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Win A Copy Of Joe Abercrombie's Brilliant Half A King

by Janis Hopkins
24 July 2014 93 Comments

The First Law author takes a (brilliant) stab at young-adult fiction and to celebrate, we've got an ace prize...

Joe Abercrombie is increasingly referred to as a rising star of fantasy, but it somehow doesn’t feel like an appropriate description. He’s not so much rising above fantasy as tunnelling beneath it, undermining it from below. His stories are dirty, and only occasionally in the X-rated sense. He eschews classic high fantasy tropes of elf wizards and dragons in favour of squalor, misfortune and characters battling manfully to be crowned the biggest asshole of them all, and there’s stiff competition. Morality comes in all shades of grey, and he has no compunctions about giving his characters a well-deserved spanking.

Aimed at a young adult market, Half A King might feel like a divergence from his usual style at first glance, but stories like the Hunger Games have shown that young adults can be a bloodthirsty lot, and any fears of Abercrombie dialling down the grit and filth can be safely dispelled. Half A King might not be quite as harrowing as some of his adult works, but you can be sure you won’t find any fairies or noble heroes either.

The story follows Yarvi, an unprepossessing son of a warrior king whose strengths lie in herbalism and quick thinking rather than violent swordplay, something down in no small part to his deformed and useless left hand. When his father and brother are both killed in battle he unexpectedly finds himself on the throne, only to be betrayed and dumped off it (and down a cliff) before he even has time to get the seat warm. He then barely has time to catch his breath before being captured and sold into slavery. It’s hard not to sense a certain glee as the misfortunes are piled on and on to our increasingly bedraggled protagonist.

What follows is Yarvi’s journey around the Shattered Sea, Abercrombie’s latest fantasy world, as he stumbles and crawls his way back to his homeland for a reckoning, picking up a gaggle of reprobates along the way. The humour is as black as ever, and the bastards just as likeable as the very occasional good person who bobs past, adrift in a sea of the bickering and the selfish. Captain Shadikshirram Jack Sparrows her way around the ship with a bottle of wine sloshing in one hand, owing as much to Nicomo Cosca, the alcoholic dandy and mercenary captain of Abercrombie’s adult novels, as to Johnny Depp’s Keith Richards pirate tribute. Yarvi himself ends up growing into a bastard of note in his own right, as the story watches classic righteous heroes suspiciously from the other side of the room and decides it wants nothing to do with them.

Compared to his previous books there’s considerably less shagging in Half A King, with things staying firmly in the “fumbling adolescent sexual tension” end of the spectrum rather than the more usual grunting, sweaty and slightly disappointing reality – well, you try having sex in some boiled leathers after 2 years without a bath. The violence is also knocked down a notch – there’s plenty of thrilling fight scenes and bloody murder but compared to Abercrombie’s usual brand of concussive and visceral smackdown, it’s a definite step down, which is probably for the best considering the younger audience. That isn’t to say that it’s completely toothless, just that he’s set himself such a high standard of hacking and nastiness that it was inevitable the brakes would have to go on slightly.

Abercrombie has managed to transition to a young adult audience without losing any of his bite, and it’s not much like anything else you’re likely to read, and Half A King has emerged into the sunlight, sworn loudly and isn’t going anywhere soon. This is the fantasy revolution: get on board.

Follow Janis on Twitter, @JanHopis

We’ve got three copies of Half A King to give away, want one? All you need to do to enter is answer this simple question in the comments section below:

What is the name of the main character in Half A King?

a) Captain Shadikshirram

b) Yarvi

c) Jaud

If you like it, Pass it on

image descriptionCOMMENTS

Lorraine Eggleton 5:42 pm, 24-Jul-2014

Hi Answer is b Yarvi Thanks

Lorraine Eggleton 5:43 pm, 24-Jul-2014

Hi The answer is b Yarvi Thanks Lorraine

David 9:05 pm, 24-Jul-2014

Yarvi! awesome review btw. I'm either winning or buying the book now!

ifor jones 9:20 pm, 24-Jul-2014

yarvi

Richard 10:29 am, 25-Jul-2014

B) Yarvi.

Matthew 12:01 am, 26-Jul-2014

Hi! Yarvi! Thanks for doing this!

sue 12:22 am, 26-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

Sarahann Tonner 12:25 am, 26-Jul-2014

B. Yarvi

Maine Blue 12:25 am, 26-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

Kiran Parry 12:34 am, 26-Jul-2014

B) Yarvi

Michelle Austin 3:43 am, 26-Jul-2014

B. Yarvi

Darren Abbott 7:26 am, 26-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

Kelly Koya 7:27 am, 26-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

Lucy W 8:32 am, 26-Jul-2014

B) Yarvi

Hugh McLaughlin 8:45 am, 26-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

Alex Brown 9:12 am, 26-Jul-2014

B) Yarvi

catherine plant 9:39 am, 26-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

sharon mead 9:51 am, 26-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

Lisa miller 9:58 am, 26-Jul-2014

B. Yarvi

Tom Baines 10:07 am, 26-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

Sarah Prightingale 10:12 am, 26-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

kazza ham 10:13 am, 26-Jul-2014

Yarvi

Kate Marsden 10:16 am, 26-Jul-2014

Yarvi

Shaun Needham 10:27 am, 26-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

Ellen Gordon 11:10 am, 26-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

Kay Adams 11:14 am, 26-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

Iva Petrovic 11:41 am, 26-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

Tracey Poulter 11:51 am, 26-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

Joe Maher 12:05 pm, 26-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

Leanne 12:08 pm, 26-Jul-2014

B. Yarvi

Katie W 12:11 pm, 26-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

Sally Semple 12:14 pm, 26-Jul-2014

Yarvi

Katherine Coldicott 12:14 pm, 26-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

Simone 12:18 pm, 26-Jul-2014

Yarvi

Barbara Handley 1:13 pm, 26-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

Tony 1:17 pm, 26-Jul-2014

d) Kvothe

Alice Matthews 1:22 pm, 26-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

Graeme 1:26 pm, 26-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

Natalie W 4:39 pm, 26-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

Helen belton 6:15 pm, 26-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi :)

Neil Molyneux 6:21 pm, 26-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

Denise 6:36 pm, 26-Jul-2014

B) Yarvi

Alison 7:31 pm, 26-Jul-2014

B) Yarvi

PAULINE HILL 7:49 pm, 26-Jul-2014

yarvi

Jim Milligan 8:17 pm, 26-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi, Thanks

Tammy Tudor 8:58 pm, 26-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

Simon Moulding 9:14 pm, 26-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

Gillian Holmes 11:27 pm, 26-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

Wendy Becker 9:16 am, 27-Jul-2014

Yarvi

Rich Oliver 10:36 am, 27-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

Dawn Totton 1:10 pm, 27-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

kirstie kenton 2:17 pm, 27-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

Marilyn Goddard 4:33 pm, 27-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

S Mayat 4:58 pm, 27-Jul-2014

Yarvi

Vikki Sanderson 6:54 pm, 27-Jul-2014

B) Yarvi

Helen G 7:04 pm, 27-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

Liz Price 9:20 pm, 27-Jul-2014

B) Yarvi

Katrina Wakelin 10:56 pm, 27-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

IZZY 2:35 am, 28-Jul-2014

yarvi

Jennifer 1:06 pm, 28-Jul-2014

YARVI

Sarah Parker 1:36 pm, 28-Jul-2014

Yarvi

Justin 1:36 pm, 28-Jul-2014

Yarvi

michelle muirhead 2:06 pm, 28-Jul-2014

B) Yarvi

Michelle R 3:35 pm, 28-Jul-2014

The answer is b) Yarvi. This book sounds great. I'm extremely tempted to go out and buy it if I don't end up winning it!

Michelle Bosomworth 9:35 pm, 28-Jul-2014

B) Yarvi

Suzanne Jackson 12:23 pm, 29-Jul-2014

Answer is B) Yarvi

Jo Carroll 12:38 pm, 29-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

Vicky S 9:16 pm, 29-Jul-2014

Yarvi

Patricia Avery 10:53 pm, 29-Jul-2014

B) Yarvi

Claire Butler 11:40 pm, 29-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

jodie harvey 1:29 am, 30-Jul-2014

B) Yarvi

Cathryn Bowen 8:23 am, 30-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

Peter Gilby 10:40 am, 30-Jul-2014

B) Yarvi

Paul Witney 1:12 pm, 30-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

Gary Topley 4:53 pm, 30-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

Kristy Brown 8:18 pm, 30-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

Elaine P 8:38 pm, 30-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

Carol 8:50 pm, 30-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

Helen Grayson 9:19 pm, 30-Jul-2014

Answer is b) Yarvi :) x

stuart w 9:32 pm, 30-Jul-2014

Yarvi

Fiona Mallard 9:49 pm, 30-Jul-2014

Answer: Yarvi

Rachel Sorrentino 8:12 am, 31-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

Alice Megan 2:24 pm, 31-Jul-2014

B) Yarvi

Laura 4:04 pm, 31-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

Alison Worgan 5:01 pm, 31-Jul-2014

Answer - b) Yarv

Solange 11:14 pm, 31-Jul-2014

b) Yarvi

Emma Baker 4:51 pm, 1-Aug-2014

b) Yarvi

Iain Ward 5:59 pm, 2-Aug-2014

b) Yarvi

reuben 8:18 pm, 3-Aug-2014

B) Yarvi

Clare Martin 9:05 pm, 3-Aug-2014

B) Yarvi

Gillian Davies 11:38 pm, 7-Aug-2014

Yarvi

YOLANDA DAVIS 4:01 pm, 8-Aug-2014

My answer is B; Yarvi

Robert Smith 3:02 pm, 10-Aug-2014

B) Yarvi

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