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Savages
An unnamed man wakes to find himself facing the loss of everything that matters most to him. Against all odds, he escapes with his life and heads out into the turbulence of the wider world, recreating himself, step by step, as he goes along.
That wider world is dominated by an empire that has existed for decades in a state of near perpetual war. A host of colorful characters will help to shape the destiny of the empire, and its constantly shifting array of allies and adversaries; among them, a master military strategist, a former pacifist who inherits his father’s moribund arms business, a beautiful forger and a very lucky counterfeiter. Each of them, together with corrupt bureaucrats and the nomadic 'savages' of the title, plays a part in a gradually unfolding drama of conflict and conquest played for the highest of stakes.
A story of war, politics, intrigue, deception, and survival, Savages is a hugely ambitious, convincingly detailed novel that is impossible to set aside. Filled with schemes, counter-schemes, sudden reversals of fortune, and brilliantly described accounts of complex military encounters, it is, by any measure, an extraordinary entertainment, the work of a writer whose ambition, range, and sheer narrative power have never been more thoroughly on display.
That wider world is dominated by an empire that has existed for decades in a state of near perpetual war. A host of colorful characters will help to shape the destiny of the empire, and its constantly shifting array of allies and adversaries; among them, a master military strategist, a former pacifist who inherits his father’s moribund arms business, a beautiful forger and a very lucky counterfeiter. Each of them, together with corrupt bureaucrats and the nomadic 'savages' of the title, plays a part in a gradually unfolding drama of conflict and conquest played for the highest of stakes.
A story of war, politics, intrigue, deception, and survival, Savages is a hugely ambitious, convincingly detailed novel that is impossible to set aside. Filled with schemes, counter-schemes, sudden reversals of fortune, and brilliantly described accounts of complex military encounters, it is, by any measure, an extraordinary entertainment, the work of a writer whose ambition, range, and sheer narrative power have never been more thoroughly on display.
388 pages, Hardcover
First published July 5, 2015
22 people are currently reading
861 people want to read
About the author
K.J. Parker
134 books1,679 followersK.J. Parker is a pseudonym for Tom Holt.
According to the biographical notes in some of Parker's books, Parker has previously worked in law, journalism, and numismatics, and now writes and makes things out of wood and metal. It is also claimed that Parker is married to a solicitor and now lives in southern England. According to an autobiographical note, Parker was raised in rural Vermont, a lifestyle which influenced Parker's work.
According to the biographical notes in some of Parker's books, Parker has previously worked in law, journalism, and numismatics, and now writes and makes things out of wood and metal. It is also claimed that Parker is married to a solicitor and now lives in southern England. According to an autobiographical note, Parker was raised in rural Vermont, a lifestyle which influenced Parker's work.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
September 21, 2015
I can hardly call myself an objective reviewer of the works of K J Parker. I have been a fan of (I can now say) 'his' work since I picked up a random title in a Paris bookshop, mostly because it featured an engineer and it promised to be a fantasy setting. Since then I have read all the novels, and I have yet to be disappointed in any of the stories and characters proposed. (I haven't tried the novellas yet, but I have bought this year the Academic Exercises collection, and so pretty soon I will really brag about reading everything by Parker).
What is the attraction that makes me buy the stuff on publication day? What is so special about these stories? There is no easy answer, but I believe the closest I can come up with is that they are challenging, asking me to forget about facile escapism into lands of magic and wonder and think seriously about how, for example, new technological advances are a prime factor in starting wars, how good intentions can lead to catastrophic consequences, how life is a deadly struggle where the weak are almost never saved in the nick of time by a flock of huge talking eagles, how freedom cannot be separated from economic necessities and how family relations, love most of all, can ruin the most carefully drawn plans.
Reading so many of the Parker novels, I have become familiar with many of his favorite themes and type of characters. These are surprisingly consistent from one book to the next, sharing not only an apparently congruent secondary world setting, but a continuity of ethical and strategic thinking. Two of his signature moves are:
- the quasi-universal absence of magic in his world building and the focus on technology, often in excruciatingly painful details for the less mechanical trained reader. Parker's anti-heroes have only themselves or Blind Chance to blame for the troubles they experience, and neither prayers to their favorite deity nor powerful spells from ancient tomes will get them out of those fixes.
- the shocking turns in the fate of the lead characters, none of whom are safe from defeat in battle, from bankruptcy or betrayals in love and politics. You never know what to expect in one of his yarns, not even two pages from the end of the book. There's always one more ace hidden up the sleeve of the master dissimulator, one more sleight of hand that will turn everything that went on before on its tail.
I have written this long introduction because I have a pet theory about why Tom Holt finally decided to fess up to being K J Parker. Maybe I'm exaggerating, but I think the previous books were written in preparation of this grand epic moment in "Savages" (some sort of 'academic' exercises), that he felt ready to take his game up to a higher level, and that he is deservedly proud of the result and is no longer content with the alter ego.
It's not enough to say that this last novel is his best one yet, or that the previous ones were somehow lacking, but I feel that the ideas, the style of presentation, the control of the plot have matured into a better balance between trivial industrial details and active developments, into a clearer exposition of motivations and rationalizations of evil deeds. Much more than previous offerings, "Savages" is dialogue driven, and the pacing feels livelier, showcasing a droll, bitter sense of humour that is a combination of pomp, circumstance and deadpan sarcasm.
Speaking of humour, I confess that I am not really impressed either way by the revelation of the secret identity of Parker. A slight disappointment that the author is not of the feminine persuasion, as was hinted in some blogs, is coupled with a failed and isolated attempt to read a Tom Holt comedy book, many years ago. It's possible that my choice was poor, or that it caught me in a bad mood, but I thought "Expecting Someone Taller" was infantile in humour and mediocre in style. It had some good jokes, but it is one of the very, very few novels that I started and did not finish. This translates into the fact that K J Parker is more real to me than Tom Holt, if you can claim to know an author though his writing. I might give the Holt novels another chance, but I don't have any idea were to start.
All fine and dandy, you might say, but when are you going to tell us what the damn present book is all about?
Well, it's about the age old conflict between civilization and barbarians. Think about the Fall of the Roman Empire and you might have a starting point for the tale. Then scrap what you think you know about history, and look closer at what we call 'civilized' and what we call 'savages'.
The story opens with a moment of savagery of the kind that made George R R Martin world famous and a synonym for bloodbath. A middle aged man is born again in the moment when he loses everything to a rival : his farm, his family, his identity. He is freed of all that concerned him before, and he sets out in the world without a name, without a purpose, living like an animal in the wild. How much is worth civilization if it can be taken away in a second by a band of thugs with swords and torches?
Well, birth is always messy.
Let's leave this man alone in the forest for now ( The thing about being perfectly free, he's discovered in the forest - the keynote, the dominant quality of freedom - is that you're always hungry. Getting food is all you think about and all you do, and it's never ever enough. ), and teleport to the main event - a young conscientious lieutenant is goaded by his fellow officers into a visit to a bordello, where he gets to have his future read by a seer:
"You won't become emperor, but that'll be your choice. You will rule the empire, but on behalf of someone else. You'll win all your battles except one, and you'll save the empire from being exterminated nine times. You'll always try and do the right thing, you'll mostly succeed, but in the end your actions will turn out badly, and you'll end up a bitter, disappointed man. You'll do a great deal of good, but on the balance it would've been better for everyone if you'd never been born"
Oops, someone forgot to tip the gipsy in advance and she came up with quite a handful of bad omens.
Or is she for real?
Prophecy is a great tool in the hands of a talented writer for offering us a sneak peek at what we're in for. Unfortunately, it's been used and abused for so many years, that I feel my hackles rise automatically every time a get a whiff of it. Don't panic! Parker knows how to deploy it ironically, a fact made aboundantly clear later on, when a gang of crooks set out to write their own version of the famous Codex Synergicus , a parody of the pompous and obscure utterings of the great Nostradamus. But I'm again digressing, there are a lot of ideas that I want to get down on paper (laptop screen) and they are climbing all over each other trying to get to the top.
Let's try again:
The end of the world began with a goat; to be precise, a nanny goat and two kids. They belonged to Rutetz, a junior elder of the Blue Flower Cosseilhatz.
This isn't actually the beginning, the goats start their rampage in the second half of the novel, but I liked the 'butterfly effect' reference, how insignificant accidents can lead to major upheavals in the fate of nations. There are a lot of nations involved in the developing (or continuing) conflict, more than enough to give me a slight headache as I tried to remember in what other previous novel did I first come across them, and what were they up to then. Such knowledge is not necessary for following the plot, but it is nevertheless personally annoying after my claim that I read all of those previous novels.
Central to the story is the Empire, and its capital, the Old Town. After almost a millenia of domination on the continent, this empire is now teetering on the brink of extinction from bad management of resources, attacks from the Sashan - a rival neighbouring kingdom - and internal struggles. The current emperor, Sechimer the First, reluctantly got the job by terminating his predecesor with help from Calojan - that young lieutenant in the prophecy, now a general and famed as the best strategist the empire had ever known. But even Calojan may have his work cut out for him in saving the empire from total annihilation. Like the seeress said, Calojan is not interested in the the top job, he only wants to do his duty:
Who in his right mind would be? The empire was in ruins, one battle away from being exterminated by the Sashan. The new emperor could reasonably expect a reign of about a month, and then the end of a thousand years of glorious history would for ever be his fault. Not a job you'd choose, given the choice.
In order to win his battles, Calojan has to hire mercenaries, seeing as his own troops are decimated and exhausted after long years of conflicts. These crack troops are a sort of Tartars - nomads specialized in horse mounted archery. They are called the Cosseilhatz and are part of Aram nations, together with the Chantat, the no Vei, the Senhor and the Rosinholet. These barbarians live in a state of perpetual war with each other, competing for grazing rights, for pride and for tradition. They are also under pressure from an ever bigger nomadic tribe, the Goida, who are pushing them out of their ancestral steppes and into the lands of the empire. Their culture may seem primitive from the outside, but among themselves they have a carefully stratified and conservative social structure.
There was a ceremony - there was always a ceremony, for every occasion and contingency. Nothing was ever the first time, or the last.
At the top of the ladder is the King, but his rule is subject to the approval and advice of a council of elders, who in turn rely on the support of their clans within the nation. It's complicated, especially for the young prince Chauzida who, after his father dies in the service of the empire, must learn the ropes on the go from his uncle and regent Joiauz. Their lessons in governance are some of the best sections in the book:
It's complicated, and in practice, it's all about doing the thing that'll upset the fewest people while still getting done the things that need doing.
Sometimes the things that need doing are really unpleasant, like going to war because there's no other way to survive as a nation. Most of the developments in a K J Parker novel issue from this pragmatism, from this sort of real world politics, challenging the reader to imagine what he or she will do when faced with a life or death provocation.
It's true, we are thieves. It's not a good thing to be, but I don't think we could be anything else. The Chantat and the no Vei and the Rosinholet are thieves too, and they're bigger than us. And the Goida. So, we've got to be thieves too. My uncle realised that, which is why he started this war. I can see now, he was right. Now King Raffen says we can't just be thieves, we have to be murderers as well. I think he's right, too. It's a terrible thing to have to do, but I don't think we have a choice.
So far he have the empire, their challengers the Sashan, their temporary allies the Cosseilhatz. Don't place your bets yet on the outcome, because there are a lot more players in the game: the Mezentine industrialized nation across the sea, already involved in mass production of goods and weaponry, a strong contender that you really want on your side or at least neutral. There's the Vesani Republic, a Renascentist city state where a lot of young aristocrats from the empire go for their education and come back with their heads filled with revolutionary ideas. There's the mysterious Goida who negotiate with nobody and leave only a wasteland in their wake. There's the newly discovered pastoral nation of the Selbst, some sort of Teutonic peasants who are very good at tinkering with stuff and at fighting off any who dare to infringe on their territory. They are so dirt poor, even the ruined empire looks a thousands times more tempting than the life they are living now. There's also the Sceaf and the Cure Hardy, but they are only used as a passing reference for now.
Parker uses a large canvas for his epic. The names of these nations involved in some way or another in the ultimate fate of the empire might give you an inkling of the scope of the work. But the author has a second proposition to make: the macro historical movements driven by population shifts and technological progress are as strong and as inevitable as an avalanche or a tsunami, yet the efforts of individuals are still capable of influencing the outcome (butterfly effect, remember?)
I have already introduced general Calojan, who single handedly managed not only to prolong the war against the Sashan, but to . I have introduced the young clan leader Chauzida, who may or may not trust his regent uncle to work in the best interest of the Cosseilhatz nation. There's also that nameless man lost in the forest,
Caught between these three leaders is a young man who is recalled from an easy life in a Vesani University to take over the bankrupt business of his father in the Old City, the biggest arms supplier for the empire. Aimeric de Peguilhan is the poster child of the Parker ideology of learning from necessity or go under the heavy wheels of history. He manages to stay one step ahead of failure for most of the novel, but he is like that Nemo fish swimming with the big sharks.
No, I don't suppose for one moment that what's going to happen to us will be the least bit fair. That's life, Aimeric. It's a pity they didn't teach you that at that expensive university.
His closest ally, th echurch leader of the empire, might be just using him as a pawn in a more ruthless game than he can imagine, and is not above a little of that mob style offer that you cannot refuse:
If it makes you feel any better, I take similar precautions with all my dearest and closest friends. It's so much easier to trust someone implicitly if you've got your knife pressed to his throat.
Among the people Aimeric should be careful with is Orsella Cantacusena - a former girfriend from the Vesani Republic - a master document forger who helps him rewrite the prophecies in the famous Codex Synergicus , and her apprentice, a fugitive from the empire justice and a master coin forger in his own right, named Teudel. The triangle between Orsella, Teudel and Aimeric is providing some comedy relief after the more grim events surrounding Calojan, the Cosseilhatz and the Selbst. Says Orsella:
So many people these days have a morbid obsession with the truth. Nine times out of ten no good comes of it.
The game board is set now, and the players have been named (not all, but most of them). If you want to find out how the game is played, go read the book. Anything more I say now will be a spoiler, but really : expect the unexpected!
Like almost all the other Parker novels I read, this one has an open ending. With history itself, there is no clear starting point and there is never an end to conflict. The game will be played on, maybe by different players, maybe with new rules, maybe on a new gameboard. I really hope this novel turns out to be the start of a series, and that K J Parker will return to the current board.
TL:DR Epic fantasy without magic but with a lot of battles; shades of dark grey characters and even darker tints of humor.
October 19, 2025
Паркър е майстор на историческото фентъзи и аз съм доволен, че се завърнах в неговия фантастичен свят.
Лесно разпознах Константинопол - за възхода и падението му съм чел много, но ми беше приятно да го видя през очите и перото на западняк.
Историята е добра, но героите някак не са много добре изградени - все пак, става да се прочете. Написана е на достъпен английски и върви леко.
Името на гениалния, но твърде семпъл за моя вкус генерал на Империята е Калоян, което означавало на пермийски "малко кученце". А факт е, че от нашия Калоян в ужас е треперела половин Европа, както си припомних наскоро след прочита на "Солунският чудотворец"!
Моята оценка - 3,5*.
Жалко, но и този стойностен фентъзи автор не е превеждан на български.
Цитат:
"So many people these days have a morbid obsession with the truth. Nine times out of ten no good comes of it."
Лесно разпознах Константинопол - за възхода и падението му съм чел много, но ми беше приятно да го видя през очите и перото на западняк.
Историята е добра, но героите някак не са много добре изградени - все пак, става да се прочете. Написана е на достъпен английски и върви леко.
Името на гениалния, но твърде семпъл за моя вкус генерал на Империята е Калоян, което означавало на пермийски "малко кученце". А факт е, че от нашия Калоян в ужас е треперела половин Европа, както си припомних наскоро след прочита на "Солунският чудотворец"!
Моята оценка - 3,5*.
Жалко, но и този стойностен фентъзи автор не е превеждан на български.
Цитат:
"So many people these days have a morbid obsession with the truth. Nine times out of ten no good comes of it."
May 17, 2015
finished first reread of the novel and once more the ending (while having some closure) strongly hints that this is the start of a series; even better on the reread as knowing where it goes I could appreciate the finer points; some of the best characters of the author and just a treat end to end with everything from battles to intrigue to high stakes confrontations and a clash of people, civilizations inspired from the middle ages of the Byzantine Empire (there are aspects from all of the 600-900 period as per JJ Norwich masterpiece)
finished the book and in addition to what I said earlier (see below) I will add a few more things;
- the book delivers to the end and it is (as expected) excellent; there are two puzzles though - the crucial one is that Savages doesn't look like a standalone - sure it has closure, but it clearly reads like the beginning of a series and I am really curious about that; second, while there a lot of similarities with the Heraclius period from the Byzantine history (and obviously differences too, but still..), the latter part of the novel veers towards another part of the (very rich) Byzantine history and I am really curious where it will go from there - just checked the 2nd volume from the definitive history of Byzantium by JJ Norwich (at least as emperors and such go) and while I can see a way for the ending to veer toward the second half of Heraclius reign, i also can see it moving towards a later part
- twists, turns, prophecies, remarkable characters, everything one wants in fantasy (with prophecies but no magic)
- a mixture of stuff and themes found in all the author books (at some point it was almost like a checklist - relationships - while the famed bow is missing, the less than cordial sibling relationship is still here, names/places - Perimadeia, Aram, Permia, Scheria, mezentia, Vesani republic, events/themes - the "barbarian" society of the Scavenger series, the young chief with a wider view, the famed imperial general etc) so if you are a newcomer to KJP work, this book is like a summary of the rest of his work, if you read all his work, you will enjoy all the allusions
overall top book of the year as of now - (see below my early take)
read some 150 pages and so far it is superb and what I expected; full of quotable lines, dark humor and a very intriguing storyline (a combination of the final war of the Byzantine empire against the Persians as mostly seen from the capital with intrigues and personal struggles);
just as a small taste of a scene from around where i am now:
one of the main characters, a (too talented, so got caught as his coins were actually better than the official ones) counterfeiter from the Empire who found himself a rower in a soon to be sunk ship for the Imperial Games - as there was a shortage of hanging rope due to the war and it was more efficient to execute people that way - but cleverly escapes when the ship actually sinks and later meets a friend of his, a talented academic forger from the neighboring Vesani republic (and occasional girlfriend of his and of another main character who used to be a student there) who was called by the government of the Empire to help forge the analog of the Sibylline prophecies, a copy just given to the archdeacon (patriarch) as gift by the ambassador from Mezentia (as the original was reported burned by some emperor centuries back), musing about life, fate and the difficulty of making a good living as a counterfeiter in the Republic as it kept devaluing its coins:
"...Wonderful,... if we do it, it's called forgery, ... but if the government does it, it's quantitative easing"
finished the book and in addition to what I said earlier (see below) I will add a few more things;
- the book delivers to the end and it is (as expected) excellent; there are two puzzles though - the crucial one is that Savages doesn't look like a standalone - sure it has closure, but it clearly reads like the beginning of a series and I am really curious about that; second, while there a lot of similarities with the Heraclius period from the Byzantine history (and obviously differences too, but still..), the latter part of the novel veers towards another part of the (very rich) Byzantine history and I am really curious where it will go from there - just checked the 2nd volume from the definitive history of Byzantium by JJ Norwich (at least as emperors and such go) and while I can see a way for the ending to veer toward the second half of Heraclius reign, i also can see it moving towards a later part
- twists, turns, prophecies, remarkable characters, everything one wants in fantasy (with prophecies but no magic)
- a mixture of stuff and themes found in all the author books (at some point it was almost like a checklist - relationships - while the famed bow is missing, the less than cordial sibling relationship is still here, names/places - Perimadeia, Aram, Permia, Scheria, mezentia, Vesani republic, events/themes - the "barbarian" society of the Scavenger series, the young chief with a wider view, the famed imperial general etc) so if you are a newcomer to KJP work, this book is like a summary of the rest of his work, if you read all his work, you will enjoy all the allusions
overall top book of the year as of now - (see below my early take)
read some 150 pages and so far it is superb and what I expected; full of quotable lines, dark humor and a very intriguing storyline (a combination of the final war of the Byzantine empire against the Persians as mostly seen from the capital with intrigues and personal struggles);
just as a small taste of a scene from around where i am now:
one of the main characters, a (too talented, so got caught as his coins were actually better than the official ones) counterfeiter from the Empire who found himself a rower in a soon to be sunk ship for the Imperial Games - as there was a shortage of hanging rope due to the war and it was more efficient to execute people that way - but cleverly escapes when the ship actually sinks and later meets a friend of his, a talented academic forger from the neighboring Vesani republic (and occasional girlfriend of his and of another main character who used to be a student there) who was called by the government of the Empire to help forge the analog of the Sibylline prophecies, a copy just given to the archdeacon (patriarch) as gift by the ambassador from Mezentia (as the original was reported burned by some emperor centuries back), musing about life, fate and the difficulty of making a good living as a counterfeiter in the Republic as it kept devaluing its coins:
"...Wonderful,... if we do it, it's called forgery, ... but if the government does it, it's quantitative easing"
December 12, 2022
Parker does it again. I love his standalone novels (and I liked Sharps) and this is no exception.
Less narrowly focused that Folding Knife, Hammer, and Company, this book feels like the natural evolution of the multi-POV offering he gave in Sharps (and so so much better).
His chosen hyper-focus in this one is the art of forgery (similar to The Big Score) as well as war and materiel and supply lines lol.
A fascinating tale of war, prophecy, a brilliant tactician, and the cost of what we call 'civilization'. More moral dilemmas and twisty-turneys than ever before with a ton of moving parts and so much to think about when done. What a great read!
Full review to come!
Less narrowly focused that Folding Knife, Hammer, and Company, this book feels like the natural evolution of the multi-POV offering he gave in Sharps (and so so much better).
His chosen hyper-focus in this one is the art of forgery (similar to The Big Score) as well as war and materiel and supply lines lol.
A fascinating tale of war, prophecy, a brilliant tactician, and the cost of what we call 'civilization'. More moral dilemmas and twisty-turneys than ever before with a ton of moving parts and so much to think about when done. What a great read!
Full review to come!
March 1, 2020
Parker is a master of political and social intrigue. In Savages he shows how war affects people on all sides of the conflict. It’s hilarious, dark, cynical, and brilliant.
May 8, 2017
Maybe not in the same ligue like The Engineer series because this time the action follows more characters in a short period of time but indeed we have another smart and entertaining writing.
A lot of turnovers, memorable characters and smart lines for a lot of them, and the same universe like some of the latest books, with a lot of things only hinted, made on me a quite powerfull impression...
It`s a good thing to see that the writer hasn`t lost his touch...
A lot of turnovers, memorable characters and smart lines for a lot of them, and the same universe like some of the latest books, with a lot of things only hinted, made on me a quite powerfull impression...
It`s a good thing to see that the writer hasn`t lost his touch...
October 13, 2020
Excellent. An award winning novel from 2016 although as a keen fan of the author for probably 18 months or so (!) I can vouch for it being typical of his excellent storytelling.
A sweeping tale of conflict and politics, mainly between a vaguely Middle Age Byzantium style Empire and adjacent states and tribes (the ‘savages’). Several third person POVs are used to tell the tale from the perspective of the various groups involved.
I’ve gotten used to the author often using first person storytelling to get us inside one or more lead characters but here he rather cleverly does it through quite detailed, sometimes set piece, conversations involving the protagonists. I lost count of the number of occasions where a group sit down and calmly work through their choices for a course of action, and what they truly think about their circumstances. In fact, I’m pretty sure the author is using this to show you that everyone involved, people considered by others as savages or the apparently civilised empire citizens, are not so different and all try to act pretty rationally. There are no psychopaths or megalomaniacs amongst the leaders of the various groups. More humble individuals are reasonably clever, with a good sense of self preservation and not prone to heroic acts if at all possible. No god like or evil characters here - and no magic.
Despite everyone trying to undertake the sensible, least risky, actions events conspire to lead to an epic conflict. There are battles but as is typical of the author they are not described in heroic terms but as games of chess for the generals and a confusing mess for the participants. Most people don’t really want war but what can you do?!
My description probably seems a bit cold blooded but I really did enjoy it tremendously. As is often the case the author squeezes in some wry humour and observations. For some bizarre reason it brought to mind a favourite type of meal - a three course, fixed price lunch in a small French country restaurant. Three courses would be too much in many places for lunch but in France each course is cooked just right, flavoured beautifully but with no startlingly hot spiciness or bland cooking, the portion sizes are just right so you’re not bloated at the end of the meal but your hunger is just satisfied. A perfect meal, practically done. And a glass of wine for a gentle buzz, and to aid digestion. That’s how this novel left me. Perfectly satisfied. Full but not bloated.
I’ve now also mastered the ebook options of the publisher Subterranean Press so that’s opened the door to a few more of the author’s past publications. Previously some of the author’s publications had only been available to me as limited edition hardbacks (often sold out) as in this case.
A sweeping tale of conflict and politics, mainly between a vaguely Middle Age Byzantium style Empire and adjacent states and tribes (the ‘savages’). Several third person POVs are used to tell the tale from the perspective of the various groups involved.
I’ve gotten used to the author often using first person storytelling to get us inside one or more lead characters but here he rather cleverly does it through quite detailed, sometimes set piece, conversations involving the protagonists. I lost count of the number of occasions where a group sit down and calmly work through their choices for a course of action, and what they truly think about their circumstances. In fact, I’m pretty sure the author is using this to show you that everyone involved, people considered by others as savages or the apparently civilised empire citizens, are not so different and all try to act pretty rationally. There are no psychopaths or megalomaniacs amongst the leaders of the various groups. More humble individuals are reasonably clever, with a good sense of self preservation and not prone to heroic acts if at all possible. No god like or evil characters here - and no magic.
Despite everyone trying to undertake the sensible, least risky, actions events conspire to lead to an epic conflict. There are battles but as is typical of the author they are not described in heroic terms but as games of chess for the generals and a confusing mess for the participants. Most people don’t really want war but what can you do?!
My description probably seems a bit cold blooded but I really did enjoy it tremendously. As is often the case the author squeezes in some wry humour and observations. For some bizarre reason it brought to mind a favourite type of meal - a three course, fixed price lunch in a small French country restaurant. Three courses would be too much in many places for lunch but in France each course is cooked just right, flavoured beautifully but with no startlingly hot spiciness or bland cooking, the portion sizes are just right so you’re not bloated at the end of the meal but your hunger is just satisfied. A perfect meal, practically done. And a glass of wine for a gentle buzz, and to aid digestion. That’s how this novel left me. Perfectly satisfied. Full but not bloated.
I’ve now also mastered the ebook options of the publisher Subterranean Press so that’s opened the door to a few more of the author’s past publications. Previously some of the author’s publications had only been available to me as limited edition hardbacks (often sold out) as in this case.
March 24, 2019
You'll seldom read a moderate review of KJ Parker. His work is either denigrated, or so beloved that the uninitiated might be forgiven for thinking his fans somewhat fanatical. I've entrenched myself firmly in the latter category.
Savages (and Parker's subsequent trilogy, The Two of Swords) proves two wonderful things: first, he is improving on his previous work (a supreme feat in itself); second, he is making his books more accessible, which I hope means those who dismissed him might give him another chance. The intricate explanations of specialist trades still abound (you'll learn about forgery and the building of siege engines here, and of course a requisite blacksmith passage); but they're more essential to the plot, and he doesn't devote long swaths of passages to them. I always loved these chapters, as most of his fans do, but they've made a lot of readers bored in the past. Dialogue is also more prevalent, which makes the stories more widely compelling.
Savages is an excellent introduction to this author, as all of his favorite themes are present and most of his prior books are at least alluded to, making the world of the Vesani Republic, the Empire, Permia, Scheria, the Aram, etc. more cohesive. I was really excited to discover mentions from his previous trilogies and stand-alones here.
Another remarkable Parkerian achievement. Highly recommended to fans and the uninitiated alike.
Savages (and Parker's subsequent trilogy, The Two of Swords) proves two wonderful things: first, he is improving on his previous work (a supreme feat in itself); second, he is making his books more accessible, which I hope means those who dismissed him might give him another chance. The intricate explanations of specialist trades still abound (you'll learn about forgery and the building of siege engines here, and of course a requisite blacksmith passage); but they're more essential to the plot, and he doesn't devote long swaths of passages to them. I always loved these chapters, as most of his fans do, but they've made a lot of readers bored in the past. Dialogue is also more prevalent, which makes the stories more widely compelling.
Savages is an excellent introduction to this author, as all of his favorite themes are present and most of his prior books are at least alluded to, making the world of the Vesani Republic, the Empire, Permia, Scheria, the Aram, etc. more cohesive. I was really excited to discover mentions from his previous trilogies and stand-alones here.
Another remarkable Parkerian achievement. Highly recommended to fans and the uninitiated alike.
December 21, 2022
Loved this book. Very military-heavy, which I was worried about, but I had zero reason to be. There was lots of intrigue too, so much so, that I didn’t even know what was happening until the end of the book. Great characters, pacing and plot. Parker does it again.
August 7, 2020
What a pleasant surprise that book turned out to be - mildly cynical, clever and witty, without graphic descriptions and profanity. The abundantly clear Byzantine inspiration got me screaming with joy at some points - what more can I ask from something, branded as fantasy, which sounds so much real compared to some historical novels? No magic, no superheroes, no monsters - just campaigns, battles, causes and consequences. Yep, the military part is the most evident focus here, but we also have some nice and thought provoking forgeries, economical and political proceedings, which strikingly remind of real history. If only the betraying annoyance Raffen has managed to die in the end...
January 9, 2017
This was my second Parker book, and while I didn't like it as much as The Devil You Know, it was a very enjoyable read.
A wonderful mix of humor, fantasy, barbarian trope, and all sorts of court intrigue made this a must-read book for my money. So many great characters and situations. I was never bored and always interested in where the story was going.
Time to take the plunge into more of Parker's work
A wonderful mix of humor, fantasy, barbarian trope, and all sorts of court intrigue made this a must-read book for my money. So many great characters and situations. I was never bored and always interested in where the story was going.
Time to take the plunge into more of Parker's work
September 11, 2020
World Fantasy Award winner 2016.
Yea, that’s about right.
In my opinion (which really, isn’t relevant) I consider Parker to be the most intelligent writer in the genre. Never an easy read but always a rewarding one.
Reread: Read above.
Yea, that’s about right.
In my opinion (which really, isn’t relevant) I consider Parker to be the most intelligent writer in the genre. Never an easy read but always a rewarding one.
Reread: Read above.
August 26, 2015
KJ Parker is probably my favourite fantasy author, his books are incredibly well written, powerful and full of complex characters who's layers are peeled back as the story progresses to reveal something unexpected, invariably dark or a real punch to the stomach. The prose is very often hilariously witty (imagine if Terry Pratchett had ever tried his hand at serious fantasy, or Iain M Banks had switched genres and you might be close to what Parker's books are like) however this book is slightly meandering (especially early on), almost juggling too much story for such a relatively modest page count and therefore seems a bit unfocused. That being said, Parker not being on top form is still hugely readable and better than most other authors best work.
August 13, 2015
K.J. Parker appears to be in a very prolific period in his career right now. In addition to the ongoing serial novel The Two of Swords (my review), which just had its sixth monthly installment published in July, and last year’s short fiction/essay collection Academic Exercises, we are now treated to Savages, a brand new full length novel. (Plus, come October, a new novella over on Tor.com!)
Maybe it’s the recent unveiling of his true identity that spurred all this activity? Whatever’s the cause, you’ll never hear me complain about more K.J. Parker on the shelves.
Read the entire review on my site Far Beyond Reality!
Maybe it’s the recent unveiling of his true identity that spurred all this activity? Whatever’s the cause, you’ll never hear me complain about more K.J. Parker on the shelves.
Read the entire review on my site Far Beyond Reality!
September 23, 2015
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED AT FANTASY LITERATURE
A pacifist who inherits his father’s failing arms business, a general who wins all of his battles and sets in motion the fate of empires because of decisions he makes in the last second before a battle commences, a tribesman who loses his family and survives an attempt at his life to become, well, every single thing he chooses to be. Those and many other memorable characters populate K.J. Parker‘s newest standalone novel, Savages, a solid offering that is sure to please readers of the author’s previous works.
There’s a war between two nations, as there usually is, and the losing nation has managed to get a hold of a brilliant strategist by the name of Calojan, whose name means little dog in his home nation and whose father was a famous artist of pornographic paintings featuring his wife. Calojan employs the Aram Cosseilhatz, one of five nomadic tribes residing in the Eastern empire whose horse archers prove to be adept at their job, and so begins this interesting tale of war, treachery, intrigue. And because this is a K.J. Parker novel, who is in turn the comedy novel writer Tom Holt, there are funny, if somewhat dry, witticisms.
As I sit here thinking about what to write about this novel I am finding hard not to just describe it as a quintessential K.J. Parker novel and call it a day. It would make writing this review easier and be the best description of this novel I could offer. Those who have read his other works, particularly his shorter fiction, already have an idea of what to expect from Savages.
Those who have yet to read a Parker story, and I would recommend that you do so because you’re missing out, would be hard pressed to understand just how singular his stories are by just reading a short description of them.
Savages reads more like a long novella than the usual novel by not having a well-established goal which drives the story and the characters forward. Of course, all the characters are driven by a sense of self preservation and ambition, but there’s not an event which, were it to happen, would cause the reader to say, “Ok, yeah, this right here is a satisfying conclusion of the novel’s primary conflict.” Since Savages grew out from Parker’s current serial project, THE TWO OF SWORDS, one can understand how this predicament came about.
Comparing this novel with Parker’s other works, Savages reads more like The Folding Knife than, for example, Sharps. The focus is more on what you could call economical and strategic action than physical action with rapiers and messers, as it was in Sharps (there’s also what I am pretty sure is a reference to Basso, the protagonist from The Folding Knife, as the crazy old man that says he was once the king of Vesani, even if Vesani is actually a republic and not a monarchy). Savages also features the best quantitative easing joke I’ve ever read, which is a very K.J. Parker thing to say.
Savages is most likely not the best place to start with Parker’s longer works, though it can’t hurt, but it still is a solid, entertaining, entry in what is one of the most imaginative and singular (and if you take into account what’s been written under Tom Holt’s name, prolific) authors in the fantasy genre, and it has by all means my utmost recommendation.
A pacifist who inherits his father’s failing arms business, a general who wins all of his battles and sets in motion the fate of empires because of decisions he makes in the last second before a battle commences, a tribesman who loses his family and survives an attempt at his life to become, well, every single thing he chooses to be. Those and many other memorable characters populate K.J. Parker‘s newest standalone novel, Savages, a solid offering that is sure to please readers of the author’s previous works.
There’s a war between two nations, as there usually is, and the losing nation has managed to get a hold of a brilliant strategist by the name of Calojan, whose name means little dog in his home nation and whose father was a famous artist of pornographic paintings featuring his wife. Calojan employs the Aram Cosseilhatz, one of five nomadic tribes residing in the Eastern empire whose horse archers prove to be adept at their job, and so begins this interesting tale of war, treachery, intrigue. And because this is a K.J. Parker novel, who is in turn the comedy novel writer Tom Holt, there are funny, if somewhat dry, witticisms.
As I sit here thinking about what to write about this novel I am finding hard not to just describe it as a quintessential K.J. Parker novel and call it a day. It would make writing this review easier and be the best description of this novel I could offer. Those who have read his other works, particularly his shorter fiction, already have an idea of what to expect from Savages.
Those who have yet to read a Parker story, and I would recommend that you do so because you’re missing out, would be hard pressed to understand just how singular his stories are by just reading a short description of them.
Savages reads more like a long novella than the usual novel by not having a well-established goal which drives the story and the characters forward. Of course, all the characters are driven by a sense of self preservation and ambition, but there’s not an event which, were it to happen, would cause the reader to say, “Ok, yeah, this right here is a satisfying conclusion of the novel’s primary conflict.” Since Savages grew out from Parker’s current serial project, THE TWO OF SWORDS, one can understand how this predicament came about.
Comparing this novel with Parker’s other works, Savages reads more like The Folding Knife than, for example, Sharps. The focus is more on what you could call economical and strategic action than physical action with rapiers and messers, as it was in Sharps (there’s also what I am pretty sure is a reference to Basso, the protagonist from The Folding Knife, as the crazy old man that says he was once the king of Vesani, even if Vesani is actually a republic and not a monarchy). Savages also features the best quantitative easing joke I’ve ever read, which is a very K.J. Parker thing to say.
Savages is most likely not the best place to start with Parker’s longer works, though it can’t hurt, but it still is a solid, entertaining, entry in what is one of the most imaginative and singular (and if you take into account what’s been written under Tom Holt’s name, prolific) authors in the fantasy genre, and it has by all means my utmost recommendation.
February 12, 2020
I first found KJ Parker/Tom Holt on a Goodreads list for books similar to Bakker’s Prince of Nothing.The entry, The Folding Knife, did feel somewhat like Bakker, but Savages exceeded my expectations by hooking me up with the in-depth worldbuilding, epic scale battles, and nuanced political intrigue that I’ve come to love most of all from the fantasy genre.
Usually Parker’s novels focus on particular regions of his world. Oh, don’t get me wrong. So does Savages. Only this book stands apart from the others I read because of the frequency by which it knits together previously-established cultures and figures. arker novel I’ve read that includes a bunch of different nations from his previous works. You have the Mezentines (Engineer Trilogy), the Vesani Republic (Folding Knife), Perimadeia (Fencer Trilogy), and of course what’s a KJ Parker book without a Saloninus reference? (The Father of Lies, The Devil You Know). Such sweeping references really emphasize the epic scale of the plot.
Out of the six or so point of view characters, I have three favorites.
RAFFEN, a vagrant whose traumatic experience in the opening chapter hollows his emotions from the inside out. In a way it lets him be anybody he wants to when he comes to the City.
CALOJAN is like a mix of Sulla and Marius from Republican Rome. A prophesied war hero who saves the Empire countless times, but all he wants to do is paint in peace. One of my favorite thoughts from him:
“It’s an unwritten law of arms that the men should never see their commander-in-chief taking a pee; it would be liable to lower him in their estimation, which would be disastrous for morale.”
AIMERIC, the son of a weapons manufacturing baron. An avid consumer of drink and song, he must reform himself when his family’s straits turn dire.
So far, I’ve got to say this is my favorite KJ Parker book to date. If you like Joe Abercrombie’s sense of humor and Bakker’s worldbuilding depth then this comes highly recommended. Highly recommended.
Usually Parker’s novels focus on particular regions of his world. Oh, don’t get me wrong. So does Savages. Only this book stands apart from the others I read because of the frequency by which it knits together previously-established cultures and figures. arker novel I’ve read that includes a bunch of different nations from his previous works. You have the Mezentines (Engineer Trilogy), the Vesani Republic (Folding Knife), Perimadeia (Fencer Trilogy), and of course what’s a KJ Parker book without a Saloninus reference? (The Father of Lies, The Devil You Know). Such sweeping references really emphasize the epic scale of the plot.
Out of the six or so point of view characters, I have three favorites.
RAFFEN, a vagrant whose traumatic experience in the opening chapter hollows his emotions from the inside out. In a way it lets him be anybody he wants to when he comes to the City.
CALOJAN is like a mix of Sulla and Marius from Republican Rome. A prophesied war hero who saves the Empire countless times, but all he wants to do is paint in peace. One of my favorite thoughts from him:
“It’s an unwritten law of arms that the men should never see their commander-in-chief taking a pee; it would be liable to lower him in their estimation, which would be disastrous for morale.”
AIMERIC, the son of a weapons manufacturing baron. An avid consumer of drink and song, he must reform himself when his family’s straits turn dire.
So far, I’ve got to say this is my favorite KJ Parker book to date. If you like Joe Abercrombie’s sense of humor and Bakker’s worldbuilding depth then this comes highly recommended. Highly recommended.
September 22, 2015
Everything you`d expect from KJ Parker: outstanding characterisation, a great flow to the prose, hard to put down once started, brilliant dialogue, cynical and dry humour.
Plotwise a bit of a mess actually, a lot of events to cover in only 400 pages so it seems unfocused at times...it`s ironic to say this, because each of his three trilogies would have needed a little trimming, but this story would have worked better as a duology (or a bigger page count at least).
But still, even a somewhat weaker KJP novel is a treat, hilarious at times and a fast, fun read that really makes you think about morality, evil, religion, the price of civilisation and all that.
I enjoyed it a bit more than the other recent novels (Sharps, The Company, The Hammer) so was inclined to give this a 5-star rating, but KJP can do better (as evidenced by the Engineer trilogy, The Folding Knife or my favourite one, Memory) so this has to get only 4-stars. It certainly has a more wide canvas and feels more epic than his other stand-alones while still being first and foremost about the people, it`s closer in scope to the Engineer Trilogy so if you like that kind of thing definitely check it out.
Highly recommended for fans of his work, probably not the best choice if you`ve never read him before.
Plotwise a bit of a mess actually, a lot of events to cover in only 400 pages so it seems unfocused at times...it`s ironic to say this, because each of his three trilogies would have needed a little trimming, but this story would have worked better as a duology (or a bigger page count at least).
But still, even a somewhat weaker KJP novel is a treat, hilarious at times and a fast, fun read that really makes you think about morality, evil, religion, the price of civilisation and all that.
I enjoyed it a bit more than the other recent novels (Sharps, The Company, The Hammer) so was inclined to give this a 5-star rating, but KJP can do better (as evidenced by the Engineer trilogy, The Folding Knife or my favourite one, Memory) so this has to get only 4-stars. It certainly has a more wide canvas and feels more epic than his other stand-alones while still being first and foremost about the people, it`s closer in scope to the Engineer Trilogy so if you like that kind of thing definitely check it out.
Highly recommended for fans of his work, probably not the best choice if you`ve never read him before.
August 7, 2015
I don't know...
For starters, Parker/Holt keeps recycling geography, history, names, political parties, scientific and religious institutions and character archetypes. Personally, I think that it's a sadistic little trick because it makes you instinctively try and fit what you are reading within logic of other books with similar settings. However, it is a clearly a different version of the same world.
After Sharps I expected a leaner book with a solid story but we got more of the same: it is something slightly amorphous and filled with lots and lots of technical details, regular people forced to be extraordinary by extraordinary circumstances, gaps/jumps in character motivation and somewhat anticlimactic ending - the story doesn't really end but just stops.
But, to tell you the truth, I don't really mind reading more or less the same book over and over again. Parker/Holt does this well, the book reads great and gets 4 stars from me easily. Five reserved for Sharps and The Folding Knife.
For starters, Parker/Holt keeps recycling geography, history, names, political parties, scientific and religious institutions and character archetypes. Personally, I think that it's a sadistic little trick because it makes you instinctively try and fit what you are reading within logic of other books with similar settings. However, it is a clearly a different version of the same world.
After Sharps I expected a leaner book with a solid story but we got more of the same: it is something slightly amorphous and filled with lots and lots of technical details, regular people forced to be extraordinary by extraordinary circumstances, gaps/jumps in character motivation and somewhat anticlimactic ending - the story doesn't really end but just stops.
But, to tell you the truth, I don't really mind reading more or less the same book over and over again. Parker/Holt does this well, the book reads great and gets 4 stars from me easily. Five reserved for Sharps and The Folding Knife.
December 12, 2015
Definitely liked it but it wasn't as clever as some of Parker's other books. I felt a bit overwhelmed by the scope of an empire manipulating and fighting all those around it, and in the end I think we were supposed to realize that they were the "savages" rather than the "savages" they employed or fought against.
I thought Raffen was going to have a bigger role, seeing his story started the book out, but he was just one piece in a gigantic machine. I also thought the prophecies were going to play a bigger role (like Calojan's), but couldn't remember them well enough to say. Everyone who appears in the book is pretty much incidental. There is no main character and no real resolution. It just is. It just happened. Ah well, not one of my favourites.
I thought Raffen was going to have a bigger role, seeing his story started the book out, but he was just one piece in a gigantic machine. I also thought the prophecies were going to play a bigger role (like Calojan's), but couldn't remember them well enough to say. Everyone who appears in the book is pretty much incidental. There is no main character and no real resolution. It just is. It just happened. Ah well, not one of my favourites.
June 30, 2016
More of the usual Parker cleverness and dastardly machinations, this time in a sort of Ancient Rome-ish setting. V. enjoyable!
I get the sense that he is afraid to actually write female characters--there were a few included this time but we never get inside their heads, they are only seen through the eyes of the male characters, who seem to find them terrifying and inhuman. So I have a suggestion. Maybe try switching the gender on one of the characters next time, and just SEE how it is. Don't change anything else. I bet you'll be surprised how you've magically written an interesting, relatable woman character! Don't be scared!
I get the sense that he is afraid to actually write female characters--there were a few included this time but we never get inside their heads, they are only seen through the eyes of the male characters, who seem to find them terrifying and inhuman. So I have a suggestion. Maybe try switching the gender on one of the characters next time, and just SEE how it is. Don't change anything else. I bet you'll be surprised how you've magically written an interesting, relatable woman character! Don't be scared!
February 1, 2016
The beginning of this book is very powerful and definitely propelled me into the story. The writing throughout is strong and there's plenty of Parker's characteristic attention to detail. There are also quite a few memorable characters, however the scale of the book is so large and complicated that I didn't feel really invested in any of them or in the outcome of the seemingly endless wars. Definitely worth reading and worth reading again, but not my favorite of his books.
October 8, 2015
42 WORD REVIEW:
A darkly humorous, slow-burning historical fantasy in which magic plays no part and the fate of empires turns on the veracity (or otherwise) of human endeavour. Parker sets a new benchmark for true-to-life invented worlds, without ever becoming bogged down in detail.
A darkly humorous, slow-burning historical fantasy in which magic plays no part and the fate of empires turns on the veracity (or otherwise) of human endeavour. Parker sets a new benchmark for true-to-life invented worlds, without ever becoming bogged down in detail.
Read
February 2, 20164.5 stars from Joao: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
February 3, 2016
Really good, really funny, classic K.J. Parker fare. If you're loved her previous novels, you'll love this one. Can't wait for book two!
November 10, 2023
Elaborate tale of politics and war between an empire, a powerful kingdom, and assorted war-loving nomad nations. KJ Parker kills this stuff.
[A nomad king describing city-dwellers to his advisers. Recorded because I'll want to revisit it in the future. It's a great lesson on the nature and value of perspective.]
[A nomad king describing city-dwellers to his advisers. Recorded because I'll want to revisit it in the future. It's a great lesson on the nature and value of perspective.]
"What about the people?" Eyvind asked. "Are they all as rich as people say?"
"Yes, by and large," Raffen replied. "Of course, if you went up to someone in the street and asked him, are you rich or poor, he'd groan and pull a face and say how desperately poor he is, what with the war and the taxes and foreigners coming in and taking all the jobs. But at least three-quarters of the families have a house all to themselves; three rooms, a table and three or four chairs, a couple of beds, pewter cups and plates. They eat bread twice a day, porridge and soup and vegetables in the evening--not much meat, but a lot of fish, which is so cheap the rich won't touch it. Everybody's got two coats and two pairs of shoes, most of the women and some of the men wear jewelry, even if it's only bronze. The majority of the men can read and write, a lot of the women too. I should say that most of the people in the City live better than you chieftains do, even the ones who say they're so poor. And if anyone's starving hungry, they can stand outside one of the temples on the day when they go to prayers, and the priests hand out bread and dried beans, though it's surprising how few people turn up to take any. They're too proud, apparently. If you take the priests' food, it means you're nobody and your neighbours look down on you. If you walk down the street and look in through the windows of the houses, you'll see brass lamps and wicker baskets for keeping the charcoal in, and nearly every house has got a little painting hanging on the wall in a brass frame. The houses all have strong doors with locks on, because the whole City is full of thieves. Oh, and they make their roofs with baked clay tiles, not turf or thatch."
"You're joking," someone said.
"It's the law," Raffen replied. "They're terrified of fire, which is understandable, since all the houses are packed in so close together. Every ten years or so there's the most horrific fire and half the City burns down, and then they rebuild it."
"What do they all do for a living?" someone asked. "Where do they grow their crops and keep their livestock?"
"They don't," Raffen said with a smile. "I guess you could say they're all craftsmen, except that they don't have workshops of their own. Nearly everyone works for someone else, in great big sheds and buildings bigger than this hall. They get paid in copper money, and they buy food in the markets--the women go there nearly every day. Nobody keeps cows or sheep, there's a few chickens and in some streets they get together and raise a couple of pigs; nobody grows anything, except for the very rich, who have tiny little orchards behind their houses. There's no room, you see. It's a huge place and there are some enormous buildings, but mostly everything's very, very small."
"They hold a market every day?" Sitry said.
"There's at least a dozen big paved yards," Raffen told her, "one in each main district. Hundreds of stalls in each one. Not just food, either. Clothes, tools, furniture, crockery, anything you like. No weapons, but pretty much everything else."
"That's ridiculous," Einar said. "What do they need all those things for?"
Raffen laughed. "If you'd been there, you wouldn't need to ask. Owning things is how they keep score. We do it by our reputations, what people think of us; honour and shame, if you want to put it like that. In the City, you are what you own. I guess that's why they need so many laws, and why they aren't allowed to have weapons."
Einar said, "They what?"
"Strictly forbidden," Raffen said, "though it doesn't quite work. The rich have fine swords hanging on the wall and the very poor all carry knives, and practically every day there's a murder somewhere."
"Hang on," Cari said. "I thought they had the best army in the world. How did they beat the Sashan if they're unarmed?"
"There are full-time soldiers," Raffen said, "and in an emergency they round up people from the countryside and arm them. But the soldiers who won the war for them were mercenaries, foreigners. Horse people, from far away in the east." He smiled. "The City people don't fight."
"That's insane," Gunlaug said. "You mean to say that if an enemy came right up to the walls, all the men in the City would stay at home and not do anything?"
Raffen nodded. "It's happened scores of times in the past," he said, "and yes, they stay indoors and leave defending the walls to the paid men and the foreigners. Don't look so surprised," he added, as Gunlaug made a despairing gesture, "that's how their minds work. They believe in specialists, you see. Every man can do just the one thing; you're a forge-hand or a foundryman or a woodworker in a factory, or you're a porter or a clerk for a merchant, or you work on a market stall, or you're a bricklayer or a stonemason or a weaver. That's all you do. More than that, you only do one very small part of a job. You roll out thin iron bars in a great big mill in a half=acre shed, and someone else cuts the bars into short lengths, and someone else bends them into chain-links, and someone else joins the links together and welds them shut. Like I said, everything in the City is very big and very, very small. So, when it comes to fighting, they have specialist fighters. The stonemasons don't fight and the soldiers don't cut stone into blocks. I think," he went on, "that's why our people find it so hard to understand it there. You see, in the City, it's absolutely essential to know who you are, and what your place is. We don't, of course. We're farmers mostly, but any one of us can do a bit of carpentry or a bit of smithing, or build a wall or put up a house, or make a pair of shoes. Of course, the things they make are truly wonderful, much better than anything we can do; or else they can make you ten thousand of something, all of them practically identical, and dirt cheap, of course, compared to what it'd cost you here. But most of our people feel so cramped, if you know what I mean. It's like you've got the full use of all your limbs, but you're only allowed to move one finger. Also, the City people don't like us. They think we're savages, and they're afraid of us because we're happy living in sheds and getting paid far less than they are for doing the same job. And we don't fit together like they do."
"What does that mean?" Gulbrand said.
Raffen thought for a moment. "Suppose you took a pottery bowl and you smashed it," he said. "Then you pick up the bits and fit them together. You get some wire and a drill--well, you all know how to mend a broken pot, don't you?"
"Yes, Cari said. "I won't pretend I'm very good at it. Don't have the patience."
"Well," Raffen said, "people in the City are like the bits of pot. Put together, they make up something that's useful and holds water. On their own without all the others to fit in with, they're useless; junk, only fit for the trash. Of course, put that many people together and you get a very big pot, a cauldron. We're not like that. Pull us apart and you've got a handful of individuals, like grains in an ear of corn. Plant each seed, it'll grow on its own and in a few months you've got twelve new stalks. The City people wouldn't survive on their own, they wouldn't know how. One link on its own can't be a chain. I don't suppose one man in a thousand in the City knows how to mend a pot. The thousandth man does nothing but mend pots, all day every day. He's very good at it, very quick, he's got a box of special tools just for pot-mending; he'll do a much better job than you or me. But stand him in front of a plough or give him two dozen sheep to look after, he'd just stare at you, what am I supposed to do with this? That's where the paradox comes from. They're very big and very, very small, very strong and very, very weak, very grand and so unimportant they hardly exist. The rich and powerful are huge, like gods, and the ordinary people are tiny, they don't matter a damn to anyone. That's why they thought it was all right to divert a river and flood thousands of people out of their homes, just for one day's fun and games. When you're so big and your neighbours are so small, it's pretty easy to lose sight of them."
October 3, 2016
This book provides incontrovertible proof that KJ Parker is building a mega world series. You read Academic Exercises and you get glimpses of connections, founding principles and the basic building blocks of a rich and powerful fantasy world. Then you read Savages. The connections just deepen. The Vesani Republic, The Invincible Sun religion, the advancing tribes and decaying empire. An of course the ubiquitous Saloninus! (For the uninitiated I would strongly suggest reading Blue and Gold - it is less than 100 pages). All the works of this world have some reference to Saloninus, as a distant scholar or a recent key figure or a founding father... put that together with the Devil You Know and you realize that this can be BIG. Jordanesque or Sandersonian big! I am not sure if KJ Parker took a large drawing board and started making all complex timelines and plot connections but there is definitely some base structure that the author is slowly revealing, non-linearly ;)
Coming to the book itself - it has a good mix of the type of fantasy characters that you can remember for a long time. A brilliant general, a questionable King, a boy King, a fumbling merchant and a couple of talented forgers. Sometimes they clash, sometimes they cooperate and you don't know whom to side with, in a rapidly changing alliance game. It all leads to a very fast paced read. There are flashes of brilliance by the military general. The reward for his good work is... 'more work' or in this case an unending series of fights. He employs savages for some heavy butchering and from there on they take the center stage, mostly. The Savages are everywhere, winning battles and creating more battles in the entire book. One good thing is that you don't feel any character is superfluous, there are many movers and shakers and each one of them has a definitive impact on the direction of the story.
Oh and did I mention prophesies? There is a whole book of it apparently that predicts the course of events in the book (though the author leaves the judgement of authenticity to the readers). A lot of fantasy series rely on Prophecy to lay out the map of the story. In this book however there is a different role assigned to them (read the book for details). All I can say is that I loved the way the author creates mischief.
I may have said this earlier but... K J Parker is an acquired taste. For newbies, you will not come across him in the top 10 fantasy authors. If you do...first develop your interest in SFF, read a few good and many trashy books. Once you have passed through initiation, then you can sit back and enjoy relatively higher level of content that these books contain :)
Coming to the book itself - it has a good mix of the type of fantasy characters that you can remember for a long time. A brilliant general, a questionable King, a boy King, a fumbling merchant and a couple of talented forgers. Sometimes they clash, sometimes they cooperate and you don't know whom to side with, in a rapidly changing alliance game. It all leads to a very fast paced read. There are flashes of brilliance by the military general. The reward for his good work is... 'more work' or in this case an unending series of fights. He employs savages for some heavy butchering and from there on they take the center stage, mostly. The Savages are everywhere, winning battles and creating more battles in the entire book. One good thing is that you don't feel any character is superfluous, there are many movers and shakers and each one of them has a definitive impact on the direction of the story.
Oh and did I mention prophesies? There is a whole book of it apparently that predicts the course of events in the book (though the author leaves the judgement of authenticity to the readers). A lot of fantasy series rely on Prophecy to lay out the map of the story. In this book however there is a different role assigned to them (read the book for details). All I can say is that I loved the way the author creates mischief.
I may have said this earlier but... K J Parker is an acquired taste. For newbies, you will not come across him in the top 10 fantasy authors. If you do...first develop your interest in SFF, read a few good and many trashy books. Once you have passed through initiation, then you can sit back and enjoy relatively higher level of content that these books contain :)
November 10, 2016
K J Parker's Savages is escapist fun about the fall and the rise and the fall and the rise (maybe) of Empire told with a wry sense of humour. As this is my first taste of Parker at novel length (I read one of his award nominated novellas a couple of years back) I can't say whether the novel's almost self deprecatory tone is consistent with his previous work or whether there's a dash of Tom Holt in the mix. Whatever the case it makes for an entertaining, enjoyable read.
The novel's major drawback is that every point of view character is a man. Whether they're a master strategist, or a pacifist cum arms merchant or a guilt ridden Emperor or a teenage King this is novel that mostly ignores woman. The one woman who does have agency - an expert forgerer - does play an important role in the narrative but she never gets her own voice. For some this will be a deal breaker. Personally I found it to be a frustrating hole in a mostly clever and enjoyable fantasy novel about the waxing and waning nature of power.
The novel's major drawback is that every point of view character is a man. Whether they're a master strategist, or a pacifist cum arms merchant or a guilt ridden Emperor or a teenage King this is novel that mostly ignores woman. The one woman who does have agency - an expert forgerer - does play an important role in the narrative but she never gets her own voice. For some this will be a deal breaker. Personally I found it to be a frustrating hole in a mostly clever and enjoyable fantasy novel about the waxing and waning nature of power.
April 11, 2016
My first exposure to Parker was earlier this year reading Academic Exercises. In my opinion, by comparison to his short fiction, Savages read like Parker was trying to be a less-insightful Terry Pratchett, and it fell extremely flat.
To be clear, I think very highly of Parker's short fiction - so much so that I nominated The Last Witness for a Hugo this year - so perhaps I hold him to too high a standard.
2.5*
To be clear, I think very highly of Parker's short fiction - so much so that I nominated The Last Witness for a Hugo this year - so perhaps I hold him to too high a standard.
2.5*
September 29, 2015
Characteristically excellent Parker novel with interesting characters (including some viewpoint characters who are introduced halfway through!), plenty of suspense, and great military action. Calojan is one of my favorite Parker protagonists yet; Raffen isn't far behind. In some ways feels like it could use a sequel but it stands alone well enough. Strongly recommended for fantasy readers.
May 24, 2016
Magníficos personajes en un jaelo de libro apelotante en el que nunca se ve hacia dónde va el libro, pero que importa muy poco por los personajes y por la interacción entre ellos. Sigue de cerca al Emperador Heraclio de Bizancio y sin duda es el mejor libro de fantasía (sin magia aunque con alguna profecía auto-complaciente) que he leído este año. A+
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