Devices and Desires

Engineer Trilogy #1

by K.J. Parker

When an engineer is sentenced to death for a petty transgression of guild law, he flees the city, leaving behind his wife and daughter. Forced into exile, he seeks a terrible vengeance — one that will leave a trail of death and destruction in its wake. But he will not be able to achieve this by himself. He must draw up his plans using the blood of others...

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Steampunk, Science Fiction, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy

635 pages, Paperback

First published April 7, 2005

About the author

K.J. Parker is a pseudonym for Tom Holt.

According to the biographical notes in some of Parker's books, Parker has previously worked in law, journalism, and numismatics, and now writes and makes things out of wood and metal. It is also claimed that Parker is married to a solicitor and now lives in southern England. According to an autobiographical note, Parker was raised in rural Vermont, a lifestyle which influenced Parker's work.

Reviews

[Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine for a second that the current A-list writers in fantasy literature are in high school. Joe Abercrombie would be the jock, Patrick Rothfuss would be the theater kid, Scott Lynch would be the sketchy guy who might steal your girlfriend, Steven Erickson and R. Scott Bakker would be the hipsters with black glasses, and K.J. Parker would be the smart one who is college bound and belongs to the fencing team. This is the way you need to approach K.J. Parker!

Let me say that I’m a fan of K.J. Parker, not a diehard fan by any means, but I’ve read most of the author’s work and I even have a signed limited edition of Purple and Black. Since I’m familiar with Parker’s style I knew what I was going into when I first cracked open this 635 page book. Parker writes in a very academic style, at times it can feel as if you’re reading something official, similar to a textbook. This “academic” style is both a blessing and a curse. This attention to detail really gives the story an authentic feel to it, but at times it can feel ponderous and downright boring. This book was by no means one of the biggest books I’ve ever read, but at times I felt as though it would never end. I’ll try to give a detailed synopsis of what the story is about below.

Ziani Vaatzes is an engineer living in a country known as Mezentia which is a Republic that sets strict guidelines for their citizens. Mezentia is a very technologically advanced society; they have advanced weaponry that sets them apart from their neighboring countries. Their engineers must adhere to strict guild guidelines when it comes to building of any kind. To alter this technology is not only considered taboo, but can result in exile or even death. Ziani Vaatzes finds himself sentenced to death for breaking this rule and altering a piece of machinery. After escaping, Ziani makes his way to Civitas Eremia which is a country far behind the technological curve of Mezentia. Seeing an opportunity to take revenge on his prior country, Ziani decides to share his engineering secrets. This is the overall plot in a nutshell, but we also get to see the perspective of the Mezentia nation through several other characters. This allows us to see the motivation of both countries.

The story takes place in a fictitious world, with unique fantasy based names but other than that there is no fantasy to be found whatsoever. Fans of magic, otherworldly creatures and heroes of epic proportions will be disappointed in this book. All things considered it really feels like historical fiction than fantasy, so keep that in mind if you’re considering giving this one a shot. The story centers on several main characters, but also has multiple sections reserved for obscure minor characters. This was refreshing because we have the key plot characters moving the plot along, but you get breaks in between to see what’s going on behind the scenes of the main storyline. World building isn’t one of Parkers strengths, its characterization that really sets Parker apart.

There is little action throughout the story, but when it comes it comes swift and brutal. The last 200 pages really have a nice flow and slowly we start to see things fall into place. Initially Ziani’s motivation seemed clear, but after several revelations it becomes unclear as to what side Ziani is on. Much like the machinery throughout the book, we see gears fall into place and once the machine begins to run then we see how everything falls perfectly into place. The whole novel works its way up to a crescendo and once the final pages turn it left me hooked and eager to know what happens next.

Although I personally enjoyed the book, I know for a fact that a lot of people would hate it! There is no doubt in my mind that a lot of traditional fantasy fans will find this book tedious and extremely slow, but if you hold on and stick it out, the reward is great. Derealization seems to be a constant theme throughout the novel, many characters seem to step out of their body and observe the situation through an analytical point of view. This results in many characters feeling stiff and almost inhuman.

All in all I can’t say that this was my favorite book by Parker, but considering this was book 1 of a trilogy I can say that I’m defiantly intrigued enough to keep going. Fans of medieval weaponry and political intrigue will find a lot to appreciate, but fans looking for an action packed story will be disappointed.

[Stacey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Devices and Desires is a fantasy novel about an engineer named Ziani who is sentenced to death for deviating from the Specification, the rules that all Guildsmen must follow. Worried about what will happen to his wife and child, Ziani manages to escape and makes plans to manipulate the neighboring countries into war that will reunite him with his family.

The author pays great attention to detail, the sections on metalworking and the overarching philosophy and the politics of the Guild are realistic enough, but just about everything else in the story seems...unnatural.

Ziani seems to be a bit of a sociopath, rationalizing the deaths he causes as the inevitable outcome of his situaiton. He always seems to be two steps ahead of everyone, but I have a hard time believing that anyone could be so sure of himself and so lucky as to have his plans work out without fail. And worst of all, no one seems to suspect him!

The other characters in novel make strange decisions, or give away secrets to Ziani without thinking about the outcome.

I found this so annoying that I could barely finish the book.

I won't be reading the other books in the trilogy.

[Allen Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tremendous. 5 stars, easy.

This book solidified my theory that I just love Parker in the 3rd person better than the 1st. I love the multiple points of view and the time we get learning more about these characters and their very human flaws. Parker writes the everyday evil inherent in human selfishness better than any other author I know.

In a backdrop of war, we get a story of betrayal, loyalty, duty, tolerance, good enough, and love. Because, despite this being very much a military tale and how to prepare for a siege and how to run a factory and the overwhelming bureaucracy of large-scale civilizations, at its heart, it is a love story.

Three men love the same woman, each in his own way, and one man loves his own wife. And each will make life-changing decisions based on that love, decisions that irrevocably alter their lives and the lives of their countrymen.

Truly Parker at his best and I can't wait to continue the series!

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

KJ Parker describes his series like so:

Basically, it’s a love story; which is why tens of thousands die, cities are torched, nations overthrown and everybody betrays everybody else at least once. It’s also a story about a very ordinary man who’s forced, through no real fault of his own, to do extraordinary things in order to achieve a very simple, everyday objective. Furthermore, it’s an exploration of the nature of manufacture, artifice and fabrication – the things we make, the reasons we make them, the ambivalence of everything we create, and the consequences of what we make on other people. Ambitious, or what?

Holy crap! Soooo like Count of Monte Cristo except with an international scope and some engineering spices thrown in? Alright, I am so on board! But which do I focus on in my review – love or violence?

Ahahaha who am I kidding. Like he said, love stories all require violence. Spiritual, emotional, physical violence, sometimes between the lovers, usually against those who stand in the way. Without that, there’s no story. Love is BORING without conflict. So yeah let’s talk violence.

So the other day, I challenged a student to respond to the prompt: violence only causes more violence.

In the ensuing discussion, I said: “Violence doesn’t cause more violence. BAD violence does.”

“Isn’t all violence bad?” she asked.

“Sorry,” I replied, “By bad, I meant improperly executed. Properly executed violence so devastates the opponent so as to render them incapable of retaliation. It ends the cycle.”

She seemed surprised to hear this opinion from a teacher, but even more surprised when I followed it up by claiming to be a pacifist. She couldn’t see the connection. Or, as is more likely, she was used to hearing moronic warhawk punks utter bellicose statements without any real understanding that violence is a tool, and a particularly limited one at that. Which is to say I’m a pacifist not because of morality, but because of efficacy.

Or as those in industrious nation Mezentia – from which protagonist engineer Ziani Vaatzes was exiled for disobeying proper design Specifications by a couple millimeters – might say: “War is an admission of failure.”

Restoring to violence is an admission of failure. A failure of what? Every other non-violent method.

The problem with violence as a tool is that it always has a high possibility of escalation. If I'm at a bar and arguing with someone over whether Darth Vader or the Emperor is more powerful, that's a pretty minor disagreement. But if I decide the best tool to defend my world-view is by throwing a punch, then my opponent now has a much bigger reason to hurt me: I've attempted physical violence. He might feel justified, therefore, to break a bottle and try to stab me with it - even though he wouldn't have felt justified to do so merely from the fact of our Emperor vs. Darth Vader argument. I would, then, have a strong justification with also resorting to potentially fatal violence.

So that's the big problem of violence as a tool. Using it means you must always prepared for the conflict to escalate into the realm of fatal violence. Even if YOU don't want it to go there, your opponent might be willing. Thus, any time you decide to use violence, you have to be cognizant of the high possibility of it ending up in the fatal domain. In other words, if it’s worth hurting someone over, it’s also gotta be worth killing em. And if it's worth killing em, you should probably just start with that and therefore guarantee victory. (And since almost nothing is worth KILLING a person over, ANY amount of physical violence is almost always unjustified)

The same is true on the societal level too. That is, if it’s worth going to war over, then it’s worth absolutely crushing the enemy – removing their ability to retaliate for the foreseeable future. If it’s not worth doing that, then you’d better stay at home because you’re probably going to lose anyway. Which is what happened to the British during the American Revolutionary War. And the Americans in Vietnam and more recently, in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Protagonist Vaatzes has the exact same mindset. Violence and war are tools he wields with precision to achieve the simple objective of returning home to his wife and child. He doesn’t romanticize it either. He fully admits it’s outrageous, but what does he care? He even thinks of himself as a mere cog in the machine, forced into his brutal design because of the madness of others. He’s an great character with moral ambiguity and an authentic voice. I’m not a practicing engineer, but I studied it and I have the mindset and this nails it.

Did you know, for example, engineers study how to assign value to a human life? Because that’s a real consideration in design. It has to be because if we assigned infinite (or excessively high) value to a human life, then every car, rocket, building, etc. would cost a gazillion dollars because we'd have to put in so many safety features. This isn't at all nefarious, it's just how it is. Here's an example:

Suppose I said a human life was valued at $1 billion each (an excess figure). Suppose, then, I was looking at the safety feature of 'tank armor' on my SUV, the Panzer Jeep. I do some studies and conclude that including tank armor on my Panzer Jeep increases the likelihood of the occupants surviving a crash by 5%. I also predict, based on past figures, that there will be 5,000 Panzer Jeep crashes per year, with an average of 0.1 people killed per crash of a non-armored Panzer Jeep, so 500 people total. Including tank armor would save 5% of those people - or 25 people. So that's worth $25 billion. On the other end, I expect to manufacture & sell 50,000 Panzer Jeeps a year, and I calculate that including tank armor will cost an extra $100,000, increasing the price from $25,000 to $125,000. That extra cost amounts to $5 billion. Since my 'human life' value total is higher than my 'material' costs, I'd be justified in including tank armor on my Panzer Jeep SUV.

Now obviously that's a simplified example, but it's an interesting perspective that many people haven't encountered, this idea that placing a a non-infinite value on human life is a valid and even moral decision. That's the type of viewpoint you're going to get with Vaatzes and his chapters are a high point of the book.

On the down side, most everyone else’s perspective is mediocre. We get the perspective of two dukes, a love interest for both of them, one of the duke’s advisors, a bureaucrat from Mezentia, and a few others. A soldier’s perspective is fun. But the two dukes, the woman, and the advisor are, for lack of a better description, childish and stupid. Every time I was reading their chapters, I kept thinking how Game of Thrones’ characters would mop them up and eat them as a light snack BEFORE breakfast.

And they’re often boring too. This book has an ENORMOUSLY soggy middle. Like a bridge built by North Koreans. The opening – in which Vaatzes gets exiled and then taken in by an incompetent Duke whose army was just massacred by the Mezentines – is pretty sweet. And the ending is great. But the middle is incredibly long and tensionless. I mean, there’s some nice mysteries and occasional twists n turns, but it's not enough to liven up long passages filled with hunting and bureaucratic maneuvering and lists of machining parts.

So yeah, three stars, enough to push me on to the second book. We’ll see how it goes.

[Edit note: I didn't finish the second book and stopped the series there. Second book suffers even worse from poor pacing]

[Liviu · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I finished The Company my first KJ Parker read the first impression was an utterly absorbing read that felt a complete waste of time at the end, so it got a snippy "first and last KJ Parker book" comment from me.

Well, I sometimes remark on others misjudging a book based on wrong expectations - and sometimes it's simply because the way a book is promoted - so it's just right to acknowledge that I had the same issue with The Company, wrong expectations.

So after several months passed since my reading it, my reaction to that book still bothered me - it's rare to find a book so utterly compelling that I could not put it down and feel so "empty" at the end - and I liked the ending, I felt it actually redeemed what came before in the last 100-150 pages or so that disappointed me so badly - so being in a mood for a compelling dark fantasy I turned to KJ Parker books again starting with this and Pattern with the rest slowly making their way to me from various online bookstores.

This time I had no preconceptions, accepted the matter of fact, cynical, detached but superb style of the author and the book just rolled end to end and now I have to check everyday the mail and see if volumes 2 and 3 are here :)

Great book - not for everyone - dark, cynical, in a dry but darkly funny and appropriate style

And the twists and turns including the last page are astounding :)

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me make a suggestion. Pick a time when you can sit down and read quietly for enough time to get involved in this one. I didn't. I chose to take this with me and read it at the laundromat and as I was waiting around doing "other stuff".

What we got here is a somewhat involved story told from multiple points of view. There is a political system with a certain Machiavellian feel. This is buttressed by the somewhat Da Vinci like character of the engineer. The political situation in the book also put me much in mind of the waring Renaissance city states.

This is an interesting book and I suspect I didn't do it justice. I never got truly interested in it. While it drew me in somewhat the very detail left me feeling...well disinterested. There are long dialogues and information dumps. There were letters between two of the characters of the love-letter/non-love-letter variety. You know, love letters where every one is going...this really isn't a love letter.

So bottom line it's a well done well written book. I just never got involved. Will I try to reread it someday? Maybe. It didn't draw me in as I expected it to. Too bad. Maybe you'll like it better.

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread, 7/2026. Parker presents a new twist in dark fantasy with the Engineer Trilogy. Several main characters and revolving POVs build a somewhat familiar feudal society, but several differences quickly emerge. The Engineer himself hails from the most 'developed' society in the milieu, where craft work has been standardized under the control of powerful guilds and involves mass production largely for export markets. This is a rather bleak society, where everyone has their slot in a well oiled machine. Our antihero the engineer gets into hot water over a mechanical doll he built for his child and is condemned to death for violating specifications in production (e.g., he invented something new). Managing to escape, he finds himself in another kingdom, but as he has trade secrets, the guilds (who largely are the government in his society) declare war on his refuge.

So much for backstory. The other main characters consist of the dukes of the two rival kingdoms in the mountains where the engineer fled. Lots of snarky dialogue spice up the novel, and lots of excessive detail slow it down in parts. I enjoy metal work, and hence I liked the details Parker elucidated on this, but some might find it boring. I mentioned that this is a dark fantasy; we are constantly facing questions regarding the meaning of life and are presented with a Hobbesian nasty, brutal and short answers. While purporting to be a love story by the author, it is a rather bleak kind of love to be sure.

"Love's always the most dangerous thing; so much of the unhappiness and quite a lot of the evil in the world comes directly out of it"

Various 'love affairs' permeate the novel, albeit with Parker's odd definition of love. The engineer Vaatzes pines for his wife, back in the Republic and his daughter, the one he broke the rules for to make her a unique doll. Valens, the Duke of one of the mountain kingdoms, pines for a woman he met when he was a teen; she is now married to the Duke of the next door/rival kingdom and they conduct an illicit pen pal relationship. The other Duke, Orsea, loves his wife, the one having the illicit pen pal relationship with the other Duke. Others feel love or devotion to duty. In other words, while love may be the theme of the novel, do not expect romance 😎

As I wrote above, Parker does go down into many rabbit holes in this one, especially concerning metal work and design, but also politics. All in all, a rather bleak and pithy read, but one that sticks around long after you have finished it. 3.5 stars, rounding up!

[Cerviallacarica · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25

Premessa: tradurrò questo libro insieme a Francesco Vitellini, ma ciò non influisce minimamente con il giudizio verso il romanzo.

Questo è uno di quei libri che si legge proprio per il piacere della scrittura, fluida, ironica, strutturata, capace.. insomma, un gioiellino di stile.

Non è però un libro per tutti: il ritmo è calmo e calcolato (proprio come l'ingegneria all'interno del romanzo), la parte centrale è particolarmente lenta e potrebbe essere un ostacolo per molti. Tuttavia è fondamentale per la costruzione della narrazione, degli intrighi e dei sotterfugi che si scopriranno man mano. E non sono stati ancora svelati tutti.

Parker disegna un cast di personaggi diversi, con formazione ed educazione diverse, che hanno i propri obiettivi. Anche se non stata coinvolta così tanto a livello emotivo così tanto, i protagonisti hanno una voce propria, unica, così come è personalissimo il modo di ragionare. Si vede che sono stati pensati e costruiti nei minimi dettagli.

L'ambientazione è un po' vaga, ma confido nel proseguo della trilogia, soprattutto per quanto riguarda la popolazione a sud del deserto e quella oltre il mare.
Ci concentriamo infatti su 3 popolazioni in particolare: le gilde della repubblica da dove viene Vaatzes e i due ducati nemici per generazioni, oggi in pace.

Tutto cambia quando Vaatzes infrange la legge e mette in moto una serie di eventi che fino a quel momento erano quieti e stabili.
Non entro più nel dettaglio per evitare spoiler, ma sappiate che gli intrighi partono subito, a più livelli e strati.

Non fatevi fermare dalla lentezza del libro: va assaporata ogni parola, ogni parentesi, ogni dettaglio ironico.

[Jonathan Terrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Devices and Desires is one of those fantasy/sci-fi works that is truly of both genres. It features a unique world built and influenced by a medieval tone of politics and conspiracy but also features mechanical science fiction elements. It is, to that extent, a slow (at times) but well crafted and written fantasy - not one with poetic or beautiful prose necessarily, but with tight scripting and a tension that knits the entire narrative together. I will certainly be hoping to continue the story to see where it all ends.

The plot follows an Engineer who is under threat of death due to being an 'abominator' in the great Republic. This forces him to flee to one of the other key kingdoms in the area and begin helping them to build mechanical weapons to attack the kingdom for revenge. However the book also reveals that his motives may not be as sound as they seem (nor may his aims be quite what he himself even believes - as is revealed at the book's end).

For its interesting worldbuilding, politics and use of subtlety I must highly recommend this novel. It starts out slowly but the ending is worth it. There was one moment that seemed a little overly and obviously crafted by the author but for the whole it was a very nuanced novel that I enjoyed as well as found well made. It certainly beats a majority of fantasy/sci-fi works on the market in that regard.

[Mr. Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ziani Vaatzes is an Engineer in the Republic city state of Mezentia. He has also violated the guild's time honored specifications. There is only one sentence for abomination: death. Ziani is arrested, tried and convicted, but he escapes before his execution, fleeing to the nearby Duchy of Eremia. The Republic has only one option: war. They can't let the secrets and industrial knowledge in his head fall into the hand's of the Republic's enemies - especially one that only a few weeks ago lost an ill-fated war against the Republic.

I love the premise of K.J. Parker's world and story. It has everything I like in a story. There are hidden, moving plot lines that stink of betrayal. Why was the Republic so ready for war? Is it part of guild politics, or a natural reaction to the escape of the abominator? What moves Ziani to aide the Eremians? I never quite knew what was really going on. That was a good thing. It kept me guessing.

The world is fantastic too. It is a gritty, dusty world. There are machines and gadgets and devices rather than magic and spells and demons. In fact, I'm not even sure if there is magic. That's a good thing too. It makes for a fresh story compared with much of the fantasy that I read.

My problem with the book is in execution. I think the characters are a little too cardboard. Ziani is a bit too scheming. Moreso than I think is natural and realistic. Or rather it is not so much that he is scheming but he is playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers. Not sure what I think about that. I also have a hard time really empathizing with any of the characters. They are actors on a stage rather than living, breathing people. Finally, I think the book was a bit long. My attention started to waver about 2/3rds of the way through.

A good book. Four stars.

[Jeremy Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Anyone who might have scrolled through my reviews between last year and this will know how far my adoration for KJ Parker extends. I've only got five unread novels to look forward to, out of the author's extensive catalogue. By the same token, I can understand the 2 and 3-star reviews here. Parker is meticulous; he burns slow, like a volcano that lies dormant for decades before it erupts, and that's not to everyone's taste.

I think the Engineer trilogy is his first truly ambitious attempt (I'm of the opinion he achieved a greater height with his Two of Swords trilogy; but then, I haven't finished this one yet). It's fraught with all the themes he's noted for, and they're fleshed out with more sophistication than his Fencer, or even his Scavenger, trilogies: the ambiguousness of morality; the consequence of duty, honor, and love; the superficiality of the human condition. Those themes are explored across three kingdoms between about six main characters, all with both different and congruent motivations, all people who try to do the right thing in their way, with disastrous consequences. It's a better book than many, many other books out there (while not Parker's best), and I learned more than a little about engineering along the way.

[Artemas · Rating 2 out of 5]

I REALLY wanted to like this book and was excited to start it. I even purchased all 3 books of the series before even reading the first one; big mistake. To be fair to the author: there was nothing really bad about this book but at the same time there was nothing for me that stood out or really interested me. I never felt the hook that sucks the reader into the story. This might have been tolerable for a shorter book, but at 706 pages this one demanded a little too much without giving me back anything in return.

[Fabiano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oggi vi parlo del romanzo “Strumenti e speranze”, primo volume della serie “La trilogia dell’ingegnere” di K.J. Parker, pubblicata tra il 2005 e il 2007. Digital Vintage Edizioni ha colmato una lacuna, l’opera di Parker è un prodotto che mancava tra gli scaffali delle librerie italiane.

Se da un lato abbiamo sempre sentito parlare di “Hard Science Fiction”, dall’altro non abbiamo mai sentito parlare di “Hard Fantasy”. Parker disegna una storia ricca di tecnicismi relativi a meccanica, ingegneria, caccia, tattica militare, giurisprudenza e burocrazia. Il ritmo si mantiene placido e ragionato dall’inizio alla fine con una parte centrale più lenta, a tratti pesante, ma necessaria, tuttavia, a costruire alcune sottotrame che si riveleranno fondamentali per lo sviluppo dell’intero canovaccio. Parker si dimostra capace di mantenere vivi interesse e curiosità grazie a uno stile scorrevole e raffinato, contraddistinto da una sottile ironia. Insomma, non vi annoierete.

Il worldbuilding è vasto e originale. Un mondo medievaleggiante dove la Repubblica di Mezentia controlla indirettamente i regni vicini attraverso il monopolio della tecnologia. Il classico “sistema magico”, con Parker, diventa “sistema tecnologico” ed esso influenza la vita stessa di Mezentia, la macchina, e dei suoi cittadini, gli ingranaggi. Una società settoriale, organizzata in Gilde, la cui vita è scandita dai dogmi della Specifica, una vera e propria costituzione tecnologica.

Il cast di personaggi messo sul palcoscenico dall’autore rispecchia il worldbuilding variegato. I protagonisti appartengono a culture diverse, parlano, ragionano e agiscono in base alla loro terra di origine e alle sue caratteristiche. Parker ha dato vita a voci singolari, sfaccettate e verosimili, caratterizzate nei minimi dettagli.

In tutto ciò non mancheranno intrighi, tradimenti, scontri campali e assedi, anch’essi estremamente particolareggiati. Stra consigliato.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book. I started the second book. I STILL DON'T KNOW IF I LIKE IT OR NOT. Augh.

I think it's because I hate the protagonist (the too-perfect exiled engineer, who is AWESOME AT EVERYTHING wut) but like the rest of the book. However, as it seems like the series is about the protagonist systematically destroying everything in the rest of the book in an attempt to do... something... it rather annoys me.

The only thing which kept me reading, really was Duke Valens, and the covers. I must admit that the artwork on the books was really what drew me to them in the first place, and what kept me going back. If the usual schlocko covers were in place, I probably wouldn't have touched them in the first place. As it is, I think the art department was somewhat wasted, but it's definitely getting Parker's work out to a larger audience.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Devices and Desires, by K.J. Parker. Book One of the Engineer Trilogy.
Published January 2006 (UK), by Orbit UK.
ISBN: 1841492760
706 pages

One of the latest up-and-coming writers in Fantasy has been KJ Parker. He/She is the author of The Fencer Trilogy and The Scavenger Trilogy, both of which have been well liked and received.

That may be enough to make some readers rush to the stores for this latest work now.

The first line is a wonderful hook. The book starts:

‘ “The quickest way to a man’s heart,’ said the instructor, ’is proverbially through his stomach. But if you want to get into his brain, I recommend the eye socket.’

And so I was off. The book is a large one and yes, the first part of a trilogy. But don’t let that put you off. I’m pleased to type that the 706 pages I then read through were well worth sticking with.

The main story is this: Ziani Vaatzes is a high ranking member of the Foundrymen’s and Machinist’s Guild of the Perpetual Republic of Mezentia, whose modifications to a Mezentine automaton are in direct opposition to the precise requirements of Guild law. For this, Ziani is sentenced to death as an Abominator. However, he escapes the death sentence proclaimed him and is forced into exile to Eremea, leaving his beloved city, republic and Guild, his wife Ariessa and his daughter Moritsa behind. He does however promise his retribution on all those who have led to his demise.

Further in the counterplot, Valens Valentinianus is a Duke’s son, one of the Valdani, trained for succession to the Duke of Eremea, who has fallen in love with Veatriz Sirupati, but Veatriz is betrothed to another: Duke Orsea, the monarch ruler of the mountain dwelling Eremia Montis.

Duke Orsea is first met as the leader of the defeated Eremeans in a massacre by Mezentine machines - scorpions, that rapidly fire hundreds of metal poles into the air in battle to lethal effect. We are also introduced here to Miel Ducas, his faithful right-hand man and coincidentally boyhood sweetheart of Veatriz, who is torn between his friendship and duty to Orsea and his secret love for Veatriz.

It is to them that Ziani arrives, apparently offering his services in order to exact his revenge on Mezentia.

So then we begin a book of power struggles, manners and intrigue. It is a complex mix of memorable characters and places, of political and historical events in a well-realised world. Though the model is perhaps Renaissance Europe, the Fantasy version here given by KJP is very satisfying.

As you might therefore expect, there are a wealth of characters with complex motives, and political industrial and social machinations a-plenty. The book is full of dichotomic resonances – order versus change, rationality versus passion, love versus hate (or at least revenge), old versus new, industrial change versus historical tradition. It is a book about institution and conventions, and the breaking of them; of customs and order being subverted, of protocol and diplomacy, of the old ideas being replaced by the new.

As the title of the book so clearly points out, as it is a book about the importance of engineers, it is a story of machines – the killing scorpions designed by the Mezentines (yet adapted by Ziani), that fire hundreds of metal poles into the air in battle to lethal effect, killing thousands – and yet in the end it is also (and possibly more importantly) murder, love and revenge – the desires of the book’s title.

Interestingly, Parker points out that for all of the sophisticated machines, the clever social skills, the political machinations, it is love that is the fundamental: it is love which ultimately is the force for change, that causes events in the book, makes people do what they do, risk all and not complain.

As the book developed, I found myself drawn in more and more. It is a leisurely book yet skilfully written. The story enfolds slowly, yet cleverly. The world building is magnificent. The huge variety of places and names gave the place a real sense of history though you may find yourself hard pressed to keep up with some of the place-names and pronounce some of the names. I particularly liked the complex and varied organisation of the Guilds of Mezentia, which were balanced by the equally complex court requirements of the Eremeans.

As for the characters, it is here that Parker has clearly surpassed herself. Again, as expected, there are a large variety of characters, often with unpronounceable names, yet the main protagonists are well realised. Ziani is perhaps the most interesting character – a Machiavellian puppet-master, an obsessive maverick genius, whose complex machinations are both dazzling and yet at times astoundingly ruthless.

With such a character, the other leads could become less important. It is to Parker’s credit that they remain complex and are also well developed. Miel is the man bound by duty, who remains devoted to his friend against all opposition. Orsea is a leader with low self-esteem, who is placed into a position of power for which he feels unsuited, yet at times is astonishingly prescient of events. Valens is a brooding romantic anti-hero, torn by unrequited love and clearly underestimated by his enemies. Veatriz is the romantic innocent, at times showing deep understanding whilst at others being quaintly naïve.

In addition to this, the use of language is wonderful. Some of the descriptions of armour and engineering were so complex that I was reminded of some of Mary Gentle’s writing. The vocabulary is wonderfully varied, yet not deliberately obtuse, although finding words like ‘bum’ and ‘F**k’ intermixed with words like ‘expediency’ and ‘mutilated’ was a little disconcerting, and perhaps a little too contrived.

On a more positive note, and as you might expect in such a book, the plot twists and turns (both expected and unexpected) are complex and engaging; with a nice twist at the end, twenty-four chapters later I surfaced.

It is clear that it may not be a book for everyone; some of the events seem a little too obscure and rambling at first, perhaps even a little too complex, though in the end most makes sense. Some details are given in far too much detail, though the reason for such listings is clear: the obsessive nature of the engineer knows no boundaries.

However, because of this, some will find parts of the book too slow-paced, and perhaps a little dry.

I must say that there were times when I got a little frustrated with the book. There were chapters that were dazzlingly written and executed- the battle scenes towards the end of the book, the hunting of boar (which seems to have little to do with the story until later in the book), the images of court life – where the writing is so good that the images became very clear in my reader’s mind.

There are then chapters where there is what I can only see as information dumping. Chapter Four, about a hundred pages in, is where Ziani and Miel try to find areas of common communication between them. It is well written, but in the space of a few pages history, geography and culture are all covered with such a contrasting speed to the majority of the book that it jarred with me as I read it. I felt it was a clumsy way of bringing the reader up to date.

In the same way, the last part of Chapter Twenty-Three, about forty pages from the end, is where Ziani appears to apologise to Miel for major plot events that he has instigated. Whilst it was enlightening and an interesting counterpoint to the earlier chapter, it so conveniently brought the reader up to date with various plotlines that it read a little like the author was writing a whodunit, where the reader is shown the answers to the mystery in a few pages.

Overall though, this was a pleasingly challenging read. What is most apparent to me is that by reading this book, I realised that KJ is an author who is not prepared to stagnate. Though there are elements of the book that readers of her earlier work will recognise – an interest in the rituals of fencing, an obsession with designing and constructing efficient machinery - this book pushes the boundaries of her writing, and one that I found stylistically and conceptually much more ambitious than any of her previous work I have read. It is an often over-crowded area of the genre where this book resides. However, I was pleased to find that, in the end, I think it is one of its more worthy members.

At one point Ziani muses over his gravestone having the epitaph: SEEMED LIKE A GOOD IDEA AT THE TIME. On picking the book up, I couldn’t agree more. Complex, literate, leisurely yet engrossing, if your tastes run to complex political Fantasy, this is not a bad one to try. I look forward to the next book in the series.

[Matteo · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐️

Ziani Vaatzes è un ingegnere, il migliore di Mezentia: uno dei grandi inventori che permettono alla Repubblica Perpetua di mantenere uno stato di supremazia e controllo commerciale sulla regioni confinanti.
Un giorno, però, Ziani commette un errore imperdonabile, infangando il suo stesso nome: diviene un abominatore, reo di aver violato le sacre leggi che governano i dettami dell’ingegneria.
Fuggito dalla sua città natale, egli cerca rifugio all’estero, offrendo i suoi servigi come costruttore di macchine belliche agli acerrimi nemici dei mezentini, e con un unico scopo: vendicarsi della sua stessa gente.

COSA MI E' PIACIUTO

Una storia che si regge su intrighi politici, tradimenti e alcuni colpi di scena ben studiati che convergono in un finale soddisfacente (per quanto si tratti del primo volume di una trilogia).
Lo stile dell’autore, denso e ricco di dettagli, farà la felicità di chi, rispetto a un ritmo senza freni, predilige una trama che sceglie di prendersi i suoi tempi e predisporre con cura tutte le pedine in gioco; a questo si unisce un umorismo tanto sottile quanto intelligente.
I diversi personaggi principali emergono poco a poco, ma seguono un percorso coerente e ben studiato.
Il “sistema magico” (potremmo così definirlo, anche se la magia, qui, è pressoché assente) si basa sulla profonda conoscenza dell’autore nei confronti di alcuni principi ingegneristici legati alla meccanica: alla stregua di alcune opere di fantascienza, potremmo definire il romanzo come un affascinante “hard fantasy” moderno.

COSA NON MI E' PIACIUTO

La parte centrale del volume, invero discretamente lunga, subisce un calo di ritmo dopo il brioso avvio e potrebbe scoraggiare qualche lettore, complici le numerose spiegazioni scientifiche accennate; uno scoglio, tuttavia, che porta a sviluppi interessanti e risulta pertanto necessario alla buona costruzione della vicenda.

---

Strumenti e Speranze è un romanzo complesso, che richiede impegno e costanza, non adatto a una lettura superficiale. Proprio grazie a questa sua natura potrà regalare soddisfazioni ai lettori più attenti e a coloro che sapranno portare la giusta dose di pazienza tra un’invenzione ingegneristica e l’altra per giungere, infine, al vero cuore del romanzo: i rapporti di forza e potere, le amicizie, i tradimenti, la fiducia nelle persone più care.
Forte di alcuni personaggi che amerete (e odierete, nella più positiva delle accezioni), Parker vi condurrà in un simil-Medioevo tutto da scoprire, tra intrighi e scontri sanguinosi.

[Steve Kimmins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m in the KJ Parker fan club so I’d surprise myself if I hadn’t enjoyed the first volume of this Engineer trilogy, and enjoy it I did.

The story of an engineer, Vaatzes, who’s forced to flee his home city after being found guilty of illegal engineering practises! He takes refuge in one of two adjacent duchies to his homeland, rather medieval and backward places in many ways compared to his home. But they may serve his intention to get revenge on his homeland for ripping apart his family life, his wife and daughter being the only people he really cares about.

So, a little unusually for a Parker book, love is a dominating motivation for the engineer’s grim revenge and also drives a sub plot for other leading characters in the story. Love leading to death and destruction all around is typically poignant Parker storytelling.

Like many Parker books it’s fantasy on the boundary of historical fiction. A ‘no magic’ scenario in a fictional land where issues relevant to a late medieval, early industrial world are well researched.
The author keeps to his usual practise of detailed world building, taking you into deep detail on technical issues. In this book, for example, I learnt how to make boiled leather armour. A major theme is the importance of engineering tolerance (ie accuracy) which has became an immovable dogma to the engineers of the Republic. I guess this is where some readers may find this and some other Parker stories try their patience as he is a very detailed and deep world builder, and this can mean the plot moves slowly. If you want to start with this author then I’d recommend Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City and The Father of Lies as easier entry points. But for the Parker connoisseur this book is gold.

Dialogue is often a highlight of a Parker novel and there’s no disappointment about that here. I recall the conversation between Vaatzes’s wife and her Interrogator having the cut and thrust of a fencing bout, and the Republic’s bureaucratic committees cold blooded examination of every aspect of their options before embarking on death and destruction (the War Office of the Republic is called the Department of Necessary Evil). Most conversations are intelligent adult discussions even when they lead to nasty consequences.

Maybe the very ending didn’t quite work for me. As Vaatze’s plan unfolds it seemed to me that there were too many features which involved luck rather than planning, which isn’t what you’d expect a plotter of his ability to allow.

At the end of volume #1 of 3 it’s been quite a ride, and I’ve not really got much idea how the story, after a climatic end, is going to develop, which is good. 4.5*.

[Dirk Grobbelaar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes I find it hard to review a book. This is one of those times.
I liked this book, I really did, but I’m not sure I can explain why. Sure, the Engineer angle was a bit of a novelty; the writing was good; the book contains some well executed wit. Nothing, however, seems to particularly stand out, except that it was an enjoyable read. Perhaps that in itself is more than reason enough, and no further elaboration is required.

Unfortunately there are also one or two negatives. Once you pass the book’s halfway mark, things get bogged down in long winded descriptions of anything from hunting to the logistical problems facing a marching army. The whole story is hinged on a mechanism, and the reader is required to understand the inner workings at least somewhat, but surely this amount of detail is superfluous. The fact that all the characters have redeeming qualities makes this novel read like a history text book – there are no real ‘good guys’ and no real ‘villains’, which is a marvellous grey character study, but not having anyone to root for makes the whole thing a bit impersonal. These gripes aren’t major, however, and I would still recommend this to lovers of both fantasy and historical fiction. Word of warning though: it’s not an easy read!

All in all, this novel reminded me somewhat of the Trojan wars. Read it and you’ll see why. It also sets up the trilogy with a promise of good things to come. I’ll definitely be reading the sequels to see how it all plays out.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got yer grimdark right here ...

I'm pretty sure there's nobody else writing books like K. J. Parker. The closest comparison I can think of is Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle (they share the same fascination with history and with detail; with the inner workings of technology and bureacracy), but intending no disrespect, Parker's books are infinitely more readable, despite occasional pages-long disquisitions on the formation of cuir boilli or proper etiquette for the different kinds of hunting parties. There's a precision to the language that's almost surgical.

So Devices and Desires is the first book of the Engineer trilogy and, appropriately, it's a finely-tuned mechanism of stresses, tensions and tolerances, put into play by the eponymous engineer, Ziani Vaatzes, exiled from his home city for daring to improve on the specified designs, determined above all else to get home to his wife and daughter, or at least to ensure their safety. To quote Parker (from an interview at the back of the book and because I couldn't say it better myself): "Basically, it's a love story, which is why tens of thousands die, cities are torched, nations overthrown, and everybody betrays everybody else at least once."

[Jenne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the very machine-like plot (appropriate for what is basically a swashbuckling adventure novel with an engineer as the (anti)hero).

It felt like every chapter was adding another cog or gear or something that would keep changing your expectation of what the eventual result was supposed to be, but the result was inevitable anyway.

click. click. click. click. BOOM.

I can't wait to read the next one and hopefully find out more about the Cure Hardy. What is their deal? Anyway, I gave this 5 stars because I kept being surprised by how much I was liking it.

However, a few problems:

--Does not pass the Bechdel Test
--Uses the always-frustrating "WE GO DEAF" plot device, e.g. "Then the lieutenant described the fatal flaw in the castle defenses, and everyone laughed heartily and began preparations for the invasion." (not an actual quote)
--And THEN, uses the hoary "(anti)villain describes his whole master plan in the last 10 pages of the book" plot device.
I mean, really??

[Wealhtheow · Rating 2 out of 5]

An industrial republic borders on two warring feudal duchies. When an engineer escapes the technically-advanced Mezentine City, he upsets the power balance of the continent. There's an interesting struggle between thought processes of the meritocratic City, wherein the workers serve the machines, and the medieval duchies, in which rule is passed via primogeniture and tools serve the workers. The plot is pushed forward by two forces: the Mezentines' need to maintain a monopoly, and various love affairs. The romances really, really annoyed me. I was also frustrated with Parker's Martin-esque tendency to introduce lots of interesting characters and then do horrible things to each of them. I got very anxious, and I had to force myself to finish the novel.

I won't read the rest of the trilogy. Parker has a very good, skillful style, but I hate the story zie told.

[Greg Heaney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Finally, finally, finally, I finished Devices and Desires. This book easily took 3 weeks too long to read. It isn’t entirely without merit, but I had to force myself, out of guilt over the 12 bucks I spent to buy it. It’s a very different kind of fantasy novel, in some ways closer to historical fiction than fantasy, but still definitively in its own world. The world lacks magic or monsters, but maintains the typical medieval fright over what horrors, real or imagined, could be lurking in foreign nations. However, the biggest difference is the focus of the novel. Despite a large battle (plagiarized almost word for word from the assault on Helm’s Deep,) the novel remains definitively about the men in political power, not military maneuvers. This creates a very different kind of atmosphere, and Parker must be commended for this, if for nothing else.

There are a few things that Parker does well. She (He?) manages to give very real problems to the people in power. They are not heroes, and are all quick recognize their own humanity. An extreme lack of self-confidence stops them all in their tracks. They are able to view the world very realistically, but never seem to have it all figured out. Perhaps her best talent is Parker’s ability to make it clear that there is no antagonist, just individuals on different sides of the battlefield.

The downside to this is, of course, that almost every character is the same. No one has any confidence, except a single man, Vaatzes, who can be discussed later. While perhaps more realistic, a novel without a hero is just boring. Most of the protagonists sit around bemoaning their lack of governance skills, wishing they could pass off their duties to another. They are carbon copies of each other, each equally self-deprecating and absolutely drowning in their own mediocrity. Booooring.

Plotholes, which are not uncommon amongst even the best literature, are here numerous enough to need a calculator to add up, and large enough to drive small vans through. As I mentioned, the final battle sequence is lifted straight from Helm’s Deep, and partly from the Trojan War. Unfortunately, Parker got them both wrong. The specifics of the assault could have been written by a preteen. In a world where war seems to be almost a daily occurrence due to the constantly shifting balances of power (something Parker got right,) I am utterly unconvinced that any soldier could be as scared and pathetic as they seem to be. I cannot believe that any commander would be stupid enough to even attempt the preschool tactics used here. Mostly, it is ludicrous to believe than even a single commander would fall for the ridiculous and useless feints and deceptions practiced on both sides. The whole thing is a tactical impossibility. I know, Devices and Desires isn’t about the battle, it’s about the people. Regardless, these problems detract tremendously from the reader’s ability to suspend disbelief.

There are a host of other problems, most of them similar. Vaatzes complains about the horrible mechanical conditions of his new home, and is still able to somehow perform his craft at a super-human rate. No one seems to sleep in any definable pattern. The massive amount of foreshadowing concerning the numerous ladies in read all comes to absolutely nothing. I’m sorry Parker, but it’s a waste of my time.
My biggest problem is more basic than all these. In short, I just don’t care. So what, some engineer creates a war to return home. Big whoop. The reader is never given a single reason to prefer any character over any other. I am utterly unmoved by the number of fictional citizens slaughtered. An author cannot expect the reader to care. The author must make us care. The impetus is on you, Parker, to take my interest. The impetus is not on me to grasp an unnatural hold. These men hardly care about their own lives. Why should I?

This is not even necessarily an in-book problem. What I am least convinced about it why Vaatzes starts a war. Just so he can get back home? No, I don’t see how that is possible yet, but I suppose there are two more books in the trilogy. I mean something larger than that. There is not a single reason to believe he cares about returning to his family. So he wrote his wife some bad poetry. I wrote my girlfriend some bad poetry in the 8th grade, and I didn’t feel that war was necessary to win her back again. Why does he care so much? Devices and Desires remains silent. Further, Vaatzes is written as a mastermind, a genius capable of any feat of charisma to get what he wants. Well, I’ve got some news for you. He’s not charismatic. He’s a boor. He’s not romantic. He’s a boor. He’s never even once shown to be planning any of this big hoohah. He’s, you guessed it, a boor. The problems in this novel are solved through coincidences too Deus ex Machina to even care about. Any credit given to Vaatzes for being a social engineer is misplaced.

It might not be without its high points, but Devices and Desires was a waste of my time. I don’t see myself finishing the trilogy without being stranded on a desert island with a copy of it. The leisurely pace is not a result of Parker’s ability as a writer. It is because the novel is bogged down in technical terms that don’t enhance even the atmosphere of the novel, much less character development (or even characterization, for that matter.) The slow pace is a result of the clunky writing, boring characters and a completely bogus plot line. I’m so glad I finally finished it; now, I can move on with my life. From here, I’m praying to God it can only go up.

[Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What's not to like about this book? In fact, I think it's the perfect story: about an engineer (like me), people who like to fence (like me), are interested in making swords and armor (like me), have a skepticism toward politics (like me), and enjoy commentary on economics (like me). Like I said, the perfect story, and I'm glad he wrote it for me :)

I see lots of polarized reviews toward Parker's writing. I think the simple reason is, if you're looking at reading this for the story, you'll probably be somewhat frustrated at how many asides are made, how much commentary there is on human nature, and generally that the plot seems to move relatively slowly. I also see criticism in the analytical way people like the engineer think. That was one of the best parts to me and I also find myself thinking of people and circumstances as a machine, or a difficult situation as something that need to be "fixed".

That being said, I thought it was absolutely brilliant as a (somewhat cynical) parody of politics, human nature, economics, etc. and had something of a dark humor all the way through. Parker's characters are fairly transparent and honest, letting us see the inside of a politician's mind, and how they are using someone for their own gain. Or sometimes a person is quite willing to do the right thing but simply not clever enough to figure out how to in the present situation. It is a story about love, betrayal, humiliation. I like how the engineer is taken out of his element (the city) and forced to adapt to a completely different lifestyle (mountain village, more or less). He shows some disdain for these backwoods people but soon learns that their skillset is completely different, and with good reason, and finds himself indebted to these people who continually show him kindness. I just enjoyed Parker's writing, his commentary, his parody of real life. Yes, it is often cynical but it's also remarkably insightful too.

[Jaine Fenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I admired this book, but did not enjoy it. Parker creates a convincing world with complex geo-politics, but everyone in this book is a total bastard. OK, not everyone: occasionally someone displaying one of those foolish human weaknesses like 'compassion' or 'empathy' shows up, but they are quickly and efficiently destroyed by the bastards. As a reader who likes a character to root for, this was a problem for me, because whilst I could appreciate the thoroughness with which a given bastard shafted a weaker character, I could not bring myself to care about the fate of that bastard him/her self. I might dream of said bastard getting their just deserts, but I soon came to realise this was futile: nice guys get shredded, venal self-serving motherf*ckers get rewarded. I would have stuck with this if I felt any of the bastards had an overreaching plan which would bear interesting fruit, maybe resulting in an unexpected turnaround, but frankly I didn't, so I'm afraid I've no plans to read on.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was hard to rate. Imaginative world creation and unique writing style might have been worth four or five stars, but I had real trouble staying engaged. Like no other book in recent memory, I'd read a chapter or two, enjoying the characterization and story, but find my interest fading for some reason. I'd put it down for a day and repeat the process again and again until I finished the book. I liked the book for sure, but was very disappointed not to have liked it more. Would be worth a shot for anyone else though, you might not have the same trouble I did.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of K.J.Parker. I can prove it, too. According to Goodreads, this is my 11th book by him. I don't think I would recommend "Devices and Desires" as a starting point for those who have never read anything by K.J. Parker. (I got hooked by his short stories and novellas.) It's dark and cynical, rather than dark, cynical, snarky and sarcastic, like his other books. No chuckles to be had here, so now you've been warned.
- Great characters, as usual.
- I did not really notice that the book was ca 700 pages long. If you like this kind of style (dry, academic, yet engaging), then you won't either.
- This is a geeky book. I've learned everything I ever wanted to know but was afraid to ask about boar hunting and building siege engines and artillery machines.
- Now I also know what kind of person NOT to be if you happen to be a Duke of a smallish country. (HONESTLY!) I'm sure it'll be extremely useful to me at some point.

Yes, yes, yes, I'll be reading the rest of the trilogy :-)

[Peter Tillman · Rating 3 out of 5]

An early KJ Parker that, despite first-rate writing and an original concept, ended up annoying more than entertaining me. The setup is the now-familiar Parker medieval-level technology, and the protag is an armaments engineer in an unsavory state that has established -- and jealously defends -- its monopoly on 'advanced' technology, especially weapons technology. I couldn't get inside the head of the fugitive engineer, especially when he is taken in by a mountain kingdom, which he arms to fight the inevitable retribution by his former employer, which treats defection by a skilled arms engineer as a capital crime. He ends up betraying his rescuers, and turns out to be something of a psychopath. The annoying parts came mostly in the second half of the book, where the author has done lots of research on (eg) medieval boar hunting by aristocrats, and is determined to use *all* of his research in the novel! This gets old in a hurry, but can be skimmed over. Further annoyance comes after the invasion, with a clumsy setup for vol. 2 in the series. I won't be reading any more of these, though I can see how others liked it more than I did. Read some of the negative reviews before you read the book, is my advice. For me, 2.5 stars, rounded up for the first-rate writing. If you are new to Parker, I don't recommend starting here!

[Phoenixfalls · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a lot to like about this book. First off, it's basically an ode to the engineering mindset -- I'm pretty sure it's clockpunk (at least as sure as one can be basing their decision on a few sentences in Wikipedia) and even the non-engineer characters share a similar rationalist view of the world. Instead of being vaguely Celtic or French like most high fantasy it's vaguely Italian (judging only by the names and the Guilds though; the geography bears no resemblance to Italy). And, perhaps most unusual of all, it's very much concerned with economics -- there are political and personal machinations, but there is also a keen eye for cost and profit and unequal trade.

Unfortunately, there is also a lot to dislike about this book, for me at least. The biggest issue I had with it was that I'm just not into clockpunk for the same reason I'm not into much steampunk and I'm not into hard SF -- I get really, really bored with long descriptions of technical specifications, no matter what the technology is. This book could have been half the length if those passages were cut out, and none of the story would have been lost. And it wasn't just the ingenious titular devices being described; I was also treated to very long passages about armor, and bows, and the various techniques for hunting boar. I have no clue if Parker was accurate in these descriptions, mostly because I started skipping them altogether.

Second to that in making me grind my teeth was the very rational mindset shared by all the characters. I got that that practice of immediately assessing a situation, breaking it down into its component parts, and then coming up with a solution to work that situation to his advantage is the hallmark of Vaatzes' (the engineer) character; it was a nice change from most fantasy heroes, and emphasized the message that engineers are a breed apart. But then all of the other men who got a turn as viewpoint character thought in exactly the same way, and it just rang false for me. One person, yes, I can see behaving that way; but most people, as far as I can tell, don't have the objectivity to think like that when they're in the middle of a war zone, stuck through with arrows, and that wrecked my suspension of disbelief.

Most of my other issues with the book stem from kind of the same place. A character would do something, or feel a certain way, and I'd buy it; but then three other characters would also behave exactly the same and I'd get frustrated and annoyed. For example, much of the book is about the lengths that people go to for love, and that's a rich (though well-trod) field to play in; but why, for heaven's sake, do all the men in this world have to be in love with only two women? Everybody keeps going to war with everybody else, and the armies are all male, so there should be a pretty severe gender imbalance, and Parker deals with that by having a whole class of women become traders; but it seems like so many women went off to be traders that there are no eligible beauties for the men to swoon over, and they're forced to share! (Not really to share -- this book shies away from actual sex or bad language, though it has no shortage of violence.)

And when we really get down to it, Vaatzes is a monster, and the novel is entirely his story. I found this partly problematic because I have no sympathy for monsters, or at least monsters with as little cause as he had; but I also found this problematic from a structural standpoint, because his machinations drive the entire plot, but because that plot was supposed to largely be a mystery to the reader that meant that all those passages from his perspective had to awkwardly talk around what he was plotting. That's a technique that just bothers me as a reader; mystery novels are so rarely narrated by the great detective to prevent this exact issue, where the character whose head we're in knows something and is deliberately hiding it from the reader. (An exception to this case is when we have an unreliable narrator, which is a technique that can be brilliant, but was not in use here.)

So overall I don't know how the tally sheet works on this novel. It reads very quickly, mostly because as I noted above I skimmed great huge chunks, but also because Parker's style is fairly pulpy; but even that style had its issues, because Parker would throw in very culturally specific references that didn't seem to fit the world (an offhand remark by one character that "the dog ate my homework"?!? really?!?). I can't say I enjoyed it, but I can see why other people would, and I'm totally conflicted about whether or not to read the next novel.

[Para (wanderer) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Conceptually and stylistically, it is easily the best fantasy book I have ever read, but it's not without some serious flaws. While I enjoyed it very much, this makes it very hard to rate and recommend.

He had to have it; and if it meant the end of the world, that wasn't his problem.

An engineer, about to be executed for daring to be creative and not adhere to the Specification in a personal project, flees from his city to a neighbouring country who have just lost a battle with his city, and sets out for revenge. That would be a basic summary of the plot, and "a slow, political fantasy set in a secondary world without magic" a basic description, but there's much more to it than that. The main point of the book is an examination of evil; what would drive someone to do a thing that they know would result in thousands of deaths, and the justifications such people would make to themselves. It's a bit like Malazan in that, but almost reverse in conclusions - part of the answer, oddly enough, seems to be love - presented not as the ultimate good, but instead a force capable of destroying nations.

I liked that all of it reads much more as an exploration of an idea ("What if love was not a good thing?" or "What would drive an ordinary man to do this?") and allowing you to form your own opinion of whether is it true or not, than an author presenting his viewpoint and forcing it upon the reader. The writing style is also fantastic - third person with a very dry, cynical, almost satirical undertone, and really quotable. I'm not usually someone who notices prose, but here it was a delight to read, and mostly what kept me going.

And in places, I needed quite a lot to keep me going. The characters are this book's main weakness. Each one has a theme and a role, the amoral engineer, the small-minded politician, the tradition-obsessed nobleman, the indecisive king, etc; they have their motivations and things that bind them, but there is still something fundamental missing that makes them less than beliveable. There's a sense of certain detachment, mechanicalness, lack of passion - you know Vaatzes is motivated by the love for his wife, but you don't feel that as you read it. The telling and the showing, and the difference comes up short. Another odd thing is that there seem to be no prominent female characters. Sure there are Ariessa and Veatriz, but they barely play more than a background role.

The worldbuilding is also not quite up to standards. There are a few little touches I rarely see included, like references to various in-world art styles and literature, but overall most of the various cultures and nations feel barely sketched out, lacking in atmosphere and texture. It didn't fully convince me.

Still, despite all that, it somehow worked.

Verdict:
All in all, it's a book that focuses on its themes and prose so much that it loses focus of almost anything else. Perhaps it comes from his background in short stories (I am very familiar with them, but I never read anything he wrote as Holt, so I can't say exactly), perhaps it's simply an accident.

Enjoyment: 4/5
Execution: 2.5/5

Recommended to: anyone who finds the concept interesting and is up to a slow, heavy read
Not recommended to: people who require action in their books

More reviews on my blog, To Other Worlds.

[Anna C · Rating 2 out of 5]

Apparently Goodreads is engaged in a massive conspiracy to prevent me from actually writing a review for this book. Every time I get close to finishing, my review randomly deletes it. I don't want to lose any more of my life typing this, so I'll just summarize briefly.
The concept of the book is interesting, but the execution falls flat. The world is tiny and appears to be populated with only about 6-7 characters, all of which will obviously survive the massacres around them, by virtue of the fact they are main characters. Even more annoying, Parker's characters use such modern language that they sound like American teenagers in 2014.
To compensate for the lack of world building or the sheer lack of characters, Parker spends an enormous amount of the book on sheer detail. If a character enters a shed, several inches of text will pain-stakingly list each and every tool inside. During a battle, Parker feels compelled to list every single thrust and parry. Not only does this break the course of the action and oblige any half-sane reader to start skimming, it makes this book far more bloated than it has to be.
Finally, I disagree with the premise itself. Ziani Vaatzes, the protagonist, is a grossly wronged engineer who orchestrates an entire war to be reunited with his wife and daughter. And yet, he is utterly unsympathetic. This man is a sociopathic monster who organizes the death of an entire country without even the slightest qualms. By the end of the book (SPOILER ALERT) 20,000 enemy troops and the entire civilian population of the country are the casualties of Vaatzes's grand plan, but he does not even feel the smallest remorse. In the few instances where Vaatzes thinks over his own motives, he assures himself he is not actually guilty of this stunning bloodshed, but just an innocent man who has been driven to such extreme lengths. This wouldn't bother me if Devices and Desires was explicitly narrated by a monster. And yet, the Q&A with the author in the back has led me to believe that Parker still thinks of Vaatzes as her protagonist, and that the reader is supposed to cheer for him. Calling the man an anti-hero does not at all excuse the fact that this narrator is a raving lunatic.
The sad thing is that the book is actually quite readable, and the story is compelling. If the books were not so overwhelmingly long, I would probably read the last two just to find out what happens.