Prince of Thorns
Reddit take
Not enough linked mention summaries yet; the source excerpts below are the evidence.
Pros
- I was looking for something a bit uncompromising, on the vein of something something epic and grim dark and boy did I find it.
- Mark Lawrence's Prince of Thorns trilogy features a protagonist who hates being told what to do, even when it's prophesy or very powerful magicians doing the telling with influence spells to reinforce it. Consequently he spends a lot of...
Cons
- The first book is probably my most hated fantasy book of all time that I actually managed to finish. I guess the fact I finished is a testament to it being well-written, even if I hated the characters and story that writing was in servic...
- Absolutely not. Unless you want peak edgelord starting with the main character leading his band to rape and murder peasants.
- The MC isn’t likable and it’s pretty grim but I enjoyed it.
- If you're OK with edge then yes, it's good. It's peak "I'm 14 years old and I bathe in guts and blood and boob's and I'm way stronger and cooler than everyone else" but in a weirdly entertaining somewhat not too cringe way.
- I see this point being brought up in discussions about Prince Of Thorns and Name Of The Wind. Basically, people (such as myself) will say that they find these books unengaging because the protagonist is too capable / self-assured / cocky...
Sentiment
2 positive (20%) · 2 mixed (20%) · 6 negative (60%)
Trust + time weighted score: -35% · raw score -40%
What redditors said (10 of 10)
The first book is probably my most hated fantasy book of all time that I actually managed to finish. I guess the fact I finished is a testament to it being well-written, even if I hated the characters and story that writing was in service of.
I was looking for something a bit uncompromising, on the vein of something something epic and grim dark and boy did I find it.
Absolutely not. Unless you want peak edgelord starting with the main character leading his band to rape and murder peasants.
The MC isn’t likable and it’s pretty grim but I enjoyed it.
If you're OK with edge then yes, it's good. It's peak "I'm 14 years old and I bathe in guts and blood and boob's and I'm way stronger and cooler than everyone else" but in a weirdly entertaining somewhat not too cringe way.
I see this point being brought up in discussions about Prince Of Thorns and Name Of The Wind. Basically, people (such as myself) will say that they find these books unengaging because the protagonist is too capable / self-assured / cocky, and this makes it had to engage with their story.
Parent context: I will never understand the appeal of reading stories about bastards who you just hope get killed by someone with a basic moral compass at some point, preferably sooner rather than later, but to each their own! Glad you liked it. The first book is probably my most hated fantasy book of all time that I actually managed to finish. I guess the fact I finished is a testament to it being well-written, … Reply: For me, morality is a non-issue for the characters I like. For me, and many others, the only metric worth considering is 'is this character interesting?'
Mark Lawrence's Prince of Thorns trilogy features a protagonist who hates being told what to do, even when it's prophesy or very powerful magicians doing the telling with influence spells to reinforce it. Consequently he spends a lot of time and energy forging his own path--for better or worse is sometimes hard to tell.
I thought *The Book That Wouldn’t Burn* was MILES better than *Prince of Thorns*
Some I've recently read and disliked/found unengaging: * Prince of Thorns (my first DNF in many years, actually)
Compare
Prince of Thorns vs The Lord of the RingsPrince of Thorns vs PiranesiPrince of Thorns vs Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell
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