As you can probably gather from the title, our dear Jorgy managed to achieve his goal of becoming a king. And now all his problems are solved and happiness is his! Oh, wait. No, not that. Actually, the armies of the combined nations of another claimant to the empire's throne, outnumbering his by a paltry 20 to 1, are marching on him to take his submission - or his head. And if we've learned anything about Jorg, it's that he'd rather die than submit - and he'd certainly rather kill. Of course, having the only woman he's ever loved on the other side and hating him fiercely is sure to improve his situation. Nothing complicating there at all! 
 The structure of this book takes a split structure - alternating between the day of the events of the battle between Jorg's army and his vastly superior opponent (oh, and of his political marriage to a 12-year-old who seems as if she, unexpectedly enough, may actually be a match for Jorg), and those of the 4 years leading up to then. More secrets of the unconventional setting are revealed (we get to hear about how there can be magic in what was once our world, before a self-induced apocalypse wiped advanced civilization from the Earth). Jorg's adventures with his remaining (and still-dwindling) store of road-brothers as he explores more of his world beyond his comparatively narrow corner of it are recounted, with occasional glimpses into the mind of Katherine - the aforementioned true love who hates him - interspersed. A new and more terrifying enemy is set up for the next novel (sooner damnit!), with a little well-deserved payback for an old antagonist - no, no spoilers on who - to boot. 
 As for how things play out... well, while Jorg may have developed something resembling a vestigial conscience, rest assured that neither he nor Lawrence have lost their edge. Looking for a happy ending? Look somewhere else. 
 As for the next book? Well, I'm guessing it's not called Emperor of Thorns for nothing. Jorg's going after his destiny whether anyone likes it or not, and God save anyone who gets in his way. 
 I can't wait.