Devices and Desires [Paperback]

The first volume of The Engineer Trilogy was the first K. J. Parker novel I ever read. I'm aware that the author is quite popular in the UK, and Orbit are undoubtedly hoping that the same phenomenon will occur on this side of the Atlantic.

The premise is interesting enough: An engineer is sentenced to death for a petty transgression of Guild law. After murdering some of his captors to save his life, leaving his wife and daughter behind he is forced into exile.

The industrial setting is a refreshing change from the typical medieval environment which is endemic to the fantasy genre. Incidentally, I do feel that Parker at times went a bit over the top with her descriptions of the various devices and machines. I'm not an M. I. T. student, so she lost me on a few occasions.

Devices and Desires is an intelligent read filled with intrigue. Throughout the novel it is evident that the story shows a lot of potential. However, the author doesn't always deliver.

The book is well-written. Indeed, K. J. Parker's flowing prose is a delight to read. And she imbues the entire narrative with that witty British humor which is so lacking in North American works. The pace of this novel is extremely uneven. The narrative can be fluid and efficient, yet at times the rhythm becomes particularly sluggish.

The characterization is the aspect which leaves the most to be desired. While one can't wait to discover how Ziani Vaatzes' elaborate plan to wreak vengeance on Mezentia will play out, I found that I didn't much care for the rest of that cast of characters. Especially Duke Orsea and Veatriz, both of whom are rather on the lame side.

Some of the plotlines are difficult to get into, for they appear to bring little or nothing to the overall story arc. K. J. Parker nevertheless plays out her hand rather well, leaving the door open for a lot of things to come. One thing that very nearly killed this one for me, though, was how Vaatzes orchestrates everything which comes to a head at the end of the book. It was all a bit too easy, if you ask me.

Still, I'm curious to read Evil for Evil and The Escapement. Though it suffers from a number of shortcomings, Devices and Desires was compelling enough to intrigue me in a way that makes me want to discover what happens next. . .

If you're looking for something different, Devices and Desires just might be what you need.

This was the first book by K.J.Parker that I've had the pleasure to read, and will certainly not be the last. I am new to the fantasy genre, though not quite a virgin (I'm well read in the Sci-Fi genre, if that counts for something). That said, "Devices And Desires" was clearly the best that I've read so far in the fantasy genre. Parker has clearly done her research with the sort of dilligence and attention to detail that rivals anything that could be expected of the central character of the book.

The story centers around Ziani Vaazes, the unlikely unconventional protagonist-victim-anti-hero. He's a single minded genius of an engineer, who, after some unfortunate events, is forced to work with the material flesh and bone, of human motivations, alliances and betrayals, to construct his grand and terrible machine, that is the only means to achieve a purpose ludicrously simple and mundane. A purpose he cannot avoid working towards, as he puts it, any more than a rock pushed of a ledge can help falling.

Devices And Desires is full of interesting personalities, depth in all fronts, intrigue of human relations with the often banal, almost trivial reasons that can lead to the slaughter of armies and the death of nations. And detail. Lots of detailed knowledge, yet never tedious.

Also a well balanced end, tying up many lose ends, giving a feeling of an end of an epoch; yet hinting at things to come, and whole new battles to fight, as Vaatzes' machine grinds it's gears.

As a SciFi fan with a naturalistic world view, I also appreciated the fact that the world is not infused with magic, ghosts and goblins, but rather is confined to the much more interesting wonders of the natural world. The only thing about the world of the book where I had to suspend my disbelief was the complete lack of religions (unless you count the mezentine's religious attitude towards precision of engineering, and the organization around it as religion). While being irreligious myself, I do believe that evidence shows that societies lacking religions or at least prominent superstitions completely (in reality, rather than just on paper) are as unlikely as any of the most fantastic absurdities fathomed by fantasy writers. This strange ommision can, howerver, be forgiven, as world created by Parker is so rich and satisfying in numerous other respects. Devices And Desires is an impressive piece of work, and a real page turner.

While anchiously waiting for the sequel, I'll certainly look into Parker's other works.

Like I said, I wasn't really sure what to expect from this book. I picked it up on a whim. Nor am I sure whether the title was some kind of sideways homage to P.D. James. Little mysteries.

Devices and Desires is a really clever alt-fantasy kind of book that avoids pretty much every typical pitfall of swords & sorcery genre. Ziani Vaazes is a fascinating anti-hero-- a kind of sociopath engineer who believes that his actions are an inevitable result of the situation in which he is placed. He may be even be right, given the assumptions behind Parker's world-building. It's a relief to have the much more likable Valens as counterpoint, even with his flaws.

There's no magic, just alternative science. You spend your time as a reader focusing on the idea of engineering and technology development rather than on rules for shooting fireballs. A welcome change of pace. There are well written discussion of fantasy, management and cultural differences.

If I could have wished for anything, I might have wished that the book was a trifle warmer. It is a cold cold place in The Engineer Trilogy. I guess that this is part of the point, but I will confess to liking my fantasy flavored with at least a hint of sentimentality.

Although I think that I'll buy the next in the series (Evil for Evil) first, it is worth mentioning that Parker has two other series under her belt-- The Fencer Trilogy and the Scavenger Trilogy. I'm sorry that it took me so long to be aware of her work.