Every year, we get a new group of debut writers, all hoping to break into the industry big, all hoping to build fan bases that last.
This year is no exception. There have been several debut authors who have received great press, great covers, and great releases. But from what I can tell from internet(s) fantasy blogs and author forums where fans gather to talk about such things, the best received release is Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence.
It’s not just fans of the genre who like Prince of Thorns. Established authors have also chimed in on it. Robin Hobb called it a “two in the morning page turner.” Our own Robert V. S. Redick thought it “excellent and dark.”
Haven’t heard about it before? Here is a summary:
When he was nine, he watched his mother and brother killed before him. By the time he was thirteen, he was the leader of a band of bloodthirsty thugs. By fifteen, he intends to be king…
It’s time for Prince Honorous Jorg Ancrath to return to the castle he turned his back on, to take what’s rightfully his. Since the day he was hung on the thorns of a briar patch and forced to watch Count Renar’s men slaughter his mother and young brother, Jorg has been driven to vent his rage. Life and death are no more than a game to him-and he has nothing left to lose.
But treachery awaits him in his father’s castle. Treachery and dark magic. No matter how fierce, can the will of one young man conquer enemies with power beyond his imagining?
I wanted to hear a bit more about the book from the author himself. Mark happily agreed to an interview. Here we are:
INTERVIEW: MARK LAWRENCE, AUTHOR OF PRINCE OF THORNS
Shawn Speakman: Hi Mark! You are a debut writer who has seen a great deal of interest in your first novel, PRINCE OF THORNS. Tell Suvudu readers a bit about it and why they should give it a try?
Mark Lawrence: I never encourage anyone to read Prince of Thorns. I like to discover books, not have them thrust upon me, and I think many readers react better to a book they haven’t been overloaded with expectations for. In my experience if I tell someone XXXX is the best book ever, the guy’s a genius, you have to read it … it doesn’t end well!
Prince of Thorns is a dark work of fantasy, the brutal tale of a young man in violent times. Prince Jorg has few redeeming qualities, except perhaps a certain charisma. The book can be enjoyed as a fast-paced romp through a savage world, but I hope it has some depth to it for those who pause to consider such matters – even a literary edge on occasion.
The book requires readers who can step outside the genre’s tendency to label main characters as heroes, or on occasion anti-heroes. It’s a book about a person, what if any label he might wear is a subject for debate rather than assumption.
SS: There has been a prevalence of darker characters in the genre as of late. Jorg is one of them. How did you come to develop him?
ML: The inspiration came from Anthony Burgess’ 1962 classic, A Clockwork Orange. I was interested in the concept of a charming but amoral and violent young protagonist, and in the issues of nature vs nuture. Burgess works wonders with the first person point of view, investing the reader in a horrific character, and asking all manner of questions about good, evil, and the business of growing into who we are. It’s a very unsentimental work providing powerful insights into the human condition. Prince of Thorns is my homage to Burgess. I wrote it for me, with almost no awareness of what the genre was doing. Fortunately it turned out to be timely and aimed in a direction that publishers were interested in taking.
SS: PRINCE OF THORNS is a Goodreads finalist for Best Fantasy of 2011. It means many fans loved the book. What does that mean to you as an author?
ML: It’s a strange experience to see people blown away by what I’ve written, to see people deeply affected by the character and the story. Similarly it’s a strange experience to see people dismiss it as light-weight, cartoon, cynically targeted at market demographics … I’m just glad the former club is the better populated.
I often say that writing is its own reward and that if you’re not happy just to write then it may be best to find another avenue for your energies. If Prince of Thorns had never made it off my PC I would not have thought of it as wasted effort. That said, getting a good reaction feels … good.
SS: You began this writing business as a short story writer. Why did you decide to begin that way? What did you learn? And will you continue writing short stories?
ML: You invest a lot less time in a short story and it’s easier to get people to read them and help you improve. So for all manner of practical reasons it’s a lot easier to learn your craft through short stories. There’s no point writing a 1000 page epic before you know if you can really hold someone’s attention. Additionally I ran a play-by-mail fantasy game for many years and that was essentially an exercise in writing short stories, so formally writing short stories was a natural extension of that.
Writing short stories you learn to be efficient, to maintain the pressure, to get to the point. You’re under the gun and the story has to deliver its punch in a thousand words, or three thousand. If you can reduce someone to tears in a thousand words or send them off walking on air, then you’ve got something.
Although a good short story takes a lot of effort and skill to write, there’s essentially no market for them. Whilst I have the opportunity to have people read books I’ve written I’ll spend most of my effort on writing books. If that goes away then I’m sure I’ll return to short stories because they scratch my creative itch.
SS: What can we expect from next year’s sequel, KING OF THORNS? And will there be a third book in Jorg’s story?
ML: The Broken Empire is a trilogy. All three books are written. I have no plans for more.
King of Thorns is a different book, I have no idea how it will be received. I didn’t want to write Prince of Thorns again with the details changed – that genie is out of its bottle. Jorg is growing older, becoming the man he will be, refining his ambitions. King of Thorns is a self-contained tale, but there are aspects to it that will take on new meaning or be enhanced by the final book.
SS: Happy Holidays, Mark! Best of luck to you!
ML: Thanks, you too.
Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence is in fine bookstores now!
