The narrator is an unnamed member of the Imperial family serving as a military legate sent to thwart attacks by sea-raiders. He is warm, likeable, engaged to a prostitute, and engagingly honest about all the hard decisions he faces. Reminiscent of Mark Lawrence at his best, this novella is just too short! I hadn't come across K. J. Parker before and, on this showing, thought he well merited his World Fantasy Award.
Upon further investigation, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that K.J. Parker is a nom-de-plume for fantasy writer Tom Holt.
Holt's fantasy farces - in the original sense of stories stuffed to the gunnels with characters and plot twists - are extremely enjoyable, but can be a bit of a barrage to the senses., so it's nice to see him getting into character-driven territory here - and he does it so well.. I shall certainly look out for other works under the K. J. Parker name. Very highly recommended.

Un'imperatrice dalla volontà di ferro; un'imperatore morente; prede di barbari che attaccano i monasteri dell'Impero, radendoli al suolo.

Un nipote nell'esercito, che come legato ha il dovere di porre fine a questa faccenda.

O almeno così lo informa la zia imperatrice, prima di spedirlo a nord.

Inizia così un pellegrinaggio fra i monasteri, un rosario di incontri con amici perduti e parenti impresentabili, con un contorno di una storia d'amore inopportuna, un tradimento, una ribellione e l'ascesa di un nuovo imperatore.

Il tutto racchiuso in un prezioso manoscritto, che in poche pagine rivela nuovamente il talento e l'ironia di K. J. Parker, distillando in una deliziosa novella quelli che avrebbero potuto essere due o tre romanzi.

Adorabile.

K J Parker has form for bleak: the tragic, brutal collapse of mighty empires; armies catapulted into each other for no reason but one man's overweening ambition; the faltering of good intentions in the face of an uncaring and at times outright hostile world.

What this novella brings to the party is a protagonist with a playful, witty style: they confess they haven't much in the way of intelligence or cunning, and appear to be in line to the throne of the empire due to a combination of blessed luck and stealing ideas from books. It's not unlike a PG Wodehouse character has found themselves dropped into Parker's world of violence and decay. They are despatched by a fearsome aunt (so far, so Bertie Wooster) to put a stop to the raiders who are sweeping in from the coast, and burning monasteries to a fine ash.

The novella purports to be a recently disinterred historical document called 'Concerning the Monasteries' but 'Mightier Than The Sword' packs secret upon twist upon mystery into it's too brief page count, and manages to pay them off very satisfyingly, though the end hints that all the battles and reversals are just the prologue to an almost unimaginably larger disaster, which could extinguish the guttering candle of civilisation. Of course, but this is a story by K.J. Parker.

The thing about reading KJ Parker books is that, after just a couple, you realize that the unreliable narrator and the twist are definitely coming. So when I pick up another one (which I always will, because my god, these down-to-earth, irreverent geniuses he writes!), I know that a big surprise is coming. So, like, is that a spoiler?

Who cares? Mightier than the Sword appeared on Netgalley and I hopped right on it, as I will do with any KJ Parker novella that pops up in my line of sight. I'm terrible at unreliable narrators, never do get over believing them, even when I'm sure I shouldn't. And his narrators--even the scoundrels--are just so darned likeable. I think it's because they're very, very competent. Remember Blue and Gold, where the narrator solved about eight different life-or-death problems with one really basic plan? Remember the bit about his wife?

Mightier than the Sword is another book about a favored son of an empire, winner of wars and highly regarded, given a seemingly impossible task and dealing with personal trouble on top of it. Our narrator here has proposed to his lady (of the night) friend, of which proposal his aunt the Empress will not approve, and has been sent to investigate the raiders who have been attacking the northern monestaries.

Most of the book is a tour of the northern monestaries, and my Major Thing about monastic life might have fed my love of this part, but anyone who's into political fantasy will be into this. These are people who are now far from the center of the empire for one reason or another, But who are at the center of their own worlds, and each house has its own way of things--illuminating manuscripts or working the field, rich or poor, strict or lenient. All being attacked by barbarians we can't pin down.

There are, I'm sure, enough clues to figure it out, if you're willing to follow the twists and turns. But it's so much more satisfying, in my opinion, to sit back and let everyone's cleverness wash over you. I know there will be a twist; I suspect someone is going to betray our fellow, though it's possible he'll betray someone himself--you never can tell around these parts. I don't care. I am a sucker for competence.

If you're waiting eagerly for the upcoming continuation of the adventures of Eugenides the Thief from Megan Whalen Turner, let K.J. Parker tide you over.

I've enjoyed a couple of Parker's novellas, even though I still haven't got round to the novels I've been sitting on for, uh, a while. So I was pleased to be approved for the ARC of this from Subterranean Press. The ebook is a little bit of a mess -- or mine was, anyway -- but that's presumably only going to be a problem for the Netgalley version, and it didn't get in the way of the reading experience.

I'm also a big fan of books which play with manuscripts, and though that's a minor part of this story, it was still pretty cool. The main character is fun, and the whole tone works really well to make it sound like a romp, even when there's a certain amount of pillaging and violence going on. I called the twists, but getting there was still a fun ride. I think The Last Witness is still my favourite for sheer smarts, but this was definitely very enjoyable.

[Review goes live 27th April.]

Regular readers of this blog may already know that I’m a big fan of K.J. Parker. As such, I’ve been really looking forward to “Mightier ThanThe Sword”, his latest novella.

The world may be familiar to several readers – it shares a geography, if not a time period, with the currently ongoing “Two of Swords” serial, which has certain similarities to the East and Western Roman Empire(s). It’d a space where there are religious entities, which control knowledge – or at least the physical artifacts of knowledge. Books, the chains that attach them to shelves, and, seemingly, the education to go with them, all have a focus on monasteries. There’s an entire culture at work here, sketched in reader presumptions with a few high notes – so we see the protagonist speak with the Empress, and discuss the raiders coming out of the seas and targeting institutions of knowledge. It’s a small geography, but skilfully constructed, and the thematic notes are familiar if you’re aware of the wall of the Roman west.There’s a sense of decay at work here as well – or at least of entropy, as roads and institutions constructed in other times are no longer of the expected quality, slowly falling into the morass of mud amongst the deconstruction of the systems which support them. Parker has always been happy to show how governments are complex systems which allow people to survive – and equally happy to show how the disintegration of those forms is inevitable. Still, this is a space where, if the fringes of the central polity are decaying, the political core is still both active and heavily armed. This is a world that reeks of mud, deserts and religion, one where governmental authority is centralised across a distributed system, and one where there is a defined cultural border between those inside and, well, others.

Our protagonist is the nephew of the reigning emperor. As with quite a few Parker protagonists, he has a wry self-awareness that’s a joy to read. There’s shades of Wodehouse in his abject refusal to accept responsibility or intelligence as his own qualities, striving instead for a sort of aggressive mediocrity. Still, he’s clearly both privileged and intelligent, taking the reader along on a series of investigations into raids on monasteries; his thinking is lucid and easily explicable, and makes sense when you read it – that he refuses to think of this as anything more than standard is both a compliment for and an indictment of the society he exists within. Our protagonist is an impulsive charmer, with an intelligence which is diffuse, but keen if focused. As ever, with Parker’s protagonists, he feels about as smart of the reader, at least until he’s not. He’s also a man with a degree f laziness and, if not political conviction, a grasp of reality, enforced by his position – relative of an Emperor. I wouldn’t say his character moves toward clarity over the course of the tex, as much as it is revealed to the reader. But across it all, we have a narrator who is clever, charming, and makes logical sense in a world which, as discussed, is becoming increasingly illogical.

The plot – well, it’s part high politics, part blood-and-guts, and part personal drama. The battles are baffling, kinetic, and carry the sort of sense of risk and consequences one might expect. This is a world where everything is accepted as a business of sorts, and everything has a cost – be it in gold or blood. There’s some serious army action here, and if the blood spatter isn’t close at hand, the futility and random nature of conflict certainly is. The politics operates further beneath the surface, informing the stabbing and flights of arrows – but I requires a bit of thought to follow exactly what’s going on, and who is doing what to whom – and why The personal stories impact on both, particularly those of our protagonist, whose actions are rather likely to have geopolitical connotations. As ever though, the skill is in tying all of the threads together. Whilst I wasn’t entirely surprised by the close of the narrative, there were certain aspects I didn’t see coming.

If you’re already a fan of Parker’s, then this is an excellent addition to your collection – incisive, erudite and vicious. If you’re looking for something new, this is a great introduction to the tone and focus of his work. In either case, I’d argue that the style and tone are spot on, the plot compelling, and the narrator convincing. Pick this one up, and give it a read.

Mightier Than The Sword by K.J. Parker-Novella- Once again we have a dubious but likeable narrator, set to a task, filled with strange customs and hidden danger, across a medieval landscape, on a familiar but distinctly different world, with some of its pomp and all of its circumstance. The un-named narrator travels from monastery to monastery, seeking information about a band of pirates, who are pillaging the realm. He seeks to learn their home base and their reasons for these recurring attacks. The answer comes as a slight surprise, but you'll have to read it to get the full enjoyment. I love the comedic asides the narrator and others use to give the piece the usual K. J. Parker whimsical feel. Another dashing good story!

Synopsis: Pirates have been attacking the Empire's monasteries for a while. The Emperor's nephew is sent out as imperial legate to assess the monasteries' defenses, learn about the pirates, and get the problem solved. In the monasteries, he finds banished family members and friends installed as abbesses and abbots, lots of monks extending their wonderful libraries, thick walls, but zero defending fighters.

Review: Parker's novellas are always a great joy to read, always thoughtful, and full of beautiful prose. The first person account meant as a translation of a diary is often tongue-in-the-cheek, never boasting, sometimes romantic, or in summary: a very nice, believable main character. I really had to laugh when I learned about the delicate history of some female Aunts. Its setting remembered me of a late mediaeval similar version of Constantinople with a variation of orthodox Christian traditions, e.g. Epitrachelion or Omophorion wearing abbesses. The labarum added to it, which is Constantin the Great's imperial standard, fusing military and religion. As you can see, Parker relies on many details to immerse the reader in his fantasy world. In style and setting, I find it very similar to Kay's Tigana or Bujold's Curse of Chalion. Also, in the amount of action involved, although it contains tactical campaigns and a little bit of one-on-one fighting. Instead, it is a mystery story where I had to puzzle about the pirates' background and motivation, all of which found a somewhat unexpected resolution.

A story with monks copying books and fighting pirates? How can one not love it!