The Two of Swords: Part 12

The Two of Swords #12

by K.J. Parker

"Why are we fighting this war? Because evil must be resisted, and sooner or later there comes a time when men of principle have to make a stand. Because war is good for business and it's better to die on our feet than live on our knees. Because they started it. But at this stage in the proceedings," he added, with a slightly lop-sided grin, "mostly from force of habit."

A soldier with a gift for archery. A woman who kills without care. Two brothers, both unbeatable generals, now fighting for opposing armies. No-one in the vast and once glorious United Empire remains untouched by the rift between East and West, and the war has been fought for as long as anyone can remember. Some still survive who know how it was started, but no-one knows how it will end.

This serial novel from the World Fantasy Award winning K. J. Parker is the story of a war on a grand scale, told through the eyes of its soldiers, politicians, victims and heroes. The first three parts of The Two of Swords will arrive in March 2014, with further instalments to be released monthly.

Genres: Fantasy

50 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 12, 2016

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

[Liviu · Rating 5 out of 5]

The following will contain an (expected) spoiler about the ending of #11 so will leave a few spaces.








#12 is a first in the series as it directly continues the action of #11 with the same characters (and a few additions later on), so it is another Musen and Axeo roadshow, after it starts with Musen's somewhat pathetic but heartfelt attempt to escape after stealing the pack again and deciding not to kill Axeo

the devastation of the countryside and the brutality of life after decades of unrelenting war is shown starkly again and we find out more about the background of the two, the organization of the Lodge (we even get the titles of some of their leaders and the identity of two of them, one being quite unsurprising); also more about divination and the role of the cards

a longish installment this time ending on another not quite cliffhanger but with suspense (hopefully) to be resolved next

again a page turner that makes me want the next installment asap, though even now after 12 such, there is no clear indication where the story-line will go, but personally i am happy to follow the intriguing characters of the series for as many episodes as the author wants to do

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Musen is main narrator here and his "game" with Axeo continues. That something they stole in part 11 is still causing a lot of fuss around it. Another player is being introduced - Corason - an important person in the Lodge and an old friend of Axeo. The three of them get together to fulfill the mission started in previous part.

Axeo reveals a dark side and Corason is the opposite of what seems to be at a first sight. Again a lot of twists and a cliffhanger at the end, because one of them disappears without a trace.

Waiting for part 13 now, which is due to appear on 16th of February :(

[Saphana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Two of Swords by K. J. Parker, Part 12

Alright, another round of Axeo vs. Musen. Those two, I swear - I have no idea why they don’t avoid each other like pestilence. However, the game for the set is over now. Almost. Except: Axeo seems to have smuggled one card out of the deal, so the show goes on. Meanwhile, Senza gets orders. I will be ever so curious to see what he does with them. I have changed the Eight of Swords, this was never Musen, it’s Pleda.

So, next up the Cherry Tree? Lysao Pandocytria?

Previous: 1-3 / 4-6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / http://rhetoricandlogic.tumblr.com/po...

Headers and the Daisy-Chain-Character

The Rules of the Game (Teucer) - Musen being the lead for the next part.
The Thief (Musen) - the link here is Telamon.
Poverty (Telamon) - the link: the Blemyan Queen.
Virtue (Daxen) - the Belot brothers.
Two of Spears (Forza).
Two of Arrows (Senza).
The Scholar (Glauca).
The Eight of Swords (Pleda).
Poverty (Telamon) - aha! A recurring theme! (Oida).
The Four of Spears (Oida) - Frontizo as the chain-link
The Four of Stars (Axeo) - Musen
The Thief (Musen) - Axeo

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, we get another look into the Musen/Axeo relationship, though it doesn't start off that way. These guys aren't my favorite characters in the series, so it's hard to muster up a lot of interest for them, though the story (such as it is) keeps me interested. The chapters now seem more about individual adventures, which is good for the chapters, but less for the overall story. It seems like it's ticking along slowly, though the more we see of the other characters in the story, the more we learn of the Lodge and its machinations.

As usual, Parker's style and narrative carries the chapter, as the banter between Musen and Axeo is sharp and witty. We see the relationship from Musen's viewpoint this time, which is nice, since he's such a quiet character. We also learn more about his loyalties, to the Lodge and to other interests, which is a nice aside, since Musen has come across as such a selfish, self-interested character thus far. That could be why he's not one of my favorite characters, but with what we learn here, he becomes a little more sympathetic.

Part Twelve is a bit lackluster, but it keeps the larger story moving along enough to keep my interest. I'm winding down to the last of the available chapters. I feel like I should start pacing myself, but it's hard, when the end (for now, at least) is in sight. It looks like Part Sixteen won't be available until June, so I'll have plenty of time to let the story settle before picking it back up again.

[DJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 Rating Review coming soon and will be first posted at MyLifeMyBooksMyEscape

[Julian White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Musen, again (the Thief card) runs away from Axeo and is recaptured. Twice. Poor Musen suffers a bit. They travel to Choris, where the ransom for Rasch is to be made, in the company of Corason, another Lodge Commissioner. Axeo vanishes and Musen stays behind to wait for him, while Corason moves on to Rasch and Senza.

Quite a lot happens here - mostly to Musen. We learn more about Axeo, who is not what he at frst appeared to be.

[Pedro Marroquín · Rating 4 out of 5]

Algo más light que las anteriores entregas, aunque es continuación directa del #11. Muchas huidas, encuentros, mala leche por parte de algunos y un final bastante pobre. Pero sigue siendo entretenido. A por el 13 en cuanto salga. B

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much happening

This installment is much like the last one.Musen is getting kind of boring and Axeo is just plain creepy, hopefully the story will move on soon.