Half a War

April 20th, 2015

Rejoice, for the UK edition of the third and (for the time being) final book in my Shattered Sea series, Half a War now has a cover and copy. Behold:

Half a War Final HB

Words are weapons

Princess Skara has seen all she loved made blood and ashes. She is left with only words. But the right words can be as deadly as any blade. She must conquer her fears and sharpen her wits to a lethal edge if she is to reclaim her birthright.

Only half a war is fought with swords

The deep-cunning Father Yarvi has walked a long road from crippled slave to king’s minister. He has made allies of old foes and stitched together an uneasy peace. But now the ruthless Grandmother Wexen has raised the greatest army since the elves made war on God, and put Bright Yilling at its head – a man who worships no god but Death.

Sometimes one must fight evil with evil

Some – like Thorn Bathu and the sword-bearer Raith – are born to fight, perhaps to die. Others – like Brand the smith and Koll the wood-carver – would rather stand in the light. But when Mother War spreads her iron wings, she may cast the whole Shattered Sea into darkness.

And I note that, should you desire, you can pre-order in electronic or hardcover formats from the retailer of your choice over here…

Posted in announcements, artwork, news by Joe Abercrombie on April 20th, 2015.

43 comments so far

  • ColinJ says:

    Bring it on!! 😀

  • Alex says:

    When will the book be out in the US?

  • Joe Abercrombie says:

    Alex,
    Amazon’s saying July 28th. Wouldn’t say that’s absolutely definite as final proofs and internal artwork aren’t quite turned in yet, but hopefully won’t be long after that. I’ll post as soon as I’ve got a definite date.

  • Michael says:

    That really is a great looking cover. Will go along well with the covers for the rest of the series.

  • Alex18 says:

    Mr. Abercrombie, that Princess Skara — was she mentioned previously?

  • Arnoud says:

    DEar Joe,

    Why did you have to go and write childrens books? We so very much loved your First Law series!!! Your last publication was only Half that book….

  • Jane says:

    Waiting in anticipation till July, thought half king was great, half the world was brilliant loved Thorn Bathu and I love all the strong women in your books.

  • Chris D says:

    So prolific! Terrific series.

  • innokenti says:

    Love that cover!

    All very exciting, looking forward to the release.

  • Michael says:

    Have just finished listening to HTW. Almost a grimdark Mills & Boon. Thorn, with half a nod to Monzcarro, filled with angst and rage and hormones, is surely a charcater to rival any of JA’s many ‘imperfect’ creations. Can you just pack it in and write something sh*te so I can catch my breath?

  • Joe Abercrombie says:

    Alex,
    She’s mentioned in Half the World though she never appears directly.

    Arnoud,
    I chose to write young adult books largely because I felt like it. I think it’s important as a writer to keep challenging yourself and trying out different styles, stories, characters and approaches. I’ll probably feel like writing some more adult books in due course.

    Michael,
    Grimdark Mills & Boon. I love it.

  • Thomas says:

    Arnoud, may I remind you that The Hobbit was written as a children’s book?

  • CAI XON says:

    Ok, we´ll bite …”(for the time being) final book”…?????…???

  • Roger says:

    Joe,
    Could you confirm whether Skata, Raith and Koll will be the three POVs of Half a War?

  • Joe Abercrombie says:

    Cai Xon,
    Final book in this series. For now.

    Roger,
    I can.

  • Joe S says:

    I am amazed at how fast you create and publish your work. No sooner than I put dow Half a World I am able to look forward to something new.

    Thanks!!!

  • Rich says:

    Please let GRRM go, seems like a rude thing to do to a fellow author.

  • Joseph says:

    Just started Half the World. When can we expect some more First Law stuff?

  • Peter says:

    Is it possible to pre-order signed versions of Half a War like it was with the previous books?

  • Phil.I.P. says:

    Just finished HTW – brilliant.

    Will you be doing another 3,000 copy signing session for HAW?

  • Mark C says:

    So, July-ish in the UK? Awesomesauce.

    Wasn’t sure about the look of the fire on this cover (bit cartoony), but at a second glance, it’s like the book itself (ahem) is actually on fire. And if it’s as good as the first two, I’m sure it will be!

    Lovely.

  • Joe Abercrombie says:

    Joseph,
    Collection of short stories, next year. Full length novels, hard to say. At some point…

    Phil,
    Probably.

    Mark C,
    Amazon says 16th July in the UK.

  • Casejord says:

    Hello, Joe.

    Thanks for the update. Wondered if Isriun would be appearing/getting a POV. I enjoyed Half The World, but kind of wished we had her POV as without it, she comes off as kind of two dimensionally evil.

    Realize that sounds like a rather critical way of putting it, but basically it would be nice to see her “side of the story”.

  • AntMac says:

    Wow. I like that cover. It is going to stand out like a five truck alarm on the shelves.

  • Kareem says:

    I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but DAYAM! looks awesome! If the first two books are anything to go by then this bad boy is gonna rock.

    Really looking forward to the short stories! Returning to The First Law! The world is flat again!

  • Peter says:

    Will it be possible to pre-order signed versions like it was with the previous 2 books?

  • Joe Abercrombie says:

    Peter,
    Should be. Goldsboro and Forbidden Planet will be your best bets, though I expect Waterstones will have considerable amounts of signed stock too.

  • Alex says:

    1.We can buy a signed copy of your new book Half A War? Never new till that question peter asked but is there a US Website I can look into?
    2. I’m young and I’m honestly doing it for fun,but I have been thinking of writing a book and not to get published but just to write. I will be hand written but is there a certain format you write a book digitally?
    Oh and how young you ask? 18.

  • Dejvo says:

    Hi Joe,
    when can we expect some extracts from the book? July is too far and I need to read something.

  • SwindonNick says:

    Any update on the future of the graphic novel? I thought it was brilliantly done and it was a real shame it seems to have gone off the radar….

  • Jeffd says:

    Love the axes and spears in the flames. Also love the female badass protagonists and antagonists.

  • Jeffd says:

    Kickass!!!

  • Shreds says:

    Actually Half a World series look like spoof for The First Law. We have most important structures inverted between these 2 series.

    Examples (SPOILER ALERT!):
    – long journey (fails vs. succeeds, search for artefact vs. delivering one)
    – Duel with stronger opponent (won vs. lost)
    – Crippled main character
    – Another drunkard villain

    And couple of others.

  • RichardM says:

    Looking forward to Half A War! Just two more months!!

    “Arnoud, may I remind you that The Hobbit was written as a children’s book?”

    Yep, as were Narnia and Prydain, the latter series I’m not ashamed to admit is still my all-time favorite, with its wisdom, humor and character development. Though written for younger audiences, adults can still gain wisdom from them (and I still do!). I think Shattered Sea will join those!

  • AntMac says:

    Shreds. You are to consider that humans are constrained to do certain things. If something is not in your own backyard, why, you need to TRAVEL to get your hands on it. If you have an opponent ( and him a fighting man ) why, you will need to CONTEND against him.

    I once heard someone compare, (without really stretching their rhetoric too hard) Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, with Great Expectations, by Dickens. I mean, he was an idiot, but he was able to find “similarities” simply because the stories were about human beings. And (all) people eat, shit, steal and lie, with the very odd bit of nobility thrown into the mix. So stories about people often have similarities too.

  • James Tucker says:

    Looking forward to reading this.

    His Darkship really should come and visit us for a book signing here in Canterbury. We have beards and battle axes at the ready, and an army of fans.

    James

  • Ben says:

    Any news on the audible release date?

  • Just caught up and have really enjoyed the series so far and I’m eager for the conclusion! I really like the layer-cake approach to having protagonists become background players in the succeeding novels. It allows the reader to feel like they’ve got inside knowledge compared the POV characters (and of course we do). I was expecting to not like Brand, being a more straightforward and uncomplicated young man, but ended up finding him unexpectedly appealing.

  • If there is anyone who can’t get to one of Joe’s signings and looking for a Signed Stamped and Numbered Edition. Limited to 100 Copies We can sort you out at http://www.thesignededition.co.uk. We have about Half left 😉

  • Ben
    Audible has it up for pre order
    Release 16/7/15

  • Jim says:

    Joe

    Any word on a US audio version of “Half a War” ? Audible.com shows not available , but shows a narrator Ben Elliot? Usually there is a pre-order available for the audio book.

    Jim

  • Billy says:

    Mr Abercrombie, you are so the man. Now take a well-earned break dude.

  • Tamari says:

    I preordered have a war and was thrilled to see it pop up on my kindle. So much for going to bed early tonight. You owe me a morning coffee!

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