Sixteen Ways To Defend A Walled City
by K. J. Parker is the first book in the series, The Siege. This
book is a historical fantasy set in a quasi-Roman Republic where a city and all
who live in it are in great danger. Written from the perspective of Orhan, an
engineer, and the highest-ranking officer in the capital city of Robur. They
are under siege and all that is left to protect the city are the local gangs,
police, and his small unit of engineers who are better at building bridges than
fighting. It will take all of Orhan wits to buy time for the city to survive
long enough for actual soldiers to come and save the city.
This unique book that features action, world
building, humor, is a very good read. The main character is a self-described
cheat, coward, and liar, who is going to use his wits more than his fists to
try to keep himself and others alive while angering as many other folks as
possible who think they are superior to him. It is a tale of moral complexity
where no one is fully good or completely dark and driven by an unreliable
narrator who ostensibly is recording events for a historical record. This is
not a typical historical fantasy and the ending is far different than one would
expect in such a read. Not really a surprise as the entire book is different
than normal and yet that ending is a surprise.
I enjoyed this book a lot and appreciated the fact
that it is far different than just about anything I have ever read. Featuring a
wide variety of characters and lots of deep ideas, this book is unique and
memorable. The second book in the series is How to Rule an Empire and Get
Away with It and is currently on hold at my local library.
Sixteen Ways To Defend A Walled City
K. J. Parker
https://www.orbitbooks.net/author-spotlight-k-j-parker/
Orbit Books
(Hachette Book Group)
April 2019
ISBN#
978-0-316-27079-3
Paperback
384 Pages
My reading copy came from the Preston Royal Branch
of the Dallas Public Library System.
Scott A. Tipple ©2020
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