Book Review: Half the World (The Shattered Sea, #2) by Joe Abercrombie
Cover art designed by Micaela Alcaino
Half the World by Joe Abercrombie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: The Shattered Sea (Book #2 of 3)
Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Post-Apocalypse
Pages: 512 pages (Paperback Edition)
Word Count: 108,000 words
Published: 3rd February 2015 by Del Rey and Harper Voyager
Half the World is potentially the strongest installment in The Shattered Sea trilogy.
“Fools boast of what they will do. Heroes do it.”
While I did feel relatively confident I would enjoy Half a King despite the YA target market, there was a feeling of apprehension before reading Half the World due to the fact that this has always been reviewed as a standalone sequel to Half a King. Once again, I shouldn’t have worried. This is not the first time Abercrombie has written a series of standalone novels. He did that with the second set of trilogies in The First Law World. Brilliantly, I must say. I also had a great time reading Half the World. I do, however, have to both agree and disagree about this being a completely standalone sequel to Half a King.
“The trouble with being able to lift heavy things is that when heavy things need lifting folk step out of the way and smile at you.”
It is accurate that in Half the World, we follow the story of two new POV characters. Thorn Bathu and Brand. Thorn Bathu was born to fight. But when she kills a boy in the training square, she finds herself named a murderer.
Fate places her life in the hands of the deep-cunning Father Yarvi, the main character of Half a King, as he sets out to cross half the world in search of allies against the ruthless High King. Beside Thorn is Brand, a young warrior who hates to kill. A failure in her eyes and his own, the voyage is his last chance at redemption.
“Those with bad luck should at least attempt to balance it with good sense.”
So yes. Technically, you can read Half the World without any knowledge of Half a King. You will still comprehend the main story, the new details, and the character arc of both Thorn and Brand. However, I would strongly suggest against doing so. As mentioned above, Yarvi is back in this book. And he does not play a minor role. His role throughout the trilogy, Half a War included, has major repercussions. I will talk about this more in my review of Half a War, but I believe it is necessary to read about his origin in Half a King to assess the reasoning behind his schemes and purpose. That is one of the main reasons why I ensure Yarvi is on the front cover of all The Broken Binding editions of the books.
Picture: The Shattered Sea by Mikael Bourgouin
Besides Yarvi, the main strength Half the World for me was definitely Thorn Bathu and Brand. Thorn Bathu is heated, fierce, likable, and strong-willed. Brand, on the other hand, despite being physically powerful, is kind, relatively more contemplative, and wary. The contrast in their personality and how they develop their relationship with one another heightens the found family theme that has existed since Half a King. Just like Half a King, revenge is one of the themes in Half the World, but the narrative in this book seeks to widen the world further through exploration and give answers about the world-building in The Shattered Sea.
“I always thought of being together as the end of the work. Turns out it’s where the work starts.”
I will not spoil the details. But in Half the World, it felt clearer what Yarvi and the other characters meant whenever they spoke of the Elves, Elven magic, and the ancient relics of this world. I did not fully expect this to be the direction, and I am pleasantly surprised. Despite being, supposedly, a standalone sequel, Half the World advanced Half a King’s main character development and also deepened the world-building established since the first book. These storytelling elements combined with Abercrombie’s staple storytelling in characterizations, dialogues, and visceral actions… Well, it’s sufficient to say they lead me to conclude this is just as good a book (potentially even better) as Half a King.
“Heresy and progress often look much alike.”
If you enjoyed Half a King, I find it difficult to imagine you not liking Half the World unless it is mandatory for you to read the continuation of the series directly from Yarvi’s perspective again. As I mentioned, Yarvi is still largely relevant and crucial to the overall narrative of the series. He is still the main character of the trilogy even without having a POV chapter this time. If that’s not an issue for you, Half the World offers a fast-paced narrative enriched with great characters and action scenes. Do note that this is still a relatively tamer version of The First Law. Approach this trilogy not expecting it to be as awesome as The First Law, but approach it expecting you’ll have a good time, and you might earn it. I know I did.
“You want a thing when you can’t have it. When you get it you suddenly sprout doubts. Then when you think you might lose it you find you need it worse than ever.”
Picture: Half the World by Jon McCoy
You can order this book from: Amazon | Blackwells (Free International shipping)
I also have a Booktube channel
Special thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!
My Patrons: Andrew. S, Arik, Arliss, Barbara, Ben, Benjamin, Cade, Chris, Crystal, Cullen, Dan, Dylan, Edward, Elias, Erich, Evie, Feanor, Francesca, Frank, Gary, Gregory, James, Jason, Jeff, Johnny, Joie, Jonathan, Katrina, Kim, Kristina, Lara, Leigh, Lourdes, Melinda, Mike, Mike S, Miracle, Mordie, Nicholas, Radiah, RCT, Sally, Samuel, Sarah, Sean, Shawn, Shawna, Stephanie, Trish, Tyler, TS, Wendy, Wick, Xero, Yuri, Zachary, Zammar.