Author Gush: Mark Lawrence and The Broken Empire Series
Long Live The King
This series gives me feels, dear reader. Just…all the feels.
Jorg of Ancrath is a bastard, an asshole, a murderer. One might even go so far as to describe him as a piece of shit. Why, then, do I root for him at every step of his journey or fawn over the slightest plucking of his blackened little heart?
There’s something about how the character comes out swinging at every physical or verbal exchange that just keeps you coming back for more. His mentality of doing what needs done, of doing the hard thing (not necessarily the right thing) to come out on top could have left me feeling like I needed a shower after reading but instead I found myself on the edge of my seat, willing his latest ploy to work.
Everyone likes an underdog but Mark Lawrence takes this to a whole new level.
You feel the darkness in this character, dear reader. You hate that darkness as he himself hates it and as he interacts with the world at large you begin to accept his being damaged just as he himself accepts it. Even as he slaughters an entire town and decides to taunt a dying farmer you understand where he’s coming from (note I say understand, not condone).
To level such humanity at such a quite frankly villainous antihero is a stroke of genius that anyone should aspire to and, failing that, applaud shamelessly.
And the character development! Fuck me running, dear reader, the character development.
I was not physically or emotionally prepared to empathize with a man who casually murders those closest to them (and somehow always with good intent) and even less prepared to feel a shiver of pride every time he did something one can only describe as “dastardly noble.”
The action is unmatched, the humor is biting, and the relationships between characters will tug at your heartstrings like none other.
Without wishing to spoil the series does have one incredibly…unique…twist which normally I’d have hated. Somehow Lawrence not only makes it work but makes it an enjoyable one as well. Furthermore he somehow manages to stick the landing, successfully mixing the perfect amount of catharsis, bittersweet success, and loss to create a memorable ending(?) to a very memorable series.
Much like the Empire in which Jorg of Ancrath resides, he’s broken, a shattered reflection of what once was. And, while he may be broken, trust me, dear reader, you owe it to yourself to follow Jorg as he tries to pick the pieces back up again.
