Title: 16 Ways to Defend a Walled City

Author: K.J. Parker

Series: Siege #1

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: This is the story of Orhan, son of Siyyah Doctus Felix Praeclarissimus, and his history of the Great Siege, written down so that the deeds and sufferings of great men may never be forgotten. A siege is approaching, and the city has little time to prepare. The people have no food and no weapons, and the enemy has sworn to slaughter them all. To save the city will take a miracle, but what it has is Orhan. A colonel of engineers, Orhan has far more experience with bridge-building than battles, is a cheat and a liar, and has a serious problem with authority. He is, in other words, perfect for the job. -Goodreads

The Review:

I’m going to need more K.J. Parker books to devour.

What a total delight! Written in a chronicled, sardonic tone, this was like a mashup between Abercrombie and Pratchett. There were a few brutal elements, but the levity of the tone always kept it from feeling too dark.

And I laughed out loud. A lot.

Mostly at the dry, situational humor. And it’s not just WHAT he said, it’s HOW he said it that made it funny. The writing style was easily my favorite thing about the book. Written in a chronicling fashion, it truly read like some bloke recounting a story about “that one time I…” and whatnot. The narrative switches tenses, talks to the reader, and even confuses pronouns. It’s what makes me want to read more of Parker’s works asap. I love it when authors get creative and break rules, especially when it’s done this deftly.

The main character was great, with a self-preservation streak as long as the bridges he builds, but compassionate enough to root for. And complex enough to make me internalize some of the hard decisions he faced. Superb. Parker struck the balance perfectly of slightly over-the-top characters without making them stupid. This book is such a strong perspective piece and it’s clear all of the supporting characters were made more amusing due to how the main character viewed them all. Truly immersive.

I’m really close to fangirling. I can’t wait to read more Parker and am excited to have found a new author to geek out about. Allen from the Library of Allenxandria was right!

Recommendations: If you’re having withdrawals from Abercrombie, de Castell, or Pratchett, read this book.

Thank you to my Patrons: Dave, Katrin, Frank, Jen, Sonja, Staci, Kat, Betsy, Eliss, Mike, and Elizabeth! <3

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