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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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Editorial reviews
Publisher's 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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- Anonymous User
- 06-04-2021
Where oh where is Steven Pacey?
Awesome story with some easter eggs. Would of been oh so much better if Steven Pacey was narrating.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Graeme
- 13-07-2015
Just Not Abercrombie
I couldn't finish this book. Got close, but couldn't quite limp across the finish line, it was just that hard going. Let me setup this review by firstly stating that I'm a huge Abrecrombie fan and I'd probably class him, along with a handful of other writers such as Martin, Sanderson, McClellan and Watson, as one of the best, if not the best, of the modern fantasy genre. If I listened to this book without knowing the author I wouldn't have been able to guess who it was after a multitude of attempts, this book is just so far removed from his previous works. I know this new series is aimed at the YA market, but I still had high hopes and had been hanging out for anything new from him for an age. I was bitterly disappointed that this is what I'd waited so long for.
I found that all characters lacked depth and the lead character was simply unlikable. The real, gritty, interesting, if deeply flawed, characters of the 'The First Law' world were missing from this book. You may not have liked or were able to relate to all of the characters from this world, but they generally intrigued and always kept you coming back for more. I found the lead character of this book so irritating and annoying that I was hoping he'd be killed off, but no such luck.
I also found the narration mediocre at best. I've only listened to one of his books previously, I read all the others, but Steven Pacey was outstanding. This performance was not even close to that standard.
I will not be purchasing the rest of the series and will now need to wait until Joe, hopefully, returns to the world and/or style that made him one of my favourite authors. Let's hope he churns out the rest of this series nice and quick so that this occurs sooner rather than later. I want my old Joe back!
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5 people found this helpful
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- Simon
- 29-03-2017
great but short
loved this book it's was a little short. it was a bad choice for my free book I should have picked something that would go on and on so I could get my money's worth. otherwise really fun book
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3 people found this helpful
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- hisham elkiki
- 26-06-2021
Narrator is terrible but the story is impeccable.
Gutted that Steven Pacey didn't narrate this one. I understand it is designed to appeal to a different demographic than the First Law but why fix what's not broken? Abercrombie is my favorite author and Steven Pacey is one of my favorite narrators but this collaboration with Ben Elliott doesn't have the diversity, range or depth required to bring this beautiful story to life and do it the justice it deserves. A little bit of effort or a re-recording with a superior narrator would change the common disappointed theme I'm hearing due to this production choice. Nothing should be taken away from Joe Abercrombie here simply take the microphone away from Ben Elliott's monotony and the masterpiece will shine as It should
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2 people found this helpful
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- david
- 17-05-2015
Always the Shattered hero
Joe Abercrombie always talks about the shattered hero. Or is this really saying we all have to make do with what we have.
A brilliant writter who takes me on a journey
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2 people found this helpful
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- Daniel
- 12-03-2015
Generic fantasy formula, executed well enough.
I feel like I'd probably enjoy Abercombie's books a little more if he put more than a couple of months' effort into each.
This is a general tale of betrayal, leading to all the hoops the protagonist must jump through to set things right. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, there are plenty of books out there making a hash of the simple stuff, which this does not.
The narration was a disappointment. Various lands/countries, all with the same accent? I feel like this is a big opportunity missed. Each character more or less had the same voice, but for two or three spotted throughout.
I'm interested enough to check out the rest of the series. This is far from a classic, but worth picking up for a familiar jaunt through familiar fantasy territory.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Anjella
- 09-06-2021
Another great Abercrombie book
I’d left this sitting in my audible library after reading all the negative reviews of the narrator. I don’t know what everyone’s moaning about! Of course he’s no Steven Pacey (well who else is!) but he’s still damn good. He reads fluently and smoothly and you still feel the characters living. This trilogy is a little simpler than the others and seems a little more aimed at the YA readers, but I’m up to the 3rd now and still every bit as invested in the characters and plot.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Paul
- 13-05-2020
Not Worthy of Joe
Very Disappointing when compared to his other books. Would not recommend it to an enemy.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Sweetheart1
- 05-05-2020
bit of a disappointment
Nothing at all like his other books...the humour was lack lustre and Ben Elliott's narrating was boreing as watching paint dry :(
im generally a huge fan of Joe...but not of this series :(
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- Shakira
- 29-12-2019
Not his best
Interesting enough story to prevent me from not finishing it but not his best. Characters lacked depth and the storyline was fairly obvious.
Good performance by Ben Elliot but in comparison to Abercrombie's other work with Steven Pacey as the narrator it doesn't even come close
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