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    The Liar's Key
    The Liar's Key
    The Liar's Key
    Audiobook20 hours

    The Liar's Key

    Written by Mark Lawrence

    Narrated by Tim Gerard Reynolds

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Prince of Fools, The Red Queen's War: Book One had all "the hallmarks of [Mark Lawrence's] storytelling and writing style which made The Broken Empire trilogy such an incredibly addictive read". Now, The Liar's Key continues the story of the unusual fellowship between a rogue prince and a weary warrior. After harrowing adventure and near-death, Prince Jalan Kendeth and the Viking Snorri ver Snagason find themselves in possession of Loki's Key, an artefact capable of opening any door, and sought by the most dangerous beings in the Broken Empire-including The Dead King. Jal wants only to return home to his wine, women, and song, but Snorri has his own purpose for the key: to find the very door into death, throw it wide, and bring his family back into the land of the living. And as Snorri prepares for his quest to find death's door, Jal's grandmother, the Red Queen continues to manipulate kings and pawns towards an endgame of her own design.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateJun 2, 2015
    ISBN9781490684291
    The Liar's Key
    Author

    Mark Lawrence

    Mark Lawrence is married with four children, one of whom is severely disabled. His day job is as a research scientist focused on various rather intractable problems in the field of artificial intelligence. Between work and caring for his disabled child, Mark spends his time writing, playing computer games, tending an allotment, brewing beer, and avoiding DIY.

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    Reviews for The Liar's Key

    4.5/5

    170 ratings12 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Jalan and Snorri have Loki's key and are headed south, Jal to Vermillion where wine, women, and wagering await while Snorri wants to open the gates to Hel to find his dead family. I can't say enough about how much I love this story and Mark Lawrence's writing. In my opinion, most second books of a fantasy trilogy are padded with repetition and fluff while the characters wander around. There's seldom a real need in the story that couldn't be put into two books. And when I saw that The Liar's Key was over 600 pages, I was actually dreading the read despite loving the other books by Mr. Lawrence that I've read so far. I was so wrong. He has the knack for keeping the storyline moving along without bloat or aimless roaming around. Although Snorri and Jalan pick up (and lose) companions along the way, this is still a buddy story, a really good story about friendship. The only section I found a bit slow was when the two separated for a while, but it wasn't for long. I like how the backstory is integrated through flashbacks due to Kara's spell. It's a good way to find out about the Red Queen and her siblings and the greater world politics, just as Jalan does. And that ending - well, no spoilers but I laughed, convinced that Jalan was totally headed in the opposite direction. Wonderful fantasy with terrific worldbuilding and characters, I can't wait to read the next book in the series.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed this book. Both the world building and character development were very good. I enjoyed the flashback scenes that showed the Red Queen when she was younger, and I also enjoyed the growth of Jarlan and Snorri's friendship. I love how even though Jarlan is starting to do more heroic things, he still thinks like a coward and oftentimes doesn't want to do most of the things he's doing.

      I'm really looking forward to the final book in the series. If the quality is as good as this one, this series may be better than the Broken Empire, for me at least.
    • 4/5
      Better than the first this was an interesting read with the anti-hero Jalan finding himself having to behave in ways that go against his wine, women and wagering life. He accompanies Snorri on his quest to go the underworld and see his family. Snorri has a one-track mind and is not afraid to keep going even though the odds are heavily against him.I found it interesting but not compelling, I could put it down easily (except for the last 10 or so pages), but it did keep me reading, I just wasn't as engaged as I like to be by a story or characters.
    • 4/5
      The Liar’s Key is second book in The Red Queen’s War series by Mark Lawrence. Kudos to Mark Lawrence for beginning this book with a nice refresher on the first book of this series in a short yet concise manner. It did bring something new to light for me. I fully understood that Snorri, being a Viking and all, was from Norway, but for some unknown reason I did not cop on that Jalan’s home in Red March was in Northern Italy. I have to say that I feel really stupid, but not once reading the first book did I grasp this. Thanks for enlightening me Mark!The twist at the end of the first book left Jalan and Snorri bound together under the Silent Sister’s spell, however they have exchanged light and dark spirits now. Jalan is now haunted by the dark spirit, Aslaug. Snorri is now haunted by the light spirit, Baraqel. The spirits whisper at them and still try to induce suspicion of the other’s motives.As we rejoin Jalan, he is holed up in the northern town of Trond with Snorri and Tuttugu. After nearly losing their lives at the Black Fort, they have recovered and are waiting for winter to recede so they can resume their travel. Snorri is in possession of Loki’s Key, a magical key to open any lock. Snorri hopes that it will gain him entry to death’s door, in order retrieve his dead wife and children and bring them back. He wants Jalan to continue on the journey with him but Jalan is yearning to go home and resume his life. This is the first hint that his progress toward maturity has not been hastened. He spends most of his time longing for his princely days when he could drink, gamble and chase women to his heart’s content. Yet Jalan hasn't stayed completely out of action just because he's not yet home, and soon his antics catch up with him and he finds himself fleeing Trond in a boat with Snorri and the ever-loyal Tuttugu. Snorri's quest to find death’s door leads them confer with the ice witch Skilfar, who offers up her new apprentice, Kara as a companion on their journey. Old secrets are revealed through the blood magic that Kara works on Jalan. This blood magic brings on a series of intriguing flashbacks in which we learn some of Jalan’s family history such as how the Red Queen became the iron queen feared across the south, more about her siblings and answers to how Jalan’s mother died. In a brief separation from his companions, Jalan does make his way home, but nothing is as it was when he left. His expectations are dashed and he is happy to leave again on an assignment for his uncle, Garyus. Again we get a deeper understanding of the world Jalan lives in as he travels to a new city and enters the merchant banking world where of course, more trouble awaits. Jalan eventually finds himself reunited with his travel companions and once again caught up in Snorri's quest to find the portal to the underworld. Through it all they are pursued by the Dead King’s minion, Edris Dean and his necromancers, who wish to gain possession of Loki’s Key for their own dark and deadly purposes.At the end of Prince of Fools, I felt that Jalan Kendeth was the epitome of the anti-hero, progressing to a full-fledged hero, much to his chagrin. This may be a bit slower coming to fruition than I had anticipated! Jalan has stayed true to character and he is quite the character! Funny as hell! I could quote Jalan all day long, but since I was sent the ARC I won't. Still the question lingers...who is the real Jalan Kendeth? Is he the vain, immature, avaricious and cowardly ne'er-do- well, leave-'em-in-the-dust-and-run guy that you can't stand? Or is he that goofball friend who never appears serious, but will have your back in a pinch and fight by your side for what's good and right? Jal does his best to avoid responsibility and has convinced himself that he is a coward of the highest form, but some of his actions speak louder than words. Despite myself I think I like him!Overall, this is a great second book in the series. The story grew by leaps and bounds and the character development and world building was fascinating. I certainly look forward to The Wheel of Osheim!I want to thank the publisher (Berkley Publishing Group) for providing me with the ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.
    • 5/5
      Lawrence's best yet. insert sixth star.
    • 4/5
      This is the second book in the Red Queen's War series--a little bit slower than the first book, but still enjoyable. Jalen is still pretty much of a cad and coward compared to the normal fantasy hero, his friend Snorri the Viking. They're again tied together on a quest at the start of the book, still much against Jalen's wishes. We get some flashbacks to see by Jalen is the way he is and we also see his quite amazing grandmother, the Red Queen, when she was much younger and you can see why all her children and grandchildren must be such a disappointment to her. Quite a redoubtable lady. Great ending.
    • 3/5

      My least favourite Lawrence book since the Prince of Thorns (I was not a fan, but enjoyed the rest of the series).

      In this book we're treated to an extended travelogue which seems to add very little to the story. I like the flashbacks, but the ""current time"" story is plodding for most of the book.


    • 4/5
      Well, I am a big fan of Mark Lawrence writing and I give it a 4 star as I cannot think of a lower rate for his work.I definitely like Jalan more than Jorg as Jorg was a determined dark character although lovely but Jalan is honest coward always struggling to betray friend to win over dark either light. But in this new book I couldn't find the grip which there was in previous books of him.I'm waiting for the third book to be surprised again by twist of Mark Lawrence stories.
    • 5/5
      Best Mark Lawrence book to date! Couldn't put it down. His main characters are always so much more interesting than the straight-laced "I'm going to go save the fair maiden"-types you so often see in most fantasy novels. Personally, I also find PRINCE Jal is much more likable than Jorg was in the first series. When I started Prince of Fools, I was worried that they would end up being basically the same, but was pleasantly surprised (especially in Liar's Key) to see just how different (yet still lovably despicable in his own right) Jal has turned out to be.
    • 5/5
      You know when you spend a silly amount of time setting the mood for someone that is special to you. You experiment with the lighting to make sure it is just perfect, maybe light a candle so the room fills with the luscious scents of vanilla and coconut and then you put some music on and pour a drink and settle into your favourite chair. Sound familiar?

      I did all that before sitting down to read The Liar’s Key. I know it’s a bit bonkers but that’s what you do when you’ve been anticipating something special for a long time and I wanted to do the equivalent of taking this book out for a nice meal so it got its due appreciation.

      So I’m in my chair and I’ve got a mylar backing on the cover so my filthy human hands wont desecrate the wondrous pages before me and I open up my book.

      Firstly, Mark has taken the wonderful, if unusual, step of including a few bullet points at the start to bring us up to speed. All the important bits and pieces are covered so that those that have read 20 fantasy books involving men on a mission since Prince of Fools came out needn’t worry about mixing up any facts. High five.

      How I missed Jalan and Snorri. There was an immediate sense of comfort stepping back into Jalan’s hilarious, self-deprecating, internal monologue. He rarely takes things too seriously or too personally, even when caught in a four-way love mess, and when he is inevitably beaned with a stool, he still traipses around with an ‘I probably should have seen that coming’ attitude. This light hearted approach is so endearing and also allows him to get away with saying and doing some incredibly dodgy stuff because the reader knows he approaches both sides of the coin in the same manner and prides himself on his ability to see the grey in all situations.

      “I’m not one for murder. But if a whole bunch of my cousins fell off a cliff I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it.”

      This is not say he is this casual with the prospect of death all the time, especially his own. He flirts with unknown feelings of concern for someone weaker than himself then prides himself on his ability to outrun that person in a dangerous situation. You never know what you’re going to get with Jalan but I feel like I know what we’ll get in the end.

      “The boy started to throw stones out into the water, as boys do…A few moments later I picked up a loose stone and lobbed it over Hannan’s head, out across the lake. The question was never if I would throw a stone, just when.”

      Jalan is just a boy and sees himself as such, even when it becomes clear that he may have incredible potential whether earned or ordained. Yes he sees himself as a Prince too and believes he is entitled to almost anything he wants but he has no grand designs on taking over the world and would be quite happy with a big pile of money and women and drink to spend it on. One might say that having fairly base desires allows him to see the lighter side of life and it’s something that Snorri, having experienced so much of the darker side, needs; to keep him human.

      “The breaking of day changes all things, Snorri. Nothing endures beyond the count of the sun. Pile a sufficient weight of mornings upon a thing and it will change. Even the rocks themselves will not outlast the morning.”

      Mark has also given Jalan a natural affinity with horses. It’s not a necessary gift but one that bestows upon him something special. Horses are the most noble of animals and if, as a race, they seem to trust Jalan, and he them, it says an extraordinary amount about his inner character, something perhaps a beast can sense better than most men can see.

      The magical link the binds Jalan and Snorri has weakened somewhat with the passing of time but not enough to allow them to completely separate and as the Viking heads out on his quest to find Death’s door and free his family from its cold embrace, Jalan is compelled to follow. Jalan is also now dealing with the machinations of Aslaug as the dark side of the force looks to corrupt him, his trust with Snorri and the objectives of their mission.

      “Don’t trust the light Prince Jalan. The stars are pretty but the space between them is infinite and black with promise.”

      Jalan is so vivid and completely realised I often found myself wondering how he would fair in other books and series. Whilst he’d be expelled and wind up a career money lender in the world of Rothfuss, I don’t think he could last long in the world of Abercrombie, some named man would chop his head off after about 20 seconds before he had time to go beserker. He could easily exist in the Game of Thrones and would be an interesting alternative to pretty much every other blonde in the series. The thought of Jalan, Tyrion and Bronn going on a quest of some sort would be an R rated example I think we’d all love to see, particularly because it seems they get all the best lines.

      “Every fortune teller I ever met was a faker. First thing you should do to a soothsayer is poke them in the eye and say, ‘didn’t see that coming did you?”

      Snorri is a bit like a slow moving freight train. There is no huge character development because Snorri has done all that. He knows who and what he is and like a force of nature moves through the world in a different way than most men. We are also introduced to Kara, witch in training and Hennen, future decent human being, who join the group on the quest to find Hell’s door. They are fun and interesting and provide Jalan with some different things to bounce off which is handy considering the brick wall of focus that Snorri is.

      In terms of dialogue and exposition Lawrence has a masterful turn of phrase turning the mundane into the majestic with every paragraph littered with quotable tidbits.

      “I couldn’t find it in myself to be sorry for the plight of the persecuted troll. Maybe if they were more fluffy.”

      The hardest part about reading this book is that you will feel compelled to spend much of your time rereading passages simply to let the words wash over you again and again. You will laugh constantly at Jalan’s internal musings, cheekiness and irrepressible attempts at charm just as often as you will nod quietly in agreement upon hearing Snorri’s wisdom or find yourself smile softly at yet another of Tuttugu’s display of friendship and loyalty.

      Flush with rich and memorable characters it is fantastic to finally see some of the guts of The Red Queen as being one of them. It’s her war after all and I don’t remember much of her in The Prince of Fools at all so seeing some of her origins and how she forged her reputation really adds a great deal of context. We also get more of Lady Blue, Jalan’s family and see a great deal of the Broken Empire itself. Perhaps it’s the difference in overall tone but I feel I absorb and take in more of the world seeing it through Jalan’s eyes as opposed to Jorg’s. It’s not quite as dark and heavy and where it approaches those limits we are invariably treated to Lawrence’s wry and wicked sharp sense of humour to keep the shadows at bay, a little more so than in the Thorns series.

      Lawrence has done it again, providing his fans with a dark and inescapably fun ride. Prepare to lurch from laugh out loud hilarity to gut wrenching sadness, from casual disregard for fellow human beings to witnessing sacrifices that will break your heart as Mark gives us a perfect second book that, just like Jalan, is far more faceted that most. I’m already looking forward to starting it again.
    • 5/5
      Prince Jalen and Snorri continue on their adventure along with Tuttugu have obtained Loki's key, a key that will open all doors and which will open a door to Hel so that Snorri can be reunited with his dead wife and children. Jalen doesn't think this is the best of ideas but he goes along with it for the time being. Jal is a rogue, mostly interested in women, gambling, and drink, and is resisting all attempts to grow into a real prince. He is tenth in line for the throne which could be closer than he thinks if things keep going on the way they are. Snorri is a huge man, fiercely loyal and kind of takes Jal under his wing in the absence of his real son. He and Tuttugu and the last of their clan.For the most part of the book they travel north, back up to his home of Vermillion, back to comfortable beds and plentiful wine. Jal and Snorri are both visited each day by angels. Snorri's is a male spirit name Baraqel and Jal's is a female spirit named Aslaug. They both whisper to their humans that their lives would be easier without the other but both humans resist. Snorri and Jal are joined by a curse by Jal's great-aunt, the Silent Sister. When they are touch or are too far apart they feel it.Something I did not notice as much in the first book (maybe because I listened to it instead of reading it) is the hint of a previous world. There are mentions of the Builders, poured stone (concrete) and the Day of a Thousand Suns. I find it odd/intriguing/bizarre that they have little recall of these events but close and intimate recall of theologies, both Norse and Christian.The one thing I found a little off-putting about this book is the number of times Jalen emptied his stomach, whether it be because of a hangover or seasickness. Luckily that evened out about half way through the book.I love this series and look forward to more adventures with these guys.
    • 5/5
      It’s official; The Liar’s Key is probably my favorite work by Mark Lawrence to date, surpassing even my love for the entire Broken Empire trilogy. It’s also stronger than its predecessor Prince of Fools, which I rated highly as well, but I was never able to shake the feeling that the first book of Prince Jalan’s adventures was still missing a little something – it didn’t read as fluidly as it could have, perhaps. However, The Liar’s Key charges out the gate at full speed and never once does it falter. Chalk it up to the story finding its stride in the second book, but I found this one went a lot more smoothly.The story picks up again in the port town of Trond, where Jalan and the two Vikings Snorri and Tuttugu have spent the winter after their harrowing journey to the Black Fort. But as the ice retreats, Snorri grows restless to be on the move again, driven by his personal mission to bring his slain wife and children back to the world of the living. He holds Loki’s Key, a magical key said to have the power to open any lock – even the one on death’s door.But such a powerful item attracts its fair share of attention. Others seek Loki’s Key, including the Dead King, agent of the Lady Blue who has sent her assassins, necromancers and armies of undead to dog Jalan and his companions every step of the way in her war against the Red Queen, Jalan’s indomitable grandmother. In this field full of power players, Jalan and Snorri suspect that the two of them are merely lowly pawns on a game board, yet they do what they must, even if it means heading knowingly into danger. Consequently, I watched as the story barreled forth with both the inevitability and heart-stopping rush of a runaway tank. I could not peel my eyes away. As our adventurers travel south towards their goal, they pick up two more companions – a witch named Kara and an orphan boy named Hennan – to complete their party and join the quest. Their motivations range from ambition to loyalty, with the exception of Jalan, who was unwillingly bound to Snorri’s fate since the very beginning (even as he keeps telling himself he’s only along for the ride to escape massive gambling debts and the legions of angry brothers, fathers, and husbands of the women he’s bedded back home). Many reviews have contrasted Jalan to Jorg Ancrath, the protagonist of Mark Lawrence’s Broken Empire trilogy, stating that the two of them are completely different. That’s because they really are, but in this book, I began to see some similarities, not least of all is that fact they are actually both quite disgusting and despicable human beings, just in different ways. That didn’t stop me from enjoying Jalan’s character though, embracing him in a way that I never managed with Jorg. Prince of Fools was an aptly named first novel because Jal is a fool indeed, albeit a very charming, lovable one. He’s the best kind of protagonist; for all his unsportsmanlike behaviors, Jalan’s internal dialogue provides an endless amount of entertainment. This series maintains its much lighter, more humorous tone because of it. At first, I was convinced that Jal wasn’t going to change, that he would remain the kind of rakish, dandy self-serving cad who would throw a woman into the path of an angry horde or use a child as a human shield (both of which he considered doing in the course of this story. Seriously, I never want to find myself in a position where I’d have to depend on someone like him to have my back). But Lawrence is a master of characterization. We do get to see growth in Jalan, a gradual and thoughtful journey that sees him maturing and growing more courageous (well, to a point, of course – this is Jal we’re talking about). We witness a change in Snorri at the same time as well, though he’s lost a bit of his fire in his case, burdened by what happened to his family and the knowledge of what he must do. I found a great irony in this, since the Viking is the light-sworn one where Jalan is the dark, and yet we see the prince become enlightened while the Viking retreats into his gloom. Regardless of how I took to these changes, I was amazed to me to see how incredibly well these two characters evolved, and yet they still continue to play off each other very well. Bringing Tuttugu, Kara and Hennan into the fold did nothing to throw off the momentum, and instead added a boatload of new and exciting dynamics.The Liar’s Key is the kind of sequel every reader dreams about. The story is riveting and superbly well-constructed, just one reason why Mark Lawrence’s writing is such a force to be reckoned with. A pure blend of dark magic and adventure, this book launches Jalan’s saga to a whole new level. It unlocks a whole slew of secrets from his past, raising the stakes for everyone involved. Perhaps my only quibble is the ending and how fast we blew through it, but that’s not even really a true quibble because even now I suspect I only felt this way because I was enjoying myself so much I didn’t want it to be over. I have to say I felt that cruel cliffhanger like a punch in the gut, but now I simply cannot wait until the third book comes out.