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Half the World

Half the World

Dark FantasyFantasy
Pages
448
Published
2015
Language
English

Synopsis

Thorn Bathu wanted to be a warrior. The man who trained her is dead, and the men judging her say she killed him. Condemned and disgraced, she is saved from execution only by the scheming Father Yarvi, who needs someone exactly like her — dangerous, desperate, and with nothing left to lose — for a mission that will take her halfway across the world. Brand wanted nothing more than to be a decent man in an indecent place. He is also exactly what Yarvi needs.

The second Shattered Sea novel shifts to two new point-of-view characters while keeping Yarvi at the centre of a widening political conflict. Where Half a King was a survival story, Half the World is a diplomatic quest with violence at every stop — Abercrombie's take on a coming-of-age road narrative, stripped of easy growth and honest about what young people pay for a world built by older hands.

Prose complexity
4/10

Vibe

DarkTenseAdventurousEmotional
Coming of AgeSurvivalReluctant HeroFound FamilyBetrayal

Genres

Dark Fantasy Fantasy YA Young Adult

About the author

J
Joe Abercrombie

Joe Abercrombie (born Joseph Edward Abercrombie, 31 December 1974 in Lancaster, Lancashire) is an English fantasy novelist. He was educated at Lancaster Royal Grammar School and read psychology at the University of Manchester, then moved to London and joined a television post-production company before going freelance as a film editor, cutting documentaries, music videos and concert films. He began writing The First Law in 2002, and the trilogy — The Blade Itself (2006), Before They Are Hanged (...

Characters

Thorn BathuProtagonist

A fierce young woman named a murderer, fighting to become the warrior she always intended to be.

BrandProtagonist

A principled young fighter who hates to kill but cannot escape the world's demand for it.

Father YarviSupporting

The scheming minister of Gettland, using Thorn and Brand as instruments in a long political game.

All characters in Half the World

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Half the World need to be read after Half a King?

    While it is the second book in The Shattered Sea series, Half the World features a new protagonist and can be enjoyed as a standalone story. Readers will gain a deeper understanding of the world and its politics by reading Half a King first, but it is not strictly necessary.

  • How does Half the World compare to Joe Abercrombie's First Law series?

    Half the World, and The Shattered Sea series as a whole, is written for a younger adult audience compared to the grittier and more mature themes of The First Law. While it retains Abercrombie's characteristic dark humor and morally complex characters, the violence and language are less explicit.

  • Can Half the World be read without reading Half a King first?

    Technically yes, but it is not recommended. Yarvi is a central character and his history from Half a King is assumed knowledge. The trilogy works best read in order.

  • Is there a film or TV adaptation of Half the World?

    As of my last update, there is no film or television adaptation of Half the World or The Shattered Sea series.

  • Is Yarvi still the main character in Half the World?

    Yarvi remains central to the plot but the point-of-view characters are Thorn and Brand, two new protagonists. Half the World is largely their story, with Yarvi operating behind the scenes.

  • Is there romance in Half the World?

    Yes — a romance develops between Thorn and Brand over the course of their journey together. It is handled with Abercrombie's characteristic lack of sentimentality, which is to say it feels real.

  • Is Half the World darker than Half a King?

    Broadly similar in tone, though the scope is wider and the political stakes higher. The violence is comparable; the emotional content is richer given the two new protagonists and their relationship.

  • What is the 'Shattered Sea'?

    The Shattered Sea is an inland sea at the centre of the trilogy's world, ringed by competing kingdoms and tribes. The name refers both to the geography and to the political fragmentation of the peoples who border it.

  • How does the Viking influence show up in the world-building?

    The cultures of the Shattered Sea are clearly inspired by Norse history — longships, warrior culture, the worship of Mother War and Father Peace, the concept of the minister as both advisor and priest. The world is not a direct analogue but the inspiration is clear.

  • Does Half the World end on a cliffhanger?

    It ends with the immediate mission resolved but the wider conflict very much open. Half a War follows directly and concludes the trilogy's political and personal threads.

  • Are Thorn and Brand as interesting as Yarvi?

    Most readers find them compelling in different ways. Thorn is abrasive and physically fearsome; Brand is introspective and morally careful. Together they balance each other well, and their dynamic is one of the trilogy's strengths.

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