Emperor of Thorns (The Broken Empire) Mass Market Paperback – Illustrated, May 27, 2014

I loved reading The Emperor of Thorns, and it is absolutely the perfect ending for The Broken Empire Trilogy. I'm sure anyone that enjoyed the first two novels of this series will also love this one. It is laid out essentially exactly the same as King of Thorns, with the progression mutli-layered timelines. Mark Lawrence's writing strategy in these books is amazingly crafted, and it really isn't like anything I've read from other authors. The story in the present is Jorg and his posse heading to Congression where a new Emperor could potentially be elected, though if it's going to be Jorg he may have to kill the 99 of the 100 votes. This travelogue is threatened by the advancement of the Dead King's forces and a few other speed bumps I won't mention. Related to the this, Jorg's multiple timelines also share the spotlight with the Necromancer Chella, and while I enjoyed this short chapters, they really don't make sense with how the story is being told. They kind of take the place of Katherine's journals from King of Thorns, but those pages could have been found by Jorg after the battle, while the Chella chapters are told completely from her perspective. It didn't bring me out of the story at all, but it still slightly bothered me at times (even after the end of the book nothing is explained about how her perspective is in the book). This present day timeline is a little slow at first, but later on it is awesome, I won't mention any of the moments specifically, but there are multiple scenes that are really well written, extremely hard hitting, and really enjoyable. These moments are just so visual and visceral, they're some of the craziest scenes I've ever read, and a lot of times I had to go back and read them more than once to appreciate how awesome they were. I will say that while I wish the story could have ended slightly differently here, what does happen makes a lot of sense and provided excellent closure to a fantastic story.The other main timeline is a continuation of the one featured in King of Thorns, where he's kind of out finding himself after the events in Prince of Thorns. Here he leaves his Grandfather's castle and follows Fexler Brew's (I probably have that name wrong) red dot seen through his view-ring (hologram satellite projector?) to an abandoned quarantine zone. Afterwards, he journeys to the deserts of northern Africa (Middle-East) after another red dot and for his own reasons, including his search for the Mathmagician that had been planning to kill his whole extended family and put the blame on Jorg himself. I also really enjoyed this section, but it was odd at times where you still have to rationalize in your mind that everything that happened in the present story line of King of Thorns hasn't happened yet. Also, this explains something that I was confused about in the last book, which is where/how/when the AI version of Fexler gave him the gun he used in the climax of King of Thorns. It almost makes me wonder if the first part of this timeline would have been better if it was in the second book instead of the third. Also I have a love/hate relationship with how the author introduces these really original and interesting side characters, just to kill them off the first chance he gets. I mean they definitely serve a purpose, and it can be a really unexpected reading experience, but it can also be frustrating. Also, I'm not sure while he didn't finish his vengeance at one point, I guess that his family might have been safer with him not finishing it, but I felt like he could have still killed the one guy and had the same things happen (I'm keeping it as vague as possible to avoid spoilers). Overall this section was an excellent coming of age tale, where the reader gets to see more of how Jorg became the man he is in the present day storyline in KoT and EoT.The final storyline is another short look at young Jorg, and what made him into the crazy psychopath he was in Prince of Thorns. The framing device here is that Katherine has been plaguing Jorg's dreams, and he has been accepting as punishment for his multiple crimes (both accidental and purposeful). However, at a certain point he has had enough, and decides to draw Katherine's blade deeper into his chest, showing her one of his most horrible and buried experiences. Basically, this is very soon after Jorg fled his father's castle with the group of prisoners, and the Brothers want to raid a Monastery. As an alternative, Jorg volunteers to enter the place as an orphan and see how many guards they have and if there's anything worth stealing. However, things go badly when a Bishop arrives, and I'll just leave it at that to again avoid spoilers.I once again loved the world building in Emperor of Thorns, I've loved Mark Lawrence's slow burn style of showing what Jorg's world is like and it continues here. We learn a lot more about what happened to the builders and how this world's new magic works, so much so that I almost wonder if this story could be better classified as Science-Fiction instead of Fantasy. This scientifically explained magic, where the barriers between mind and matter have been breached has a lot of interesting effects, leading to the climax of this novel. Again, I'll avoid spoilers, but I loved the idea of what would happen if millions/billions of people believed in Heaven and Hell when only one person with enough will can enact a physical change on the world. What then would happen if most of those people were killed in a Nuclear Winter? There's so much here that I loved, and just found extremely interesting. There is also some imagery used in the final scenes that could possibly hint at how the Builders changed how the world worked, but it could also just be what it was.So in the end, I highly recommend this book to anyone that read the first two, and if you haven't had the pleasure of reading Mark Lawrence's work, I'd definitely recommend to get to it and read Prince of Thorns. If you've read the first book and didn't love it, I will say that PoT is probably the weakest of the three, and King/Emperor of Thorns are equally amazing books. I'm not sure if I could choose a favorite of the two, but they're both great. So I'd give books two and three a shot. Overall, I just absolutely loved this book, and can't wait to see what else the author can create.

No spoilers here.Let me start by saying this. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this trilogy! So much so that I was in the middle of Anthony Ryan's Blood Song - a book I was thoroughly enjoying - but took a break right when Emperor of Thorns was released. Books 1 and 2 were so incredibly fun and fresh that I felt it was the right decision.I thought book 3 was great but probably the weakest in the trilogy. I don't mean that to sound like a negative. The book is still worth 4 stars whereas I would give the first two books 5 stars each.In book 3 we get a dose of a more mature and calculating Jorg yet one that is no less sinister than the Jorg of book 1. Jorg is such a ruthless character but you can't help but love him. Despite his savagery, he is consistently cunning (which I admire) and witty (which makes his character so enjoyable). I thought the author did a very good job continuing the character arc and keeping Jorg's character interesting. As an added bonus, the author develops Chella, the necromancer, which was a very smart move as it brought something new to the trilogy and was a welcome departure from the raw violence of the previous books.I love the way the story kept building and building toward the ending, which was very rewarding. The author's effortless writing style is very much in effect in this book and I applaud how consistent his writing has been from book to book.My only real criticism is that I felt the switch from past to present in book 3 was a bit disjointed whereas the author tied the two time periods together masterfully in book 2. I found myself confused at times and questioning the purpose of some of the flashbacks after I was done reading them.All in all, a worthy finish to the trilogy and an absolute must read.

EMPEROR OF THORNS is the third and last installment in Mark Lawrence's THE BROKEN EMPIRE series. I unabashedly love each and every installment. While it may not be everyone's cup of tea, it is absolutely mine.THE BROKEN EMPIRE WORLD: This world has always had one eye on the past. It has a fascination with the world that was and its Builders. It yearns to understand its own origin and history which it regards with both fear and awe. Some long to rebuild the old world, some wish to ensure it will never return.The kingdoms of this world are vast and spread out. It is a world of various peoples, languages, landscapes, all of which value strength, a necessity of their post-apocalyptic existence. It is harsh and bleak, and more so in EMPEROR OF THORNS. Success and necessities have primacy. Morality is a luxury of a kinder world. This third installment is also the most gruesome but in no way gratuitous. It recounts certain events in all its bloody glory in order to create a full picture of Jorg's experiences and what fractures the empire.JORG: He wears many hats now-- son, grandson, nephew, husband, father, king, road brother, friend, ally, nemesis. We watched him grow, driven by his passions and fueled by his rage every step of the way. Jorg is consumed by restlessness, as if idleness itself is an enemy. Most of all, he yearns for control-- of his emotions, his desires, his future, even his dreams. He refuses to be a passive subject-- a person things happen to, to whom things are done. He is never comfortable when not gripping the reins. Anything he cannot control, he meets with a fount of defiance. He has a firm resolve to face things on his own terms, even if it means a painful death.Jorg is not unaware of his failings. Indeed, he is constantly haunted by them. Mr. Lawrence recounts certain seminal events in `Prince of Thorns' and `King of Thorns' and analyzes them with the benefit of hindsight. With the three books, we now have a blueprint of Jorg's life. Much of it is a blueprint of pain-- the myriad ways it can be inflicted, assuaged, deflected, compressed, fostered, amplified, nurtured, ignored, buried.The Jorg in this third book is a mature, self-aware individual. He is no longer the youth who had no time for introspection. But he is also quite the pragmatist. He knows the reasons for his deeds and misdeeds. While not always proud of them, he acknowledges full ownership. Most of all, he is aware of the immutability of the past and refuses, therefore, to dwell on it. Interestingly, for one so propelled by self-interest, he often rises to the defense of others--people, towns, kingdoms. He protects all that he deems is his or desires to be his. Sometimes, he champions a cause simply because he is forbidden or told he cannot. For one as formidable as Jorg, he may just end up saving the world entire.THE WRITING: There is such fluidity and economy in Mr. Lawrence's prose. With a turn of phrase, he evokes an image, a scene, an attitude, a character's nature. It is akin to the proficiency and precision of a torturer with sharp objects. He coaxes every drop of meaning from every word used and avoided. To paraphrase him: his wisest words just may be those he refrained from writing. I cannot count the number of times a line halted my reading and demanded to be examined. I could spend hours pondering particularly evocative lines. I will never look at falling leaves the same way again owing to one particular analogy. Sublime symmetry.I learned that Mr. Lawrence made few changes to his original manuscripts. His thoughts must be as bright as a lighthouse in the midst of a dark sea. I envy the clarity of his thoughts and the beauty, economy and honesty of the words that carry them. He makes every single word count and imbued with meaning. He must be a mathmagician himself. Or a philosopoet.MY VERDICT: As much as I'm saddened that this tale has come to an end, I'm glad it's not an interminable tale. The BROKEN EMPIRE series and Jorg's tale is gut-wrenching, revelatory, beautiful, satisfying and complete. Jorg's story has come full circle-- it is definitely a story with a beginning, middle and end. Mr. Lawrence had a great command of the tale, parceling out events as necessary, maintaining an air of mystery throughout. I appreciated the timeline, how he bounced back and forth between the present and an earlier time. He integrated the two points in time in every book, explaining a later event by a former one. The integration seems effortless and seamless. The same impeccable timing was also applied to the appearance and reappearance of the secondary characters. They dance in and out of the chapters as the tale required.The ending was quite a surprise but, now that I've read it, I cannot imagine a different one. I'm glad certain events didn't turn out as I feared. Mr. Lawrence carved out his own tale with no regard for expectations or conventions. Forgive me for having the slightest bit of doubt, Mr. Lawrence.This book and the ones before it had a cast of unpredictable, compelling and memorable characters. Whether redemption or salvation is to be found here is irrelevant, their addition or omission neither adds nor detracts from the fullness of this tale. Redemption and salvation are rare so why should every tale end with them? In my opinion, anyone who cannot get past the bleakness and violence is entirely missing the point of this tale. These books do not glorify violence, espouse misogyny or advocate male dominance. This is a fictional world with fictional characters. It is not a biography, nor is it intended as a doctrinal work. If you approach these books with no preconceived notions or judgment, it is simply a tale of a young man's life. It is an interesting life lived in a different world in a different time with different people. But, most of all, it is also a life of emotions felt and lived, especially the baser, darker ones-- equal parts paralyzing and motivating, familiar and foreign, understandable and incomprehensible. All emotions, both laudable and contemptible, are part and parcel of being human and we would all do well to gain a better grasp of each one.