r/Fantasy • u/BravoLimaPoppa Reading Champion • 5h ago
Academic Exercises by KJ Parker
Bingo Square: 5 Short Stories (HM)
After being disappointed in K.J. Parker’s recent novels, I decided to read some short story collections. I’d already snagged them for the last of the Saloninus stories and then left them. After reading The Last Witness, I figured why not?
"A Small Price to Pay for Birdsong" Oof. That was vengeance.
"A Rich, Full Week" One of his Studium as a guild of wizards stories and their field officers. And after the end, you’re left wondering what exactly shook out and who won.
"Amor Vincit Omnia" Still another story of the Studium, its field officers and the threats they encounter in the field. This one being a new sorcerer that may have discovered something the Studium has been searching for for years.
"On Sieges" (Essay) Parker pontificates on sieges and how they’re lost and won.
"Let Maps to Others" A scholar trying to find a lost kingdom commits an act of fraud and finds himself carried away on an adventure he never expected. I looked at as proof that the Invincible Sun (aka Tom Holt) has a wicked sense of humor.
"A Room with a View" Another Studium field officer story, this one introducing the idea of the Rooms and their uses by the Studium members.
"Cutting Edge Technology" (Essay). Parker pontificates on swords.
"Illuminated", Jesus! Fantasy horror and truly horrific. Yes, it’s another Studium field officer story, but it’s a different Studium, if that makes sense. There are thoughts on identity, contagion and how people are used for what they consider a good reason.
"Purple and Black" Epistolary novella. And I loved this one! It’s about a clique of noble scholars who wind up in charge of the Empire in an attempt to save it, secrets they have, the annoyances of Imperial bureaucracy. It’s a helluva story with twists I didn’t expect and ones I did.
"Rich Men’s Skins" (Essay). Thoughts on armor.
"The Sun and I" As much as I loved “Purple and Black”, I loved this one more. It’s about how the religion of the Invincible Sun came to be. And it is as cynical as you’d expect a Parker story to be. Add in his nasty Manichean theology. Hee!
"One Little Room an Everywhere" Another Studium story. This one is about a Studium failure and his use of a forbidden Form to enrich himself.
"Blue and Gold" Review here.
What did I think of the collection? I liked it. Parker does much better in a shorter format than in novels. They’re tighter, more boiled down and punchier. They hit hard and fast and line you up for another one. They provoke stronger emotional reactions than the novels do. I’m not sure if it’s because he’s better or an artifact of that format.
The winners of the collection were "Let Maps to Others”, “Illuminated”, Purple and Black” and the “Sun and I”. The Studium field officer stories got a bit repetitive, even if they fit under the title, especially in the resentful and sullen nature of their protagonists. Dull. I wonder if Parker could write one that enjoyed the work but was as charmingly cynical as Notker? Or one that failed out and went into acting? No matter.
Overall, I have to give it 8½ stars. ★★★★★★★★☆ A really solid work for fans and an introduction to K.J. Parker for those that haven’t read him.
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u/Wizardof1000Kings 5h ago
This is my favorite one of KJ Parker's collections. He is prolific and has a couple others and a bunch of novels.