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Half a King
- Shattered Sea, Book 1
- Narrated by: Ben Elliot
- Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins
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Half a King
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Editor reviews
Summary
A classic coming-of-age tale set in a vivid and richly-imagined world from Sunday Times bestselling author Joe Abercrombie.
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…
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 Riodan)
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What listeners say about Half a King
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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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
- c j wood
- 29-12-20
a real disappoint
so disappointed after reading the before they hang series. missing the sarcastic wit, not a bad novel though.
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1 person found this helpful
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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
- ALW
- 23-11-18
I was surprised at how good it was.
I was recommended this awhile ago and thought that it was going to be only an okay story, but no it was pretty good.
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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
- Jacob
- 02-05-15
Good story but a bit rushed
It's a good book but the story is long and detailed for the first half and more fast paced towards the end. It seems a bit rushed.
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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
- Sheila
- 09-09-14
Abercrombie does YA very well indeed
Would you listen to Half a King again? Why?
Yes. I always like to return to a good book.
What other book might you compare Half a King to, and why?
Some similarities to Prince of Thorns.
Have you listened to any of Ben Elliot’s other performances? How does this one compare?
I don't think I have heard him perform before but he is very good. I would pick up other books narrated by him.
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I really liked the characters and hopefully they will return in another adventure.
Any additional comments?
I have read all of Joe Abercrombie's adult books and I have enjoyed them a lot. However, I was getting a little tired of his particular genre but this book comes highly recommended
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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
- Jm Buckley
- 18-07-14
Excellent Book
What made the experience of listening to Half a King the most enjoyable?
Great Narration and a fantastically written story. It has all the swashbuckling and twists and turns of a great classic. Thoroughly enjoyable from the first page.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Robert
- 09-03-15
I could've narrated it better
I love Abercrombie's writing style but he's really predictable. I had the same feeling as with Giselle's storyline in The First Law series: he can sell me really well sense of imminent danger and the fight scenes are always a blast, but I can tell what's going to be the fate of most of the characters in advance which takes a good chunk of the fun. It doesn't help that Ben Elliot is THE WORST narrator I've ever encountered for fantasy books. I pushed forward IN SPITE OF him.
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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
- Mr. T. J. Weston
- 16-03-22
Great story
Pretty sure Glokta is impossible to top but this a damn fine story. I liked this a lot - manageable length, engaging believable characters and an intelligent twist. Top work Joe !
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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
- Daniel
- 24-07-14
Abercrombies best work to date
If you could sum up Half a King in three words, what would they be?
Engaging,entertaining, awesome.
What did you like best about this story?
It's a fantasy book
Which character – as performed by Ben Elliot – was your favourite?
This would be a better question for non-fiction books
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
It just sucked me in and I just did not want to stop listening.
Any additional comments?
Possibly the best work yet from this author and the narrator's performance was masterful.
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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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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Bob
- 28-07-21
Lacks Joe wit
Very boring characters not a patch on any of his adult stuff. Story pretty basic. Shame, love all the other stuff to death.
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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
- Paul Jones
- 14-05-19
Wonderful
Brillant read. I have now read this 4x and it is still great read. Mavellous
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