Joe Abercrombie’s unsung book series: The Shattered Sea

Joe Abercrombie is one of my favourite authors. His storytelling is gritty, witty and sharp in all the right ways. I even cite one of his books as being one of the stories that has shaped me, as an author. Abercrombie’s First Law series is revered in fantasy circles, so much so that I even ranked all nine novels, but this post is focused on another series he’s written. One that doesn’t get quite so much attention but, in my opinion, should not be so easily overlooked. The Shattered Sea series.

About the series

It’s worth starting off by setting the scene a little bit. Book 1 of The Shattered Sea trilogy (Half a King) was first published in 2014. The follow-up instalments (Half the World and Half a War) were published in 2015. This is important context, because you need to understand that this trilogy came after six books in the First Law saga had been published…to much deserved success. So, it’s safe to say the pressure was on.

But what was really strange about the release of this series is that it was marketed as Young Adult. Indeed, it still is. In most of my research for this post, the books are still written about and described as being young adult.

To be clear: they are not YA.

Or at least, not in my opinion anyway.

Young adult fiction is a wide-ranging term used to describe books that are written and marketed specifically with the teenage audience in mind. They typically feature characters of a similar age and focus on coming-of-age stories. Both of these things are true of The Shattered Sea series, particularly the series opener, Half a King.

But I still don’t think these books are young adult. And this is because YA fiction is, to my mind, almost relentlessly optimistic. Even during times of conflict or hardship, I don’t think there’s ever much doubt that “good” will prevail. Just look at the Harry Potter novels if you don’t believe me. They’re probably the most notable YA fiction ever written, and at no point does the danger feel that real (even when characters start getting bumped off). That’s because there is a clear line between good/evil, and an general sense that the latter won’t win the day.

But with Joe Abercrombie—and The Shattered Sea series—you don’t get that. That’s because Joe’s writing has never bought into the idea that “good” and “evil” are fixed concepts. His writing thrives in the murky grey in-between, and the danger is palpable. Safety isn’t guaranteed for any character, and even if they do survive, you know they will either be physically or psychologically damaged…probably both.

So hopefully that’s enough of a set-up for you. The Shattered Sea trilogy is not young adult. And it’s definitely worth your while. Here’s my take on all three books.

Half a King

Warning: some (light) spoilers ahead.

The set-up

Half a King is the first book in The Shattered Sea series. We’re introduced to a fantasy world that shares some broad stroke familiarities with the world in the First Law series. It’s gritty and a little bleak, rough around the edges and populated by people just trying to get by. Zoom in a little and the world gets some lovely colour and texture added to it. The vast majority of the people live in a circle around the titular Shattered Sea, meaning they’re seafaring folks. All salt and seaspray. The religious system of “big gods” and “small gods” gives some nice background context. As does the mention of ruins and relics left behind by the “elves”. On inference, the “elves” could simply mean modern humans, and the Shattered Sea might well set in the aftermath of a—probably nuclear—apocalypse. Elf ruins describe concrete and rebar, and elf “bangles” sound suspiciously like wristwatches.

So the setting is, in true Abercrombie style, already great. And Half a King then gives us our first look at plenty of the factional powers within it.

Our protagonist is Prince Yarvi, a physical weakling with a deformity on one hand. As such, he’s pretty much derided by the vast majority of his rough, gruff, seafaring countrymen. I think you can safely liken the people of the Shattered Sea to Vikings, or at least call them Viking-esque.

And that comparison makes even more sense when you realise that Half a King is effectively a fantasy retelling of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Our erstwhile protagonist is usurped by his kin and left for dead. Cue the long character arc where he discovers new depths to his own strength, and sets himself on the road to revenge.

Yes, this kind of thing has been done before.

But not like this.

The review

I’ve written before about how great Joe Abercrombie is at writing multi-dimensional characters. Half a King is no exception to that rule. Yarvi himself is carefully-considered character, with both flaws and strengths. The band he draws about himself as the book moves along is full of equally interesting characters. As are the antagonists who pursue them. Even those who don’t get much ink coverage in the book still feel fleshed-out and real.

And ink coverage is hard to come by in this book, because it moves at a helluva pace. As a reader, you practically traverse the entire Shattered Sea in the first third of the book. I’d offer a criticism that it could’ve slowed down a bit, but I also really appreciate a story that’s paced like this. So much so that Half a King feels like a grittier story that could’ve been structured by David Gemmell, the fantasy master of fast-paced, deep-cut storytelling.

This breakneck pace is helped by the fact that the book is told from a single-POV. Written in third-person limited, we spend the entire story with Yarvi. Powerless to help him as he’s tossed and turned from catastrophe to disaster. This might also account for why it’s forever pitched as YA, because the whole thing is more more digestible than similar, multi-POV books are. The story sinks its hooks into you and refuses to let go.

But best of all, this book manages to do the two things that any series opener must do. Two things that, in tandem, are often challenging to handle. They are:

1. Be a great story in its own right
2. Set readers up for the rest of the series

Too many books are too focused on the second goal, they forget to make the story itself whole. But Yarvi’s story is whole. It comes full-circle (in more ways than one) and there are some gloriously dark twists that only Joe Abercrombie is capable of delivering.

Half the World

The second instalment of The Shattered Sea trilogy is Half the World. It’s an almost direct follow-on from Half a King, with characters from the first book taking the role of side-characters in this story. This is a mechanic that the whole series uses really well, because it means we have plenty of prior knowledge/experience with some characters, allowing the book to focus instead on the new ones being introduced. It’s a sign of good writing in a series.

The difference here is that we now have two point-of-views (POVs) to follow. Even though their physical journey is—mostly—spent together, we follow the characters of Thorn Bathu and Brand. Both are well-written and the head-hopping is cleverly done to give us two perspectives on what’s happening in any given scene.

I think this book is the strongest argument to be made for the series being classified as Young Adult. Because both Thorn and Brand have a story that feels very “coming of age” — but it’s still just as gritty and bloody as Yarvi’s own torturous arc in Half a King. So I still find it hard to reconcile this book as being YA.

Half the World moves at a faster pace than Half a King (which was hardly a slouch itself!) and at times it straddles the border with feeling a little too much of a “set-up” novel. But it’s still a great read, with some brilliant action sequences, bold set-pieces, brilliantly-written dialogue, and some gut-wrenching heartbreak that Joe Abercrombie is a master of.

And as well as being a good story, it also does what all “middle” books should do — it sets us up for one hell of a finale.

Half a War

Just as with Half a King, and Half the World, the final instalment in The Shattered Sea trilogy, Half a War, is a coming-of-age story. The first book saw us follow Yarvi, and the second told Thorn and Brand’s stories. This final book belongs to Skara, a princess of The Shattered Sea whose own inciting incident happens in the opening chapter. You probably don’t need to tell me it’s a fairly bleak one.

We also follow Koll, who was introduced in Half the World, and Raith, a fierce Vansterman who is thrown into Skara’s service. All three characters have their own arcs, which are neatly realised as the book progresses. As with previous instalments, all of our MCs are in their late teens or early twenties, which is pretty much (again) the only reason this book is classed as YA.

The story itself is even bloodier than its predecessors. As you can probably tell from the book’s title, it’s all kicked off around The Shattered Sea. Mother War is very much having her day and Father Peace is off crying in the corner.

Half a War, like the second book before it, very much relies on characters introduced earlier in the series. If I’m being totally candid, then the new ones here feel a little contrived, so we need the mortar of Thorn Bathu and Yarvi to help glue things together. But the book itself is another well-written novel, with a page-turning story that will keep you guessing as to what cruel twist might still be in the offing…and there’s always at least one, when it comes to Abercrombie.

In conclusion

Given that the main characters in every book are, once again, in their mid-late teens, I suppose The Shattered Sea meets some the criteria of being Young Adult. But to me, YA books need to carry a little bit more hope and optimism than this series does. I’m not suggesting that YA books need to be condescending or patronising, I just don’t think (most) younger readers have quite as much baggage as older ones. And, because of that, I’m not sure typical YA readers (if there is such a thing) will vibe with Joe Abercrombie’s dark, bleak world.

Sidebar: I’m writing this article in 2026, so maybe the young people of today will vehemently disagree with my take here, given how dark and bleak the real world can feel at times.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that The Shattered Sea series is highly underrated. It’s (rightly) overshadowed by The First Law series, and the YA categorisation hinders, rather than helps position it to readers with a certain taste. If you like your fantasy with a gritty edge and a mouthful of blood, but with plenty of wit and heart, I recommend you read these books.

📚✌🏻SP

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