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    Prince of Thorns
    Prince of Thorns
    Prince of Thorns
    Audiobook9 hours

    Prince of Thorns

    Written by Mark Lawrence

    Narrated by James Clamp

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    When he was nine, he watched as his mother and brother were killed before him. By the time he was thirteen, he was the leader of a band of bloodthirsty thugs. By fifteen, he intends to be king... It's time for Prince Honorous Jorg Ancrath to return to the castle he turned his back on, to take what's rightfully his. Since the day he hung pinned on the thorns of a briar patch and watched Count Renar's men slaughter his mother and young brother, Jorg has been driven to vent his rage. Life and death are no more than a game to him-and he has nothing left to lose. But treachery awaits him in his father's castle. Treachery and dark magic. No matter how fierce his will, can one young man conquer enemies with power beyond his imagining?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateJul 20, 2012
    ISBN9781464036101
    Prince of Thorns
    Author

    Mark Lawrence

    Mark Lawrence is married with four children, one of whom is severely disabled. His day job is as a research scientist focused on various rather intractable problems in the field of artificial intelligence. Between work and caring for his disabled child, Mark spends his time writing, playing computer games, tending an allotment, brewing beer, and avoiding DIY.

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    Reviews for Prince of Thorns

    4.5/5

    146 ratings23 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Despite being somewhat of a literature snob, I am determined to read fantasy. I like the escapism and the strangeness. No cell phones, no offices, etc. That said, I don't finish most of the fantasies I start. I find them boring, cliched, too damn self-indulgent in description, too carefully/obviously plotted, too determined to be 700 pages long. I have started The Name of the Wind ( I know, it's great)three times. Do I have to know everything that happened in Kvothe's boyhood before a story develops? Ditto for Game of Thrones. I do not care for "novels" that intend to create 137 different story lines and eventually weave them together into something with the hope that one of the characters will be memorable. Just my opinion (not that anyone reads my reviews anyhow). And I strongly prefer first-person narrative and some moral ambiguity.

      The Prince of Thorns is a gritty, fast-moving, thoughtful, well-written fantasy. The anti-hero narrator is very complex, introspective, and emotionally involving. Five stars for the narrative voice. There are a handful of other interesting characters and some nice plot twists. Yes, there is a lot of violence and gore, but I think it serves the story well. I took one star off because at times it seems like a role-playing game and makes heavy use of standard genre characters, evil mages, necromancers, etc, and doesn't quite achieve the sense of wonder I enjoy, but I think most (non-snobby) readers will find that okay, even good. I will probably read The King of Thorns at some point.

      If anybody actually reads this and can recommend some (highly literary) fantasy, preferably in first-person or close third-person, I would be grateful. Thanks.

      3 people found this helpful

    • 5/5
      "Der Prinz der Dunkelheit" ist neu, er ist anders. Dark Fantasy, die mir gefällt, die mich fesselt. Das Buch lässt einen nicht mehr los, wenn man sich darauf einlässt in eine sehr dunkle Welt gezogen zu werden. Selten hab ich etwas gelesen, das so grob, so skrupellos und auch so ehrlich war. Genau das ist wahrscheinlich der Grund, warum man dieses Buch nicht aus der Hand geben kann, aber da der Schreibstil des Autors (in diesem Fall eben Übersetzung) sehr flüssig ist, ist dieses monströse Vergnügen doch schnell vorbei. Zusätzlich ist Hauptcharakter Jorg so fesselnd, dass man einfach wissen muss, wie es mit ihm weitergeht, besonders da er am Ende von seinen Plänen spricht Kaiser zu werden. Er ist so verdorben und so rein von Hass, eigentlich einer der unsympathischsten Menschen, die einem begegnen können, aber genau das macht ihn so wahnsinnig faszinierend und zu einem Anführer. Es gab ein paar Stellen, bei denen ich das Gefühl hatte, dass alles etwas zu schnell geht, aber das Gesamtpaket gleicht das eindeutig wieder aus. Dieses Buch ist aber auch nicht für jeden was, wie am Anfang erwähnt, muss man sich wirklich darauf einlassen, in etwas dunkles gezogen zu werden. Man startet nämlich mit Blut und Leichen, Raub und Gier, mittendrin der fünfzehnjährige Jorg als eine der Ursachen.Wer sich also nach dem ersten Kapitel nicht angewidert abwendet, den erwartet ein gutes und beängstigendes Werk. Auf dem Cover heißt es "Dieses Buch verschlingt Sie mit Haut und Haaren" und ja, das tut es wirklich, ein tolles Debüt.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 1/5
      Quit listening after hearing the word “fat” in the first chapters for what seemed like the twentieth time. Not too promising for the author’s ability at descriptive language, so yeah, this is for me the fat book that I didn’t give more of a chance.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      the story became interest in but the narration has to long of a pause between each sentence

      1 person found this helpful

    • 1/5
      I cant get behind a book that has the main character raping girls in the first few pages.No thanks, I am good.I have read a lot of books with rape in them, but I have to say they were mostly with a female protagonist.One of my favorite fantasy series The Deed of Paksenarrion Paks lets herself be tortured for five days and nights, and rape isn’t the only thing that she has to suffer.I understood why the character did this, I also understood why the author wrote the story the way she did.I can see why an author will do this to their female leads, it can make them stronger, give them motivation to become the best they can be to fight evil in whatever form it comes in.There are a couple of reasons I have issues with the main character being rapist, the first being the obvious. I cannot empathize with a rapist, there isn’t a good enough reason in the world for me to like a person that commits such a crime. I can’t think of another author that has had their main character act in the way Jorg has.This leads into my second reason for disliking the course of actions of this book. It’s an easy out, a cheap shot in making the main character be evil, and he is evil, this is not the actions of an anti-hero. I like a good anti-hero, I enjoy the show Dexter, and Richard Kadrey writes a mean one with his Sandman Slim series.I like books where the author takes time to build the story so the reader and the character get to know each other and settle their differences.In this book there isn’t time, the author just jumped right in with this disgusting display to portray what a horrible man Jorg is.This is why I will not be reading this book, it’s not all the reasons, but it’s the top two.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Okay, this is a hard book for me to review. I enjoyed it's fast past, the action, the hints of a past which should be familiar to us all. Having said that, I also have to say I had some real reservations about the story. I love fantasy, especially the gritty realism of writers like Erikson and Martin. They are full of characters it is easy to love or hate and the world building is always amazing. And herein lies my problems with Prince of Thorns. There is not a single character I liked (okay, maybe one but he gets killed off half way through). Most of the main characters are nothing short of psychopaths and that goes for Jorg, the title character. There is little to redeem them and, frankly, I found myself really not caring much when one gets killed. Certainly, Jorg and his merry band of psycho killers are not unique to fantasy but, there is usually something to make the reader empathize at least a little or there are other, more sympathetic characters to offset the crazy - not so here. As to the world building, well, it's there and, as I said, I liked the hints to a future past, but overall, the world-building remains pretty skimpy. So, having said this, why am I giving it 4 stars? Fair question and not one I can easily answer except to say, despite my problems with the story, author Lawrence is a heck of a writer and this is one real page turner. Somehow, the story moves so fast that it is easy to overlook its flaws and just enjoy the ride. I look forward to reading the next book in the series, seeing if Jorg can gain some perspective if not some humanity and hoping the world he lives in expands a little. After all, his world is in the middle of the Hundred War. With one hundred kings, princes, rogues, and scoundrels vying for the Emperor's throne, it's pretty clear there's a great deal more to the story and I look forward to reading it.
    • 4/5
      A promising, exciting debut novel from Lawrence that left me impatient to read the next (yet to be released unfortunately!)It is a powerful, brutal, violent novel, set in an equally powerful brutal vieolent world. A story of revenge, redemption, and confronting nightmares. Based upon a character born as a privileged royal child Jorg, but circumstances mean he soon finds himself at a very young age a ruthless, immoral, moody, at times charming leader of a grim cold blooded mercanary gang of outlaws who commit a wide range of atrocities. Witnessing the tragedy of his mother and brother murdered in cold blood changed the man is was to become. Now dark, sly and calculating with an irrational streak that resides within. Any word or deed that upsets, irritates or angers him can set him off and mean dire consequences for the person who caused it. Usually death. However, there is an hidden depth to Jorg, beyond this side of his character portrayed and it's a face his has to maintain within his gang, who do not know that he is in fact a Prince. He has capabilities to master over the living and the dead which I expect to be expanded upon in the second book. The first person narrative works very well, and the insight it provides into Jorg, his motivations, fears and thoughts is superb, and creates an udnerstanding of the characters and what is driving him, and lends to a liking of this otherwise immoral ruthless person. The storytelling is concise, absorbing and engaging. Fast paced, action detailed well, and there is a lovely flow to the book. The only minor downsides I can say are that the world building is not as indepth or as challenging as it could have been, but then again, the book is reasonably short, and does not get bogged down in uneccessary detialing, which just highlights the story all the more. Other characters, like with Douglas Hulick aMong Thieves book, all have potential that I hope the second book goes on to expand upon since it is somewhat missing in this book. All in all, another cracking debut novel from a promising and challenging author, one who again I can't wait to read the next book in the series!
    • 4/5
      Someone else once characterized the protagonist Jorg as 'charming and amoral', and those two descriptors could not be more apt. Jorg charms people the way shiny objects charm ravens; the reader and his band of 'brothers' are drawn to him irresistibly. At the same time, he rapes, pillages and burns without any sympathy for his victims.A brief note on allegations of misogynism: while it may be easy to call the book misogynistic, it would be false and shallow to do so. While Jorg has no use for women other than as convenient pit stops for his penis, this does not mean that the author has the same view. I am enough of a feminist that I cannot enjoy a book unless it has strong female characters or no female characters. Prince of Thorns actually falls into the former category, and I suspect a large part of Jorg's maturation will involve learning to respect formidable women.The worldbuilding is a bit sparse at this point, but the enigmas hinted at are enough to make me want to find out more. The world appears to be standard medieval fantasy broken up into a land of many kingdoms rather than an empire, but then there's ... AI? It puts me a bit in mind of Sharon Shinn's Samaria.Pacing is fast, full of action. Language is simple and direct, easy to read quickly. Plotting flowed well; no holes or wtf moments.But the real reason to read the book is Jorg. What a refreshing protagonist! Neither a hero nor an anti-hero, he's just unapologetically himself: precocious, charismatic, and amoral.
    • 4/5
      Prince of Thorns starts off right in the middle of the action. The first few pages make it clear that you are not going to feel much love for Jorg, the hero of the story. He is amoral and ruthless, but you come to admire and root for him. Anytime you start to feel more than that, he reminds you how truly twisted he is.Prince of Thorns is the story of Jorg. Jorg, as a young boy, was forced to watch his mother the Queen and his younger brother brutally murdered. He was spared by being tossed into a thicket of thorns that trapped and nearly killed him, but concealed him. This is Jorg’s story of revenge. Revenge on those who murdered his brother and mother, revenge on a father who traded political expediency for justice, and revenge on anyone who stands between Jorg and his desire.The book starts off with Jorg on the cusp of his 14th birthday, but fills you in on his past by alternating between events of four years ago and the present. Alternating between two timelines works because both timelines are equally fascinating. The setting is fascinating as well. Early clues are dropped as to where this story is set. I found it a bit confusing at first, but as hints and references were dropped, it became more and more clear where and when this story was taking place. The action moves along very briskly. Concentrating on a few main characters keeps the story tight, focused and exciting. The world feels both fully fleshed out and with a lot left to explore. Jorg leads a bit of a charmed life, but other characters who feel like they might be main cogs in the larger story are dispatched with impunity. This creates real suspense in battle scenes or dangerous situations because you can’t be sure that any of the characters you are rooting for will survive.This is the first book in a planned trilogy, but it has the feel of a world with a lot more stories in it. It reads as a complete story and leaves you anticipating the next leg in the journey. Jorg is a unique protagonist and he’ll leave you anxiously awaiting what he has planned next. Highly recommended.
    • 5/5
      Prince Jorg has just turned 14. For the last three years he has been leading a group of ruffians around the countryside thieving, murdering, and raping. He's really not a good guy (or kid), at all. He is a prince who, at the age nine, watched his little brother and mother murdered in front of him at the orders of a neighboring ruler. Jorg left his princely life and his father, the king, when his father chose a political partnership rather than revenge against the man who killed his wife and child. Prince Jorg now sees life as a game. He really has no problem killing whoever and taking whatever he wants. The author does not present this immorality in a vague way. He does not just tell us the character is immoral and leave it to our imagination. We get to see Jorg do these evil acts throughout the entire book. This isn't a story about Jorg turning from his immoral ways or finding redemption. He might see things a little differently by the end of this book, but he never apologizes or regrets any of his past actions. But I found it hard not to like Jorg. He is clever and complex. The entire book is from his viewpoint; it was fun being inside his head, and seeing how he sees the world. In the first chapter he promises he will be king by the age 15. He decides it is time to head back to his father's castle, and he brings his ragtag team with him. Throughout the book we get to know some of these men. His “brothers” are all sinful in their own way. Little snippets of how Jorg sees these men are at the beginning of some of the chapters. My favorite - “Most men have at least one redeeming feature. Finding one for Brother Rike requires a stretch. Is “big” a redeeming feature?” Once back home, he finds a cold welcome by his father and a new obstacle in his father's mysterious adviser. I really enjoyed Lawrence's world building. At first I thought the setting was a typical medieval type fantasy world, but was completely and happily wrong. Won't spoil it for other readers. But I will say, this type of setting has been used before, but the author used it subtly enough not to be distracting and actually made me very intrigued and wanting to learn more.This is the first book of a trilogy. Looking forward to reading what Lawrence has in store for Jorg next.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this. It’s a very quick read (2 lunch hours) featuring an amiable character with a catchy back-story; it engages the reader and moves quickly through its tale. Though I’m not sure I can imagine the main character’s redemption in future volumes, I look forward to reading the rest of the story. It’s a breezy style – my main quibble being the presentation of phrases masquerading as sentences. Yeah, I get the nearly stream-of-consciousness first person narration, but my eye-brain connection still demands that things dressed up like “sentences” actually be sentences. Reading this aloud, it works fine; my ear can see colons (and hearts, livers and other guts.) Punctuation aside, I found this fantasy novel dark and thought-provoking, but frustratingly incomplete. The book actually pauses at a sensible spot, but I’m impatient with the wait for the moral sorting-out to follow. Eagerly awaiting volume two . . .
    • 5/5
      A spectacular book. The depth of this book is running throughrather like what's seen more commonly in literary fiction. It's almost like fantasy grew up! Bad things happen in the book. When I read this book it was a shock, the good kind. It was something fresh after so much genre same-old same-old. I think there's a powerful new voice her. The book leads us through are murders and torture, and less bad things too. If you're going to object to a book based on its contents then this will be the one. It seems that most of the bad reviews I see of this book are from people who haven't read it! This is a clever, funny, moving book with a hard edge, written with passion and skill. The best thing I've read in years. So from someone who actually HAS read the book --- 5* Treat yourself.
    • 5/5
      An excellent read as we follow into the dark path of a prince who seeks to reclaim his land, conquer the world and extract vengeance. From outlaw & bandit to a royal end with twists, plots, hidden schemes & plenty of bloody combat, all wrapped in a post-apocalyptic world that makes sense.The dark, gritty style is entrancing and the story keeps you moving along as the plot unfolds within the bleak description of the horror of wars, skirmishes & the treatment of unlucky peasants caught up in the game. While it may not appeal to everyone, I found it an incredible and welcome change to many of the sword-and-sorcery books out there.Roll on the sequel! :)
    • 4/5
      4.5 stars

      9 year old Jorg Ancrath sees his mother and brother killed. Soon after he leaves his father and becomes consummated with rage, and guilt for not being able to save them. He flees with group of men freed from the dungeons and 4 years later he is the leader. At the age of 15 he vows to be king.

      Although the main character is a teen, this is not a book for kids and Jorg is not very likeable character. And his actions are even less likeable. But I loved it!

      The book starts when the gang is torching a village and it sets the pace for the book from the start. There’s no hero to root in this book for sure. At first I thought it weird that he’s so young and still the leader of them and how he grew up to be so cold. There’s flashback’s from the past that explains some of the things and while I’m not usually fan of too many flashbacks, I think it worked here.

      I liked the relationship between Jorg and Makin. Makin used to be the king’s guard and he knew Jorg before he flees from home and he’s the one who really knows him. Or at least as much as anyone is able. But it makes Jorg more humane anyway.

      My only complain will be the references to “our world”. Like at some point someone mentioned Shakespeare and stuff like that. I prefer my fantasy to be totally in other world. But it only happened few times so it wasn’t that big of a deal.

      I really enjoyed this book and it was truly wonderful debut book. I can’t wait for the next book to come out and I hope I get my hands on it! But this may not be for everyone so be warned...
    • 2/5
      I didn't like the book that much. Mainly because I don't like the atmosphere. The main character, Jorg is inhuman: he only feels hate and anger. The writing reflects that, in that it is unemotional. This makes it difficult to bond with the characters. Aside from that, the main character mostly wobbles over the stage, changing direction, flinging himself at fights without apparent direction. I can sort of appreciate his brutality, but it makes the book rather narrow. Particularly, since the writing style is rather focused. I feel I only know what the main character sees and nothing else. In the end, I didn't really care that much about what would happen to Jorg, and therefore also did not care that much about picking up the book and reading on.I finished it because I'm going to discuss it with my reading club, and I don't know if I would have finished it otherwise.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this book. What I liked most is that the protagonist isn't your standard Fantasy Hero who succeeds simply because he is right. Our hero, Jorg, is irreverent, calculating, and cruel and I absolutely love that his successes don't stem from him simply being the hero who is supposed to succeed but instead stems from him often being the bigger bastard or the more capable player.

      (Minor spoilers) The only critique I have is Jorgs age. I understand that the hard life Jorg had forced him to grow up quickly but still hard to believe a ten year old not only joins a group of cutthroats, but had been leading them for a while already by the time the book picks up near his 14th birthday. I think aging Jorg up by 3 or so years might very made it more believable while still keeping Jorg young enough that his achievements are impressive.

    • 5/5
      I’ve always had a preference for dark fantasy, I don’t know why, it just keeps me hooked. “Prince of Thorns” is perfect for me: it’s fascinating, raw and it makes you look beyond the things you encounter along the way. I enjoyed this book for many different reasons, one of the obvious ones being the one stated above.

      Another one was the writing style. This book is so fluently written, I could have read it in a few hours if only school hadn’t absorbed all my free time. I love the way the author describes certain situations and feelings. The dialogues are witty and fun to read, with the occasional outburst of depth from Jorg, our main character, showing his real and hidden emotions. Here’s one of my favourites:
      “Memories are dangerous things. You turn them over and over, until you know every touch and corner, but still you’ll find an edge to cut you. Each day the memories weigh a little heavier. Each day they drag you down that bit further. You wind them around you, a single thread at a time, and you weave your own shroud, you build a cocoon, and in it madness grows.”

      There’s one word that kept popping into my head while I was reading “Prince of Thorns”: honesty. I think this is a no-bullshit, honest kind of book. I’m sitting here, thinking about how I can describe that feeling and make you guys understand, but I’m kind of struggling with it. How can such a cruel story be honest? But that’s just it, the story still has its rough edges, everything that happens throughout the book is to the point and hasn’t been smoothed over.

      After reading a few of the one-star reviews on Goodreads, I was in a bit of a conflict with myself. Most seem the hate Jorg for the way he behaves and the things he does.
      Here’s the thing: I liked him. Yes, he’s ruthless, he’s got no conscience and he’s a brat. But I couldn’t hate him. If anything, I felt a bit sorry for what he had to go through at such a young age, but mainly I think he’s in a constant inner struggle. He wants to cut out his humanity because of the things he’s seen and the guilt and pain that came with it. He has seen first-hand and at a young age that doing something horrible doesn’t always mean you’ll get punished for it.
      I’ve read a lot of YA the past months and most main characters in those books are (understandably) good people. Jorg was a breath of fresh air to me, I liked this new perspective, the one of the bad guy. Does that make me a bad person? Hm.

      Before everyone jumps on this and actually answers my question with a big fat “YES”: I don’t contradict that Jorg is a bad person. If he existed in real life, I’d hate him, pity him and avoid him at all cost. But come on, this is fiction! I loved reading another kind of story, something different than the usual stuff. Our main character is a disturbed young man, I know that, but that’s the whole point of the story, that is what makes this book so fascinating.
      I do think you should put things in perspective. There’s a whole discussion going on about Jorg raping two girls on the first few pages of the book. Rape is wrong, everyone knows that (well, most of the human population knows that), but this is a book about a band of ruthless thugs in a medieval-esque setting (it says so on the back of my book). We know Jorg is an anti-hero, so why get all upset about it?

      I can understand why this is a love-or-hate book, some people won’t like the cruel tone in this story, others, like me, will be able to see it from a different perspective. That’s life, everyone has its own opinions, but if you like dark fantasy and don’t mind a gritty story: this book is brilliant and should be at the top of your TBR list!
    • 1/5
      This is the story of a petulant ninny, that’s about it.
      I’m all for dark fantasy but this really missed the mark. I’m willing to give the next one in the series a shot based off the world building but I hope to god they introduce some sort of character building.
    • 4/5
      Themes in this book will be familiar to fans of fantasy. A boy on his journey to manhood. A lost prince fighting for his birthright. A tale of revenge. And so on. All wrapped up in this nice little package which probably won't take you more than a few days to read.And yet, all these themes are laced with a twist. Prince of Thorns will probably be unlike any fantasy novel you've ever read.Like other reviewers have warned, this book is dark, and it is violent. You'll likely be disgusted and repulsed by the main character, Jorg. Personally, I found his characterization rather weaker than I would have liked. I don't normally mind antiheroes, but I did spend the entire time reading this book trying to decide whether or not Jorg is a true psychopath or just a hormonal kid taking the whole teen angst thing a tad too far. If I had to read about his hands "itching" for his dagger or the hilt of his sword one more time, I thought I was going to scream.The story, however, I found riveting. I love the style of the narration, and the author's refreshing take on dark fantasy. If the book had been a little longer, I wonder if more of the world and the characters could have been explored.
    • 5/5
      Bug fan inspired a lot of my dnd games! Thanks
    • 5/5
      Thank god , actual writing . Sometimes seems every author trots behind the latest cliche , tough girl ( sorry , women) hero's and suddenly mages , a sorry dodge to bring in deus ex machini. Not this time . Pay attention and find pleasure here



    • 4/5
      The writing is strange to me though i liked enough this book to finish but still i didn't understand some scenes and things. I hate to say James Clamp isn't the type of narrator I'd like to listen more books in his voice. overall it was fine book and i think i will try the next book to see Jorg growing in a very evil person as an emperor.
    • 5/5
      With Prince of Thorns, new author Mark Lawrence comes out swinging, and my god does he connect. This is quite likely the darkest fantasy novel I've ever read - it would be comical in less-talented hands. This is the first chapter in the story of Jorg, a different sort of hero. His history is not unfamiliar to fans of the fantasy genre: he witnessed his mother and younger brother murdered by a rival kingdom's soldiers. His father, the king, allows himself to be bought off rather than seek revenge, an act Jorg deems cowardly and refuses to accept, so he sets off on a mission or revenge.This is largely where the similarities to every other antihero or dark hero end, though. You see, Jorg is a complete bastard. We meet him as he and his band of miscreants are finishing up murdering, raping, and pillaging their way through a village. A further departure from the "norm" is that Jorg doesn't just sit back and watch disdainfully, he takes an active part in every foul deed. He is not a good person, and he is fully aware of it, in fact even proud of it. He treats life as a game and people as pawns to be used and sacrificed in whatever way best serves his goals. Even his companions are not excepted - several meet their end at Jorg's hands.Of course, it wouldn't be much of a story if we simply followed Jorg and company as they terrorized villages. Events transpire that convince Jorg to return to his homeland,a homecoming he knows won't be celebrated. In fact, he counts on an icy reception. It's all part of the game, and he's playing to win.Naturally, there's more to Jorg than being evil for the sake of being evil. As the story progresses, forgotten events are remembered, and we see that there are reasons he acts as he does. Don't mistake this for a tale of redemption, though. Nothing will keep Jorg from his revenge, and there's little he won't do to get there.This is a relatively short book, coming in at just over 300 pages. This is actually somewhat refreshing - too many fantasy novels are needlessly bloated with extraneous plot lines and details. The story moves along at a nice pace and tells a complete story. There is ample room for continuing the story, which Lawrence obviously plans to do (as this is book one of a series), but the primary conflict of this book is settled and the next can start fresh with Jorg's next step. The only real weakness with the book is the somewhat haphazard manner in which the Brothers (Jorg's companions) are introduced. While reading through three pages of introductions in the first chapter would be frustrating, it's a tad absurd to have new (to the reader) Brothers being introduced after the halfway point. And from a more technical standpoint, the book could have used another round of proofreading; various grammatical errors aren't glaring, but they're there.Prince of Thorns is definitely the strongest fantasy debut of the year thus far, and I doubt anything coming out in the next five months will change that. It is an engaging story with an interesting protagonist, and it turns a great many of the cliches of the genre on their head. I am going to be eagerly anticipating the next volume of Jorg's tale.