Cover Reveal: Half A King by Joe Abercrombie


it's no secret that I have been a HUGE fan of Joe Abercrombie. Lord GrimDark of everything dark and gritty, I have been a worshiper of that pantheon since the times of the First Law trilogy. First he went on to skewer the usual fantasy tropes by writing his own version of a high-fantasy epic - complete with an all-powerful mage, a conflicted tortured barbarian as the hero and a crippled torturer probably being the most endearing enigmatic protagonist of that series. Pretty much spinning the tropes on their heads and then taking an axe to butcher them. Then came his version of the revenge saga. Tarantino amped up on speed. Full dark, no stars, no redemption, splattered with gore and black blood, the number of bodies falling hitting the stratosphere. Then was his version of the military fantasy. Again a bitter-sweet ironical saga that details the uselessness of war and that there are truly no heroes. written in his own inimitable style dripping with the black gallows humor that is so scathing and effective. Then our God turns his eyes on to the Western genre. And as expected, goes all out - guns blazing, knives flying. gold rush, the barren outposts, the harsh brutal life  in such times. All gloriously penned with a massive twist at the end. Perfect. So what am I saying? There is no genre that this guy cannot stamp his masterclass on.

Naturally now with him penning a new book - a YA? Young adult? Coming-of-age story? Ahem, would that mean less blood? since he's got to play it within the cordon of YA? I don't know but the truth is, am salivating. early accounts by authors whose craft I admire, say its an absolute masterclass. Patrick Rothfuss calls it Abercrombie's best yet. Goosebumps.

So well, here's the lovely cover.

And if you're thirsting for more (I know you are! you parched desert rat who cannot get enough of this sweet nectar, chuckle) - check out an excerpt on io9.

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