The Wheel of Osheim

The Red Queen's War #3

by Mark Lawrence

From the critically-acclaimed author of PRINCE OF FOOLS comes the third volume of the brilliant new epic fantasy series, THE RED QUEEN’S WAR.

All the horrors of Hell stand between Snorri Ver Snagason and the rescue of his family, if indeed the dead can be rescued.

For Jalan Kendeth getting back out alive and with Loki’s Key is all that matters. Loki’s creation can open any lock, any door, and it may also be the key to Jal’s fortune back in the living world.

Jal plans to return to the three W’s that have been the core of his idle and debauched life: wine, women, and wagering. Fate however has other, larger, plans…

The Wheel of Osheim is turning ever faster and it will crack the world unless it’s stopped. When the end of all things looms, and there’s nowhere to run, even the worst coward must find new answers.

Jal and Snorri face many dangers – from the corpse-hordes of the Dead King to the many mirrors of the Lady Blue; but in the end, fast or slow, the Wheel of Osheim will exert its power.

In the end it’s win or die.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Audiobook, Science Fiction, High Fantasy

673 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 5, 2016

About the author

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Mark Lawrence is married with four children, one of whom is severely disabled. Before becoming a fulltime writer in 2015 day job was as a research scientist focused on various rather intractable problems in the field of artificial intelligence. He has held secret level clearance with both US and UK governments. At one point he was qualified to say 'this isn't rocket science ... oh wait, it actually is'.

Mark used to have a list of hobbies back when he did science by day. Now his time is really just divided between writing and caring for his disabled daughter. There are occasional forays into computer games too.

Reviews

[Mark Lawrence]

I'm not going to beat around the bush - this is a towering work of literary genius.

Allow me to demonstrate with a paragraph from the prologue:

“Fuck! Fuck Fuck!” The man, bent over now, started to hop from one bare foot to the other. “Hot! Hot! Hot!” An infidel, clearly, tall, very white, with the golden hair of the distant north, a man from beyond the desert, from across the sea. “Fuck. Hot. Fuck. Hot.” Pulling on a boot that must have spilled out with him, he fell, searing his bare back on the scalding sand and leaping to his feet again. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” The man managed to drag on his other boot before toppling once more and vanishing head over heels down the far side of the dune screaming obscenities.

& from the ThatThornGuy art contest (2017)

Marshal Jalan by Lily Yearwood





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[Petrik · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 Stars

The Wheel of Osheim is a great installment to say good bye to 'The Red Queen’s War' trilogy.

Like 'Prince of Fools', 'The Wheel of Osheim' brought my love for the series that were missing in the second book. 3 chapters in and it’s better than the entire experience I had with 'The Liar’s Key' already. The plot started out magnificently gripping, fun and compelling.

In 'Emperor of Thorns', there were two timelines to follow, Jorg at his twenties and the flashback sequence. One of the timeline in Wheel of Osheim took place during the same timeline in Jorg’s flashback sequences in 'Emperor of Thorns.'

Same as 'Emperor of Thorns', there are two timelines to follow here. One that took place months after the end of 'The Liar’s Key' (this is the one that coincides with 'Emperor of Thorns') and another, that started straight after it. The narrative doesn’t shifts that often and it worked wonderfully in capturing my attention. The latter timeline gave me so many things to think about on the topic of Life and Death, Heaven and Hell. It was a scary and realistic thought, powerful and for this, I salute Mark Lawrence.

Picture: The Wheel of Osheim (French edition cover)



One thing to note though, my experience reading this book has increased significantly because I finished Broken Empire already. The cameo encounters that Jalan met here filled me with glee and satisfaction cause all of them gave a great culmination to all 6 books that Mark wrote in the same setting. One specific drunk encounter with someone from Broken Empire gave a superbly written character development to Jalan.

Although until now Mark’s books are a hit and miss for me, there’s no doubt that imo, Mark knows how to write amazing main characters. All three series of his that I read all contained a compelling main character, with two of them being the one of the most unique protagonists I ever read in the market.

Fun fact for you, in Indonesian language, all three MC's name that Mark wrote has a literal translation that matched their personality. (Probably just a pure coincidence, which made it even better.)

Jorg = Jorok, pronounced Jo-rogue (literal translation = dirty, matched with Jorg’s sociopathic behavior.)

Jalan = Jalan, pronounced the same (literal translation = walk, Jalan love to walk away from his troubles.)

Nona = Nona, pronounced the same (literal translation = lady, her personality in caring for her friends.)

Jalan’s character development here was amazing for almost the entirety of the book, because of his personality, there are a lot of rooms for his character development and Mark almost delivered perfection here. Jalan has to make a lot of tough choices, face a great war against the undead and decide the fate of the Broken Empire behind the scene, contrary to Jorg. I also love that despite the contrast personality between him and Jorg, they both actually have a lot of similarities in fate.

“Nothing paralyses a man so well as choice.”

Although Snorri doesn’t make an appearance as much as the first book, it didn’t bother me as much as the second book. Unlike the second book, Snorri’s disappearances in the story are done sparingly other than for a long period of time at once. Plus, the fact that his story did reach a proper conclusion here, with all the Norse mythology tidbits and Jalan was so interesting to read compared to how he was in the second book, made me accept his missing spotlight.

The flow of the prose this time, like 'Prince of Fools', was so pleasant to read. A combination of elegant and simplicity that I really want from Mark’s prose, unlike his usual writings.

“Your dreams are what will tear you apart. Every man is the victim of his own imagination: we all carry the seeds of our own destruction.”

Honestly, there was almost no glaring problem for me in this book, in fact, just from the first 85% of the book, it was without a doubt shaping to be a completely 5 stars read. I’ll let you know now, all the praises I gave doesn’t apply to the last 15% of the book.

The problems I had with the book all lies all in the last section, specifically almost everything that happened in Osheim. First, the climax section was really messy, all characters that were nowhere to be seen popped up suddenly, this made the last part almost like an impromptu cocktail party. Second, the whole shifting direction into a far fetched Sci-Fi that combined with the Post Apocalyptic Earth (I will never shut up about this) setting, just didn’t work at all for me. Finally, all the evolution and character development that were done towards Jalan, brought him back to how he was in the beginning of 'Prince of Fools', with the exception of some minor changes.

The Wheel of Osheim is a great read that if it wasn't for the disappointing conclusion, would’ve been included in my favorite shelves. With this, I have read all the currently available 7 books written by Mark Lawrence, 'Prince of Fools' is definitely the best one for me but I would like to recommend this trilogy for anyone that's looking for a unique MC and story to read. It was overall very enjoyable to read for me. The conclusion didn’t work for me, doesn’t mean that it won’t work for you and trust me if you do enjoy the climax sequences, I’m 90% sure this will certainly be a 5 star read for you.

Series review:

Prince of Fools: 4.5/5 Stars

The Liar's Key: 2.5/5 Stars

The Wheel of Osheim: 3.5/5 Stars

The Red Queen's War trilogy: 10.5/15 Stars

You can find this and the rest of my Adult Epic/High Fantasy & Sci-Fi reviews at BookNest

[James Tivendale · Rating 5 out of 5]

By all means, check out my reviews of book #1 and #2. This is just a quick review as I do not wish to spoil anything critical to this story or repeat my previous reviews. www.youandibooks.wordpress.com

The Wheel of Osheim was the only book I could have possibly read next following on from the ultimate cliffhanger at the conclusion of the previous story. So, apologies to other authors whose books I have still to review but I simply had to find out what events would follow the prior outing and also, to see how The Red Queen's war against a mirror floating mage lady concluded. In addition, to review how the two ladies movements of the pieces on the world's chess game would lead to a culmination and how the developments would affect The Broken Empire.

I was suprised by how The Wheel Of Osheim threw us into the action and the way it started. I expected to find our companions traipsing through the netherworlds. Instead, we are reintroduced back into the mind of Jalan in his world as he falls out of a desert's sky being pursued viciously by a succubus. His self-centered self-interest, his immense luck, and his personally misunderstood bravery lead him through this dilemma and he finds himself trekking across these heated wastelands with an entourage of important occupiers of the local city. This left me slightly confused. What happened in Hell? Where is Snorri?

This leads to the narrative being split into two distinct proportions. The modern day Jalan adventures and also after about ten percent into the book we begin to taste the precisely placed flashback sections that carry on throughout the majority of the tale, into the adventures that took place in Hel/Hell. The pacing and placements between the two sections are exquisite and although I was surprised by the way the story commenced, it works wonders in fitting the puzzle together as both of the storylines progress. The flashbacks themselves are told in two different ways. The scenes in Hell are despondent and thrilling. These segments had an Epic feel to them as the characters traversed through unspeakable horrors in the barren inexistence as Aeneas and Odysseus had walked through similarly composed chaos in their times. The history researched by Mark in creating this world including religions, mythology, military factions etc... needs to be acknowledged and appreciated.

The current day happenings see Jalan sharing drinks with some dude named Jorg, Jalan acting as a Marshall for the Red Queen during an intense siege scene and in addition, highlights certain confrontations that are computer game boss battle-esque. The highly intricate action sequences made me feel like I was playing The Legend of Zelda because I could picture the action, environment, and the involved characters pending difficulties so clearly. Some of the composed battles are huge and certain revelations/ plot progression made it so I couldn't take my eyes from the pages. At the start, with how #3 began, for some reason, I thought this tale would be quite linear but I couldn't have been more wrong. A huge amount of the World's map is covered again and such a great amount of action takes place that I could probably write a 5000-word review yet, this would include spoilers, notes about emotions and characters destinies/outcomes. I could have extended what I have written here, however; because I don't want to reveal the direction the story takes, which of the players are involved, which enemies cross paths, what the results of characters ultimate goals are or what happens to this world that is, unfortunately; speeding out of control due to the magic being used. There is a larger science fiction influence in this segment of the trilogy, with the destruction of the world looming due to the mechanics of the empire. Although I would love to talk about what characters turn up here, I will not, because that is where a lot of my enjoyment came from so I don't want to take that experience away from others. I thought that all the threads tied themselves up nicely. I loved reading this trilogy and believe a TV series combining the actions of The Red Queen's War and The Broken Empire which could run concurrently would be exceptional. The mind in these books is perhaps the most powerful, but also, the most dangerous weapon. Mark's work is excellent. The Game of Thrones comparisons are there due to both being complex, character-driven narratives within a Medieval-like fantasy world but I prefer this trilogy to A Song of Ice and Fire, and it is concluded! Absolutely stunning book and series.

[Mark Lawrence]

There's now a Brazilian/Portuguese edition of the book on Amazon.com.br

The rights reverted to me and I didn't want to leave Brazilian readers hanging, so I paid to have it translated and put it up as an ebook.

https://www.amazon.com.br/RODA-OSHEIM...



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[Petros Triantafyllou · Rating 5 out of 5]

***STOP PRESS*** The book of the year is out! Mark's second trilogy is now complete, and you may as well vote for him as the best fantasy writer of the decade.

The Wheel of Osheim is an undisputed high point of the series so far. The storytelling is great and unique, offering a cinematic vignette rarely seen in modern fantasy.The architecture is delicate and refined, offering a tender humanism at the book's core. There were one or two predictable events but they were easily overshadowed by the great characterization (worth mentioning is the outstanding depth of it, present in even minor characters as Lady Blue & Taproot), masterful story, and wonderfully built suspense.

"Out of the corner of my eye I saw the scorpion on my plate jitter toward me on stiff legs, six glazed feet scrabbling for purchase on the silver. I slammed my goblet down on the thing crushing its back, legs shattering, pieces flying in all directions, cloudy syrup leaking from its broken body. All nine al’Hameeds stared at me in open-mouthed astonishment. “Ah . . . that’s . . .” I groped for some kind of explanation. “That’s how we do it where I come from!”"

All in all, The Wheel of Osheim is the perfect conclusion befitted to an awesome trilogy, and something every fantasy reader MUST eventually read.

Bonus: a rare gif of Prince Jalan facing the Unborn Prince:



You can find more of my reviews over at http://BookNest.eu/

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great ending to the Red Queen trilogy.



I think the whole trilogy would be something I'd recommend to anyone looking for a buddy adventure with a humorous odd couple in a fantasy setting. And I'm not sure who needs that in their life, but I do know that I can't be the only one.



No spoilers, because if you're reading this then you've probably already read the other two books in the series and I don't want to ruin anything for you.
I'll just say my favorite thing about this one is that Jorg doesn't change.
Not really. He's a scoundrel to the last page and I just love it.



Recommended.

[Em Lost In Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent end to the journey that started with a bang but lost all the steam reaching its destination.

[John Mauro · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Wheel of Osheim is the final entry in The Red Queen's War trilogy and the single best book in Mark Lawrence's world of The Broken Empire.

This is where is all comes together. Connections abound in The Wheel of Osheim to all of Mark Lawrence's other series. The action of this novel takes place in parallel with Emperor of Thorns, but from the perspective of Prince Jalan Kendeth, grandson of The Red Queen. The parallels between Jalan and Jorg are quite interesting, especially when they have a chance encounter in Afrique.

We also learn a lot about Dr. Elias Taproot in The Wheel of Osheim, but to get the complete story you will also need to read Mark Lawrence's Impossible Times trilogy, especially the last volume, Dispel Illusion. Putting together the plot lines and world-building from these two series is incredibly rewarding as a reader.

There is also a very strong connection to The Book of the Ice trilogy, especially starting with the second book, The Girl and the Mountain. All of Mark Lawrence's books come together to make an amazing universe that blends the best of fantasy and sci-fi. If you are a fan but not yet a completist, I definitely encourage you to read everything. Although each series can be enjoyed on its own, the totality of Mark Lawrence's world-building is absolutely stunning when considering all of his published work as a cohesive whole.

As a scientist, I particularly enjoyed the quantum mechanical aspects of the world-building. The science is never explicitly spelled out. Mark Lawrence leaves it up to the reader to dig deeper and put the pieces together. All of the so-called "magic" in the Broken Empire is apparently the result of the von Neumann-Wigner interpretation of quantum mechanics, where consciousness causes collapse of the quantum mechanical wavefunction to create the reality around us. In other words, human consciousness determines the particular reality that we observe. In The Wheel of Osheim, the ability of humans to control their reality was heightened by the Wheel itself, which was a particle accelerator made by the Builders for such experimentation. There are lots of buried Easter eggs here, such as the particle accelerator being named IKOL, i.e., the trickster god Loki just spelled backwards. This von Neumann-Wigner interpretation of quantum mechanics complements the many-worlds interpretation that Mark Lawrence favors in his Impossible Times trilogy, which also serves as the origin story for Dr. Elias Taproot and colleagues who developed these theories that ultimately led to the end of our modern civilization and the eventual rise of the brutal world of the Broken Empire.

I'm spending a lot of time discussing the scientific basis for Mark Lawrence's world-building, but I should also emphasize that this book has a lot of heart. Jalan is a wonderful lead character, and he grows so much over the course of the trilogy. There were a lot of touching moments here, in addition to Jalan's usual laugh-out-loud humor.

For some odd reason, The Wheel of Osheim seems to be the least well read of The Broken Empire books. But it is the best. Whether you like fantasy or sci-fi (or both!), there is so much to love here. And be sure to check out Mark Lawrence's other trilogies as well. He is such a consistently excellent author, and the whole body of his work is somehow greater than the sum of its parts.

[TS Chan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Snorri misses him already. A grin creases his face. Even in Hel Jal can make him smile.

I'm also missing Jal already. *Sob*

And you know what, I am still reluctant to write a thorough review for this book as it felt too much like saying goodbye to this Prince of Fools. I might do so after a reread when I need a pick-me-up again.

The closing line of the entire trilogy echoed wonderfully with the opening ones, summing up the character growth that Jalan Kendeth undertook.

So I'll just summarily assess The Wheel of Osheim to be a great and fitting closure to Mark Lawrence's second trilogy set in the post-apocalyptic Broken Empire.

[Mogsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2016/06/03/...

There’s so much to say about The Red Queen’s War series, even more so now that I’ve finished this third and final installment and realized to my joy and horror that yes, my time with the remarkable Prince Jalan and his crew has indeed come to an end. Taken as a whole, this trilogy may be Mark Lawrence’s finest work ever, and this stunning conclusion that is The Wheel of Osheim has left me with my mind completely blown.

After we were left with that cruel cliffhanger at the end of The Liar’s Key, I just couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. And indeed, The Wheel of Osheim is a book that will ultimately reveal all—though admittedly in its own time and in its own way. It’s a story that guards its secrets jealously, opening with a bizarre sequence that sets the beginning of this novel in stark contrast to the terrors experienced by the characters on the journey to get where they are. In fact, if there was ever an award given for “Most Hilarious Escape from Hell”, I have a feeling Jalan will remain the undisputed champion for years to come.

His goals to ditch Loki’s key and return to his old life of drinking, gambling, and womanizing don’t go as planned either, as he returns home to Vermillion to find everything changed. The end of the world is said to be coming, caused by a large construct in the north called the Wheel of Osheim. All of reality will unravel as the Wheel turns faster, unless someone is willing to go into the heart of it to shut it down. In the middle of this looming threat, an old enemy also makes its move, taking advantage of the confusion to make a bold strike at Jalan in the capital of Red March. Our poor, luckless protagonist has never wanted to be a hero, but unfortunately even a coward has to step up sometime.

Yep, this one’s all on Jalan, and don’t you doubt it for a second. Though his friends Snorri, Kara, and Hennan are also along for this crazy ride, most of this book is driven by our main character, who has all but shed his former persona by replacing the insouciance with actual initiative and responsibility. The impending destruction of the world isn’t the only reason why he can’t go back to his old life; it’s because he’s also not the old Jalan. That said, this change is not something that occurs overnight. We’ve actually been seeing this shift in Jalan’s personality since the last book, and only now are we seeing the results of that transformation. Thankfully though, Jalan still retains a lot of what made him the “Prince of Fools” we fell in love with when this series first started. While his experiences in the past year have hardened his soft edges and impressed upon him a sense of honor, he’s still far from the picture of gallantry—and I’m perfectly fine with that.

With Jalan coming into his own though, it did mean seeing a bit less of the supporting characters. Not even Snorri presents himself in the flesh until later in the book, but we do get to witness snippets of his and Jal’s time in Hell together, woven into the early parts of the story. Compared to the books that came before, The Wheel of Osheim has a more distinct “ethereal” vibe, due in part to the structure of the narrative as well as the strange, otherworldly nature of the main conflict.

I also found the story to be darker, a lot twistier. The tensions between the Red Queen and the Blue Lady have been building up for a while now, and their war finally comes to a head in this book. More puzzle pieces also fall into place as Jalan encounters Jorg once more, further linking the events of The Red Queen’s War to those of The Broken Empire. How surreal it was to watch these two very different young men get drunk together and give each other life advice. And finally, we get a lot more background into the mysterious Builders. The revelations here confirm that Lawrence is still the undefeated master at turning this genre on its head; with six novels by him under my belt, you’d think I would be used to the surprises by now, but somehow he still manages to amaze me every single time.

Still, when it comes down to what makes this novel truly special—and why I loved this entire trilogy, really—my reasons are actually quite straightforward. Very simply, this book made me laugh. There’s horror and darkness in this series, but also genuine humor. Few books in this genre can claim to be funny in the traditional sense, but then, most books in this genre don’t have a protagonist like Prince Jalan. He was a coward, a cheat, and a liar (and still a bit of all those things, I admit) but it didn’t matter; because of the fantastic way he was written, I loved him from the start. Jalan is, I’m convinced, an honest-to-goodness once in a lifetime character, the likes of which we’ll never see again. Now that the trilogy is over, I’m going to miss him very much.

What else is there left to say, really? The Wheel of Osheim is a masterpiece. You need to read The Red Queen’s War trilogy. The end. Full stop.

[Mayim de Vries · Rating 2 out of 5]

The concluding instalment to Red Queen's War series is one of the worst, and least satisfactory endings to a series I have ever read. Flat, hurried after the bloated, dead (pun intended) weight of the side stories, frayed with lose ends, and truly disappointing not only in terms of The Wheel of Osheim, but also with regard to the two earlier books.

Mark Lawrence, a fine writer that he is, is less of an artist and more of a craftsman. He has mastered few tricks and applies them without mercy across his books. It is OK, I don’t hold a grudge. After all, not every book needs to be a masterpiece. Sometimes books can be like pieces of furniture and when you’ve made one comfy chair, there is nothing wrong in replicating it again and again.

The two basic elements of Mr Lawrence’s books are: an antihero and a narrative swinging between the now and the past. Both motifs were employed with great artistry in The Broken Empire series that talked about a veritable psychopath on his way to rule the world. The Red Queen Wars, as oppose to the misleading title, have very little interest in the Red Queen. Instead they focus on a coward (cheater and liar) on his way to prevent the end of the world.

But where the Broken Empire had it all wrought with elegance and harmony (the premise, the plot, the character and his development, females in more than ornamental capacity, the suspense, the convergence between the past and the present climaxing in the finale), Red Queen's War dissolve into a cacophony of discordant tones.

The premise stays the same, but while it has been fresh and enticing in the Broken Empire, it has the the feeling of a recycled toilet paper in this series. It speaks volumes that the crossovers and Jorg appearances were the most interesting scenes in the first part of the book.

At the same time, Jorg’s and Jalan’s stories more coincide than are convincingly intertwined. While Jorg propels Jalan’s reckoning with his gambling and indebted past, Jalan is not even a footnote in Jorg’s fight against the Dead King. This is surprising when one considers how much of the book is just a medieval zombie apocalypse, while the fight against the Lady Blue is kept to the margins. When you consider the big picture, the whole siege does not make sense and is not justified or explained, especially if you know the finale to the Dead King’s rise that took place in the Emperor of Thorns. Similarly, Jalan’s meeting with the Dead King in Hell is meaningless, why then bother to write it?

It feels like Mr Lawrence didn’t really have an idea what to do with Jalan. I had bad feelings about it already after the Liar’s Key, but I put it down to the second book syndrome. In the end, there is no character development but character solidification that reminded me of the Shattered Sea trilogy. If Jalan changed then only becoming more of what he’d been before bordering on caricature, the rare breakthroughs (firstly in the forms of berserk rages and then the moment when he pays his debts) do not have a lasting impact on him. His visit to Hell amounts to suffering a protracted dinner at your lest favourite aunt’s. For me the ending of his story, and particularly this last scene of the book, was an insult to the sparkling potential we could glimpse in the Prince of Fools.

No interesting female leads. Save from the Red Queen, but let’s be honest she does not play a huge role. Volva is ornamental, Jalan’s love interest instrumental, the rest insignificant. There is no equivalent to Aunt Katherine.

In terms of plot design, I thought the series goes awry, somewhat sideways, already in the previous instalment. The present with intermittent flashbacks didn’t make sense in the Wheel of Osheim and served little purpose. More importantly, when both pathways converged, they did so not even without a bang, but lacking as much a s whimper. There was no new impetus for the story, all suddenly didn’t make sense as a whole; no, there were still two stories back to back or arm in arm, if you like. In other words, while chronological order would spoil the Broken Empire tales, the Wheel of Osheim could have been told chronologically without ever harming the story.

I should probably say that my two-star rating still means that this book is much better than your average 3-star novel. But I expect more from Mark Lawrence than the Wheel of Osheim delivered.

If disappointment ever becomes impersonated, it will be named Jalan.

Other books in the series:

Prince of Fools

The Liar’s Key

[Solseit · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an amazing book, the best end for the series I could have (not) imagined.
It really is the best book yet in the series, the most complicated yet satisfactory. Great work by Mark Lawrence, totally recommended to those who love fantasy and a great, impressive really, character development.

[Alissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark Lawrence surpasses himself. I think this was potentially a very difficult book to deliver because, on top of being the last installment of a trilogy and consequently with a story to resolve, it had to dovetail convincingly with the Broken Empire’s events.
Moreover, the story itself was also intricate with its many long games and conflicting interests at play, with its intriguing characters pitted against obscure and mundane forces…needless to say, after the delectable Prince of Fools and the outstanding The Liar's Key my expectations were high indeed.

Lawrence pulled it off and he did it with style, confirming himself an excellent storyteller with a remarkable knack for endings, who does a great job of handling solid plots and fleshed-out characters while providing lots of introspection, witty humour and stories both thrilling and chilling.

There are funny moments, but the tones of this book are especially serious and grim, well-suited to the inner growth of its narrator and the mood of the plot which ratchets up in complexity.
Jalan has become decidedly more somber (not more sober, mind, and I couldn’t help but laugh at his latest…quip) and though his development is very appropriate and realistic I welcomed it with mixed feelings. The whole cast of secondary characters is similarly tended and I was personally very involved with Snorri’s storyline.
The narrative also builds heavily on its prior worldbuilding, layers and events, and plays off the audience's awareness, bringing the story to a brilliant climax which is both conclusive and coherent with the interlocking threads of Emperor of Thorns.

The book is masterfully executed – there are remarkable dialogues and gripping descriptions, flowing prose and great action. The story unfolds with a speculative quality on occasion and there are purposeful shifts in the timeline; it wasn’t an easy going, with the elaborate reveals and all, but the experience is totally rewarding.

Immersive, I guess, is the word.

While the Broken Empire trilogy is a great but controversial read, I would wholeheartedly recommend Jalan and Snorri’s tale to everyone with a taste for dark fantasy, intriguing world-building, politics, character development, great entertainment and a soft spot for witty bantering. This said, a returning reader is also able to appreciate the little in-jokes, the connections between the trilogies, and the deft hand of the author who keeps them all in balance.

I’m eagerly looking forward to his next creation, Red Sister.

‘A story will lead a man through dark places. Stories have direction. A good story commands a man’s thoughts along a path, allowing no opportunity to stray, no space for anything but the tale as it unfolds before you.’

[Conor · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

The pacing of this book was consistently tight which, combined with some interesting mysteries and constant action made it an easy read. Jalan was always bouncing from one adventure to the next, with plenty of action scenes and some light horror overtones that I thought really worked well. The plot was, by the standards of epic fantasy series, fairly straightforward and focused which was a nice change of pace, however there were still enough twists, turns and mysteries to make keep it interesting.

On the downside I never really cared about Jalan( I went into some detail about my problems with him in my review for the second book). I think the key to my enjoying Jalan is pacing. I read the first 2 books back-to-back and went from liking Jalan as a unique hero with lots of potential, to growing frustrated with him to officially being done with his bullshit by the midpoint of book 2. At the start of this one my frustrations seemed to have worn off and I was able to enjoy his humorous quips without particularly liking him as a character. However as the book went on my investment in him didn't grow. I often found him amusing and I appreciated some of the subtle character development Lawrence game him but if he were suddenly and terribly murdered (GRRM style) I wouldn't really have been bothered, which is a major problem in a series as dependent on it's protagonist as this one. I also found Snorri to be a pretty dull Magnus Stu (the term I just invented for a Viking Mary Sue) who was pretty much a paragon of virtue throughout: brave, loyal, tough, smart, cultured etc. I thought there was a very good opportunity missed in this series to have

There were some cool secondary characters in this but unfortunately they were under-used. Garyus, Jalan's crippled but formidable Uncle, was sympathetic and intriguing in all of his appearances and reminded me of Miles in the Vorkosigan Saga. It would have been cool to see his relationship with his sisters explored more as well as his struggles with his health and his desire to do his duty to protect his people and family. The Red Queen was a less sympathetic character but she was also extremely interesting as a ruthless, ambitious anti-heroine. We finally learned the entirely of her plan in this one but I still would have liked to see more of her up-close, it would have been especially interesting to see more of her war with the Lady Blue and her thoughts on it.

The plot was fast-paced with plenty of intriguing mysteries and exciting action scenes and some light horror elements that added a sense of unease to the story that was really effective. The setting was solid but imo Abercrombie's Shattered Sea series (alliteration for days) does it quite a bit better, especially in how it was able to bring stuff from the modern world (such as the guns in the third book) into play. tbh I'm not really sure why Lawrence even made this a post-apocalyptic version of our world given that he used practically nothing from it (except for some really, really far-fetched scientific experiements). The ending itself was pretty comprehensive and provided closure to the main storylines while leaving the door open for future stories. My one complaint was that it lacked real impact. The world was saved and continued as it had been before, the Red Queen continued to rule Red March and Jalan went back to being a selfish dick. The only real impact I felt from the ending was Garyus' sacrifice. I was also once again disappointed that Jalan's character regressed from the signs of growth we had seen throughout the book. He decided not to destroy the world (which is good) but then started an affair with his best-friends wife which is a massive dick move and the kind of selfish cuntishness that I would have expected from him at the start of the series.

Overall this was a pretty enjoyable series with lots of action, mystery and interesting plots that I wasn't able to fully get into due to the main character. I actually haven't read Lawrence's earlier series yet although I've heard that the main character in that one was very controversial. I'll give that series a go if and when I get the chance based on the positive things I've heard about Lawrence's stuff from my friends and the good things he showed in this series but if I'm not liking it I'll probably just cut and run.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5-stars rounded up to 5.

This is the best trilogy I have read by this author. I think I enjoyed it more because it wasn't quite as grim and dark as his Prince of Thorns trilogy and there was more humour which helped a lot.

I'm not going to say anything much about the plot as it will spoil people's enjoyment of the trilogy. So, instead I shall just say that I bought these books a couple of years ago after reading on Facebook that the author's house had been burgled, and that they took a number of things including equipment vital to the care of his seriously handicapped daughter. I am pleased to say that the equipment was returned. I felt good that I had contributed something at the time, and I feel even better now that I have enjoyed the books.

A couple of things I picked out that some people will recognise, the 2nd of which brings back some painful memories for me since my friend died at the age of 28 in 2002.

From Aliens:- "Come? You just took my sword. What am I supposed to use? Bad language?"

From LotR The Two Towers: No parent should outlive their child.

If you struggled with the Prince of Thorns trilogy I would highly recommend you give these books a try.

Thanks for reading.

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, action packed read. Definitely, the best book in the series!

Although the series hasn't been one of my favorites, it certainly is well worth the read. The final installment was definitely the icing on the cake. Right from the start, the plot captured my attention and drew me in. Prince Jalan remains a character that I really didn't relate to. However, that was far less of an issue in this installment than the others as he seems to have grown some and become more of a "hero" than he really wants to be.  Also, Snorri plays a much larger role in this installment and I have to admit he's my favorite character.

As with all the Mark Lawrence books I've read the writing is fantastic. The descriptions are detailed and beautifully presented without distracting from the plot. The characters are real and detailed.  Most are easy to relate to.  If I'm honest, even Prince Jalan is relatable. I guess I just don't want to! I think after three books I've learned to love to hate him.

I'd have given it five stars if the ending hadn't turned out to be a bit too predictable. It was fun and exciting but just too much of what I'd expected. When you read a book like this by an author of this caliber you expect a surprise of some kind. Something. Anything. But no such luck.

Still worth the read though!

[Jesper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Without a doubt the best book in the trilogy and one of the best books i've read in 2016. Fast flowing entertainment with the right amount of blood, gore and death...

[Metodi Markov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Няколко години след като завърших първите две части успях да подхвана финалната, за да разбера какво ще се случи със Снори и Джалан.

Не препрочетох предишните им приключения и директно се хвърлих в сместа от фентъзи и фантастика, която Лорънс умело е забъркал. Нямаше и нужда, макар някои препратки назад към историята да не ми бяха ясни - забравил съм просто, за какво иде реч. :)

Книгата бе забавна през по-голямата си част, а на мен повече не ми трябва.

Обсадата на Вермилиън от ордите на Мъртвия крал бе епична!

Моята оцен��а - 3,5*. Закръглям нагоре, защото - безброй немъртви гадини от всякакъв род и калибър беснеят из тази последна част на историята! :)

[samantha Bookworm-on-rainydays · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good book, great writing with the same humor that was found in the first two books of the trilogy. Now I will be not so patiently waiting for whatever Mark has in store for us next, The RED SISTER trilogy? sign me up!!!!!

[Tracey the Lizard Queen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review originally posted at: http://thequeenofblades.blogspot.co.u...

02/06/2016: I'm pretty sure my husband has bought this for me, and a signed one at that, but because he is a evil bastard as well as a generous one he won't allow me to open it until my birthday. Only 22 days to go...

05/06/2016: (to my husband) "You need to hide this away! It's taunting me. You'll come home one day and I'll have finished it already!" "No." Followed by an evil laugh.

07/06/2016: Husband decides its not nice to tease, package mysteriously disappears from the couch.

24/06/2016: Got it, didn't start it. Not today, I'm very busy. Really.

26/06/2016: Tomorrow.

28/06/2016: Still hadn't started it. I'm still busy. What? No I'm not avoiding the last book because I don't want the adventure to end! Ridiculous.

02/07/2016: Right I need to get this done, I can't avoid it forever. Time to be a grownup. The series has ended! I can't stop it from happening, its already happened.

08/07/2016: Ok I did it. I finished another series that I love. And now I need to be alone.

21/07/2016: Ok review time. Always review the books you read. It really helps the author.

Ever since I picked up Prince of Thorns about 4 years ago, I knew that Mark Lawrence would be one of my favourite authors. It just clicked with me, Jorg was the most fascinating character I'd ever come across. I wanted to study him, I wanted increasingly difficult obstacles placed in his path just to see how he would react. How he would get out of this scrap or escape that fate.

Now when I first read Prince of Fools back in 2014, I was worried I'd just not click with Jalan at all. I wanted more Jorg. I did not get him. What I got was something so totally different that there was no way the two could even be placed on the same scale. And yet somehow Jalan was just as fascinating.

When challenged, Jorg would have no choice but to push back. Harder. Much Harder. He didn't flinch, he didn't hesitate (except once), he didn't take 'no' for an answer. Jalan's first instinct is self-preservation, always. Run, hide, beg, bribe, steal, whatever it costs. A cushy life in the Red Queen's Palace is worth it. As with PoT events (people) conspire to make use of Jalan. There's a silent war occurring and Grandmother needs soldiers.

When we last left Jalan and Snorri they had just crossed over into Hell, so we pick up not long after that. Jalan finds himself in the Sahar Desert, once again on coming a little too close for comfort to the future Emperor.

One of my favourite things about this series is there are echoes of the events of Prince of Thorns and King of Thorns everywhere. Little repercussions here and there. Jalan always arrives just a tad too late to witness the events themselves, but he's usually right in the middle of the fallout. And of course if he can exploit the situation to his benefit then it would go a little way to making up for inconveniencing him so much in the first place. It's only fair.

I could go into detail explaining the plot and going on and on about the brilliant prose and the hilarious dialogue, blah, blah, but I won't. Go and read this series, and if you want the whole experience go and read The Broken Empire series too. It's as simple as that.

[Deborah Obida · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s always good to have someone agreeing with you in such a discussion, even if it’s only yourself.

I can't believe I've finished this series, I remember reading the first book on a whim, I liked the idea of a cowardly Prince, didn’t know I’d rush the entire series within a few months, I must admit reading book two was a major struggle for me, but this book made up for that. The only reason why I didn't rate it five stars its cause the final journey was somewhat slow and uneventful given the way the book started with some action, the incidents at Vermilion, it made that so underwhelming.

‘We’re all a disappointment to someone.’ He swigged again, sinking further back into his cushions. ‘Best to disappoint your enemies though.’

Apart from that this book is a great addition to the series, I love that even though the author rounded up the series well they are still openings for a spin-off and questions. The writing is as good and crazy as ever, I will really miss been in Jalan's head. I adore the world building especially when he was in Hamada, the desert and Islamic religion was a great addition to an already great series.

The book started a few months after Jalan was dragged into Hel with Snorri, the incidents in Hel was portrayed in some sort of flashbacks by Jalan, the depictions are so morbid and seems unreal, if I'm the kind of person that easily gets nightmares I would have had nightmares about that. Stopping the dead king and the Lady Blue didn't even happen the way I expected, I love the way the author depicted that.

‘Fear is a necessary metric without which the modelling of risk and consequence would serve no purpose.’
‘What?’ He’d gone back to talking nonsense.
‘No man is without fears, Prince Jalan.

Jalan and Snorri are now one of my favourite fantasy duos, their difference in personality, build, culture and religion is what makes their friendship even more realistic. Henan and Kara were also in this but only for the last 40% of the book. We finally get to know more about Jalan's brothers and they are not so bad, I actually do like them.

[Ivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obično ne dajem osvrte na naslove koje sam preveo, između ostalog jer je vrlo teško sačuvati iole zdrav pristup prema materiji s kojom čovek provede dva ili tri meseca života. Međutim, završnica trilogije RKC mora biti izuzetak.

Ovaj roman je sedmi Lorensov objavljen ovako ili onako (dve trilogije smeštene u svet Slomljenog carstva i jedan roman u nastavcima objavljen na Wattpadu), a osma knjiga (u međuvremenu je objavljena zbirka priča Road Brothers) i sa svakim od tih romana vidan je bio kvalitativni skok u njegovom pisanju.

"Oshajmskim točkom" Lorens je dokazao da je nadasve jedan bridak i oštrouman pisac, istina bliži GRRMu nego Aberkrombiju, ali opet pisac za sebe a ne puki podražavalac bilo jednog bilo drugog.

Iako se njegovom worldbuildingu imalo šta zameriti, premda je u prethodnim romanima mizanscen malo trpeo i bio izvučen tek u opštim crtama, Lorens je to popravljao kod sebe, učeći kako da nabacuje meso na kostur priče kao što njegovi nekromanti u romanima nabacuju meso leševa na kosture svojih nekrotičkih konstrukta.

Lorens se magijom ne bavi sistematski, kao što to rade Džordan ili Sanderson, pa čak ni kao Erikson, ali je opet objašnjava i obrazlaže tako da je ovaj roman zacementirao uverljivost ne samo trilogije kojoj pripada, već i prethodne.

Da je pravde na ovom svetu, romani iz trilogije "Rat Crvene Kraljice" bili bi objavljivani naizmenično s romanima iz trilogije "Slomljeno carstvo", ali pravde nema i to nije moguće iz raznoraznih praktično-pravnih naslova. Međutim, najbolje bi bilo čitati ih tako i gajim veliku nadu da će se Lorens našim čitaocima dovoljno dopasti da potražnja opravda objavljivanje i njegove prve trilogije (a bogami i svih potonjih), pa da naši čitaoci a i ja s njima budu u prilici da ponove čitanje RKC, ali u paru sa "Slomljenim carstvom". Lorens nije pisac koji gubi na zanimljivosti na drugo čitanje, štaviše naprotiv. Meni je prevođenje ovog romana (kao i prethodnih) ujedno bilo i njihovo drugo čitanje i moram priznati da sam otkrio sasvim nove elemente, koji su mi prvi put promakli dok sam mahnito listao stranice u poteri za krajem priče.

U svakom slučaju, ovo je jedan od naslova koji su obavezno štivo za svakog fantastofila i koji bi morao da se nađe na policama svih domaćih poklonika fantastike, naročito fantazije.

Ne samo odličnih 5*, već i Nightflier's Seal of Approval.

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Without a doubt, my favorite of the trilogy. This was a wonderfully paced book, where I felt the main character writing actually improved and my friend Jaelan went from a slightly annoying coward, to a slightly annoying coward who I really really enjoyed reading about. I started to look forward to his comments and tried to second guess how he would respond. I have to hand it to Mark Lawrence, he played this character well, when I first started reading, I was worried that Jarl was going to be a character I hated as much as Kip from Lightbringer, or Thomas Covenant or the entire cast of WoT, but no, as much as a coward as Jaelan is, he actually pulls of enough of the heroics (albeit, somewhat by fluke) to make him very believable and eventually like-able.

By the end of this book, I did not want the story to end. I wanted my Snoori and Jarl adventures, maybe less sailing to a town, getting drunk, shagging the local dukes/headman/nobles daughter and fleeing in the night and more journeys to Wheel of Osheims.

A thoroughly enjoyable read. If you liked Prince of Thorns, then it bet a few bucks you'll enjoy this. Set in the same time, Jorg and Jarl actually share a jar or two. If you found Jorg's romping around the country a little to dark and grim, then you might like Red Queen, it is no where near as dark. It still has it's moments, but no where near the level of Jorg's lot.

Go for it, a bloody good, fun read.

[Mitriel Faywood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given the chance to torture Mark Lawrence with my lengthy observations on the first draft of his second longest book to date at the end of 2014, which I thought was a fine and solid work with a satisfying conclusion to the series.

It somewhat took me by surprise to find that it was a lot darker and more serious, but in some ways more epic, too, than The Liar’s Key. I personally thought that in The Liar’s Key there was a sense of awesome adventure, laugh-out-loud banter, captivating magic & plot, while in the final instalment, in the twilight of the final days before the world coming to an end the plot grew more serious, the shadows longer, the stakes higher. In a way it was almost like eating the steak after the dessert. Nonetheless. It was satisfying, exciting, gripping, moving, touching, with still the humour lurking around the grim edges and written, like the rest of it, in his beautiful and elegant trademark prose, that is almost a given by now.

I will never ever have a favourite Mark Lawrence book, I equally love them all and for different reasons, but if I had to say something I would say The Liar’s Key brought me more enjoyment, while The Wheel of Osheim more satisfaction.

[Sepidaar · Rating 3 out of 5]

تنها چیزی که تو این کتاب برام هیجان انگیز بود، چیزی بود که تو موخره خوندم: مارک لارنس دکترای ریاضی داره :) بقیه اش بدجوری حوصله ام رو سر برد

[James Schmidt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Today I will be reviewing The Wheel of Osheim by Mark Lawrence

A copy of this book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.


I always find it difficult to review books that I love as much as all of Mark Lawrence’s books. I guess it is the fact that I want to make sure I can express how much the books meant to me and how much I want everyone to know that. Can I do them justice with my little review? Probably not, but I will try.

I have given all of Mark’s books 5/5 stars and to be honest each book has been better than the last. I need a new rating system for his books! I honestly do not know how he has done it but every book continues to get better. Whenever I think I am going to be slightly let down in a new book (how can they get better) I am again blown away.

Now the last book The Liar’s Key was a special book to me. I had a emotional bond with it. It was a tough time in my life and it helped me get though. To be honest things got worse, I stopped reading and blogging for a while. I have been trying to get back into both reading and blogging recently. I started several books and just could not get into them, I know they are good books and I will read them but everything seemed to lack something. I got the email that I was approved on Netgalley for The Wheel of Osheim and I was so excited, full on happy dance excited. This had to be what I needed to get back into things. Right? Boy was I right. It felt so right in the world again. I had a Mark Lawrence book to read, and it was amazing! His best book yet. This book truly brought me back and I am very thankful for that.

This book like all of Mark’s others is well written with his mastery of prose. It’s hard to describe for me but when I am reading his work it never feels tedious, everything flows so beautifully and I am immersed in the story. The man just has a way with words! Master worldbuilding is still the key with this book. It is very easy to feel right at home in the world created here. A vast and rich world but never overwhelming, you never get lost in the vastness. It is deep and colorful, full of imagination, with a gritty undertone. Now what makes this book and series so special to me are the characters. His characters are wonderfully complex and easily identifiable. To be specific the dynamic duo of Jal and Snorri. The relationship between these two is truly a thing of beauty. It has been many things though out the series but has always been what held everything together. I started out the series a Snorri fan and ended a Jalen fan. To be honest I really love them both.

In conclusion what can I say but this is an amazing piece of literary genius! This book has built upon the extraordinary solid foundation of the first two books and takes this series to a new level of greatness. I will put these books proudly on display, on the self next to Tolkien and Martin.

Well, I am not one for big long reviews full of synopsis and spoilers. So I guess what I wrote will have to due. It is enough for me, I hope it is for you too.

Now I will be not so patiently waiting for whatever Mark has in store for us next, The RED SISTER trilogy? Hmmm, sign me up! Very excited!



5/5 STARS!

The Red Queen’s War series also 5/5 Stars!

My blog review is here:
https://mightythorjrs.wordpress.com/2...

[Milda Page Runner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What an awesome conclusion to this fantastic trilogy. And that ending tying the story back to the beginning, all the threads coming together - the balance between horror and humour, adventure and the feels, philosophy and bloody fights – I’m speechless. Loved it, absolutely loved it. Unputdownable beginning to the end.
Whilst The Broken Empire has a darkness to it that bites, Red Queen’s War balances darkness with humour, adventure and friendship making it an easy trilogy to recommend to every fantasy lover. It’s much more hopeful and positive read and I promise you’ll have quite a few laughs along the way and some nail biting moments too.

I highly recommend Prince of Fools to everyone: come in for the laughs and you might stay for the story and the feels.

And in the end neither the lies nor the truth matter. Just what we feel.

=====

Being on a galloping camel bears several resemblances to energetic sex with an enormously strong and very ugly woman. Right now it was pretty much all I wanted, but the desert is about the marathon not the sprint.

“Which direction shall we try?” Snorri asked.
I sighed and pointed up the hill without looking at it. “It’s pretty obvious. Where else would it be? A fortress full of corpses, laced with the remnants of some horrendous magic or Builder weapon . . . it’s got to be there, doesn’t it?”
None of them bothered to deny it.

“The light of the sun is new-born, hot from the fires of heaven, and speaks cruel truths as the young are wont to—but starlight, starlight is ancient and reaches across an emptiness unimagined. We are all of us young beneath the stars.”
“Very pretty,” I said. “And not much help.”

“Come!” Snorri snatched up my sword and, limping, ran into the fray.
“Come? You just took my bloody sword. What am I supposed to use? Bad language?”

Behind me my dragon collapsed, falling onto its side and scraping at the shiny scales over its stomach as if it had eaten something that disagreed with it. Actually I suspect dragons tend to eat everyone that disagrees with them…

Pride lets a man be skewered on the point of other people’s expectations. How often had I walked into the proverbial, and sometimes literal, fire with Snorri watching on, my justifiable instinct to run in the opposite direction crushed under the weight of his confidence in me?

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Odlican zavrsetak serijala i iskreno najbolja knjiga koju je Lorens napisao do sada. Manje vise sve je objasnjeno, likovi su lepo odrasli a prica vas drzi od prve strane. Iskreno bilo sta drugo reci ce samo kvariti osecaj pa navalite.

E da obozavam mesavinu fantastike i nauke ovde, narocito pri kraju.

E sada cekamo sledeci serijal u ovom svetu.

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a satisfying end to the Red Queen's War series. Mark Lawrence has an engaging writing style and the story had a great mix of humour and action. It helps that the characters in this series are a memorable and likeable batch and that the world is an inventive and interesting one.

Prince Jalan has things no easier in this final book of the series. Our reluctant hero needs to escape from Hell/Hel and then get to the task of stopping the Wheel of Osheim. Lucky for him he has a few friends like Snorri to help him!

It was a fun tale for the most part, but I did think it suffered from the odd lull spell that slowed things down a bit. I liked the banter between the characters a lot and loved the bits that had to do with the way magic works and the way the old Builder technology still functioned in this crazy post-apocalyptic world. The bits that bored me a bit were the battles with the endless dead.

All in all I found this to be a good ending to a good series.

Rating: 4 stars.

Audio Note: Tim Gerard Reynolds gave an excellent performance.

[Maryam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I repeatedly say that I really like how Mark Lawrence sets his characters and tells the story. This book is no exception. I enjoyed it very much.

Jalan is complete opposite of Jorge (Prince of Thorns series) and since both series location is Broken Empire we see their path collided sometimes.Prince of Thorns was all about Jorge but this series is about Jalan and at the same time Builders secrets too. Jalan is not the only hero of this tale, we have Snorri, Kara and even Hennan and Red Queen herself.To me Jalan's story was a side story to Jorge's to reveal more and more about Broken Empire.

I liked it very much; however my favorite book of Mark Lawrence remains King of Thorns.