Half a War
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4.3 • 419 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY BUZZFEED AND THE INDEPENDENT • New York Times bestselling author Joe Abercrombie delivers the stunning conclusion to the epic fantasy trilogy that began with Half a King, praised by George R. R. Martin as “a fast-paced tale of betrayal and revenge that grabbed me from page 1 and refused to let go.”
“The Shattered Seas trilogy has worked its way into a very exclusive group of my favorite fantasy novels of all time.”—James Dashner, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maze Runner
Words are weapons.
Princess Skara has seen all she loved made blood and ashes. She is left with only words. But the right words can be as deadly as any blade. If she is to reclaim her birthright, she must conquer her fears and sharpen her wits to a lethal edge.
Only half a war is fought with swords.
The deeply cunning Father Yarvi has walked a long road from crippled slave to king’s minister. He has made allies of old foes and stitched together an uneasy peace. But now the ruthless Grandmother Wexen has raised the greatest army since the elves made war on God, and put Bright Yilling at its head—a man who worships only Death.
Sometimes one must fight evil with evil.
Some—like Thorn Bathu and the sword-bearer Raith—are born to fight, perhaps to die. Others—like Brand the smith and Koll the wood-carver—would rather stand in the light. But when Mother War spreads her irons wings, she may cast the whole Shattered Sea into darkness.
Praise for Half a War
“Filled with swift battles, quick plot twists and witty dialogue.”—New York Daily News
“A fantasy for all ages, and all times [that] rends the soul as compulsively as anything Abercrombie has written to date . . . Half a War is a success in every way, putting a stupendous capstone on the entire Shattered Sea Trilogy.”—Tordotcom
“There’s all the sword-swinging and Machiavellian machinations you could ask for in this tale of a final battle between countries and kings.”—Fredericksburg Free Lance–Star
“Engaging, mesmerising and jaw-dropping.”—SciFi Now
“Abercrombie piles on shocking betrayals and charges his characters a high price for vengeance in this powerful and fitting final volume.”—Publishers Weekly
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
War reaches the boiling point in the impressive conclusion to Abercrombie's Shattered Sea epic fantasy trilogy (after Half the World). Princess Skara of Throvenland escapes master swordsman Bright Yilling, who is sent to raze her grandfather's kingdom. She convinces King Uthil of Gettland and King Grom-gil-Gorm of Vansterland, who have made an alliance after the events of Half the World, to stop the army of the High King, who governs the land's restless lords. Raith, a scarred soldier who still has a little mercy left in him, is assigned as Skara's bodyguard, while returning character Koll, who is now apprenticed to Half a King protagonist Father Yarvi, must decide whether he wants to become an influential minister and be sworn to celibacy or stay with the woman he loves. Yarvi himself chooses to break the Ministry's laws to get elf weapons; they may bring victory, but their magic will shift the entire world that readers have come to know. Abercrombie piles on shocking betrayals and charges his characters a high price for vengeance in this powerful and fitting final volume.
Customer Reviews
GoT anyone?
Great series, I really enjoyed the character building, the setting, just about everything about the series, except the end of this book. It remined me of Game of Thrones HBO series ending. Very abrubt and unfinished, almost lie the author lost his way, or grew bored of writing the series and just wanted to be done with it.
Shades of grey
As usual with Joe Abercrombie he weaves together fast paced action with gritty dark realism that culminates in a somewhat unsatisfying finish. It kept me turning pages but left me wanting more.
Worst Third Book of a Trilogy I’ve Ever Read
I finished it... but it took some effort. I can’t believe the editor let Abercrombie finish the trilogy with that. First book was great, second was good, third was only better than horrible. The characters deserved better.