Fantasy writer Joe Abercrombie kicks off his Shattered Sea series with everything fans have come to expect and love: an intricate, twisting plot, fierce action sequences, characters bursting with life, and first-class world building. Yarvi is the cunning, wise and compassionate heir of the throne of Gettland, a kingdom that prizes acts of valor and skill in combat. Born with a deformed hand, he is an inept fighter; betrayed by his uncle and sold into slavery, Yarvi uses his wits and charm to form a band of outcasts and sets out on an epic quest of revenge.
Half a King spans a continent, with its own geography and peoples, swashbuckling action and last-minute escapes. Yarvi's journey is a constant struggle to stay alive, and Abercrombie perfectly conveys the razor-thin margin of survival for Yarvi and his intrepid crew. Like Abercrombie's previous novels, Half a King never gets weighed down by discursive plot meanderings or long-winded exposition; his books explode out of the gate and never seem to slow down, entertaining readers with realpolitik and ultraviolent battles. Yarvi is a sympathetic protagonist who develops the requisite toughness and force of will to lead others as the book marches on. Unlike some of Abercrombie's previous main characters, Yarvi has a strong moral compass that isn't easily shaken, which helps readers feel even more invested in his fate.
Half a King is another gem in Abercrombie's treasure trove of fantastical stories, an action-packed novel that is a joy to read from the opening sentence until its unpredictable end. --Donald Powell, freelance writer