Prince of Fools

, #1

Hardcover, 355 pages

English language

Published Sept. 5, 2014 by Ace.

ISBN:
978-0-425-26878-0
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OCLC Number:
867769872

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3 stars (1 review)

"Hailed as "epic fantasy on a George R. R. Martin scale, but on speed," the Broken Empire trilogy introduced a bold new world of dark fantasy with the story of Jorg Ancrath's devastating rise to power. Now, Mark Lawrence returns to the Broken Empire with the tale of a less ambitious prince... The Red Queen is old but the kings of the Broken Empire dread her like no other. For all her reign, she has fought the long war, contested in secret, against the powers that stand behind nations, for higher stakes than land or gold. Her greatest weapon is The Silent Sister--unseen by most and unspoken of by all. The Red Queen's grandson, Prince Jalan Kendeth--drinker, gambler, seducer of women--is one who can see The Silent Sister. Tenth in line for the throne and content with his role as a minor royal, he pretends that the hideous crone is …

3 editions

reviewed Prince of Fools by Mark Lawrence (The Red Queen's war, #1)

Review of 'Prince of fools' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

First off, in retrospect I should really downgrade my old ratings of the Broken Empire series. I read them many years ago, at a time when I felt less discerning about SF&F. It was when grimdark was fashionable, and grimdark is ultimately a setting of toxic masculinity. The Broken Empire books were the author's first version of the anti-hero, and Jorg of Ancrath kind of glorified violence.

Someone recently recommended these books to me, and so I went back to this world. Jalan of Red March is another anti-hero. 10th in line to the throne of Red March, Jalan likes to wench, gamble, and enjoy all the fun stuff in life. He hates responsibility, lies about his deeds and is a coward.

Unfortunately for him, he gets swept up by the machinations of his grandmother the Red Queen, who is battling the influence of the Dead King. In an attempt …

Subjects

  • Queens
  • Imaginary wars and battles
  • Fiction