BOOK REVIEW: Prince of Fools by Mark Lawrence

Prince of Fools by Mark Lawrence
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Best book I've read this year! I wasn't sure that I'd enjoy this as much as the Broken Empire series, but I did. Actually, I think I liked this book more.

There were a number of reasons this is a great read. The first is the characterisation. Lawrence did a fabulous job of realising Jalan's character. The book is written in the first person, which means that we feel that we are 'living' Jal's adventure alongside him. We see the entire world through his eyes. This can be a challenge for a writer to pull off well, but Lawrence does one of the best jobs of it I've ever come across. What I like, is that what Jal tells us about himself, and what we witness, often starkly contrast with each other. He tells us he's a coward, a womaniser, and a liar - but we see that he is also grossly insecure, terrified that anyone might think him a coward, and that he has a deeply sensitive side. He's not that different to a lot of us really, and to read about a man most people can relate to, is what really brings this adventure to life. He's far removed from the usual epic fantasy stereotype - although, anyone who has read the Broken Empire series will know that Mark Lawrence doesn't use stereotypical lead characters.

The second thing I love about this book, is it's structure. It's linear - we start at the beginning and don't catch breath till the final pages. Lawrence's first series used a more complex structure, shifting us about in time and place, but the more 'classical' structure meant that the pacing and suspense in this novel was nail-biting. The only slow point for me was when Jal runs into our 'hero' from the first series - Jorg Ancrath. Must say, that apart from getting to see how the two stories overlap, I found this section a bit ponderous, and was happy when Jal continued his journey north.

I found the novel hard to put down, and really enjoyed returning to the world Lawrence created. The best thing, for me though was Jal. He's a complex character with huge potential to be developed further. I can't wait to see where he'll end up!

I highly recommend this novel to anyone who loves dark epic fantasy adventure.

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