Before the thorns taught me their sharp lessons and bled weakness from me I had but one brother, and I loved him well. But those days are gone and what is left of them lies in my mother's tomb. Now I have many brothers, quick with knife and sword, and as evil as you please. We ride this broken empire and loot its corpse. They say these are violent times, the end of days when the dead roam and monsters haunt the night. All that's true enough, but there's something worse out there, in the dark. Much worse. From being a privileged royal child, raised by a loving mother, Jorg Ancrath has become the Prince of Thorns, a charming, immoral boy leading a grim band of outlaws in a series of raids and atrocities. The world is in chaos: violence is rife, nightmares everywhere. Jorg has the ability to master the living and the dead, but there is still one thing that puts a chill in him. Returning to his father's castle Jorg must confront horrors from his childhood and carve himself a future with all hands turned against him. Mark Lawrence's debut novel tells a tale of blood and treachery, magic and brotherhood and paints a compelling and brutal, and sometimes beautiful, picture of an exceptional boy on his journey toward manhood and the throne.

A short story set in the Broken Empire. It features Jorg and The Nuban shortly before the start of Prince of Thorns. The story originally appeared in the Unfettered Anthology edited by Shawn Speakman. The story can also be found in the anthology Road Brothers: Tales from the Broken Empire.

The second book in the Broken Empire series, Lawrence takes his young anti-hero one step closer to his grand ambition. To reach greatness you must step on bodies, and many brothers lie trodden in my wake. I’ve walked from pawn to player and I’ll win this game of ours, though the cost of it may drown the world in blood… The land burns with the fires of a hundred battles as lords and petty kings fight for the Broken Empire. The long road to avenge the slaughter of his mother and brother has shown Prince Honorous Jorg Ancrath the hidden hands behind this endless war. He saw the game and vowed to sweep the board. First though he must gather his own pieces, learn the rules of play, and discover how to break them. A six nation army, twenty thousand strong, marches toward Jorg's gates, led by a champion beloved of the people. Every decent man prays this shining hero will unite the empire and heal its wounds. Every omen says he will. Every good king knows to bend the knee in the face of overwhelming odds, if only to save their people and their lands. But King Jorg is not a good king. Faced by an enemy many times his strength Jorg knows that he cannot win a fair fight. But playing fair was never part of Jorg’s game plan.

This story is also included in the anthology Road Brothers : Tales from the Broken Empire. The 10,000 word story covers a period between the end of the 'early thread' in Emperor of Thorns and the start of the 'now' thread in King of Thorns. It's really a bit of fun, prompted by a challenge from a reader to warp the tale of Sleeping Beauty around that of young Jorg Ancrath. I may have thrown another fairy tale or two into the mix...

King Jorg Ancrath is twenty now—and king of seven nations. His goal—revenge against his father—has not yet been realized, and the demons that haunt him have only grown stronger. Yet no matter how tortured his path, he intends to take the next step in his upward climb. Jorg would be emperor. It is a position not to be gained by the sword but rather by vote. And never in living memory has anyone secured a majority of the vote, leaving the Broken Empire long without a leader. Jorg plans to change that. He’s uncovered the lost technology of the land, and he won’t hesitate to use it. But he soon finds an adversary standing in his way, a necromancer unlike any he has ever faced—a figure hated and feared even more than himself: the Dead King.

10 short stories from the lives of Jorg and his Road Brothers. Contains spoilers for the Broken Empire trilogy. 5 of the stories have previously been published in anthologies, Contains the short story 'Sleeping Beauty' that is also sold separately. A total of 43\.000 words or just over half the length of Prince of Thorns. Cover by Pen Astridge. Index: A Rescue Sleeping Beauty Bad Seed The Nature of the Beast Select Mode Mercy A Good Name Choices The Secret Know Thyself

A volume of short stories by the bestselling author of THE BROKEN EMPIRE series, Mark Lawrence. An extended version of the earlier collection of the same title - 50% longer. This is a collection of fourteen stories of murder, mayhem, pathos, and philosophy, all set in the world of the Broken Empire. Within these pages, you will find tales of men such as Red Kent, Sir Makin, Rike, Burlow and the Nuban, telling of their origins and the events that forged them. There is Jorg himself, striding the page as a child of six, as a teenage wanderer and as a young king. And then there is a tale about Prince Jalan Kendeth – liar, cheat, womaniser and coward. To the new reader, welcome to a lawless world where wit and sword are the most useful weapons, and danger lurks as much in candle-lit palaces as in dark alleys and dense woodland. To those who have already journeyed with Jorg, we hope you will enjoy renewing old acquaintances with your favourite characters.

Books one and two of the critically-acclaimed debut fantasy trilogy The Broken Empire by Mark Lawrence. This bundle includes Prince of Thorns and King of Thorns. From being a privileged royal child, raised by a loving mother, Jorg Ancrath has become the Prince of Thorns, a charming, immoral boy leading a grim band of outlaws in a series of raids and atrocities. The world is in chaos: violence is rife, nightmares everywhere. Jorg has the ability to master the living and the dead, but there is still one thing that puts a chill in him. Returning to his father's castle Jorg must confront horrors from his childhood and carve himself a future with all hands turned against him. Prince of Thorns and King of Thorns are the first two books in a remarkable new trilogy by one of fantasy fiction’s newest rising stars. Together, they weave a tale of blood and treachery, magic and brotherhood and paint a compelling and brutal, and sometimes beautiful, picture of an exceptional boy on his journey toward manhood and the throne.

Ele estava preso nos espinhos venenosos. Tinha a reputação de ser violento e imprevisível. Era preciso muita coragem para lançar um livro desses. E foi assim que a DarkSide® Books apostou no escuro e lançou sua primeira fantasia dark: Prince of Thorns, livro de estreia da aclamada Trilogia dos Espinhos, de Mark Lawrence. Um sucesso que surpreendeu muita gente, e que se repetiria com os outros livros da série, King of Thorns e Emperor of Thorns. Agora, a saga completa está reunida em Trilogia dos Espinhos—Dark Age Edition. Os três romances saem em um único volume em capa dura, capaz de resistir a um apocalipse nuclear. São quase mil páginas cobertas de sangue nessa edição de luxo que mais parece um autêntico grimório da Idade das Trevas. Trilogia dos Espinhos—Dark Age Edition é uma homenagem aos leitores que estiveram esse tempo todo ao nosso lado, e foram os primeiros a descobrir o talento de autores inéditos por aqui, como Mark Lawrence, Peter V. Brett (Ciclo das Trevas) e Mary E. Pearson (Crônicas de Amor e Ódio). A Trilogia narra as batalhas por vingança e poder de Jorg Ancrath. Cruel demais para ser chamado de herói, Jorg entra facilmente na lista dos grandes canalhas que aprendemos a amar na literatura fantástica, como Alex DeLarge (Laranja Mecânica) ou Tyrion Lannister (Game of Thrones). Perfeito para quem já é íntimo de Jorg Ancrath, essa é a chance de ler tudo de uma vez só. Do jovem príncipe ao poderoso imperador. E para aqueles que ainda não conheciam a saga, a Trilogia dos Espinhos—Dark Age Edition é uma ótima porta de entrada para o universo em plena expansão de Mark Lawrence. A Guerra da Rainha Vermelha, sua segunda série, que se situa no mesmo universo da primeira, também teve sua continuação lançada em 2017.