Uploaded January 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Welcome back! Today we’re discussing the Shattered Seas trilogy by Joe Abercrombie, as part of our monthly theme of Young Adult books.

This is a Viking fantasy, inspired by Scandinavian culture and mythos. It’s a high seas adventure with a world full of secrets.

Yet most curious of all is the blending of genre. This series is Young Adult and Grimdark, two things that don’t usually go together, but actually work really well. We have the coming of age story of young adult, combined with the harsh realities of life, as shown in grimdark.

This series is also a great introduction to the grimdark genre. Let’s see if it’s right for you.

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00:00 Intro
01:26 The Concept
02:12 Worldbuilding
03:50 Plotlines and Protagonists
05:12 Half a King
06:38 Half the World
08:04 Half a War
09:22 The Grimdark Angle
14:12 Subverting Expectations
16:35 Representation
17:46 Content Warning
18:13 Is the Ending worth it?
19:30 How much should you try?
19:47 Updates