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_b_a_l_'s review
3.0
Read this one and the first 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
3.0
Not as good as the first book, this middle book of the Fencer trilogy (very misguiding name) continues the saga of the Loredan siblings that started in the first book. After the fall of Perimadeia Bardas settles on Shona, safely away from his siblings Niessa and Gorgas who run the show on Shona. They have established a bank that rivals the one of the Foundation in Shastel. The Foundation has a lot of military might and a long arm, and so a war breaks out. On either side, we have users of the Principle, the strange magic system of this world that seems to be about influencing history at crucial points.
Pretty much all the major characters from the first book are brought back, and new characters are introduced, and the magic system still makes my head hurt. It's still a fascinating story from the glimpses you get, but it's very hidden this time under thick layers of philosophy, detailed descriptions of warfare of helbardiers versus archers, and as the title suggests, the greatest detail about bowmaking.
It also has a shocking finish that made me gape slack-jawed, and that doesn't happen very often. I am still invested into the series, but I need a break now.
If this is KJ Parker's first work which has greatly improved, I shall read more, for sure.
Pretty much all the major characters from the first book are brought back, and new characters are introduced, and the magic system still makes my head hurt. It's still a fascinating story from the glimpses you get, but it's very hidden this time under thick layers of philosophy, detailed descriptions of warfare of helbardiers versus archers, and as the title suggests, the greatest detail about bowmaking.
It also has a shocking finish that made me gape slack-jawed, and that doesn't happen very often. I am still invested into the series, but I need a break now.
If this is KJ Parker's first work which has greatly improved, I shall read more, for sure.
seabright22's review
5.0
I prefered this to the first though the pacing is so different it feels almost a different style, Bardas dealing with the fallout from Colours in the Steel is shown really well and I really like the way Parker shows Bardas trying to lie to himself about how his ideal life is working out for him.
The ending was a bit of a shocker and initally felt unearned, but looking back on the books and trying to think outside of Bardas' perspective I felt it actually fit really well.
The ending was a bit of a shocker and initally felt unearned, but looking back on the books and trying to think outside of Bardas' perspective I felt it actually fit really well.
verkisto's review
3.0
I'm a little on the fence with this one. On the one hand, it's the usual Parker style that I like, but on the other, it felt like it took a long time to get where it was going. Plus, there was that little "Oh." twist at the ending, but it felt unearned. It involved the Loredan brothers, and it felt like they had switched places. Neither action nor reaction felt right, and as much as I thought it served a place in the narrative, and effectively turned the tide of the story, it didn't feel right by the characters.
Like Colours in the Steel, The Belly of the Bow uses the metaphor of weapons to underscore the plot of the story, and I like how Parker puts it all together. It contributes to that "Oh." moment, and even gives it a touch of depth. I'm assuming Parker will do the same with The Proof House; I'm interested to learn what the heck a proof house even IS.
Like Colours in the Steel, The Belly of the Bow uses the metaphor of weapons to underscore the plot of the story, and I like how Parker puts it all together. It contributes to that "Oh." moment, and even gives it a touch of depth. I'm assuming Parker will do the same with The Proof House; I'm interested to learn what the heck a proof house even IS.
rmwphd's review
3.0
Good, like any KJ Parker novel. At times speculative or introspective, at a remove from the action and, as usual, dark as hell by the end. Kind of overwhelmingly and shockingly so, in this case.
I may have to take a break between this one and the next in the series.
I may have to take a break between this one and the next in the series.
lindzy's review
5.0
`I’m exhausted. This not fighting takes it out of you.`
Avoiding battles and attempting to overcome great odds is precisely what makes K.J. Parker’s writing so engaging. The Belly of the Bow is the second in his Fencer Trilogy, following the Loredan family as they attempt to take on the world and each other at the same time.
Starting shortly after the first book finishes, everyone seems to have settled into some sort of new life after the fall of Perimadeia. Bardas sets himself up as a bow-maker on the island of Scona while Alexius is shipped over by the director of the Bank – Bardas’ sister. Niessa believes in magic – and the Principal – and wants Alexius and Vertris to be her tools. Another war has followed Bardas, only this time the defence of the city isn’t in his hands. It is in the control of his brother, Gorgas – a general, a killer and a man who values peace with his brother above everything else.
Like the first book, the story switches narration as the war rages. The characters from the first book all remain present even when their paths go in difference ways and new ones are introduced. While all have personal motivations for acting the way they do, the majority just want to still be alive at the end of the book.
The Belly of the Bow follows the same structure as the first. The majority of the book is about the threat of the war, small skirmishes with the enemy so someone can say they’ve had a defeat or victory. The final battle doesn’t come until right at the end – as one would assume. The book is enjoyable and the tension high – rooting for characters on either side of the war means there is no outcome in the reader’s mind they are striving for – they want everyone to live. Parker takes supposed murderers and turns them into likeable characters; you don’t want them to die.
However - in terms of the structure – how closely it follows the first book makes it a touch predictable. After all the build-up for over four hundred pages, the solution mirrors the same result as the first book in such a way that it feels like an anti-climax, a cheat’s way out. Although there is a third book, a small amount of reluctance to read has taken hold – if that too follows exactly the same pattern, it will be a disappointing read. The trick works once. The skill with which Parker writes other aspects of his novels means he can get away with it twice – just about. A third time would be taking it too far.
Parker is an engaging and entertaining writer though. He knows how to make you fall in love with the characters, how to increase the tension and how to make you laugh out loud at the right moments. The ending aside, the book is a thoroughly enjoyable read and definitely a recommendation if you wish to be entertained.
Avoiding battles and attempting to overcome great odds is precisely what makes K.J. Parker’s writing so engaging. The Belly of the Bow is the second in his Fencer Trilogy, following the Loredan family as they attempt to take on the world and each other at the same time.
Starting shortly after the first book finishes, everyone seems to have settled into some sort of new life after the fall of Perimadeia. Bardas sets himself up as a bow-maker on the island of Scona while Alexius is shipped over by the director of the Bank – Bardas’ sister. Niessa believes in magic – and the Principal – and wants Alexius and Vertris to be her tools. Another war has followed Bardas, only this time the defence of the city isn’t in his hands. It is in the control of his brother, Gorgas – a general, a killer and a man who values peace with his brother above everything else.
Like the first book, the story switches narration as the war rages. The characters from the first book all remain present even when their paths go in difference ways and new ones are introduced. While all have personal motivations for acting the way they do, the majority just want to still be alive at the end of the book.
The Belly of the Bow follows the same structure as the first. The majority of the book is about the threat of the war, small skirmishes with the enemy so someone can say they’ve had a defeat or victory. The final battle doesn’t come until right at the end – as one would assume. The book is enjoyable and the tension high – rooting for characters on either side of the war means there is no outcome in the reader’s mind they are striving for – they want everyone to live. Parker takes supposed murderers and turns them into likeable characters; you don’t want them to die.
However - in terms of the structure – how closely it follows the first book makes it a touch predictable. After all the build-up for over four hundred pages, the solution mirrors the same result as the first book in such a way that it feels like an anti-climax, a cheat’s way out. Although there is a third book, a small amount of reluctance to read has taken hold – if that too follows exactly the same pattern, it will be a disappointing read. The trick works once. The skill with which Parker writes other aspects of his novels means he can get away with it twice – just about. A third time would be taking it too far.
Parker is an engaging and entertaining writer though. He knows how to make you fall in love with the characters, how to increase the tension and how to make you laugh out loud at the right moments. The ending aside, the book is a thoroughly enjoyable read and definitely a recommendation if you wish to be entertained.