Mark Lawrence was born in 1966, in the United States. While he was still young, his parents moved to the United Kingdom. Lawrence has a degree in physics and holds a PhD in mathematics. He is married and has four children. Lawrence is the primary carer of his disabled child Celyn, and for this reason he does not travel to promote his books or attend conventions. He works as a novelist and was a research scientist in the field of artificial intelligence. He has held secret level clearance w...
The Liar's Key
The Liar's Key
Synopsis
The Liar's Key is the second novel in Mark Lawrence's Red Queen's War trilogy, a grimdark fantasy series set in the same post-apocalyptic secondary world as his Broken Empire books. It continues the reluctant partnership of Prince Jalan Kendeth, a witty and unrepentant coward, and Snorri ver Snagason, a grief-driven Northman warrior, as they carry the god Loki's key through a land haunted by the undead.
Where many epic fantasies center a noble hero, Lawrence builds his story around an anti-hero narrator whose self-interest, humor, and gradual, grudging growth give the trilogy its distinctive voice. Snorri's quest to reach death's door and reclaim his slain wife and children supplies the emotional weight, while the political manoeuvring of the Red Queen and the sorcerous Lady Blue frames a wider war between order and unmaking.
Readers drawn to morally grey characters, dark humor, and a fast-moving quest narrative will find The Liar's Key a strong middle entry.
Vibe
Genres
Characters
Prince Jalan KendethProtagonist
Cowardly, charming, self-serving grandson of the Red Queen and narrator; a gambler slowly forced toward courage.
Snorri ver SnagasonProtagonist
A powerful, honor-bound Northman warrior determined to open death's door and reclaim his murdered family.
KaraSupporting
A Volva (Northern witch) in training who joins the travellers.
The Red QueenSupporting
Jalan's formidable grandmother, waging a hidden war of manipulation against the forces of unmaking.
