The Last Mission (Laurel-Leaf Historical Fiction) Review

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(More customer reviews)I am a high school history teacher. This book is an excellent teaching tool for freshmen or sophomore history classes (some of the older kids thought that the reading level was too easy). The majority of my students liked the book as it brought a wealth of additional color and background to the classroom lecture notes. The fact that the protagonist is 16 and there is a "love story" subplot makes it even better.
As far as the swearing, it is not at all excessive and actually adds to the book as it shows the culture shock that 16 year old Jack underwent when he joined the Army Air Force. Also...from a historical standpoint..people did swear back then! Trust me...it is nothing worse than I as a teacher (quite unfortunately) hear in the hallways on a daily basis.

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In 1944, as World War II is raging across Europe, fifteen-year-old Jack Raab dreams of being a hero. Leaving New York City, his family, and his boyhood behind, Jack uses a false I.D. and lies his way into the U.S. Air Force.From their base in England, he and his crew fly twenty-four treacherous bombing missions over occupied Europe. The war is almost over and Hitler near defeat when they fly their last mission -- a mission destined for disaster. Shot down far behind enemy lines, Jack is taken prisoner and sent to a German POW camp, where his experiences are more terrifying than anything he'd ever imagined.

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Prince of Thorns (The Broken Empire) Review

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(More customer reviews)All I can say about this book is "wow". Actually, that's a lie; I have a lot more to say. These kind of grim, ultra-harsh fantasies with anti-hero leads are really hard to write well. Getting the right mix of believability and twisted viciousness in the protagonist, while not making the reader totally hate him, is tough. Before reading this, KJ Parker (Fencer trilogy, Scavenger trilogy) was the undisputed king in this area; now Lawrence (the author) joins him as one of the great masters of dark fantasy.
The plot is solid: in a Jack Vance "Dying Earth"-ish future, scores of petty kings and nobles compete to reclaim an empire, while in the shadows magicians and necromancers manipulate and control events for their own agendas. The protagonist, Prince Jorg, has been on the road with the roughest band of killers for four years, forging himself into a weapon after his mother and brother were killed in front of him. Having taken control of this brotherhood of brigands, he decides to return home and attempt to take his birthright, sparking further trials and conquests.
The writing style was very good, the pacing was great, and flashbacks filled in the backstory in nicely digestible pieces. As a note, I'm normally not such a fan of flashbacks, but Lawrence managed to keep them germane, where each one helped further the main storyline, rather than distracting from it. Lawrence, like Parker, really excels in his character portrayal of Jorg, and captures his semi-psychotic nature. I liked the combat writing too; typically fast, vicious, and clever, it avoided pitfalls of unbelievable actions or lengthy, technically complicated duels, while still included more than enough blood and bodies.
Overall a great effort, and possibly the best dark fantasy I've read since the Fencer trilogy. Recommended to anyone that likes a dark fantasy, and particularly to those that like KJ Parker (and vice versa).

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A stunning fantasy debut from a major new talent! When he was nine, he watched his mother and brother killed before him. By the time he was thirteen, he was the leader of a band of bloodthirsty thugs. By fifteen, he intends to be king... It's time for Prince Honorous Jorg Ancrath to return to the castle he turned his back on, to take what's rightfully his. Since the day he was hung on the thorns of a briar patch and forced to watch Count Renar's men slaughter his mother and young brother, Jorg has been driven to vent his rage. Life and death are no more than a game to him-and he has nothing left to lose. But treachery awaits him in his father's castle. Treachery and dark magic. No matter how fierce, can the will of one young man conquer enemies with power beyond his imagining?

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