a talent from creating racy plots and a cast of characters that pique the interest. I loved this book as a short and fun read and intend to read more!

Actual Rating 4.5 •Half a King is the first book in the Shattered Sea Trilogy, and my first Joe Abercrombie read. Not having read his grittier adult series, The First Law beforehand, allowed me to review his debut YA novel on its own merits, and from a completely untarnished perspective.The story is told from the single perspective of Yarvi, a young prince, who was born with a deformed hand. In a harsh, Viking-esque world, where a man is valued by his physical strength and skill with a blade, this weakness does not sit well with his father, the King of Gettland, or his warrior kinsmen.“I didn’t ask for a half a hand’“I didn’t ask for half a son.”Training to become a minister, Yarvi has no desire to inherit the Black Chair, but finds it unexpectedly thrust upon him when his father and elder brother are betrayed and murdered on an enemy raid. However, King Yarvi’s reign and quest to avenge his dead kin are soon cut short as he too is betrayed by one of his own and left for dead. Sold into slavery, he finds himself chained to the oar of the South Wind at the mercy of its vicious, drunken captain, Ebdel- Aric Shadikshirram, who is keen to proclaim mercy has always been her greatest weakness.It’s there Yarvi finds friendship and loyalty with an unlikely band of misfits, and a strength of will he never knew he had. Relying only on his sharp wits and the support of his new companions, Yarvi escapes the cruelty of the Shattered Sea and begins the treacherous journey home across the frozen North, pledging a vow to avenge his kin and reclaim the throne he never wanted in the first place.Part gritty adventure, part coming of age tale, Half a King grips you by the shoulders and refuses to let go until the bitter end. Written for YA audience, the length is kept deliberately shorter at less than 400 pages, the prose tighter, the pace faster and the violence and profanity kept to an appropriate level for this age group. Yet, somehow it doesn’t feel like a YA read. There are none of the typical clichés associated with the genre e.g. love-triangle, orphaned parents, Mary-Sue characters. Neither are there many of the tropes you’d expect from a high fantasy novel. No magical forces at work, good versus evil, chosen one, or the merest whiff of a fire-breathing dragon. The only mention of elves are the ruins they’ve left behind, thousands of years before.Abercrombie has skilfully blended the structure of a YA novel with the dark grittiness of adult fantasy, turning convention on its head to create something fresh and unique. Although the violence is watered down a little, there’s still plenty of sword-wielding, bloodshed, dark humour and grim moments to keep you on your toes and turning the pages.Whilst there was a vivid sense of this medieval-type setting (which, from the names – Gettland and Vansterland feel reminiscent of an alternate Sweden), my only niggle was that the world building wasn’t as fully explored as it could have been. That said, it was probably pitched at the right level for YA readers.But what this book lacks in complexity, it certainly makes up for in characterisation. Each character is uniquely flawed, neither good or evil and incredibly well drawn. I was pleased to see the female side characters, such as Sumael and Shadikshirram given strong roles. Laithlin, Yarvi’s mother is a particularly fascinating character, kept very much in the background for plot reasons, but somehow still managed to hold a powerful presence on the few pages that she did appear.The progression of Yarvi’s character from weakling boy to a cunning king is cleverly written, leaving the reader unsure of whether he’s really likeable or not. Abercrombie weaves just enough subtle hints into the narrative to give a glimpse of the ruthless character he will grow to become. For me though, Nothing stole the show, whose answer to any dispute is steel, and had some of the best lines in the story.Packed with unexpected twists and turns, dark, witty dialogue, compelling characters, this fast-paced, gripping tale is a must read for anyone who loves grimdark fantasy.

This book was outstanding. All of the elements required to create a fantastic fantasy novel were present: an intriguing plot, complex characters, mystery, clever twists, detailed world building and excellent pacing. There is also no info dumping, any exposition is cleverly woven into the dialogue making it more organic and palatable for the reader.Abercrombie achieved all of this in under 400 pages. A real pet peeve of mine is when authors feel the need to pad books out with superfluous nonsense that in no way deepens their world, shades their characters or advances the plot; it's almost as if they have a page goal to reach even if the story does not require it. But Half a King is all the better for being brisk and I cannot wait to see where book two in the trilogy takes the story.