Half a King

This post first published July 15, 2014.

Author: Joe Abercrombie
First Published: July 2014
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Series: Shattered Sea #1
400 pages (eBook)
 
Anyone who knows me, knows I am a sucker for all those books that have a review blurb by George R. R. Martin on the cover (I am easily persuaded to read a book that way). This book has one of those review blurbs, so … well, that’s how I came to read Half A King. Also, there isn’t a whole lot of epic/high fantasy that’s written for the YA crowd, so I was interested in checking this out for that reason. I have to admit, the beginning chapter or two didn’t really draw me in at all, but I’m glad I decided to keep going with it, because it ended up being an amazing read.

Half A King is a coming of age story set in a fantasy world. Our main character is Prince Yarvi, the second son of the king of Gettland. As he is the second son, he had been training to become a minister for his whole life (a minister is a sort of priest/healing guy … like maesters from ASOIAF, if that helps). Since he has one crippled hand, he can’t win glory on the battlefield, so this is the best choice for him. His whole life changes when his father, and his older brother, are killed. Suddenly, Yarvi finds himself king, a role he was never prepared for. It seems others would agree; his uncle attempts to kill Yarvi, which would make him king instead. Yarvi manages to escape the assassination attempt, but is captured and turned into a slave for a “merchant ship”. Though Yarvi never wanted the throne, he vows that he will avenge his father and brother, and claim his birthright.

Definitely a great read! The world was built wonderfully on so many levels. First, the characters: Yarvi and his people are very reminiscent of the Vikings, which I loved. Yarvi’s journey from a low confidence weakling, to a cunning young man, driven by revenge, was not rushed and felt real. And like the best coming of age stories, you realize the character had the strength within himself all along, he only had to discover it. Lastly, of course, it was just a good story. I liked how Yarvi had to start from the bottom as a slave, and work his way back up to try to become king (cue: ~started from the bottom, now we’re here~ … I’ll see myself out).

There’s also the history of the world and the culture. There is very little magic in this story (practically none, as I can’t remember any off the top of my head). The characters often talk about the elves who constructed many buildings and landmarks that are currently ruins right now, so we know there used to be some magical-esque folk around at some time, but they are no more. I used to love, love, love fantasy with tons of magic in it, but ever since George R. R. Martin’s ASOIAF series, I have come to love low fantasy level novels as well. I think Half A King did a marvelous job of incorporating just enough fantastical elements to give the world a mystical feel.

Lastly, it’s just a good story. Hey, even if you have the best writing in the world, being technical isn’t going to help you with the creative part of writing. This book had both.

My Rating: 4/5