Prince of Thorns, the first novel in The Broken Empire trilogy by Mark Lawrence, is smart, fast-paced, and stylish. The story is told in a first person perspective by Jorg. Fans of Glenn Cook's The Black Company will pick up on similarities in the storytelling. Lawrence drops you right into the middle of his band of merry mercs during the torching of a village, but offers flashback chapters throughout the story that really flesh out what is going on past and present. Jorg is very much ruled by a lust for power, and Lawrence spends no time trying to justify his actions. It's up to you, as the reader, to weigh his actions on the scales of justice. He's at the mercy of the chaos that surrounds him and his insatiable appetite for power is what drives him. If you're looking for light and fluffy fantasy, avoid this. It's not so dark as to turn away readers who enjoy fantasy heavyweights like Jordan and Tolkien, but it's not a tale of good vs. evil, right and wrong, or black and white. Prince of Thorns is shades of grey throughout. The chaos of human nature is on full display. It's gritty and in-your-face. These guys are rapists, murderers, thieves, and liars, but oddly enough they're a likable bunch that really grew on me. My biggest gripe with "antihero" characters is that they're usually too-cool-for-school. Thankfully Lawrence avoids this entirely. Jorg is an intelligent and compulsive character that becomes truly interesting. His dialog isn't full of excessive swearing and bad-boy one-liners that seem to populate this particular genre. Jorg is witty, darkly comedic, angry; an emotional canvas of colors light and dark. This is very much a tale for thinking adults. Jorg is the heir to his father's throne. As a boy he witnesses the murder of his mother and younger brother at the hands of an evil Count's men. He is unable to save them and harnesses a vengeful rage all throughout his childhood. Events take place that cause him to run from his father's kingdom and strike out on his own with some escaped prisoners who become part of the band we're introduced to in the first chapter. Jorg earns their respect and establishes himself as a ruthless mercenary leader. He harbors hate towards his father who bartered the chance to avenge his wife and son (Jorg's mother and brother) in return for rights to land, titles, and gold. Jorg seeks to return home and take his place as heir to his father's throne. But his reasons are rooted deeper than revenge. Darker motives begin to surface and we're left wondering who to root for in a tangled web of lies, murder, morality, and deceit. There's plenty of political intrigue, violence, and necromancy to create a stylish, if not wholly unique, fantasy world that stands on its own.