Wow, what a ride that was. The Broken Empire Trilogy was much better than I anticipated.

2 years ago I read Prince of Thorns and instantly disliked both the main character as the pompous writing style. Yet, 2 years later something was still niggling at the back of my mind, a question kept rearing up his head. Why does everyone give it so much praise, while I disliked it so. Did I just not get it?

I read a few dark and gritty fantasy series since then, from the likes of Joe Abercrombie and Glen Cook and maybe that gave me a better insight in the genre? I also read the The Lies of Locke Lamora series in that time and maybe that gave me a renewed interest and appreciation for the more crafted narrative?

Probably a combination of all of the above, but I decided to re-read Prince of Thorns and to my astonishment I actually liked it. More than that, I really liked it. So much so, that I immediately followed through with King of Thorns and raced through Emperor of Thorns.

Reviewing the entire trilogy in it’s entirety, I can say that I know understand what all the fuzz is about. In my mind, this is an iconic set, one that I will remember for years to come.

I’ve read many a review scorning Prince of Thorns because of the rape-scenes and while I find myself agreeing with the point of view that you can’t empathize with a main character that commits and condones rape, I also find myself intrigued by the character of Jorg and the story he tells. In the end, I even found myself rooting for him. Maybe it’s is cynical humor or his elaborate way of talking, but through the trilogy you can see him changing and, in part, redeem himself.

Also, he puts me in mind of Deadpool, one of the more awesome heroes of the Marvel universe.

I can see that these books are not for everyone, but I enjoyed them very much (the second time).