Yarvi, second son of the feared King Uthrik and the ruthless Queen Laithlin of Gettland, was born with a useless hand, and cannot hold a shield, or make fast a knot, or pull an oar, or do any of the things expected from a man. Left an outcast, he' s surrendered his birthright and been given a woman' s place as apprentice to Mother Gundring, Gettland' s Minister, training to be an adviser, diplomat, healer and translator. But when his father and brother are murdered by Grom-gil-Gorm, King of neighboring Vansterland, Yarvi is forced to take the Black Chair and become king himself - or half a king, at least - swear an oath of vengeance against the killers of his father, and lead a raid against the Vanstermen. Betrayed, left for dead, and enslaved on a rotting trading galley, Yarvi will need all his Minister' s wit and cunning to escape, and all his diplomacy and knowledge to keep a rag-tag band of other slaves together on a month long trek across the frozen wastes of the utmost north. Among them are Sumael, the ship' s single-minded navigator, Rulf, an ex-raider, Jaud, an ex-baker, and Nothing, a mad old man with a mysterious past and an almost magical skill with a sword. And their owner, the brutal Captain Shadikshirram, will be dogging their heels at every step. Father Peace may be the patron god of Ministers, but to reclaim the Black Chair, Yarvi will have to strike a deal with Mother War, and once you' ve invited the mother of crows to be your guest, there can be no telling whose blood will be spilled.
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“As in all Abercrombie’s books, friends turn out to be enemies, enemies turn out to be friends; the line between good and evil is murky indeed; and nothing goes quite as we expect. With eye-popping plot twists and rollicking good action, Half a King is definitely a full adventure.”
— Rick Riordan, New York Times bestselling author of The Red Pyramid
“A fast-paced tale of betrayal and revenge that grabbed me from page 1 and refused to let go.”
— George R. R. Martin“Half a King is my favorite book by Joe Abercrombie so far, and that’s saying something.”
— Patrick Rothfuss, New York Times bestselling author of The Wise Man’s Fear“Enthralling! An up-all-night read.”
— Robin Hobb, New York Times bestselling author of City of Dragons“Superb…Abercrombie’s stellar prose style and clever plot twists will be sure to please both adult and teen readers.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)“A vivid cast of characters and plenty of action and high adventure.”
— Library Journal“The world building here is complete and convincing, and the characters are arresting in their all-too-human nature.”
— Booklist“The story is well-handled…and the plot moves briskly and plausibly.”
— Kirkus ReviewsJoe Abercrombie is a British fantasy writer and film editor. He is the author of The First Law trilogy, as well as other fantasy books in the same setting, and a trilogy of young adult novels. His novel Half a King won the 2015 Locus Award for best young adult book. He was born in Lancaster in 1974, spent much of his youth in imaginary worlds, and left school with a good idea of how to make stuff up. After graduating from Manchester University he worked as a television editor, but he never stopped making stuff up.
John Keating is an actor, voice talent, and AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator. His numerous acting credits include Roundabout Theatre’s production of Juno and the Paycock and La Mama ETC’s production of Cat and the Moon, as well as various parts with the Irish Repertory Theater and the Irish Arts Center. He can also be seen in the HBO miniseries John Adams, starring Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney.