I really enjoyed the first book in this series (Saevus Corax Deals With the Dead) so I was really excited to see this one pop up on NetGalley. When I finally read it, I was not disappointed! Saevus is a charming rascal of a character who always seems to get out of trouble with hilarity. His adventures are a lot of fun, and this book is a great follow up. On to the next book in the series!

This book took me forever to read because I was savoring it. It's not often I read something this clever, where there is something original and amusing on almost every page.
Saevus Corax is such an interesting antihero, and I'm excited to read the other books in this trilogy. Saevus leads a group of people who make money stripping the dead of valuables, including weapons, clothing and other personal items. When faced with a challenge he can't refuse, it's hilarious to watch his mental gears turn.
Saevus is supposed to capture a castle, and he knows that his men will do what he asks of them. He also realizes that he could be putting them in danger, and goes through several ideas on how to take the castle with or without violence.
There's a lot more, as there are other fantastic characters with their own motivations and nobody is honest. The book takes place over at least several months, and there was so much brutality. My support for Saevus never wavered, which made me feel guilty. I highly recommend this to everyone who loves historical fiction, humor, and satire. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

Thank you to Netgally, the publishers, and K. J. Parker

When I requested this book I was unaware that it was apart of a series, one that requires you to read the previous books for this one to make sense. I am unable to read all the previous books along with this one before the publish date. Therefore, I will rate this a fair 3/5 stars and will adjust the rating and review when I am able to read all the books in the series along with this one.

What's the biggest stroke of luck you have had? Followed by the sudden crash back to reality.

Saevus Corvax has a problem. Well in addition to the: being hunted for accidentally killing his brother, the whole pissing off 2 religious (financial) orders and stopping a war, people he owes money to, and folks who just don't like him. But the new problem is his Aunt needs his band of battlefield salvagers to capture a castle for her. Simple right? Of course they aren't an army, don't have siege weapons, and the timetable for it isn't in their favor. And of course things get simple when an old friend(?) is involved with the other side.

Reasons to read:
-It's just my band of snark
-He really is one of the most dangerous people alive if you put him in a corner
-The asides about the history, religions, and trade deals just tie in so well
-The side characters with their little tics that are paying off
-Well he seems a reasonable sort
-A person running from being attached/responsible for others because he is afraid they will die or turn on him but he is human and needs connection

Con:
-That's rough buddy

K.J. Parker continues to weave a sparky narrative that keeps readers engaged from start to finish. The writing is well-paced, energetic, and infused with a sense of fun that makes it a delight to read.

One of the highlights of the book is the good banter between chapters, which adds depth to the storytelling and keeps the momentum going. Parker skillfully intertwines character development and backstory, allowing readers to delve deeper into the life and motivations of Saevus.

Overall, "Saevus Corax Captures the Castle" is a captivating read that delivers on its promises of adventure, wit, and character growth. It's a testament to Parker's storytelling prowess and a must-read for fans of the genre.

An enjoyable sequel, I think I enjoyed this one more. Saevus is such a wily protagonist and I enjoy his musings about human nature and shenanigans. Book went on a little long but I enjoyed the climax. I still prefer Parker's third person better than first person; I think Saevus feels too similiar to his other first person perspectives.

4.5 stars.
Saevus Corax and his crew are on a battlefield, salvaging, arguing, and just minding their business, stripping corpses of anything of value. Then, two of his “heads of department” are kidnapped, and Saevus follows a trail. Right to his mother-in-law, who says, “Capture me a castle, you can have your men back”. 

Knowing he has no choice, he and his crew arrive at the castle, and 1) it’s a place Saevus is quite familiar with, and 2) his old friend Sister Stauracia is in there with her own men to guard the place.

Of course Saevus cracks the problem of capturing the castle, but can’t figure out what his mother-in-law wants with it, as there is only a set of books about agriculture and other useful or mundane things stored there. Saevus takes Stauracia prisoner and contacts his mother-in-law.

His mother-in-law eventually agrees to hand over Saevus’ men when he convinces her that not only did he capture the castle, but there was nothing of value there. She’s frustrated and finally reveals something to him, which hits him like a bomb: his wife is actually alive, (he had been told she had died of an illness while he was on a job) and she’s living in another country, which no one enters, and if they do, never return, as the people there are cannibals.

So, yay. Saevus is advised by EVERYONE not to fall for what his mother-in-law said, but Saevus, who up till now has seemed remarkably unsentimental with a strong self-preservation streak, will do anything to find her.

Okay, so the fact that our cheerful protagonist has a wife and mother-in-law is a surprise, and that he’ll go through anything and anyone to find his wife is an even bigger surprise. In fact, the second half of this highly entertaining book (if you liked book one, and Parker’s work, in general) is wry, desperate adventure tale filled with Saevus off kilter (but still funny) doing something I never thought he would do for someone.

In fact, we see Saevus does care deeply about someone other than himself. And even though I was rooting for him, I also knew that Parker was likely going to subvert the happy ending for this adventure, so Saevus could implement more self-interested, highly complicated and amusing plans in the last book of this trilogy.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Orbit Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.

I tried so hard to like this - I really enjoyed Parker's 16 ways book. However, this really felt more of the same. There was ultimately nothing that distinguished the main character, I found it plodding in pace and DNF'ed at 40%.

Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit for giving me a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Saevus continues to be entertaining with a sharp wit and self-deprecating humor. I did enjoy this book a little more than book 1. I think it comes with knowing the characters and world a bit more for the second book. But overall, my enjoyment of this series has been steady. Parker is able to weave together an intricate and entertaining story without having lulls in action. He is able to keep Saevus' adventures going in new and refreshing ways.

I am looking forward to book 3 and seeing how Saevus continues his humorous escapades.

Saevus Corax Captures the Castle by K. J. Parker


People keep going back to fast food and fast casual chains because of the predictability - they know they will like what they get. I don’t mean to demean this book by saying that the Saevus Corax books by KJ Parker are like that - you know what you’re going to get and if you like it, you’re really going to like it.

A while back, I became a fan of K. J. Parker. It started when I read an eARC of A Practical Guide to Conquering the World by K.J. Parker and loved it! It was grabby (in a “can’t put this book down” kind of way) and it was thoroughly enjoyable. I said I’d be looking out for more books by K. J. Parker and I later really enjoyed an eARC of the Long Game and Pulling the Wings off Angels, which were both delightful books! After that, I went back and read Sixteen Ways to Defend A Walled City and How to Rule an Empire and Get Away with It, which were also wonderful. Parker’s books that I have read have been first person tales whose protagonists are usually clever bastards (in a thoroughly enjoyable manner).

The titular Saevus Corax is no different - a man who is too clever by half that runs a business reclaiming armor and other loot from battlefield corpses. In this novel, Corax is blackmailed into capturing the titular castle, but the book spins off in some unexpected directions from there. Like in many of his books, Parker’s treatment of women seems odd and stilted, and I didn’t buy the romantic angles of this book, but I kept being surprised by the surprises and the betrayals.

With Parker’s books, you know exactly what you were going to get. This book feels very similar to every other Parker book that I’ve already read, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Anyone that has ever enjoyed any of his books before should enjoy this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fantastic sequel to Saevus Corax Deals with the Dead. I liked this more than the first one because of tight pacing and focused plot. Halfway through the book, when the plot took an unexpected turn, I was little worried where it goes. But I should have trusted Parker. He executed it to perfection introducing us to the new culture and setting as and when required. His exploration of Predators and Prey is some of the best writing I have ever seen. I could read an entire book just about that. And I think it's the funniest book by Parker so far.

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC of this book available to me.

Poor Saevus, just trying to live his slightly twisted life when his one-time mother-in-law blackmails him into capturing a castle. Of course, it's not really the castle that she wants, and Saevus doesn't exactly follow her plan, and of course things get worse for him, and it's not really his fault that those people got killed. Saevus is just trying to survive while keeping his erstwhile friends alive, while maybe making a little profit along the way. This second book in a trilogy is just as good as the first and just makes me want to read the next book.

This is the second book in the Saevus Corax trilogy. Saevus and his crew scavenge battlefields for a living, but they are constantly being sidetracked by other missions. In this book, several of the crew members are kidnapped as a way to force Saevus to storm a castle, for sketchy reasons. In fact throughout the book, motives are constantly proven to be false. But that is one of the charms of the book. There is lightness and wit to this fantasy.

I enjoyed this book more than the first book of the trilogy. And I think that it is great that the author not only finished the trilogy before he started publishing it, but the books are being published in successive months. None of that waiting years for the next book nonsense. It is possible to read each of the first 2 books as a standalone, since they don’t have a continuing storyline. I assume that the third book will be the same. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Ben Onwukwe. He has a terrific voice and definitely added to my enjoyment of the book.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

K. J. Parker(Tom Holt) has a new tale about his lovable rogue. When members of his crew are kidnapped, Saevus Corax Captures the Castle (paper from Orbit) the castle itself isn’t important. There’s something inside worth forcing him to take the castle and to pay his old friend Stauracia to defend it. Along the way he travels deep into territory that eats outsiders, only to talk to a lost wife whom he thought dead. Lots of fun with a third one coming next month

I don't think that I'll ever be disappointed with this writing style. I did enjoy how witty and detailed this book was. I feel like I enjoyed the first book a little more, but it was definitely still worth 5 stars.

K.J. Parker has outdone himself with such a unique voice, and I can't help but eat it up. Fantasy especially when one can be dense and a lot of world building, I usually can't take the time to read it normally. I usually have to get the accompanying audiobook to get through it, but I know I won't have to do that with these books and it's just a great feeling.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit for an early copy,

I enjoyed this book even more than the first!

I love being immersed in Saevus' world and fighting alongside him and his comrades. I thought this book was even more descriptive than the first and created a better understanding of the world that these stories take place in. If you like fantasy, these are a must read!

I almost get Disc-world vibes from this trilogy in the sense that the characters are just loveable little goofs just trying to make their way. Definitely check this book out (after reading the first in the trilogy,) if you like Terry Pratchett, fantasy, and castles!

This book has a wicked sense of humor. The main character wields words in this 1st person story like a knife. The world is not fleshed out completely but you do get a fair bit of understanding of how it works. The story takes place in a medieval world with a man and his company riffling through the dead soldiers on a field of battle, before burying the bodies. This is his job and he's paid to have it. He's an interesting character, a runaway of gentile birth he tends to make enemies where ever he goes. He also thinks his way through problems he faces rather well. While the story is good I found it hard to keep my attention on it. It doesn't move in a fast pace more a meandering one. But it is humorous. I don't know if I'd seek another out, but this one was fine.

After having mixed feelings about the first installment in this series, I was interested to see where Book Two would take me. It was a pleasant surprise! With a more focused story and the same humour I enjoyed in the first book, Saevus Corax Captures the Castle was a pleasant, entertaining read.
Saevus himself is a complex character, and it's interesting to go through a novel wanting to badly to trust the narrator while also knowing you just... can't. He's charming while also being unlikeable, and I think I like that...?

This series and the series that starts with Sixteen ways to defend a walled have a very similar feel of the good for nothing or at least good for very little protagonist cleverly finding the way to survive overwhelming odds that really ought to do him in. They’re very much aimed at a male reader I think but I’m enjoying them and full intend to read book three. They’ve got a fun dry humor to them and a certain scruffy charm.

Are you looking for a fun, adventure, told by a character who makes a lot of mistakes, has a penchant for a good lie or four, but cares deeply for those around him? Then this series is the series….

We join Saevus back in the battlefield collection business, having narrowly escaped his previous adventure. He is broke and now part of his crew has been kidnapped by his mother in law….or maybe monster in law. All she wants is him to capture a castle…

From there it’s quite the story, all told from the perspective of Saevus

Thank you Orbit and Net Galley for the ARC