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A review by lindzy
The Belly of the Bow by K.J. Parker
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.