The Belly of the Bow
by K J Parker (Orbit, 1999)
The Fencer Trilogy’s second instalment proves even bleaker and more cynical than the first. Estranged brothers Bardas and Gorgas Loredan struggle towards victories most decidedly Pyrrhic, the narrative sustained by Parker’s commitment to portraying human foibles and stark, unglorified realism within fantasy.
Under My Skin
by K J Parker (Subterranean, 2023)
650+ pages of Parker novelettes and novellas. The tone of these stories, particularly when taken cumulatively, tends ever so slightly more towards the grim than in Academic Exercises or The Father of Lies. The humour is more cynical. Nonetheless another outstanding collection.
No Choice
by K J Parker (Subterranean, 2023)
A wryly amusing piece at the crossroads where short story meets novelette. Though the narrator is as cynical as all other Parker protagonists, the plots is less twisty and the nihilism allows for some genuine reflection on motivation, expectation and familial love.
A Practical Guide to Conquering the World
by K J Parker (Orbit, 2022); audiobook read by Ray Sawyer (Isis, 2022)
Deeply cynical and posing very real questions about the nature of recorded history (although the title in this instance comes a little too close to the truth; the narrative is less of a story, more a thought experiment in psychology and logistics).
Inside Man
by K. J. Parker (Tor, 2021)
Within a few pages, this sequel to Prosper’s Demon establishes its devilish scenario. What follows thereafter is an increasingly labyrinthine exploration of underlying premise—the feasibility of heavenly resistance within a divine plan that incorporates that very resistance. Ingenious though narratively self-absorbed.
Prosper’s Demon
by K. J. Parker (Tor, 2020)
A twisty fantasy novella of particularly dark conception, told in a conversational style. Parker establishes the premise, turns it on its head and then springs a fitting denouement… but does so through uncharacteristically skittish bits of prose, ideas scattering like loose beads.
How to Rule an Empire and Get Away With It
by K J Parker (Orbit, 2020); audiobook read by Ray Sawyer (Isis, 2020)
The besieged stalemate that Parker envisages evokes Hannibal’s 15-year occupation of Italy, only with sardonic observational humour and a cynical, world-weary thespian placed in charge of the defence. Sawyer’s audiobook reading matches the protagonist’s pessimism a little too closely, to enervating effect.
Academic Exercises
by K J Parker (Subterranean, 2014)
Some of Parker’s best work comes in what might be called the ‘long short’ form—novelettes and novellas. This bumper collection includes three excellent non-fiction pieces (sieges, swords, and armour) nestled amidst the beautifully wrought, cynically sublime world-building and ingenious antiheroic comeuppances.
Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City
by K J Parker (Orbit, 2019)
Parker’s understanding of siege warfare and voracious interest in how things work lend a sense of realness to setting and story, even as the openly unreliable narrator casts doubt on what’s happening. Light yet deeply engrossing, this poses real questions about historicity.
Colours in the Steel
by K J Parker (Orbit, 1998)
The original K J Parker novel, introducing all those elements—the detailed world building and practical intricacies, the tragedy-driven plots, hubris-plagued protagonists and gallows humour—that would prove characteristic of her/his work. Fencer lawyers make for the most apt of jumping-off points.