Half a King

Shattered Sea, Book 1

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Half a King

By: Joe Abercrombie

Narrated by: Ben Elliot

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About this listen

A classic coming-of-age tale set in a vivid and richly-imagined world from Sunday Times bestselling author Joe Abercrombie.

‘Joe Abercrombie is doing some terrific work’ GEORGE R.R. MARTIN

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 itself. And he must do it all with only one good hand.

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.

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.

But even with loyal friends at his side, Yarvi’s path may end as it began – in twists, and traps and tragedy…

Fantasy

Fiction

Heartfelt

Royalty

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Editor reviews

Sunday Times best-selling author Joe Abercrombie has created a richly detailed fantasy epic in Half a King, Book One of the phenomenal Shattered Sea audiobook series, unabridged and narrated by American actor Ben Elliot. Young Prince Yarvi is an embarrassment to his father. He is small and intelligent, a far cry from the muscled thugs in the kingdom. It is in exile that he finds friends who accept him for who he is and together they form an army. Setting out to reclaim his right to the throne, Yarvi can use only his mind as the ultimate weapon. Available now from Audible.

Critic reviews

‘Abercrombie writes fantasy like no one else’ Guardian

‘This is my favourite Abercrombie book yet’ PATRICK ROTHFUSS

‘Joe Abercrombie is fast becoming my favourite writer. HALF A KING is a remarkable achievement — thrilling, enthralling, and relentless. The action is frenetic, the characters are as sharp as the blades they wield, and the humour is biting. It's sure to garner him a whole new legion of fans’ DEREK LANDY

‘Enthralling. An up-all-night read’ ROBIN HOBB

‘HALF A KING can be summed up in a single word: Masterpiece’ MYKE COLE

‘With eye-popping plot twists and rollicking good action, HALF A KING is definitely a full adventure’ RICK RIORDAN

‘A magnificent, captivating world.’ James Dashner of MAZE RUNNER

Most relevant

This is a good story, but not of the depth, darkness and immersiveness of adult Abercrombie. Unfortunately this narrator is not up to the high standards of Pacey (narrator of first law trilogy and first book of new trilogy). I will listen to the next two though as quite frankly it's Abercrombie and in my mind, he can do no wrong. The best 21st century fantasy author bar none. Abercombie would be outranked by Rothfuss if Patrick had actually bothered to finish his trilogy but that's a discussion for another thread.