Half a King

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY TIME AND THE WASHINGTON POST • LOCUS AWARD WINNER\n\n"The Shattered Seas trilogy has worked its way into a very exclusive group of my favorite fantasy novels of all time."--James Dashner, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maze Runner\n\n"A fast-paced tale of betrayal and revenge that grabbed me from page 1 and refused to let go."--George R. R. Martin\n\n"I swore an oath to avenge the death of my father. I may be half a man, but I swore a whole oath."\n\nPrince Yarvi has vowed to regain a throne he never wanted. But first he must survive cruelty, chains, and the bitter waters of the Shattered Sea. And he must do it all with only one good hand.\n\nThe deceived will become the deceiver.\n\nBorn a weakling in the eyes of his father, Yarvi is alone in a world where a strong arm and a cold heart rule. He cannot grip a shield or swing an axe, so he must sharpen his mind to a deadly edge.\n\nThe betrayed will become the betrayer.\n\nGathering a strange fellowship of the outcast and the lost, he finds they can do more to help him become the man he needs to be than any court of nobles could.\n\nWill the usurped become the usurper?\n\nBut even with loyal friends at his side, Yarvi finds that his path may end as it began--in twists, and traps, and tragedy.\n\nPraise for Half a King\n\n"Tremendously entertaining . . . lightning-fast and filled with a wonderful collection of rogues, villains and two-faced bastards . . . From the first chapter [Joe Abercrombie] wastes no time as the reader is swept up in a gripping tale of betrayal and revenge."--SciFi Now\n\n"Once this plot has its teeth in you, it will not let go. . . . Abercrombie's masterful storytelling means that everything, from the characters that you come to love and despise, to the sprawling world that is explored, is enthralling."--Fantasy Book Review\n\n"Abercrombie's Shattered Sea is a fantastic yet believable backdrop to Yarvi's struggle, a vivid imaginary land."--The Seattle Times\n\n"Intriguing characters . . . nonstop action."--Chicago Tribune\n\n"Half a King is my favorite book by Joe Abercrombie so far, and that's saying something."--Patrick Rothfuss\n\n"As in all Abercrombie's books, friends turn out to be enemies, enemies turn out to be friends; the line between good and evil is murky indeed; and nothing goes quite as we expect. With eye-popping plot twists and rollicking good action, Half a King is definitely a full adventure."--Rick Riordan\n\n"Enthralling! An up-all-night read."--Robin Hobb\n\n"Polished and sharp, perhaps his most technically proficient novel yet . . . I dare you to read the first chapter and try not to turn the next page."--Brent Weeks\n\n"Half a King can be summed up in a single word: masterpiece. It's a coming-of-age story. It's a Viking saga. It's a revenge tale and family drama and the return of the prodigal son. But most of all, it's this: a short time alongside people as weak and blundering as we are and, in the midst of it all, as heroic. Far too short a time, as it turns out. What a wonderful book."--Myke Cole\n\n"Half a King is full of all the adventure I've come to expect from Abercrombie and a tenderness I never knew he had."--Sam Sykes\n\nEditorial Reviews\n\nA fast-paced tale of betrayal and revenge that grabbed me from page 1 and refused to let go."--George R. R. Martin\n\n"The Shattered Seas trilogy has worked its way into a very exclusive group of my favorite fantasy novels of all time. The pacing is perfect, the characters deep and true and real, the world rich and authentic, the plot full of twists and turns. Perhaps my favorite part is that no one is purely good or evil: Each and every character has layers upon layers that are a joy to discover. I tore through all three books and truly hope that someday Joe Abercrombie returns to this magnificent, captivating world."--James Dashner, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maze Runner\n\n"Tremendously entertaining . . . lightning-fast and filled with a wonderful collection of rogues, villains and two-faced bastards . . . From the first chapter [Joe Abercrombie] wastes no time as the reader is swept up in a gripping tale of betrayal and revenge."--SciFi Now\n\n"Once this plot has its teeth in you, it will not let go. . . . Abercrombie's masterful storytelling means that everything, from the characters that you come to love and despise, to the sprawling world that is explored, is enthralling."--Fantasy Book Review\n\n"Abercrombie's Shattered Sea is a fantastic yet believable backdrop to Yarvi's struggle, a vivid imaginary land."--The Seattle Times\n\n"Intriguing characters . . . nonstop action."--Chicago Tribune\n\n"Half a King is my favorite book by Joe Abercrombie so far, and that's saying something."--Patrick Rothfuss\n\n"As in all Abercrombie's books, friends turn out to be enemies, enemies turn out to be friends; the line between good and evil is murky indeed; and nothing goes quite as we expect. With eye-popping plot twists and rollicking good action, Half a King is definitely a full adventure."--Rick Riordan\n\n"Enthralling! An up-all-night read."--Robin Hobb\n\n"Polished and sharp, perhaps his most technically proficient novel yet . . . I dare you to read the first chapter and try not to turn the next page."--Brent Weeks\n\n"Half a King can be summed up in a single word: masterpiece. It's a coming-of-age story. It's a Viking saga. It's a revenge tale and family drama and the return of the prodigal son. But most of all, it's this: a short time alongside people as weak and blundering as we are and, in the midst of it all, as heroic. Far too short a time, as it turns out. What a wonderful book."--Myke Cole\n\n"Half a King is full of all the adventure I've come to expect from Abercrombie and a tenderness I never knew he had."--Sam Sykes\n- From the Publisher\n\n*05/05/2014\nIn this superb fantasy trilogy kickoff, Abercrombie (the First Law trilogy) regales readers with the tale of a young man who is thrust onto the throne by unexpected betrayal. Yarvi, the king's second son, is not destined for the Black Chair or kingship of Gettland: he has a withered left hand, and is bound to become a minister. But everything changes when his brother and father are murdered. Yarvi is clever and knowledgeable, thanks to the years he spent studying for the ministry, but none of that will amount to much unless he can survive the sheer cruelty of being raised to the crown, nearly murdered, and traded into slavery in the span of days. The one thing he knows is that he plans to live long enough to take revenge on his father's killer--when he finds out who it was. Abercrombie's stellar prose style and clever plot twists will be sure to please both adult and teen readers. Agent: Robert Kirby, United Agents. (July)\n- Publishers Weekly\n\n2014-06-05\nA new fantasy series kicks off with a coming-of-age yarn, from the popular author ofRed Country(2012, etc.).Among the royalty of Gettland, only strong, fearless, cold-eyed warriors have value. So Prince Yarvi, born with a withered hand, had only one option: to train as a minister (counselor). After years studying under Mother Gundring--luckily, he's a more-than-capable apprentice--Yarvi is ready to take the ministry's test when news arrives that his father and elder brother have been treacherously murdered by neighboring rival King Grom-gil-Gorm. While Yarvi's uncle Odem offers sad encouragement, his mother, Laithlin, master of the treasury and expert business negotiator, remains her usual supercilious self. With no alternative, Yarvi must take the Black Chair and swear an oath to avenge his father's death. So, donning unfamiliar armor and carrying weapons he can barely lift, he leads a raid against Grom-gil-Gorm--only to be betrayed by those around him. Rather than accept death meekly, he leaps into the Shattered Sea. He survives, only to be captured and sold as a galley slave. Again, he must endure cruelty, enormous hardship and tests of his mettle. Somehow he must use his wits and knowledge to escape enslavement, avenge his father and regain the throne he never expected or wanted. There will be, of course, surprises along the way. To fantasy regulars, this backdrop will sound familiar, with the few embellishments (some elf-ruins and artifacts, an ancient war of the gods) largely irrelevant. The story is well-handled, the characters have personalities, and the plot moves briskly and plausibly, but nothing stands out or grabs the attention; it's somewhat reminiscent of Dave Duncan but without the originality and swagger.Well-dressed, sure, but underneath, it's the same old, same old.\n- Kirkus Reviews