Anna Smith Spark

Perfect for fans of Mark Lawrence and R Scott Bakker, The Court of Broken Knives is the explosive debut by one of grimdark fantasy's most exciting new voices. They've finally looked at the graveyard of our Empire with open eyes. They're fools and madmen and like the art of war. And their children go hungry while we piss gold and jewels into the dust. In the richest empire the world has ever known, the city of Sorlost has always stood, eternal and unconquered. But in a city of dreams governed by an imposturous Emperor, decadence has become the true ruler, and has blinded its inhabitants to their vulnerability. The empire is on the verge of invasion - and only one man can see it. Haunted by dreams of the empire's demise, Orhan Emmereth has decided to act. On his orders, a company of soldiers cross the desert to reach the city. Once they enter the Palace, they have one mission: kill the Emperor, then all those who remain. Only from ashes can a new empire be built. The company is a group of good, ordinary soldiers, for whom this is a mission like any other. But the strange boy Marith who walks among them is no ordinary soldier. Marching on Sorlost, Marith thinks he is running away from the past which haunts him. But in the Golden City, his destiny awaits him - beautiful, bloody, and more terrible than anyone could have foreseen.

The Court of Broken Knives

E J Doble

This is like nothing I've ever read, both in a good and bad way. It is bloody, gritty, gory, sweary, grimdark, violent, corrupt, sinful and bruising. The protagonist is a castaway drug addict fool who longs for blood and scratches his face; the secondary characters are sarky, bitter, disgusted, but ultimately well-written characters; the enemy is... the corruption of man, I think? There isn't really one, but you route for the characters anyway, because it's intoxicating. It is so many things all at once.

It's a great book, but not without its faults. Characters occupy a few chapters then shift suddenly without warning, and flashback chapters have no indication that they are what they are (I only recognised them as flashbacks half-way through, which was either incredibly clever or completely on accident). Changes in person, between thought and narration are not defined, so it's sometimes hard to follow. The book never tells you where it's going - it doesn't have a "plot" as such, because it's so f*****g chaotic all the time that it doesn't need one. The writing is both gripping, sharp and brutal, but also annoying, tedious, meandering and headache-inducing. It is captivating and it is gruesome and it is difficult.

This book is either a masterpiece in modern, brutal grimdark fantasy, or an unedited mess of janky chapters and challenging prose. I cannot decide, so I've given it a 3/5 to be safe. I do, however, implore you to read this book - it is something very special.

In this dark and gripping debut fantasy that Miles Cameron called "gritty and glorious!" the exiled son of the king must fight to reclaim his throne no matter the cost. It is the richest empire the world has ever known, and it is also doomed. Governed by an imposturous Emperor, decadence has blinded its inhabitants to their vulnerability. The Yellow Empire is on the verge of invasion--and only one man can see it. Haunted by prophetic dreams, Orhan has hired a company of soldiers to cross the desert to reach the capital city. Once they enter the Palace, they have one mission: kill the Emperor, then all those who remain. Only from the ashes can a new empire be built. The company is a group of good, ordinary soldiers, for whom this is a mission like any other. But the strange boy Marith who walks among them is no ordinary soldier. Young, ambitious, and impossibly charming, something dark hides in Marith's past--and in his blood Dark and brilliant, dive into this new fantasy series for readers looking for epic battle scenes, gritty heroes, and blood-soaked revenge.

Nickie Mohler

The Yellow Empire cannot be invaded. Or, that's what the people living there believe. All of them except for Orhan. He can't shake the feeling that they are vulnerable to attack. Everyone has grown complacent. Orhan believes that the only way things will change and get better is by getting rid of the Emperor and all of his cronies. So, he hires a company of men to cross the desert and wipe them all out. They come highly recommended, but one man stands out. Marith. He is not just a soldier, he is so much more. I LOVED this book! The plot and the characters just sucked me right in from the start. One minute I felt bad for Marith, the next minute I thought he was a bastard, and back and forth it went. I'm still not sure. I highly recommend this book to everyone!

The Court of Broken Knives

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