Half the World Reveiw

Half the World (Shattered Sea, book 2) by Joe Amercrombie

"A man who gives all his thought to doing good, but no thought to the consequences... that is a dangerous man."

Joe Abercrombie is firmly in my top five favorite authors, and when it comes to grimdark, he’s my undisputed number one. His blend of moral ambiguity, razor-sharp dialogue, and brutal realism has shaped my expectations of what fantasy can be. That said, the Shattered Sea series feels like Abercrombie intentionally shifting gears—a YA-leaning version of his usual style. It still carries his signature voice, but the edges are sanded down. The violence is there, but less visceral. The characters are complicated, but not quite broken. The world is harsh, but not hopeless.

Half the World, the second book in the trilogy, continues this more restrained but still richly layered storytelling. The focus shifts away from Yarvi—who took center stage in Half a King—and onto two new protagonists: Thorn Bathu, a fierce young warrior with more spirit than tact, and Brand, a disillusioned soldier who wants to do the right thing in a world that doesn’t reward it. Their dynamic is the heart of this book, and Abercrombie does what he does best: throws idealism into the meat grinder and sees what crawls out.

There’s a lot to appreciate here in terms of structure and pacing. The journey motif is strong—physically and emotionally. Thorn’s training scenes are brutal in a way that echoes classic Abercrombie, but the lessons are as much about politics and perception as they are about combat. Brand, on the other hand, represents a quieter kind of strength—he’s thoughtful, grounded, and constantly wrestling with a world that tells him compromise is survival.

The fighting is still sharp, and Abercrombie’s talent for writing gritty, kinetic battle scenes hasn’t gone anywhere. But compared to his adult work, the blood isn’t as graphic, and the cruelty is less personal. It’s still grim—it’s just grim with the volume turned down. For some readers, that’ll be a selling point. For fans of his First Law books looking for another Glokta, this isn’t it—but that’s not the point.

"There's no disappointment like getting what you've always wanted."

What Half the World offers instead is something Abercrombie doesn’t always let shine in his darker works: hope. There’s still betrayal, harsh lessons, and moral gray zones, but there's also friendship, growth, and purpose. It’s not naïve—it’s just not nihilistic.

If you’re already a fan of Abercrombie, Half the World feels like watching your favorite musician do an acoustic set. It’s more restrained, a little cleaner, but still undeniably his voice. And if you're newer to grimdark and want something that leans into character depth and world-building without plunging you into total despair, this is a great entry point.

"Fools boast of what they will do. Heroes do it."

I wouldn’t recommend starting here—you really need Half a King to appreciate the arcs that carry through—but if you're on book two, you're probably already in. And if you're in, you'll get exactly what you'd expect from Abercrombie, just packaged a little differently.