19 May 2012

Prince of Thorns - Mark Lawrence

Prince of Thorns was unexpected. I didn't go looking for it. I had no books to read, I was at Uni and had read all the ones I had with me, and I always need a book to read. So I went to Waterstones and picked it up on impulse, the cover appealed to me. This is often the way to grab my attention I'm a sucker for a cover of epic standards. I barely glanced at the blurb, but it was enough so I bought it. 

 I'm glad I did. It was an epic read. It was so good I practically swallowed it whole and it was a wrench to put down. It was fascinating storytelling and it ended on a real cliffhanger, so I can't wait to see what happens in the sequel which comes out this august, unfortunately I'll have to as my budget doesn't stretch to hardbacks. 

Reading Prince of Thorns opened my eyes to something a little bit different than your everyday Epic Fantasy, although it certainly managed on that front. It appears to be set in a post-apocalyptic world as there are several references to people who still survive as the greats such as Plato, and more hidden references to our highly technological culture, such as the use of a nuclear bomb to blow up an entire mountain. 

The thing that makes this a little bit different is that the apocalypse happened in the distant past and the people of the story seem to be unaware of it, although it colours the undertones of the story. The world was built to such a scale that at first you simply assumed that it was set on an else, a fantasy planet, it takes a long time to realise what really happened. 

If you haven't read this yet do so. It's worth it.

Rowen

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