Today I’m going to talk about some books which most people reading probably won’t be interested in. The Broken Empire series by Mark Lawrence isn’t your run of the mill Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones. I think the Broken Empire books are way out on the edge of the fantasy bookshelf.
I’m not saying they’re bad, far from it. I would say they’re difficult reading, and it took several false starts before I was able to keep going and finish them. It’s the subject matter which makes them tough. If you thought the First Law series was grimdark, these are that times ten. They are complex books full of unapologetic darkness, and still they have sold a couple of million copies.
What are the books about?
In a cruel, brutal, unforgiving world, power is everything and morality is scarce. How does that sound for an intriguing storyline? We follow Jorg Ancrath, a ruthless anti-hero, who won’t let anyone or anything stand in the way of reclaiming his birthright, the throne of the Broken Empire.
The story is about revenge, a thread which rolls through the entire series. Jorg is driven to get revenge for everything he has suffered through, and a lot of people are going to pay. In some ways this is the thing I like least about the story, because there’s always one more reason to fight the next group of people. I suppose it’s like a video game, defeating tougher and tougher enemies until you come up against the big boss enemy.
The Themes of the Broken Empire
Morality
You keep expecting (hoping?) Jorg to do something that you would think of as moral, and you keep being foiled in that desire. At best I suppose he does things which are moral from his own perspective. I kept waiting for him to transform into a good character, but the nature of the books means he cannot.
Power and Ambition
The single thread running through the books is his thirst for power. Everything is about how far will he go to achieve his goal, and no matter how far you think that is, he will always take it a step further. This idea is very much in line with the modern world, as we wonder how someone can do a particular thing. It’s because they want the power and don’t care about the consequences.
Loyalty and Betrayal
Hoo boy, this one is tested again and again in this series. There is nothing and nobody he wouldn’t sacrifice in the quest for his goal. It’s an interesting take on fantasy that usually the people around the main characters are betraying them, but this time it’s the main character betraying others.
A character of great interest
Of course I’m going to talk about Jorg. There are other characters in the story but most of them tend to be the kind of character who will be dead in ten pages. Not too many who survive the whole journey and we can identify with.
Jorg is cunning and calculating. He’s resilient. He’s a survivor. He’s ambitious and unpredictable. And he’s reprehensible.
But enough of his qualities. He’s an anti-hero who drives the story forward from page one. I’m sure by now you get the point that the books are all about him. This is no Game of Thrones where leading characters can die at any moment. This is his story.
In some ways that’s a very philosophical thing. In fantasy there are two kinds of story: the ensemble and the single character. In most cases even the single characters have people around them who we can relate to. If you’ve read the Kingkiller Chronicles, you know there’s plenty of other characters apart from Kvothe.
Now, I know there are other characters in the series, but they seem so much more disposable than characters in other books. It’s the nature of the series though, as everyone can die in the service of Jorg fulfilling his goals. But it does make him the only character worth talking about.
It’s hard to compare him to anyone in my Nine Kingdoms series. Surprisingly, as I think about it, each individual book is about one person, and the other characters mostly have minor influence in the story. It’s putting them all together which makes you realize they’re all important to each other.
If I had to choose though, I’d compare Jorg to Bannel. Both hard men who have a goal and they’re driven to it without regard for anything else. Bannel ignores his family in multiple ways as he seeks the crown. He tries things we’d call ruthless, or burning bridges, all in the service of that one goal.
But ultimately he wouldn’t do half the things Jorg would.
Other series to read
I can’t go telling you how different this series is and then tell you about some similar books, can I? If you’re way out on the edge, any direction will be back towards the center. These recommendations are based on the style of story, rather than the full content.
The First Law series by Joe Abercrombie: As close as you’ll get to the Broken Empire. You should definitely read Abercrombie first though. If you don’t like that, you’ll hate the Broken Empire.
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch: This novel features a cunning thief and his band of misfit companions. Recommend this because he’s an anti-hero, but much nicer than Jorg.
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss: My other ‘always recommend’. Mainstream version of fantasy hero who does good all around. I guess he’s the anti-Jorg.
In Conclusion
Jorg Ancrath is not a character I’d want to meet in real life. This world is not a place I’d want to live in. It’s hard to read this series, and hard to recommend it.
The biggest thing it has going for it is perhaps the idea that it’s written from the perspective of the antagonist. In most stories Jorg would be the evil emperor our hero is trying to defeat. It’s an ingenious idea to make him the main character.
So, I recommend this series to you if you’re the kind of person who likes the dark (very dark) side of stories. I recommend it if you’ve read all the usual fantasy stuff and you’re looking to expand your horizons. I don’t recommend it if you’re only interested in moral people doing good. And I certainly don’t recommend it if you’ve never read fantasy and want to try something, unless perhaps you’re coming over from the horror genre.
And if you start reading, try to stick with it, because you’ll be rewarded in the end.