Review: "Emperor of Thorns"

I finished the third novel of Mark Lawrence's "Broken Empire" series the other day on BART.

I have to say I liked "Emperor of Thorns" a lot better than "King of Thorns". "King" felt a little aimless while "Emperor" tied threads together and brought the Dead King into play finally.

Lawrence remains solid in book three with his world-building and does an admirable job turning Honorious Jorg Ancrath into a vaguely-heroic character by the end. I personally feel the ending was a bit rushed, but I was still satisfied, especially after he clearly-established all the stakes.

All aid, it's a clever mix of technology and magic in a gritty story of a nasty SOB's quest to fuck up anyone who gets in his way.

Solid read.