An Excerpt from Half A King by Joe Abercrombie

Steve Haziran 23, 2022

Here's the cover of Joe Abercrombie's new book, Half A King:

If I look at this cover on its own, I really like it. However I'm a little disappointed that we are moving away from his classic map, blood, coins and weapon theme. I guess it is so because we're also moving away from his First Law universe.

Half A King will be published in July 2014. It is the first book of a trilogy and will be followed by Half The World and Half A War every six months.

Described as “A classic coming-of-age tale, set in a brilliantly imagined alternative historical world reminiscent of the Dark Ages with Viking overtones, the book tells the story of Yarvi, youngest son of a warlike king. Born with a crippled hand, he can never live up to his father’s expectations of what a real man should be and his destiny is not the throne but the Ministry, not the sword and shield but the book and the soft word spoken.”

Here's the blurb:

“I swore an oath to avenge the death of my father. I may be half a man, but I swore a whole oath.” Prince Yarvi has vowed to regain a throne he never wanted. But first he must survive cruelty, chains, and the bitter waters of the Shattered Sea. And he must do it all with only one good hand. The deceived will become the deceiver. Born a weakling in the eyes of his father, Yarvi is alone in a world where a strong arm and a cold heart rule. He cannot grip a shield or swing an axe, so he must sharpen his mind to a deadly edge. The betrayed will become the betrayer. Gathering a strange fellowship of the outcast and the lost, he finds they can do more to help him become the man he needs to be than any court of nobles could. Will the usurped become the usurper? But even with loyal friends at his side, Yarvi finds his path may end as it began—in twists, and traps, and tragedy.