Half a King

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Discuss and Review Half a King at Goodreads.com

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Reviews and Plaudits

– A Sunday Times no.3 Hardcover Bestseller

– Winner of the Locus Award for best YA Novel

“Joe Abercrombie does it again. Half a King is another page-turner from Britain’s hottest young fantasist, a fast-paced tale of betrayal and revenge that grabbed me from page one and refused to let go.”
– George RR Martin, author of A Game of Thrones

“Joe Abercrombie is fast becoming my favourite writer. Half a King is a remarkable achievement — thrilling, enthralling, and relentless. The action is frenetic, the characters are as sharp as the blades they wield, and the humour is biting. It’s sure to garner him a whole new legion of fans.”
– Derek Landy, author of the Skulduggery Pleasant novels

“Another great tale from a master. His medieval, post-apocalyptic land is full of such brilliant banter it would find a laugh at a funeral. It is macabre, menacing and Machiavelli himself would have enjoyed the way half-handed ‘hero’ Yarvi triumphs.”
– The Sun

“Fast-moving, gritty and violent, Half a King will not disappoint Abercrombie’s legion of followers.”
– The Guardian

“In 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 … Abercrombie’s stellar prose style and clever plot twists will be sure to please both adult and teen readers.”
– Publishers Weekly, starred review

“I’ve enjoyed Abercrombie’s books before but this one had an exceptionally tight focus on the protagonist that I really liked. And the story does not compromise anywhere. It’s a coming of age story but that trite description does it no justice. No spoilers here, just a whole hearted recommendation.”
– Robin Hobb, author of the Farseer novels

“I’ve been a fan of Abercrombie’s stuff for years. His worldbuilding is great, his characterization is marvelous, he writes an amazing action scene … That said, sometimes his books leave me feeling a little bleak … This book didn’t hit me that way. I got all the grit that I love in Abercrombie, and the craft, and the character. And the book was grim… but it never got so far as being bleak. Simply said, I think this is my favorite Abercrombie book yet. And that’s really saying something.”
– Patrick Rothfuss, author of The Name of the Wind

“Half a King isn’t merely equal to Abercrombie’s previous work; it is his finest novel to date and the one that may one day make him a household name.”
– Tor.com

“It grips like a bear hug. It warms like a bear skin.”
– The Daily Mail

“Classic Abercrombie, and yet also something unexpected — grimdark fantasy for people who aren’t necessarily very young.”
– SFX, 5 star review

“It’s lightning fast and filled with a wonderful collection of rogues, villains and two-faced bastards.”
– Sci-Fi Now

“Bloody awesome. A must-read”
– Ben Kane, author of the Spartacus novels

“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, author of Control Point

“Holy crap this is a good book … Half A King is full of all the adventure I’ve come to expect from Abercrombie and a tenderness I never knew he had. There’s infinitely more to Joe Abercrombie than we ever thought.”
– Sam Sykes, author of Tome of the Undergates

“In an era when fantasy seems enthralled by long series of huge volumes that seem to pass by like freight trains at a crossing when you’re trying to get somewhere, Joe Abercrombie’s Half a King serves as a reminder that there are considerable virtues yet to be found by efficient, on-the-ground storytelling propelled more by plot than by setting, with crisp dialogue, humane characters, and a distinct inward spiral of rapid-fire events.”
– Locus

“The truth of the matter is that Half a King is a gripping novel, structured to keep its tension at a constant nail-biting pitch … Abercrombie has a brisk and muscular prose style and a talent for delineating characters strongly even only in passing.”
– Strange Horizons

“The author’s economical voice gives a clear and unsentimental account of events sordid, beautiful, or, often, a blend of the two. Abercrombie’s Shattered Sea is a fantastic yet believable backdrop to Yarvi’s struggle, a vivid imaginary land to which both habitual and newly minted grimdark readers will happily return for Half a King‘s projected sequels.”
– Seattle Times

“The joy of Half a King lies in its simplicity. The addiction to adjectives that plagues so much fantasy writing has vanished … The story is briskly told—it takes at most a day or two to read—but it packs the necessary essentials: treachery, dangerous men, women who are not what they seem, duels, and moral dilemmas.”
– The Daily Beast

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