Half A King tells the story of Yarvi, the King of Gettland's youngest son and the not-so-proud owner of a crippled hand. When his father and brother are killed, Yarvi finds himself on a throne he never wanted. Things go downhill from there until Yarvi finds himself miles from home and plunged into one life threatening situation after another. After gathering a strange fellowship of drifters and outcasts, Yarvi vows to get his revenge - and his throne.
Joe Abercrombie is one of my favourite authors and Half A King is very much a typical Abercrombie offering. It is a gripping, dark fantasy that grabbed my interest from the first page as the plot twists and turns right until the end. Yarvi himself is the kind of flawed but sympathetic character that Joe Abercrombie writes so well. He screws up, he makes terrible decisions, he betrays people and is breathtakingly ruthless, and yet his actions feel completely realistic and understandable. The secondary characters are also very well written. They are as strong, flawed and complicated as the main character, and each one helps drive the plot forward, often in unexpected directions.
This is a great YA fantasy. It's a Viking saga and a coming of age story in a world which is cold, brutal and savage, and a book about the importance of friendship and finding one's place in the world.
Recommended for: People who like their fantasy dark and revenge served cold.
Rating: A dark, Viking-inspired YA fantasy with a flawed hero. Five stars from me.
Read On: Half a World is the next book in the Shattered Sea trilogy. If you liked his writing, check out Joe Abercrombie's adult fantasy starting with The Blade Itself, the first book in the First Law trilogy.
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