A Book Review: Half A World by Joe Abercrombie (Shattered Sea #2)

Half a Word is the second book in Joe Abercrombie's new trilogy called Shattered Sea. Joe Abercrombie is a master practitioner in the genre of grim-dark fantasy. Interestingly, Shattered Sea trilogy is not grim-dark fantasy but YA fantasy. This is Abercombie's first endeavor to writing YA fantasy novels. 

What is YA fantasy? The hallmark for this genre is a story about coming of age. Normally I don't like YA fantasy. This is because today's YA fantasy books use too many tropes and they all feel the same (tropes such as a teenage “chosen one” struggling against some evil authority in a futuristic, dystopian world). Personally, I prefer “grown up” fantasy novels about morally ambiguous characters fighting with swords and magic. However, Shattered Sea trilogy grabbed my attention, because 1) Joe Abercrombie imported aspects from grim-dark fantasy into his YA books, and 2) These books are set in a Viking-like fantasy world.

A few months ago I read Half A King, the first book in Shattered Sea trilogy and I really liked it. So I venture into Half A World, the second installment in the trilogy. I read this novel in 2 sittings, it tells a very engrossing story and it is a good book. Let me begin my review by proving a synopsis.

Synopsis:

Shattered Sea batters the unwavering shores of Gettland with cold, bitter waves. The people of Gettland are a hardy, war-like stock. War is their way of life, and they pray to Mother War for courage and strength. In Gettland, both men and women are trained in martial combat. Although it is men who are expected to take up the esteemed status of warriors. Although once in a while, a girl may be touched by Mother War and become a warrior. For example, a girl like Thorn, whose single aspiration in life is to become a warrior of unparalleled skills so she can avenger her father.

Thorn is shunned by her fellow countryman, because woman warriors are subjects of taboo in Gettland. A training accident beat Thorn's life to a new low, where she was accused of murder by the master at arms. Her sentence was death.

Brand, a young Gettland warrior with a stout heart, saw injustice in Thorn's sentence and testified in favor of her innocence. Brand's testimony spared Thorn's life, but they became indebted to Father Yarvi, the King's minister, who is working to avert a coming war in Shattered Sea.

This is how Thorn entered the service for Father Yarvi, where she is to become the centrepiece in a struggle involving half a world...

My thoughts on this book:

Half A World tells an engrossing story and there are many things to like about this book. Firstly, this book is very well written. Joe Abercrombie's writing is both descriptive and atmospheric, and the world of Shattered Sea is depicted vividly as a dark place of high adventures, with dangers lurking around every corner. This novel is also action-packed, and Joe Abercrombie's cinematic writing injected much energy and excitement into the action scenes. Half A World is a well-paced novel, and there are rarely a dull moment in this book.

The characterization in Half A World is what made this novel stand out from the masses of YA fantasy books in today's market. Joe Abercrombie poured the strengths from grim-dark fantasy into the characterizations in this book. This produced a book where every character's motivation is properly explained, and no character can be categorized simply as good or bad. All characters in Half A World, both protagonists and antagonists, are deeply flawed yet have redemptive qualities. This also means there are many likable characters in Half A World. For example, I even found a character called Grom-Gil-Gorm very likable, though he is the main antagonist in this book (I will not spoil the story, but I am pretty sure most readers will like Grom-Gil-Gorm's character after reading this book). Half A World presents a story that encourages readers to understand every character's motivation, then see things from each character's perspective. I personally find Abercrombie's “grim-dark” approach to fantasy characterization far superior to most fictional characters in today's YA books.

The story in Half A World is a continuation from its predecessor, Half A King. This means Half A

World is not a stand-alone novel, and I would highly recommend reading Half A King before venturing into Half A World. Having said this, Half A World provides a refreshing story. While it is a continuation from the previous book, but in this installment, the story changed the POV character. In Half A King, the main POV character was Yarvi, a crippled prince who became a King's minister. In Half A World, the story mainly revolves around Thorn, and her intriguing journey to become one of the deadliest warriors in Shattered Sea. Thorn's tale is both a coming of age story, as well as a story about defying the stereotypes imposed by the culture. Although the story changed POV in Half A World, but Father Yarvi remains a crucial character in this book, who uses cunning and stratagems to serve his country and people. I think Yarvi is a very interesting character. His actions are neither black nor white, but they exist in shades or gray. He did things because they are necessarily for the greater good.

Half A World is a solid entry to Shattered Sea trilogy. I like how Abercombie brought aspects from grim-dark fantasy into the characterizations for his YA novel. The characters are memorable, and the story is engrossing. Apparently, the third and final book in this trilogy, titled Half A War, is going to be released in July this year and I can't wait to read it. In the meantime, for fans of more “grown up” fantasy novels, I will say don't dismiss this trilogy too quickly just because it is categorized as YA fiction. Shattered Sea trilogy has many qualities that will please both grim-dark as well as YA readers.

P.S. This review is based on a reading of a sparsely illustrated, limited edition for this book, printed by Subterranean Press.