# Shattered Sea

Shattered Sea is a young adult fantasy series written by the British author Joe Abercrombie. The trilogy was published by Del Rey in the United States and Harper Voyager in the UK.

## Novels

The trilogy :
| # | Title | Pages | UK release | UK hardback ISBN |
| 1 | Half a King | 384 | 3 July 2014 | ISBN 978-0007550203 |
| 2 | Half the World | 496 | 15 February 2015 | ISBN 978-0007550234 |
| 3 | Half a War | 512 | 16 July 2015 | ISBN 978-0007550265 |

## Plot
### Half a King

King Uthrik of Gettland and his eldest son are killed by soldiers from Vansterland. Prince Yarvi becomes king. Yarvi was training to be a King's minister under the tutelage of Mother Gundring. However, he has a malformed hand and is considered to be a weak ruler. His mother Leithlin is a brilliant economist; many believe that she would be the true power behind the throne. Yarvi is betrothed to Isriun, his cousin and the fiancée of his dead brother, to shore up his political station. Yarvi makes an oath to the gods to kill the murderers of his father and brother. While on a raid against the Vanstermen who killed his father, Yarvi is betrayed by his uncle Odem, who usurps the crown. He escapes assassination by Odem’s men, but is captured by Vanstermen and taken as a slave.
Yarvi is sold to the ship “The South Wind” as an oar slave, despite his crippled hand. When captain Ebdel Aric Shadikshirram leaves the ship, Yarvi and the other slaves revolt. The ship sinks, and a group of survivors reaches land. Yarvi’s companions include Nobody, a warrior; and Sumael, the ship’s navigator; and Ankran, another crewmate. Together, they travel back to Gettland. Shadikshirram and her surviving soldiers pursue them, but Yarvi kills her in combat. Ankran is also killed. As they are recovering from this fight, Yarvi and his surviving companions are captured by Vanstermen. Yarvi reveals his identity and promises to make Gettland a vassal state of Vansterland in exchange for passage home.
In Gettland, Odem is trying to get rid of Leithlin by marrying her to the High King, but she is delaying. Yarvi and his companions enter the palace. The swordsman Nobody is revealed to be Uthil, Odem's and Uthrik's older brother who had previously been captured by slavers. Uthil and Odem fight; Yarvi kills Odem. Uthil becomes king. Yarvi gives up his claim to the throne in exchange for forgiveness for his earlier actions. Yarvi frees Ankran's wife, Safrit, and his son, Koll, from a slaver. Meanwhile, Isriun swears revenge against Yarvi and the whole of Gettland.
Yarvi realizes that Mother Gundring and Odem had conspired with the High King and his minister Grandmother Wexen. The High King was afraid that Leithlin’s economic policies would take wealth from him. Therefore, Grandmother Wexen contrived to have Uthrik murdered and marry Leithlin to the High King. Yarvi poisons Mother Gundring and takes her place as minister to King Uthil.

### Half the World

Thorn Bathu hopes to become the first female warrior of Gettland in living memory. During a training exercise, she accidentally kills a fellow trainee and is named a murderer. Brand, another young warrior, intercedes on her behalf to Father Yarvi. Yarvi pardons Thorn, and she accompanies him to meet the High King. In the meeting, Grandmother Wexen and Yarvi spar verbally. Isriun is also there, having become a minister. Meanwhile, King Uthil of Gettland organizes a raid in defiance of the High King’s orders.
Yarvi travels with Brand, Thorn, and a host of warriors to seek out allies for Gettland in the political conflict with the High King and Grandmother Wexen. Thorn is trained in combat by Skifr, a woman who steals elf relics for a living. As Thorn and Brand journey across the world, their mutual dislike slowly grows into friendship. They are interested in each other romantically, but a misunderstanding shatters their friendship.
The crew journeys south to the Empire of the South, only to find that its empress has died and the city is in the midst of a succession crisis. Thorn saves the new empress Vialine from an assassination attempt, which allows Gettland to form an alliance with the Empire.
The crew returns to Gettland. Brand’s sister Rin confronts Thorn over the falling out. Thorn realizes that she has made a mistake and reconciles with Brand. They make love. Thorn becomes the chosen shield of Queen Leithlin. Brand is given the opportunity to become a warrior of Gettland, but as he doubts the morality of war, he declines.
Under orders from his minister Mother Isriun, King Grom-gil-Gorm of Vansterland challenges King Uthil of Gettland to single combat. Despite his poor health, Uthil accepts. Yarvi tries to avert war, as even a victory will weaken Gettland substantially. As Leithlin’s chosen shield, Thorn stands for Uthil and fights Grom in single combat. Grom barely defeats her, but spares her life. Gorm decides to defy Grandmother Wexen and forge an alliance with Gettland against the High King. Mother Isriun is sold a slave.
Brand learns that Yarvi poisoned Uthil in order to manipulate the duel between Grom and Thorn. Yarvi administers the antidote to Uthil, who recovers. Thorn begins training girls for war with the High King.

### Half a War

Bright Yilling, the champion of Grandmother Wexen, conquers Throvenland and kills King Fynn, and ally to Uthil and From. King Fynn's granddaughter Skara escapes to Gettland. She pleads with Uthil and Grom to retake Bail's Point, a strategic fortress in Throvenland. Grom lends his swordbearer Raith to Skara as a servant, hoping to plant a spy in her court. Unplanned, they start to fall in love.
The alliance between Throvenland, Gettland, and Vansterland succeeds in retaking Bail's Point. Grom proposes marriage to Skara and she accepts for political reasons. Father Yarvi and his apprentice Koll reunite with Skifr, who tells them that Grandmother Wexen killed her family. Koll is torn between his desire to become a minister and his relationship with Brand's sister Rin. In Bail's Point, Bright Yilling kills Uthil in a duel and reveals that there is a traitor from Gettland who feeds him informations.
Yilling's forces sack Thorlby, Gettland's capital, and kill Brand. Father Yarvi, Koll, and Skifr enter the forbidden elf-city of Strokom and steal weapons. With elf-weapons, they kill Bright Yilling and defeat his army. Before he dies, Yilling reveals to Skara the traitor's name. Gettland's and Vansterland's army conquer Skekenhouse, the High King's capital. Father Yarvi kills Grandmother Wexen, finally fulfilling his oath. The High King is found dead, and Grom is set to replace him as the new High King. Raith poisons Grom-gil-Gorm, who dies before marrying Skara and ascending the throne.
Despite being in love with him, Skara breaks up with Raith and secretly aborts their unborn baby. Raith leaves with Thorn for the Empire of the South. Yarvi, now the head of the ministry, attempts to annex Throvenland and marry Skara to his younger half-brother. Skara rebuffs him, and it is revealed that Yarvi was the traitor. (He betrayed the alliance in order to ensure that Gettland would never sue for peace and threaten his desire for vengeance against the High King and Grandmother Wexen.) Skara blackmails Yarvi and asserts Throvenland's indepdencence. Yarvi is left powerful but guilt-ridden. Koll abandons Yarvi and the ministry, choosing to stay with Rin in Queen Skara's service.

## Setting

The map of the Shattered Sea tallies closely with that of the current day Baltic Sea, the main three countries of the book, Gettland, Vansterland and Throvenland seem to make up most of what is a modern-day Sweden.

## Reception

Book 1
Ryan Lawler and Jo Fitzpatrick of Fantasy Book Review both gave the novel a rating of 9.5/10. Lawler notes that "this is not just a story for teenagers" despite being marketed as young adult literature. Fitzpatrick praised Yarvi's character development from a "weakling" into a strong leader.
Book 2
Publishers Weekly called the novel "a splendid second installment" and wrote that Abercrombie "has a knack for building characters with pathos and wit."
Book 3
Luke Brown of SFF World wrote that the final novel in the trilogy is "the book in the trilogy most like previous Abercrombie novels." Brown wrote that "I enjoyed it immensely" while still feeling that it was weaker than the previous two installments and somewhat predictable.