Frank Fitzpatrick Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 Staying away from the sample chapters. Don't think I could read them and then be forced to wait until July, it would drive me nuts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gillio Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 I've always been a bit confused about the construct "Young Adult Fiction". Is it fiction FOR young adults? If so, are the Hardy Boys included? Or is it fiction ABOUT young adults? (Lord of the Flies as well as Harry Potter?) When I was a young adult (many, many, MANY years ago), I read what interested me. Now I find myself more aware of these categories. I found myself listening to "Where She Went" on XMBook radio (RIP) and was really drawn to the story. I went to my local Barnes and Nobel to buy it, and I must admit I was scared off by finding it in the Young Adult Section. I don't want to seem like a creepy old man. Go to the YA section!! It'll be no worse than me going to SciFi/Fantasy, which has been "my" bit of the bookstore forever, and being treated like I must be lost cos I'm over 50!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HexMachina Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 Go to the YA section!! It'll be no worse than me going to SciFi/Fantasy, which has been "my" bit of the bookstore forever, and being treated like I must be lost cos I'm over 50!!I wandered into the sci-fi/fantasy section of the bookstore aged 12 and never looked back since :DAs for Abercrombie's new book, its interested me.enough that I will buy it. Going to be good and not read the previews though. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anatúrinbor Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 There was a harsh gale blowing on the night Yarvi learned he was a king. Bad opening line. That's all I've read for now. Tune in tomorrow for the review of line two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spockydog Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 You're being a little unfair there by only quoting the first sentence. There was a harsh gale blowing on the night Yarvi learned he was a king. Or half a king, at least. That's good enough for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gillio Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 Bad opening line. That's all I've read for now. Tune in tomorrow for the review of line two. And seeing as many previous posters have stated their intention not to read the preview and wait for the release, would it not be polite to spoiler your quotes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anatúrinbor Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 It would. But that harsh gale hardly spoils anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendan Moody Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 I got an ARC of Half a King through Amazon.com's Vine program. It's my first Abercrombie: I have the First Law trilogy and The Heroes on my Kindle, but hadn't gotten around to reading them. That will probably change now. As you might expect from its length, Half a King is a taut fantasy thriller with a lot of action, but its brevity also means its themes aren't belabored in the way they might have been in a longer book, and often are in similar gritty fantasies of recent years. Abercrombie looks at good leadership, just behavior, and the balance between the two without laying it on too thick (well, maybe a little too thick at a couple points, but that's a quibble), and there's a genuine sense of moral ambiguity in the way various things play out, enough so that I'm willing to forgive the large coincidence on which part of the resolution depends. The only point at which the book's pace cuts against it is in the worldbuilding, which is appropriately sophisticated on a political level-- different factions, varying loyalties-- but not as rich as epic fantasy readers may be used to. That may change in the remaining volumes, of course. I look forward to reading them. It looks like the book isn't being pitched as YA in the US; the publisher letter mentions "readers of all ages," but otherwise the promotional stuff is what it would be for an adult-marketed fantasy novel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhom Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 Sounds great. Can't wait to get my hands on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jurble Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 Reading the sample chapters - lots of expository dialogue, name dropping, and references to fictional history. Honestly feels kinda clunky. Might be intentionally what Abercrombie is going for, I guess. edit: All done, me want more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spockydog Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 Goldsboro books are now flogging signed and numbered first editions. At only £14.99 plus postage, a most excellent investment. Will likely be worth at least £500 in a few years time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbcooper Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 I got an ARC of Half a King through Amazon.com's Vine program. It's my first Abercrombie: I have the First Law trilogy and The Heroes on my Kindle, but hadn't gotten around to reading them. That will probably change now. As you might expect from its length, Half a King is a taut fantasy thriller with a lot of action, but its brevity also means its themes aren't belabored in the way they might have been in a longer book, and often are in similar gritty fantasies of recent years. Abercrombie looks at good leadership, just behavior, and the balance between the two without laying it on too thick (well, maybe a little too thick at a couple points, but that's a quibble), and there's a genuine sense of moral ambiguity in the way various things play out, enough so that I'm willing to forgive the large coincidence on which part of the resolution depends. The only point at which the book's pace cuts against it is in the worldbuilding, which is appropriately sophisticated on a political level-- different factions, varying loyalties-- but not as rich as epic fantasy readers may be used to. That may change in the remaining volumes, of course. I look forward to reading them. It looks like the book isn't being pitched as YA in the US; the publisher letter mentions "readers of all ages," but otherwise the promotional stuff is what it would be for an adult-marketed fantasy novel. Aside from the promotional stuff, how does the book read? Is it targeting YA audience? I have trouble imagining Abercrombie write anything approaching YA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jussi Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 It looks like we finally have the official title of the YA trilogy: Shattered Sea Series. http://www.amazon.com/Half-King-Shattered-Sea-Abercrombie/dp/0804178321/ http://www.amazon.com/Half-World-Shattered-Sea-Abercrombie/dp/0804178429/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SerArthurHeath Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 Those slagging off YA, YA can be thematically deeper than "adult" fiction, it can be better written and it can ask harder questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SerArthurHeath Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 Those slagging off YA, YA can be thematically deeper than "adult" fiction, it can be better written and it can ask harder questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red snow Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 It looks like we finally have the official title of the YA trilogy: Shattered Sea Series. http://www.amazon.com/Half-King-Shattered-Sea-Abercrombie/dp/0804178321/ http://www.amazon.com/Half-World-Shattered-Sea-Abercrombie/dp/0804178429/ or the SS series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anatúrinbor Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 The SSS? eta: Nice name, but am I the only one who kind of liked the name the Black Chair? Unless I'm confusing this with something else, that was the name originally? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendan Moody Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 Aside from the promotional stuff, how does the book read? Is it targeting YA audience? I have trouble imagining Abercrombie write anything approaching YA. Put it this way: I don't think anyone who hadn't heard it was meant to be accessible to younger readers would think it felt particularly YA. The protagonist is a teenager, and there's no graphic sex or violence, but neither the style nor the themes feel particularly watered (or dumbed) down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jussi Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 Map from Half a King: http://fantasy-faction.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Half-a-King-and-Map.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebenstone Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 I'm a little more than half way through my ARC and I'm really enjoying this. I'll write up a full review when I finish, but it's a great read so far. Tons of nods to other things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.