Shattered Sea Trilogy (aka 'So much for Abercrombie's sabbatical')

[Mars447]

Hmm

Maybe Abercrombie's just throwing us for a loop by making the elves very similar to, but not exactly the same as future earth

Skifr's

handgun is described as leaving burning or smoking holes in its victims, while still being recognizably a handgun that shoots bullets. Normal bullets don't do that, suggesting that it's another piece of slightly more advanced technology from modern perspectives. She's also a great shot, killing 6 people with a handgun who are a fair bit of distance away.

I thought this book was much better than Half a King. The diplomatic mission moved at a steady clip and the crew were pretty great. Thorn and Brand are better protagonists than Yarvi and Thorn's development from an insecure brat who thinks she's better than she is to a young woman who can back up her words with actions and have an emotion other than anger is particularly great.The political game is better, the moral ambiguity is better, and the violence and action is much better. Hell, even the romance subplot is better.

does anyone know where i can read a synopsis of the first book? i can't remember shit about it.

Under the tag. It's long.

Prince Yarvi, who was born with one crippled hand, is in training for the Ministry under tutelage of Mother Gundring when his father the King and older brother are killed, supposedly during parlay by the king of neighboring Vansterland, Grom-Gil-Gorm. Yarvi is rushed into his new role as King and pushed into leading a raid against one of Vansterland's coastal cities, which is successful, but then when he's called to the citadel he's betrayed by his uncle Odem and his mother's Chosen Shield (sworn bodyguard) Hurik. He ends up falling out of a tower into the sea below, where he's fished out by the Vansterland army and sold as a slave, and eventually (thanks to a dishonest steward/steward, Ankram) finds himself as an oarslave on the vessel of the (supposedly) infamous pirate-cum-merchant Shadikshirram.

Eventually, using his Ministry training, he supplants the old steward by exposing his graft, and plots an escape with the slave navigator Sumael. Abercrombie being Abercrombie, no plan survives first contact with the enemy, and the ship ends up sinking. The only survivors are the Captain (who was away at the time), Yarvi, Sumael, Ankram, Yarvi's oarmates (baker Jaud and archer Rulf) and a slave called Nothing who is really goddamn good with a sword. They set off for Gettland (Yarvi wants revenge, Nothing wants to help him, Ankram wants to free his wife and son who are slaves in the capital), while scavenging for supplies and evading Shadikshirram. They eventually are forced to ambush her and some tribesmen she bought. They win, and Yarvi kills Shadikshirram, but not before Ankran takes a blow meant for Yarvi and dies.

Final stretch now! Yarvi and co. are captured by Grom-gil-Gorm and he makes a deal with the King. They return to Gettland and make contact with his mother Queen Laithlin, called the Golden Queen for the trade network she built and the coinage she mints. They hatch a plan: the advancing Vansterman army draws the bulk of Gettland forces out of the city, and then Yarvi and co. and the Queen's mercenaries trap King Odem in his citadel with only a few guards. Odem's men are caught by surprise and defeated, but Jaud is killed in the fighting. Nothing reveals himself to be Prince Uthil (following some heavy foreshadowing throughout the book), thought to be drowned at sea years ago, back to reclaim his birthright. Uthil kills Odem in a duel, and Yarvi renounces his birthright to avoid getting killed as a potential challenger to the throne.

In the aftermath, Uthil becomes King. Sumael, who'd been flirting with Yarvi, decides to leave Gettland to return home in the south. They part as friends. Rulf decides to stay in Gettland and becomes Yarvi's right hand man, and Yarvi tracks down and frees Ankram's family (you'll see them again in HtW).

Fast forward a bit, and Prince Yarvi is now Brother Yarvi. Brother Yarvi stops by for a visit with his old mentor Mother Gundring. He reveals that he knows how she betrayed his father on orders from the High King and his Minister. Brother Yarvi poisons Mother Gundring, and then he becomes Father Yarvi.

[White Walker Texas Ranger]

It's interesting that Gettland is a nation that on the face of it is dominated by Viking/Klingon macho alpha male warriors but whose real strength is in its strong mercantile economy. I have a little bit of trouble reconciling the juxtaposition in my head even though I know that the Vikings were famous and successful traders

[Maltaran]

It's interesting that Gettland is a nation that on the face of it is dominated by Viking/Klingon macho alpha male warriors but whose real strength is in its strong mercantile economy. I have a little bit of trouble reconciling the juxtaposition in my head even though I know that the Vikings were famous and successful traders

I think the very distinct split between men's work and women's work plays into that - the men are almost all warriors, while trade seems to be explicitly a female profession.

[White Walker Texas Ranger]

I think the very distinct split between men's work and women's work plays into that - the men are almost all warriors, while trade seems to be explicitly a female profession.

It occurs to me that the culture's emphasis on honor, especially regarding keeping promises, can definitely help with trade negotiations.

[Spockydog]

Skifr's

handgun is described as leaving burning or smoking holes in its victims, while still being recognizably a handgun that shoots bullets. Normal bullets don't do that, suggesting that it's another piece of slightly more advanced technology from modern perspectives.

We've had incendiary rounds since WW1.

[Mars447]

We've had incendiary rounds since WW1.

Actually we do have incendiary rounds for pistols, although they're uncommon and probably wouldn't have survived the intervening centuries. Still, you have a point.

[White Walker Texas Ranger]

Actually we do have incendiary rounds for pistols, although they're uncommon and probably wouldn't have survived the intervening centuries. Still, you have a point.

There's also the fact that she hit every shot with a pistol at decent range against moving targets despite presumably not having much target practice. That suggests to me some time of homing shot.

[BigFatCoward]

Skifr's

handgun is described as leaving burning or smoking holes in its victims, while still being recognizably a handgun that shoots bullets. Normal bullets don't do that, suggesting that it's another piece of slightly more advanced technology from modern perspectives. She's also a great shot, killing 6 people with a handgun who are a fair bit of distance away.

I thought this book was much better than Half a King. The diplomatic mission moved at a steady clip and the crew were pretty great. Thorn and Brand are better protagonists than Yarvi and Thorn's development from an insecure brat who thinks she's better than she is to a young woman who can back up her words with actions and have an emotion other than anger is particularly great.The political game is better, the moral ambiguity is better, and the violence and action is much better. Hell, even the romance subplot is better.

Under the tag. It's long.

Prince Yarvi, who was born with one crippled hand, is in training for the Ministry under tutelage of Mother Gundring when his father the King and older brother are killed, supposedly during parlay by the king of neighboring Vansterland, Grom-Gil-Gorm. Yarvi is rushed into his new role as King and pushed into leading a raid against one of Vansterland's coastal cities, which is successful, but then when he's called to the citadel he's betrayed by his uncle Odem and his mother's Chosen Shield (sworn bodyguard) Hurik. He ends up falling out of a tower into the sea below, where he's fished out by the Vansterland army and sold as a slave, and eventually (thanks to a dishonest steward/steward, Ankram) finds himself as an oarslave on the vessel of the (supposedly) infamous pirate-cum-merchant Shadikshirram.

Eventually, using his Ministry training, he supplants the old steward by exposing his graft, and plots an escape with the slave navigator Sumael. Abercrombie being Abercrombie, no plan survives first contact with the enemy, and the ship ends up sinking. The only survivors are the Captain (who was away at the time), Yarvi, Sumael, Ankram, Yarvi's oarmates (baker Jaud and archer Rulf) and a slave called Nothing who is really goddamn good with a sword. They set off for Gettland (Yarvi wants revenge, Nothing wants to help him, Ankram wants to free his wife and son who are slaves in the capital), while scavenging for supplies and evading Shadikshirram. They eventually are forced to ambush her and some tribesmen she bought. They win, and Yarvi kills Shadikshirram, but not before Ankran takes a blow meant for Yarvi and dies.

Final stretch now! Yarvi and co. are captured by Grom-gil-Gorm and he makes a deal with the King. They return to Gettland and make contact with his mother Queen Laithlin, called the Golden Queen for the trade network she built and the coinage she mints. They hatch a plan: the advancing Vansterman army draws the bulk of Gettland forces out of the city, and then Yarvi and co. and the Queen's mercenaries trap King Odem in his citadel with only a few guards. Odem's men are caught by surprise and defeated, but Jaud is killed in the fighting. Nothing reveals himself to be Prince Uthil (following some heavy foreshadowing throughout the book), thought to be drowned at sea years ago, back to reclaim his birthright. Uthil kills Odem in a duel, and Yarvi renounces his birthright to avoid getting killed as a potential challenger to the throne.

In the aftermath, Uthil becomes King. Sumael, who'd been flirting with Yarvi, decides to leave Gettland to return home in the south. They part as friends. Rulf decides to stay in Gettland and becomes Yarvi's right hand man, and Yarvi tracks down and frees Ankram's family (you'll see them again in HtW).

Fast forward a bit, and Prince Yarvi is now Brother Yarvi. Brother Yarvi stops by for a visit with his old mentor Mother Gundring. He reveals that he knows how she betrayed his father on orders from the High King and his Minister. Brother Yarvi poisons Mother Gundring, and then he becomes Father Yarvi.

cheers for that.

[peterbound]

This is going to come out wrong.

But I appreciate that this is the only book that I've ever read that addresses menstruation in a female protagonist, while out her heroes journey, and what a pain in the ass (as I could only imagine it to be) it would actually be.

I can't think of any other one that ever even brings it up. Lots of girls in wot. Never an issue on long arduous slogs.

[shortstark]

This is going to come out wrong, I'm sure, and I may be off base.

But I appreciate that this is the only book that I've ever read that addresses menstruation in a female protagonist,while out her heroes journey, and what a pain in the ass (as I could only imagine it to be) it would actually be.

I can't think of any other one that ever even brings it up. Lots of girls in wot. Never an issue on long arduous slogs.

Yep, came to my mind too, in the famous words of logan ninefingers, you have to be realistic, and that joe is.

Very good book in lots of ways..

Dont see why this would be off base.. :dunno:

[Joe Abercrombie]

Had a goodreads review from someone complaining about the 'immodest description of menstruation.' A guy, of course. He knew from having raised two daughters that it's something ladies 'would rather be kept private.'

[Mars447]

Isn't it just a paragraph? And she stabs a guy immediately afterward, so you could just as easily miss it.

[Gillio]

Had a goodreads review from someone complaining about the 'immodest description of menstruation.' A guy, of course. He knew from having raised two daughters that it's something ladies 'would rather be kept private.'

Ladies probably do, but fictional characters?

[End of Disc One]

Ladies probably do, but fictional characters?

Maybe he wishes Abercrombie hadn't written about menstruation because he doesn't want male readers to learn that it's a thing

[Elaena Targaryen]

Had a goodreads review from someone complaining about the 'immodest description of menstruation.' A guy, of course. He knew from having raised two daughters that it's something ladies 'would rather be kept private.'

Well I hope someone pointed out to the guy that Thorn did keep it private, she did not tell any other character. So, according to the menstruation police, it sounds like you just might have known what you were doing. ;)

[CryHavoc]

Had a goodreads review from someone complaining about the 'immodest description of menstruation.' A guy, of course. He knew from having raised two daughters that it's something ladies 'would rather be kept private.'

That moment of sticky dread rang very true to me.

[TheRevanchist]

Half the World from Joe Abercrombie - It is a decent book (well, it is Abercrombie after all). It continues very well the Shattered Sea saga. Saying that, I feel that the book didn't reach the heights of Half a King. Brianne of Tarth (that would be Thorn) was a nice protagonist, but not near as good as Glokta (that would be Yarvi). In fact, I think that the best parts of the book were those with Yarvi on them (who is an absolutely great character).

The part before the ending was predictable, the ending though was totally unpredictable for me:

Predicting the duel was easy and I did that from the beginning. Thorn losing came as a big surprise though

Still, definitely worthy to read.

[Mars447]

I vastly preferred Thorn as a protagonist over Yarvi. Thorn makes a better protagonist (and unlike Yarvi she actually gets a good coming-of-age arc in this book). Yarvi was so good in this book because he was a supporting character, and so we get a full dose of his ruthlessness and cunning through people who are not Yarvi, without rationalizations or explicit intent that might dilute it. For example the revelation

that Yarvi had planned on Thorn fighting Grom-Gil-Gorm from the beginning and considers her to just be a piece on a game board to be used or sacrificed works better when it's received by Brand, who cares about her and is horrified to see her treated as a Minister's expendable tool.

[BigFatCoward]

finished and really enjoyed it, big step up on the first one (which i have gone back and re read to clear some stuff up, and it stands up very well to a second read).

only thing i'm not sure about, if it is so easy to train someone to be that shit hot, why not train everyone?

[Corvinus85]

I enjoyed it more than the first one. Joe Abercrombie continues to create interesting characters and write terrific actions scenes. I loved that duel at the end. One thing that bothers me about these books is the setting of the world.

Though I did not want to believe it, when Thorn teacher whose name I cannot quite remember used what was clearly gun, there was no denying it that this world is some sort of post-apocalyptic Earth. It kinda changed the book for me.