Half the World is the second in Joe Abercrombie’s “Shattered
Sea” series, following “Half a King”. It’s set several years after the first
book, and focuses on an entirely new
protagonist, though in the same world.
That protagonist is Thorn. She’s a young woman, determined
to break into the traditionally male profession of warrior, after the death of
her father in a duel. Thorn is, as her name would indicate, prickly, and
occasionally vicious. Abercrombie shows us that she’s also distant from her
mother following the death of her father – an antagonistic relationship,
fuelled by a failure of expectation on both sides. Thorn looking to her
surviving parent to accept who she is, and her mother trying to show Thorn whom
she would like her to be. Thorn starts
the text with a confidence fuelled by anger, and backed by…well, not a lot
really. Her journey is one of deciding who it is that she wants to be, and
putting in the work to reach that goal.
She’s supported in this by Brand, her male alter ego. Brand
begins with the same certainty as Thorn, if less rage. He’s determined to
become a warrior. But he’s also an individual determined to do the right thing,
even where this has an obvious personal cost. He is ever so slightly too perfect,
a little judgmental, and doesn’t have Thorn’s focus or her confidence. Their
relationship teeters between antagonism and friendship, by way of almost Shakespearean
misunderstandings, and the odd duel.
For
all that, this core duo are a lot of fun to read; complex characters, with
depths that they are only uncovering themselves, slowly revealed to the reader.
They’re ably backed by a strong supporting cast with
startling depth; for example Thorn’s tutor in the art of fighting is deeply
strange, and deliberately dysfunctional, but their relationship feels organic,
genuine, and emotionally affecting. There’s also a couple of villains on
display, whose motivations are typically clear, though also reasonably valid. There’s
a clear determination to show both sides of the equation, and this results in
villains we can empathise with, as well as those whom we can quite happily
loathe.
We get to see a bit more of the Shattered Sea this time,
including the lands in the South, and the much lauded First City. Where the
first book built on a tone of isolation and desperation, the environments here
are more social, and in some cases, more urban. There’s the heaving morass of
the First City, a bustling metropolis under the eyes of an Empress, and in
contrast, the claustrophobic halls of those closer to Thorn’s home – wattle,
daub, thatch and smoke replacing urbanity and assassinations. There’s also more
haunting glimpses of the world that came before, of the elf ruins and the artefacts
which survived their appalling destruction. Abercrombie continues to give us a vivid,
fully realised world, with shades of
terror and joy mixed amongst different environments.
The plot – well, it opens strongly, and despite some lulls in
the middle, continues that way throughout. It kept me turning pages throughout,
waiting to see where Thorn and her associated band of misfits were going to go
next. There’s some wonderfully heartfelt emotional moments, complex truths sat
under a sort of raw veracity, and this is mixed with high octane battles and
the terrible intimacy of life and death duels.
In short, this is a great piece of fantasy, with a fantastic
lead, sat in a well-drawn world, surrounded by a plot which takes hold and
doesn’t let go. If you’ve read the first part of the series, this one is well
worthwhile – and if you haven’t, do that first, then read this.
No comments:
Post a Comment