Half the World

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY BUZZFEED • ALEX AWARD WINNER • New York Times bestselling author Joe Abercrombie's thrilling series continues in the follow-up to Half a King, which George R. R. Martin hailed as "a fast-paced tale of betrayal and revenge that grabbed me from page 1 and refused to let go."\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\nSometimes a girl is touched by Mother War.\n\nThorn is such a girl. Desperate to avenge her dead father, she lives to fight. But she has been named a murderer by the very man who trained her to kill.\n\nSometimes a woman becomes a warrior.\n\nShe finds herself caught up in the schemes of Father Yarvi, Gettland's deeply cunning minister. Crossing half the world to find allies against the ruthless High King, she learns harsh lessons of blood and deceit.\n\nSometimes a warrior becomes a weapon.\n\nBeside her on the journey is Brand, a young warrior who hates to kill, a failure in his eyes and hers, but with one chance at redemption.\n\nAnd weapons are made for one purpose.\n\nWill Thorn forever be a pawn in the hands of the powerful, or can she carve her own path?\n\nPraise for Half the World\n\n"An excellent page-turner . . . full of drama and energy."--New York Daily News\n\n"Another entertaining burst of battle, magic and political machinations from the always reliable Joe Abercrombie . . . a thoroughgoing blast, a violent, beautiful rabbit hole of craft that is well worth disappearing into."--Shelf Awareness\n\n"Compelling . . . [Thorn] makes Katniss Everdeen look like Dorothy Gale."--Chicago Tribune\n\n"Splendid . . . Abercrombie has a knack for building characters with pathos and wit. . . . The fast-paced story draws readers along while setting up what promises to be an explosive final showdown."--Publishers Weekly\n\n"Clever, exciting and unexpected."--SFF World\n\nPraise for Joe Abercrombie's Half a King\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\nThe 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\nPraise for Half the World\n\n"An excellent page-turner . . . full of drama and energy."--New York Daily News\n\n"Another entertaining burst of battle, magic and political machinations from the always reliable Joe Abercrombie . . . a thoroughgoing blast, a violent, beautiful rabbit hole of craft that is well worth disappearing into."--Shelf Awareness\n\n"Compelling . . . [Thorn] makes Katniss Everdeen look like Dorothy Gale."--Chicago Tribune\n\n"Splendid . . . Abercrombie has a knack for building characters with pathos and wit. . . . The fast-paced story draws readers along while setting up what promises to be an explosive final showdown."--Publishers Weekly\n\n"Clever, exciting and unexpected."--SFF World\n\nPraise for Joe Abercrombie's Half a King\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"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\n12/01/2014\nThis splendid second installment in the Shattered Sea epic fantasy series (after Half a King) shifts focus from cunning Prince Yarvi--now Father Yarvi--to Thorn Bathu, an ordinary young woman who's stubbornly determined to become a fighter. Thorn wants to follow in the footsteps of her father, a great warrior, but she must endure not only the pain of training but also prejudice from the master-at-arms. When Thorn's sword breaks during her final test, it smashes her dreams--and turns her into a murderer. Father Yarvi steps in to save Thorn and give her a place on one of his ships, but soon she realizes she's become a pawn in his deep, complicated political games. Abercrombie has a knack for building characters with pathos and wit. Both plot and setting are believable, and readers will easily immerse themselves in Thorn and Yarvi's world. The fast-paced story draws readers along while setting up what promises to be an explosive final showdown. Agent: Robert Kirby, United Agents. (Feb.)\n- Publishers Weekly\n\n*01/01/2015\nTwo young people strive to join the ranks of Gettland's warriors in this novel that's set in the same Viking era-like world as 2014's Half a King but years later. Brand is hoping to win a position so he can raise himself and his sister out of poverty. Thorn is driven by rage and a desire to avenge the death of her father. Neither is accepted into the raiding party, yet their fates link them as Gettland minister Father Yarvi (hero of Half a King) puts together a mission to secure allies for the country against the power of the High King. VERDICT Abercrombie is well known (and loved) for his dark fantasies. Aside from being less profanity laden and having slightly less complicated worldbuilding, this series could just as easily be enjoyed by the adult fans who loved the author's "First Blade" trilogy as by a teen audience. Thorn is the big draw, with her toughness and determination. While it's a bit predictable that a fantasy with a female lead seems to require a romance, the love story is a good one.\n- Library Journal\n\n2014-12-06\nThe second, independently intelligible, entry in the Shattered Sea trilogy, following Half a King (2014). In the previous volume, Prince Yarvi of Gettland--he was born with a withered hand to warrior folk (they resemble Vikings) who value only strength--survived great challenges to become Father Yarvi, now minister (counselor) to King Uthil. But the ancient High King, prodded by the wicked, conniving Grandmother Wexen, has formed a grand alliance against Gettland. In secret, Yarvi evolves a scheme to break the High King's ring of steel by forming alliances with the powerful but distant Empress of the South. Meanwhile, young Thorn Bathu yearns desperately to become a warrior (the first female such) in order to avenge her father. During her trial of passage she defeats fellow hopeful Brand, but unsatisfied, Master Hunnan orders her to fight three men at once. Thorn accidentally kills one, and Hunnan names her a murderer. To save her from execution, Brand courageously tells Yarvi the truth of what happened. Seeing Thorn's potential, Yarvi takes her under his wing and, along with Brand, assembles a crew of cutthroats and desperados to make the long, harrowing trip south. They'll be joined by Skifr, a deadly woman fighter who steals forbidden elf-relics for a living. Skifr will train Thorn to be the most lethal combatant in the entire crew--but Thorn, Brand, Yarvi and the rest will need all their formidable talents merely to survive. Again, well-handled for the most part--the thrillingly implausible action, nearly all sword, very little sorcery, is a given, with the intriguingly delicate scheming woven into the backdrop. More predictable are the romantic complications. Superior in nearly all respects, just lacking that authentic spark of true originality.\n- Kirkus Reviews