The underlying lesson that “sometimes a girl is touched by Mother War, while a boy can just as easily walk the path of Father Peace” is a simplistic yet fine one to push, particularly in a YA novel, and Abercrombie does an admirable job of pushing it.Īt first I was worried Half the World would simply be a repetition of Half a King, with the characters again spending a lot of time on a boat pulling an oar. Abercrombie also does an excellent job of twisting stereotypes, seen here in the woman who lives to fight and the man who discovers he’d actually prefer not to, leading both to be scorned by their patriarchal society. However, both of them grew on me (like mould on bread), and although I never came to feel anything more than lukewarm affection for either of them I think the author does a commendable job of creating two solid and distinctive story arcs. Thorn starts off being incredibly unsympathetic, while Brand just seems bland.

Half the World didn’t entirely blow me away, maybe because, just as with the first book, I never really felt a strong connection to either of the main characters right from the beginning. Thorn and Brand are both young, both strong, and both aspire to be warriors however, that’s where their similarities end, and there are plenty of personality clashes as they’re both dragged across half the world in the name of war and peace. Half the World is more a follow-up than a direct sequel: although it does contain some characters from the first book, including Yarvi, they all take a backseat to two new protagonists. The first book in the series, Half a King, was a coming-of-age tale that focused on one character, crippled king-turned-slave Yarvi, as he strove to gain his freedom and revenge.

Abercrombie’s Shattered Sea trilogy is his first foray into the YA market.

Half the world by joe abercrombie