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Half a War
- Shattered Sea, Book 3
- Narrated by: Ben Elliot
- Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins
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Half a War
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Summary
A classic coming-of-age tale set in a vivid and richly imagined world from Sunday Times best-selling author Joe Abercrombie.
Words are weapons.
Princess Skara has seen all she loved made blood and ashes. She is left with only words. But the right words can be as deadly as any blade. She must conquer her fears and sharpen her wits to a lethal edge if she is to reclaim her birthright.
Only half a war is fought with swords.
The deep-cunning Father Yarvi has walked a long road from crippled slave to king’s minister. He has made allies of old foes and stitched together an uneasy peace. But now the ruthless Grandmother Wexen has raised the greatest army since the elves made war on God and put Bright Yilling at its head - a man who worships only Death.
Sometimes one must fight evil with evil.
Some - like Thorn Bathu and the sword bearer Raith - are born to fight, perhaps to die. Others - like Brand the smith and Koll the wood carver - would rather stand in the light. But when Mother War spreads her iron wings, she may cast the whole Shattered Sea into darkness....
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)
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What listeners say about Half a War
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Graeme from Preston
- 18-07-15
Superb tale of poliotics and death
If anyone needs lessons in the effects of ministers and kings it is here. Judged well for young to old adults the conclusion the The Shattered Sea Trilogy bites deep into emotion and blood lust. All is balanced, all is changable, much is based on words only. I even found myself welling up at one point near the end, a rarely known experience for me. The story is firsteate and the narration very good, although sometimes the text demand young voices to sound vibrant and commanding rather than thin and weak, but overall the telling is well done.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Lucy
- 09-05-17
Vengeance gets you nowhere
Yarvi vengeance could have ended in book one, it felt a little dragged on, for a father and brother who didn't love him. And I kinda knew how his character would be from the first chapter. Sad 😣😭. I felt sorry for thron and run, no vengeance for them.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jenny Wilson
- 11-08-15
Very satisfying conclusion to the story
Thoroughly enjoyed this usual fantastic characterisation good story with a fantastic setting and quite a few unexpected twists in the story
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rob standen
- 24-07-15
as good as first law series
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
yes all of his books tbh
Who was your favorite character and why?
mother scare , reminds me of the wife
What does Ben Elliot bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
good charachters and accents
Any additional comments?
if carlsberg did real people in fantasy world ...
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr. CP Davies
- 14-01-19
sad when it ended
I love his writing, excellent characters. I am looking forward to some new stories by him.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 12-11-20
Disappointed in the plot.
I love Joes writing with a CAPITAL “L” only discovered him recently as was looking for a new author. His writing is strong and the characters are relatable which makes his storytelling a pleasure to partake of.
I tried a Mark Lawrence book before buying this one and enjoyed his writing too but the story launched into the much over-played post-apocalyptic thread, what a groaner! so I returned his book straight away and bought this instead. Only to find Joe has thread similar into this otherwise amazing story, so I would humbly state “Joe! you are far too good to launch your characters down the same tired route that so many others have trod before, I have been reading Sci-Fi fantasy novels since a nipper, your writing is so fresh and honest it is an absolute joy to read. But and it is a big, but to find that them walking through a deserted post-apocalyptic city having taken radiation medication........ I’m so disappointed..... I’m sad
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Aileen
- 25-07-15
Lives up to the previous 2 in the series
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
3rd part of a series with great characters and a fast moving story
Who was your favorite character and why?
Yarvi - he seems to be able to manipulate events by understanding human nature
What does Ben Elliot bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
believable characters which could seem shallow
If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
Wars are not won by battles alone
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- vincent
- 11-03-24
fantastic
simply fantastic the full series was great from start to finish the characters come to life
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- P. A. Pajor
- 05-02-18
Something less predictable, please.
Acceptable plot spoiled by heavy handed activism.
I wish at least one, literally one, character’s “likeability” wasn’t entirely predictable and based on his/her gender, age, ambition level.
Recipe:
Women are more virtuous than men.
Young and passionate are more moral than cunning oldies. Ambition leads to corruption. Few romantic events. Few diplomatic events. Few military events. Reversal of archetypes (pantheon: “caring” male gods, “dynamic” female goddesses). And that’s it.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- James
- 13-09-15
Predictable
Okay but that's it. I was expecting more and whilst new characters are always welcome I felt the foundation of the main few eroded through this book unlike the first law where they grow and morph in unpredictable ways.
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