Half a King

My local library has a very limited selection of fantasy or sci-fi audiobooks, my preferred genres of novels. One gem that I have managed to find is Half a King  by Joe Abercrombie. It is the tale of the youngest son of a king. A son who has no ambition to rule, who has a love for knowledge, and was born with a deformity of his hand. Because of the birth defect, he has lived his life with half a hand, as half a son, and half a person. As that story unfolds, we get to see Yarvi grow as a man and as a king. He faces some difficult situations, but his acceptance and respect for himself are his greatest adversaries.

The story opens with Yarvi preparing for his test for the Ministry, to be a learned advisor to kings. He is happy with his life path and excited for the future. In one fateful night, his life is turned upside down and his future is no longer in his control. He is now heir to the throne. Before he can accept his new fate, more tragedy occurs. As Yarvi travels he meets others with fates as bad, or worse than, his own. He learns the values of true friendship, of perseverance, of honesty and valor, and he learns to view himself as more than his deformity.

Though this story follows a lot of the typical structure of fantasy adventures, it is a fun read. The characters grow as the story unfolds, which is what you want out of a likable and relatable cast. Overall, this is a fun little read that I do recommend.