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  • Prince of Thorns: Broken Empire 1

  • By: Mark Lawrence
  • Narrated by: Joe Jameson
  • Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (1,588 ratings)
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Prince of Thorns: Broken Empire 1

By: Mark Lawrence
Narrated by: Joe Jameson
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Summary

Prince of Thorns is the first volume in a powerful new epic fantasy trilogy, original, absorbing and challenging. Before the thorns taught me their sharp lessons and bled weakness from me I had but one brother, and I loved him well. But those days are gone and what is left of them lies in my mother's tomb. Now I have many brothers, quick with knife and sword, and as evil as you please. We ride this broken empire and loot its corpse. They say these are violent times, the end of days when the dead roam and monsters haunt the night.

All that's true enough, but there's something worse out there, in the dark. Much worse. From being a privileged royal child, raised by a loving mother, Jorg Ancrath has become the Prince of Thorns, a charming, immoral boy leading a grim band of outlaws in a series of raids and atrocities. The world is in chaos: violence is rife, nightmares everywhere. Jorg has the ability to master the living and the dead, but there is still one thing that puts a chill in him. Returning to his father's castle Jorg must confront horrors from his childhood and carve him a future with all hands turned against him. Mark Lawrence's debut novel tells a tale of blood and treachery, magic and brotherhood and paints a compelling and brutal, and sometimes beautiful, picture of an exceptional boy on his journey toward manhood and the throne.

©2012 Mark Lawrence (P)2012 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

"Dark and relentless, Prince of Thorns will pull you under and drown you in story. A two in the morning page turner. Jaw-dropping." (Robin Hobb)
"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 Red-Wolf Conspiracy)
" Prince of Thorns got hold of me from page one and didn’t let go until I finished it on my second reading session on the second day. There’s humour here, gut-wrenching realism, high adventure, something that might be magic in the story, and certainly is in the telling of it. It was almost as if the shade of David Gemmell had returned, somewhat nastier for the experience. Thoroughly recommended. Thanks Mr Lawrence." (Neal Asher)

What listeners say about Prince of Thorns: Broken Empire 1

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A Royal delight

Where does Prince of Thorns: Broken Empire 1 rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

If you liked Game Of Thrones you'll have no problem getting to grips with this, it's right up there with the likes of GOT, and anything by Joe Aberchrombie and Conn Iggulden

What was one of the most memorable moments of Prince of Thorns: Broken Empire 1?

The opening sequence is spell binding

Have you listened to any of Joe Jameson’s other performances? How does this one compare?

FIrst listen to Joe Jameson, but already downloaded the next in the series

Any additional comments?

The Story moves along at a fair pace, with plenty of twists and unexpected moments to keep you interested along the way. The versatile narration lends to the overall experience and you may find yourself loosing time or making excuses to just listen for a while longer.

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7 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Brought it alive

I had already read the book, though several years ago and knew it was well worth going back to. However, I was really impressed by the narrator and how well he matched he voice I had heard in my head.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Amazing world building

highly reccomend this book. jorg is such a unique likeable b*stard. very well read too, joe jameson is very versatile.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Fantastic!!

I read the summary and listened to the sample and decided to give it a go.

I was sceptical about the narration as Joe Jameson is relatively young and I thought I would most likely struggle to finish the first chapter and return the book.

How my opinion has changed, Joe Jameson's narration was sublime. His range of voices and engaging style had me enthralled throughout this book. To think that he is likely to develop and improve his style over the next decade, I really think that this is a narrator to watch.

Oh, and the author, he's done a sterling job!!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Fantastic

The Prince of Thorns is a non stop blood filled journey full of great characters, dark thoughts and magic. The story is wonderfully paced with the constant intrigue to hear more and more.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

One of my favorite book series

I have both read and listened to this series of book and all of them are good an fun.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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gory

Would make a great tv series were it done well, it's dark and violent, there's unspecified magic going on, it's pacey but not rushed, with plenty of scope for a long running series and thoughtful character development. The publisher's summary says it all and does not lie.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

great rush of adventure

a little bit rushed in the story with a lot happening but worth the read/listen.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable Tale Telling

Well performed story read in a youthful voice that made this a memorable listen.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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masterpiece

everything about just dragged me in and kept me listening from start to finish in one sitting. can't wait for the next title.

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