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kieran_furie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
_b_a_l_'s review against another edition
3.0
Read this one and the second book very close together and can't really differentiate them, so this is for them both. There's something in KJ Parker's writing that is melancholy and beautiful and speaks to the futility of life. Sort of like Chuck Palahniuk for sword and scocery fantasy. In this series its gone past a point where I enjoy it into a place that just feels unpleasant and needlessly dark. To belabour the metaphor this is Haunted rather than Invisible Monsters. Its really a 2.5.
kadomi's review against another edition
4.0
I was pleasantly by this 'low-fantasy' book. The writing style somehow appealed to me, even though the plot itself is not that fascinating. Colours in the Steel is set in Perimadeia, a marvelous large city that seems impenetrable. Temrai, new chieftain of a clan of barbarians, is plotting revenge on Perimadeia by conquering the city, after living there for a few months to study how to bring the city down. He is looking for one specific man, Bardas Loredan, whose cavalier unit brought destruction to Temrai's clan when he was a child. Said Bardas Loredan works as a lawyer in the city. The legal system of Perimadeia probably gives the series its name, because advocates are all fencers who settle cases in court by dueling each other to death. When Temrai begins his siege, Bardas is named chief defender of the city, if he wants to or not. Mixed in is his family history, a pair of siblings from the Island who seem capable of magic, and the Patriarch of Perimadeia trying to figure out what the heck is going on with the events centering on Bardas.
There's a lot of setup happening because especially the magic stuff and the revelations about the Loredan family require a lot more information. There was a lot of wry humor in the writing that appealed to me, but make no mistake, the story itself is pretty grim, with thousands being killed in the war between the clan and Perimadeia. If you enjoy low-fantasy, with meticulous detail when it comes to siege weapons, archery, and crafting in a fantasy world, this might be for you.
There's a lot of setup happening because especially the magic stuff and the revelations about the Loredan family require a lot more information. There was a lot of wry humor in the writing that appealed to me, but make no mistake, the story itself is pretty grim, with thousands being killed in the war between the clan and Perimadeia. If you enjoy low-fantasy, with meticulous detail when it comes to siege weapons, archery, and crafting in a fantasy world, this might be for you.
banjax451's review against another edition
3.0
Meh. About all I can say about this. Not sure if I'll read the other books in Parker's first trilogy or just move on to later works. I can see her talent, but I just didn't care about any of the characters in this novel.
shadowcas's review against another edition
4.0
I first read Colours in the Steel by K. J. Parker when I was about 17 years old. I loved it. If you asked me what my favorite book was, I would almost always answer with this. Recently I was asked what my favorite book was and while I replied with Colours in the Steel, I realized it had been so long since I had read it that I could only vaguely remember the premise. I decided to grab it up and read it as a group reading challenge for the month of August.
I must say that time does blur the details. I remembered a fast-paced novel with epic characters and magic and swordplay. What I just read was vastly different. The novel is not fast-paced. There were more lulls in the storyline than there were sword fights despite the promises of the back cover. Bardas Loredan was not an epic hero. Even he would argue with the description of a hero at all. He was cowardly, and argumentative, and dour, and a drunk. I fell in love all over again, which also makes me ask the question on my own tastes.
The magic was mostly just science or philosophy that the layman couldn’t understand. There were times of premonitions that weren’t really explained or dwelled upon. But for the most part, it was a magic-less fantasy novel.
I’m giving it 4 stars because, despite the fact that the middle sagged in pace and content, the story still remains in my top novels. The characters are perfectly crafted with believable flaws and redeemable bravery. You can’t help but root for the underdog while still hoping that everything will turn out okay for everyone. Is it a perfect novel? No. But I do find it is still well worth the read even a decade later.
I must say that time does blur the details. I remembered a fast-paced novel with epic characters and magic and swordplay. What I just read was vastly different. The novel is not fast-paced. There were more lulls in the storyline than there were sword fights despite the promises of the back cover. Bardas Loredan was not an epic hero. Even he would argue with the description of a hero at all. He was cowardly, and argumentative, and dour, and a drunk. I fell in love all over again, which also makes me ask the question on my own tastes.
The magic was mostly just science or philosophy that the layman couldn’t understand. There were times of premonitions that weren’t really explained or dwelled upon. But for the most part, it was a magic-less fantasy novel.
I’m giving it 4 stars because, despite the fact that the middle sagged in pace and content, the story still remains in my top novels. The characters are perfectly crafted with believable flaws and redeemable bravery. You can’t help but root for the underdog while still hoping that everything will turn out okay for everyone. Is it a perfect novel? No. But I do find it is still well worth the read even a decade later.
mpetruce's review against another edition
3.0
Boy, this book took me forever to read, although it is not necessarily the fault of the book. Just had other things to do.
Interesting fantasy world K.J. Parker has set up here. An apparently impregnable, prosperous city, center of the empire. Matters of law are settled by fencers, who are lawyers, but they don't fence with words, they literally fence, with the case decided by which lawyer (fencer) lives and which one dies. Magic in this world, like so many other things, are a bit of a fraud, although that it exists is understood fully by the ones thought to practice it.
Anyway, the characters here are interesting takes on the grizzled old soldier, the young assistant, the vengeful young warrior, etc.
Some of the "magical" coincidences seemed a little to coincidental for my taste, but they still make sense in the logic the story presents. A rich fantasy world well-written, if a bit slow at times.
One big misstep though was there was no map. A fantasy book should always, always, always have a map, although there is very little traveling in this book. Perhaps subsequent books in the trilogy have it.
Interesting fantasy world K.J. Parker has set up here. An apparently impregnable, prosperous city, center of the empire. Matters of law are settled by fencers, who are lawyers, but they don't fence with words, they literally fence, with the case decided by which lawyer (fencer) lives and which one dies. Magic in this world, like so many other things, are a bit of a fraud, although that it exists is understood fully by the ones thought to practice it.
Anyway, the characters here are interesting takes on the grizzled old soldier, the young assistant, the vengeful young warrior, etc.
Some of the "magical" coincidences seemed a little to coincidental for my taste, but they still make sense in the logic the story presents. A rich fantasy world well-written, if a bit slow at times.
One big misstep though was there was no map. A fantasy book should always, always, always have a map, although there is very little traveling in this book. Perhaps subsequent books in the trilogy have it.
seabright22's review against another edition
5.0
Really liked the descriptive side of what we don't normally see in these fantasy books, and the magic system being more abstract them some I've read recently is great. The honest description of fencing, duelling and war in general is super refreshing.
hazelsf's review against another edition
5.0
After reading The Engineering Trilogy I had a feeling I'd enjoy this, and I wasn't disappointed!
Filled with interesting characters, Bardas, Alexius and Temrai, the kind of humour that I enjoy, plenty of 'how to make this', fencing battles, and the uncomfortable feeling that there IS magic underlying events...not that anyone understands how it works! Not even the Patriarch.
I really loved how
Looking forward to starting the second book!
Filled with interesting characters, Bardas, Alexius and Temrai, the kind of humour that I enjoy, plenty of 'how to make this', fencing battles, and the uncomfortable feeling that there IS magic underlying events...not that anyone understands how it works! Not even the Patriarch.
I really loved how
Spoiler
Temrai was able to learn the secrets of engineering by just working in Perimidaiea and learning their skills, and how he and Bardas crossed paths several times, and ended up making him a sword.Looking forward to starting the second book!