Prince of Thorns

Prince of Thorns
By Mark Lawrence

Forget Game of Thrones and read Prince of Thorns instead! Here is how Lawrence's own website describes the book:

"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."


Once 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's bleak past has set him beyond fear of any man, living or 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.

I could not have said it better than that. I have to warn you that the book is violent, bloody and disturbing. But I could not put it down -- it is a real page turner. You will also not believe how young Jorg is!

What did this book have to do with my faith? Jorg is driven by revenge. Although he does become side-tracked at one point, revenge for his mother and brother is truly what drives him. His revenge is compounded by the fact that his father seems completely lacking in any kind of justice much less revenge for their deaths. Because I have been studying and preaching on forgiveness lately, I realize how much the deaths of Jorg's mother and brother have controlled who Jorg has become and what he will do with his life. Many of us Christians are still ruled by past events that we did not want to happen or had no control over. We continue to let them guide us rather than the Spirit of peace that Christ wants us to have. No wonder Jesus said that his own yoke was easy and his burden light. We are weighed down by burdens of anger and resentment when we should be at peace and content. Why can we not forgive?

I highly recommend Prince of Thorns. 

Happy reading!

Amelia