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Prince of Thorns (The Broken Empire) Product Description Product Description BOOK ONE IN THE BROKEN EMPIRE TRILOGY“Prince of Thorns deserves attention as the work of an iconoclast who seems determined to turn that familiar thing, Medievalesque Fantasy Trilogy, entirely on its head.”—Locus When he was nine, he watched as his mother and brother were killed before him. By the time he was thirteen, he was the leader of a band of bloodthirsty thugs. By fifteen, he intends to be king... It’s time for Prince Honorous Jorg Ancrath to return to the castle he turned his back on, to take what’s rightfully his. Since the day he hung pinned on the thorns of a briar patch and watched Count Renar’s men slaughter his mother and young brother, Jorg has been driven to vent his rage. Life and death are no more than a game to him—and he has nothing left to lose. But treachery awaits him in his father’s castle. Treachery and dark magic. No matter how fierce his will, can one young man conquer enemies with power beyond his imagining? Review “ Prince of Thorns is the best book I’ve read all year...[Lawrence] pulls you in and doesn’t let go.”—Peter V. Brett, New York Times bestselling author of The Skull Throne “This is a lean, cold knife-thrust of a novel, a revenge fantasy anchored on the compelling voice and savage purpose of its titular Prince. There is never a safe moment in Lawrence’s debut.”—Robert Redick, author of The River of Shadows “Dark and relentless, the Prince of Thorns will pull you under and drown you in story. A two in the morning page turner.”—Robin Hobb, author of Assassin's Fate “[A] morbidly gripping, gritty fantasy tale.”— Publishers Weekly “Vivid…smooth and and full of wonder. This book is brilliant.”— Galaxy Book Reviews “Disturbing, beautiful, chaotic, poetic, haunting, exhilarating.”— Fantasy Faction “Without a doubt the most original and most memorable fantasy debut of 2011. It’s difficult to imagine how another book could top this one.”— “2011 is turning into another year for impressive genre debuts, but at this point Prince of Thorns is arguably the most impressive and recommended.”— “Defies the conventions of epic fantasy by invoking them only to take a savage delight in tearing them apart.”— Locus About the Author Mark Lawrence is a research scientist working on artificial intelligence. He is a dual national with both British and American citizenship, and has held secret-level clearance with both governments. At one point, he was qualified to say, “This isn’t rocket science—oh wait, it actually is.” He is the author of the Broken Empire trilogy ( Prince of Thorns, King of Thorns, and Emperor of Thorns), the Red Queen’s War trilogy ( Prince of Fools, The Liar’s Key, and The Wheel of Osheim) and the Book of the Ancestor series ( Red Sister). Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. 1 Ravens! Always the ravens. They settled on the gables of the church even before the injured became the dead. Even before Rike had finished taking fingers from hands, and rings from fingers. I leaned back against the gallows-post and nodded to the birds, a dozen of them in a black line, wise-eyed and watching. The town-square ran red. Blood in the gutters, blood on the flagstones, blood in the fountain. The corpses posed as corpses do. Some comical, reaching for the sky with missing fingers, some peaceful, coiled about their wounds. Flies rose above the wounded as they struggled. This way and that, some blind, some sly, all betrayed by their buzzing entourage. 'Water! Water!' It's always water with the dying. Strange—it's killing that gives me a thirst. And that was Mabberton. Two hundred dead farmers lying with their scythes and axes. You know, I warned them that we do this for a living. I said it to their leader, Bovid Tor. I gave them that chance, I always do. But no. They wanted blood and slaughter. And they got it. War, my frien Features Ace Shipping Payment Returns Shipping for this item is free in the 48 continental United States. We do not offer shipping to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, US Territories, APO & FPO. After your order has been shipped, you will receive an e-mail with the name of the carrier and the tracking number. We accept payments through PayPal. You may use a major credit card via PayPal. For all “Buy It Now” items, immediate payment is required. We permit returns if you are not satisfied with your purchase. Your return request must be initiated within 30 days of the purchase date. To initiate a return, please contact us through the eBay Message Center. You will receive an RMA number to ensure proper handling of the return. We do not provide refunds for a return WITHOUT an RMA number. You will be refunded in full, minus the shipping and handling expenses incurred at time of purchase.