When the characters finally finished their travel, the plot actually didn’t get better but surprisingly, it became even more boring. The first half consists of Jalan and the gang seafaring and travelling (again), arrive at shore, Jalan get captured, break free, repeat until the end of first half.

To say the least, it’s extremely boring and repetitive. There is one thing specifically that didn’t work out for me in the book, the direction of the plot. Picture: Liar’s Key (French cover edition) The plot of the book started 6 months after the end of 'Prince of Fools' and it revolves around Loki’s Key or in other name, The Liar’s Key, a key that’s capable of opening any doors and sought by only the most powerful people in the Broken Empire such as the Dead King and the Red Queen. The Liar’s Key is almost the exact opposite of that situation. I gave Prince of Fools a 4.5 out of 5 stars, it’s in my opinion, Mark’s best work up to date.

I am clearly in the minority here with my rating and opinion. It pained me to say this but The Liar’s Key is sadly, an unworthy sequel to 'Prince of Fools' for me. Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter #prizes 'I've always thought I'd make a great uncle. 'They say the truth will set you free, but I find it normally hems me into a corner.' 'Always kick a man when he's down, I say. 'If there’s one thing I like less than boats it’s being brutally murdered by an outraged father.' “You’re not good on land,” Snorri retorted. My swimming might accurately be described as drowning sideways. Tuttugu appeared to share some of my reservations but at least like a walrus he had his bulk to keep him warm and to add buoyancy. The moon broke from behind a cloudbank, lighting the ocean swell with glimmers and making white bands of the breaking waves. While the others prepared themselves I watched the sea with my usual silent loathing. I've continued to aim at a dark fantasy tale with heart to it, leavened by the humour our point-of-view character introduces. This is my longest book to date, just over twice the word-count of Prince of Thorns, and I had a lot of fun writing it.

That Lawrence guy writes just like I would if I could be bothered.

There are occasional forays into computer games too. Now his time is really just divided between writing and caring for his disabled daughter. Mark used to have a list of hobbies back when he did science by day. At one point he was qualified to say 'this isn't rocket science. He has held secret level clearance with both US and UK governments. Before becoming a fulltime writer in 2015 day job was as a research scientist focused on various rather intractable problems in the field of artificial intelligence. Mark Lawrence is married with four children, one of whom is severely disabled.

The Liar's Key by Mark Lawrence