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Corax Trilogy #2
Saevus Corax Captures the Castle
It's important to look after your crew when you're in the battlefield salvage business. It's stressful work at the best of times, and although your employees are unlikely to be happy it makes sense to keep them alive.
So when Saevus Corax finds himself having to capture a castle to stop his men from being killed, he has no choice but to give it a try. Needless to say, the conventional rules of siegecraft are unlikely to be followed.
So when Saevus Corax finds himself having to capture a castle to stop his men from being killed, he has no choice but to give it a try. Needless to say, the conventional rules of siegecraft are unlikely to be followed.
352 pages, Paperback
First published November 21, 2023
About the author
K.J. Parker
139 books1,767 followersK.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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews
December 3, 2023
This is the second book in the Saevus Corax trilogy. Saevus and his crew scavenge battlefields for a living, but they are constantly being sidetracked by other missions. In this book, several of the crew members are kidnapped as a way to force Saevus to storm a castle, for sketchy reasons. In fact throughout the book, motives are constantly proven to be false. But that is one of the charms of the book. There is lightness and wit to this fantasy.
I enjoyed this book more than the first book of the trilogy. And I think that it is great that the author not only finished the trilogy before he started publishing it, but the books are being published in successive months. None of that waiting years for the next book nonsense. It is possible to read each of the first 2 books as a standalone, since they don’t have a continuing storyline. I assume that the third book will be the same. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Ben Onwukwe. He has a terrific voice and definitely added to my enjoyment of the book.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
I enjoyed this book more than the first book of the trilogy. And I think that it is great that the author not only finished the trilogy before he started publishing it, but the books are being published in successive months. None of that waiting years for the next book nonsense. It is possible to read each of the first 2 books as a standalone, since they don’t have a continuing storyline. I assume that the third book will be the same. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Ben Onwukwe. He has a terrific voice and definitely added to my enjoyment of the book.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
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June 3, 2024Excellent book 2 for the trilogy, confirming for me that KJ Parker and Tom Holt have finally made common cause. At once bleak and warm, humane and brutal, harsh and loving, and with humour that's always dark but shows a glimmer of light. Highly readable adventure fun.
November 28, 2023
Quite a KJ Parker ride. I thought it was an epic story, absorbing, and up there with his best. Not quite up with the Siege Trilogy but close so far.
Volume 2 in the Saevus Corax trilogy, featuring a main character who earns his living leading a team of hard working scavengers of battlefield aftermaths. Recycling the armour, weapons, clothing and much else so that it can be reused in a seemingly never ending cycle of wars and skirmishes. We learnt in Volume 1 that Saevus has quite a history and that led to him becoming the object of attention for a number of powerful forces. Having escaped all of that he’s now back to what he knows best, and another bizarre storyline is conjured up by the author.
For heaven’s sake, one of his team members collects body parts from any famous general or king they might find on the battlefield. And collects enough for ‘swaps’ with members of other scavenging teams they meet!
Love and romance struggle to make healthy appearances in Parker’s novels and this is no exception though it becomes a core aspect here. There is talk of being besotted with someone and there’s a powerful, devious mother in law which ties in with this very twisting storyline. And some romance if only the lead character could see it. A real romp of a story.
I’ve read a great deal of this author’s works over the last several years and I worry a bit about my addiction to them. I recall regularly picking up old style romance books, usually in a specially printed large font edition, from the public library for my grandmother when I was small, all apparently similar in style, by the same author who seemed to produce a new one every couple of months. I saw that as simple Comfort reading, probably typical for the elderly. Am I doing the same now in my old age?! KJ Parker isn’t quite the same as these pulp romances but there is a familiarity in style between his books - morally grey smart lead characters, detailed descriptions of landscapes, societies, how medieval style machinery works or is repaired, a darker view of life than mine maybe but still amusing and sharply observational. Where wars and battles occur they’re shown as mostly pointless exercises, with luck playing a major role and where being brave doesn’t help. Plus a frequently familiar setting in a pseudo-Byzantium environment with convoluted religions and beliefs.
It can be an acquired taste but one I have acquired and I don’t find repetitive thanks to the cleverness of the storylines. If only one could find KJ Parker in a large print format in my public library I might be getting a family member to bring me a regular new hardback home, but I’ll make do with the ebook format for the time being. Next please…
5* read for me, and the final book in the trilogy due out soon.
And this is the first ever KJ Parker I’ve obtained via NetGallery as an ARC. Thanks to them.
Volume 2 in the Saevus Corax trilogy, featuring a main character who earns his living leading a team of hard working scavengers of battlefield aftermaths. Recycling the armour, weapons, clothing and much else so that it can be reused in a seemingly never ending cycle of wars and skirmishes. We learnt in Volume 1 that Saevus has quite a history and that led to him becoming the object of attention for a number of powerful forces. Having escaped all of that he’s now back to what he knows best, and another bizarre storyline is conjured up by the author.
For heaven’s sake, one of his team members collects body parts from any famous general or king they might find on the battlefield. And collects enough for ‘swaps’ with members of other scavenging teams they meet!
Love and romance struggle to make healthy appearances in Parker’s novels and this is no exception though it becomes a core aspect here. There is talk of being besotted with someone and there’s a powerful, devious mother in law which ties in with this very twisting storyline. And some romance if only the lead character could see it. A real romp of a story.
I’ve read a great deal of this author’s works over the last several years and I worry a bit about my addiction to them. I recall regularly picking up old style romance books, usually in a specially printed large font edition, from the public library for my grandmother when I was small, all apparently similar in style, by the same author who seemed to produce a new one every couple of months. I saw that as simple Comfort reading, probably typical for the elderly. Am I doing the same now in my old age?! KJ Parker isn’t quite the same as these pulp romances but there is a familiarity in style between his books - morally grey smart lead characters, detailed descriptions of landscapes, societies, how medieval style machinery works or is repaired, a darker view of life than mine maybe but still amusing and sharply observational. Where wars and battles occur they’re shown as mostly pointless exercises, with luck playing a major role and where being brave doesn’t help. Plus a frequently familiar setting in a pseudo-Byzantium environment with convoluted religions and beliefs.
It can be an acquired taste but one I have acquired and I don’t find repetitive thanks to the cleverness of the storylines. If only one could find KJ Parker in a large print format in my public library I might be getting a family member to bring me a regular new hardback home, but I’ll make do with the ebook format for the time being. Next please…
5* read for me, and the final book in the trilogy due out soon.
And this is the first ever KJ Parker I’ve obtained via NetGallery as an ARC. Thanks to them.
April 19, 2025
I am who I am, I do what I must, I didn’t start it, it’s not my fault. Now read on.
For readers who skipped the first episode in the career of Saevus Corax [not his real name], we are reminded that he is a veritable magnet for trouble and for wholesale slaughter. No matter how hard he tries to keep a low profile, either his past misdeeds or his bad luck will end up landing him in an even deeper pool of sh_t.
Saevus is simply trying to make an honest buck in his specialized field of battlefield salvage, leading a company of about 500 men in gathering anything of value left behind by warring armies. It’s a cutthroat business, with his more ruthless competitors either outbidding Saevus or even stealing the salvaged materials from his carts.
“You’re a vicious bastard, Saevus, did anyone ever tell you that?”
I shook my head. “I’m a victim of circumstances,” I said.
His professions of innocence should be taken with a grain of salt, or mustard if you prefer [more on Saevus’s culinary art later on]. The whole story is presented to us as a confessional, first person witness account, of events that in his opinion could not have been predicted or avoided. Oh, and to start with, Saevus recounts the number of people he had to kill so far: 86, by the latest survey, and this is without indirect results of his actions or collateral damage. Just the ones he dispatched with his own hands.
OK, so the black humour in this book might not fit everybody’s taste buds [keep reading to learn about the necessary spices]. Fans of the author’s long list of novels featuring similar amoral and dangerous actors caught in momentous historical events will be in familiar territory with Saevus Corax and his band of misfits. I am in the camp that considers his outrageous tall tales to be laugh out loud funny, with a side serving of existential despair. Parker is like a stand-up comedian who takes his role of agent provocateur very seriously. Makes you think about all this ethics and morality baggage we all carry around.
Meaningful criteria: what, for crying out loud? Making the world a better place – no, I reject that. Making the world a better place isn’t my job, I never signed up for it and it’s not my responsibility. I would argue that the world is probably just fine as it is and people are about as good as they’re capable of being. I’ve seen a lot of change and a lot of idealists. The change has invariably been disastrous and nineteen times out of twenty an idealist was to blame.
A cynic is just a disappointed idealist, right?
The current episode starts with another sequence of ironically disastrous decisions that culminate with the management team of his salvage company being kidnapped in the middle of nowhere, as far from civilization as you can get without falling off the map.
Seavus’ past deeds have caught up with him again, in the form of his formidable mother-in-in-law. What? You didn’t know he was married? Me, neither. The bastard keeps his cards very close to his chest. Praeclara has a job that needs to be done, so she makes Saevus an offer he cannot refuse: capture a castle for her, or all his missing men will be killed.
“You may be a complete waste of a human being, Saevus, but I’ll say this for you. You can be trained to perform simple tasks.”
The only problem: this castle is well defended, Saevus has neither military men nor siege equipment in his convoy. In the best tradition of Parker engineers and scoundrels, he will have to improvise, think laterally, be proactive and do something unexpected.
Moral: always fight the war you can win, not the one you can’t; if you can’t win this war, start another one. If I have a core belief, a creed, a moral kernel, it’s that story.
I’ve left ‘that’ story out of my review because it’s one of the typical switches in siege mentality that spice up Parker’s novels. [That ‘spice’ word again... what’s up with all these innuendos?] . Also typical of a Parker narrator, Saevus usually survives by being smarter than everyone else and by being extremely well read in philosophy, technical treaties, economics, politics, poetry and/or history.
It’s all been done before; there’s nothing original; the wheel has been reinvented a million times in a million killing fields. What do they do in military academies? They read books. A good book, a morbid imagination and a certain degree of familiarity with human nature, that’s all you need. I have all three. I could do this.
“Artillery,” I said. “Never send a man where you can send an arrow. Or a lump of rock, or, better still, a jar of burning lamp oil.”
The [eventual] capturing of the castle brings on not a resolution for his troubles, but an exponential multiplication of them. Romance rears its ‘ugly’ head, although it must be mentioned that Stauracia, one of my favorite secondary characters from the first book, is not only beautiful, but as smart, quick-tongued and treacherous as our man Saevus.
Besotted. Buy me one drink more than I can handle, and I’ll explain to you, convincingly and in great detail, why love is the most harmful force in the universe.
>>><<<>>><<<
I should not reveal all the twists and turns in the fortunes of these two star-crossed lovers and soldiers of fortune who hate each other with a vengeance instead of falling into each other’s arms. A different quest emerges from the dungeons of the captured castle, a true McGuffin that relates to events from the first episode
Saevus sets out alone on a new quest that will take him into hostile territory and will provide some of the funniest scenes in the whole novel, plus explain all those culinary references in my review [hint, hint : there are cannibals there]
In Hetsuan, foreigner belongs to the subset of linguistic terms that differentiate living things from food. For example, we talk about sheep, pigs, cows, deer and chickens when they’re alive, but mutton, pork, beef, venison and poultry when they’re for dinner. In Sashan, stranger and foreigner are the same word but pronounced with a different tone. Stranger in the Hetsuan dialect means someone you haven’t met before. Foreigner means something best served with lentils on a bed of wild rice.
All alone and in danger of ending his quest in the communal pot, Saevus Corax will risk everything... for what? for love? for money? for his missing crew? who knows? The only thing certain in a K J Parker novel is to expect the unexpected [or the Spanish Inquisition]
Well, every good story needs comic relief, though it didn’t seem all that hilarious at the time.
“Spices,” I said. “I’ll want anise, fennel, peppercorns, cinnamon, cloves. You got that?”
>>><<<>>><<<
I mentioned earlier that these books have in the end a moral lesson wrapped in existential dread. They take the reader on a long and torturous journey to arrive at any kind of explanation for the wild reversals of fortune in the hero’s journey, but I felt my patience was rewarded when Saevus finally decided to come clean and try to explain himself:
The only relevant thing was that I had reduced myself to prey in its purest form; a creature that lives by grazing as it runs, its existence shaped and governed by the need not to be caught, killed and eaten, defined by its predators; life in its most basic manifestation. The only reason I had a life was so as to lose it, as belatedly and as reluctantly as possible, after the maximum of futile effort. They haven’t got me yet, emblazoned on my brow in letter of fiery gold.
You and me both, brothers and sisters. The only thing is, you don’t realise it.
I’ve read almost all of Parker’s books, and I can confirm that this preoccupation with human nature and with moral decisions in the face of extreme adversity is the central theme of all of them. It also explains why so many stories feature crows and other sort of opportunistic beasts: a scavenger survives by his wits instead of his speed or his might.
So instead I thought about predators and prey, and that special in-between category to which I aspired to belong, scavengers. We don’t kill, we just clear up what the killers leave behind – a chance to eat meat without having to do any actual violence.
I’ve ranted in the past about grim dark fantasy and modern Hollywood thrillers that in my opinion glorify violence, making it cool and fashionable. The merit of Parker for me is his talent for showing us the ugliest side of this penchant for violence and making us laugh about it, hopefully also challenging us to reconsider why we enjoy this bloody entertainment so much.
We think they’re ravenous predators. They think the same about us. We’re both right.
There’s a third book featuring Saevus Corax on my shelves. I sort of know what to expect: Parker recycles heavily some of his favorite techniques, his sleigh-of-hand reversals of fortune. But he is also guaranteed to have some aces up his sleeve: expect the unexpected, right? So I will follow ultimate scavenger Corax in his next adventure:
“Even so,” he said, “life goes on.”
“Though not necessarily for very long. How about due west?”
For readers who skipped the first episode in the career of Saevus Corax [not his real name], we are reminded that he is a veritable magnet for trouble and for wholesale slaughter. No matter how hard he tries to keep a low profile, either his past misdeeds or his bad luck will end up landing him in an even deeper pool of sh_t.
Saevus is simply trying to make an honest buck in his specialized field of battlefield salvage, leading a company of about 500 men in gathering anything of value left behind by warring armies. It’s a cutthroat business, with his more ruthless competitors either outbidding Saevus or even stealing the salvaged materials from his carts.
“You’re a vicious bastard, Saevus, did anyone ever tell you that?”
I shook my head. “I’m a victim of circumstances,” I said.
His professions of innocence should be taken with a grain of salt, or mustard if you prefer [more on Saevus’s culinary art later on]. The whole story is presented to us as a confessional, first person witness account, of events that in his opinion could not have been predicted or avoided. Oh, and to start with, Saevus recounts the number of people he had to kill so far: 86, by the latest survey, and this is without indirect results of his actions or collateral damage. Just the ones he dispatched with his own hands.
OK, so the black humour in this book might not fit everybody’s taste buds [keep reading to learn about the necessary spices]. Fans of the author’s long list of novels featuring similar amoral and dangerous actors caught in momentous historical events will be in familiar territory with Saevus Corax and his band of misfits. I am in the camp that considers his outrageous tall tales to be laugh out loud funny, with a side serving of existential despair. Parker is like a stand-up comedian who takes his role of agent provocateur very seriously. Makes you think about all this ethics and morality baggage we all carry around.
Meaningful criteria: what, for crying out loud? Making the world a better place – no, I reject that. Making the world a better place isn’t my job, I never signed up for it and it’s not my responsibility. I would argue that the world is probably just fine as it is and people are about as good as they’re capable of being. I’ve seen a lot of change and a lot of idealists. The change has invariably been disastrous and nineteen times out of twenty an idealist was to blame.
A cynic is just a disappointed idealist, right?
The current episode starts with another sequence of ironically disastrous decisions that culminate with the management team of his salvage company being kidnapped in the middle of nowhere, as far from civilization as you can get without falling off the map.
Seavus’ past deeds have caught up with him again, in the form of his formidable mother-in-in-law. What? You didn’t know he was married? Me, neither. The bastard keeps his cards very close to his chest. Praeclara has a job that needs to be done, so she makes Saevus an offer he cannot refuse: capture a castle for her, or all his missing men will be killed.
“You may be a complete waste of a human being, Saevus, but I’ll say this for you. You can be trained to perform simple tasks.”
The only problem: this castle is well defended, Saevus has neither military men nor siege equipment in his convoy. In the best tradition of Parker engineers and scoundrels, he will have to improvise, think laterally, be proactive and do something unexpected.
Moral: always fight the war you can win, not the one you can’t; if you can’t win this war, start another one. If I have a core belief, a creed, a moral kernel, it’s that story.
I’ve left ‘that’ story out of my review because it’s one of the typical switches in siege mentality that spice up Parker’s novels. [That ‘spice’ word again... what’s up with all these innuendos?] . Also typical of a Parker narrator, Saevus usually survives by being smarter than everyone else and by being extremely well read in philosophy, technical treaties, economics, politics, poetry and/or history.
It’s all been done before; there’s nothing original; the wheel has been reinvented a million times in a million killing fields. What do they do in military academies? They read books. A good book, a morbid imagination and a certain degree of familiarity with human nature, that’s all you need. I have all three. I could do this.
“Artillery,” I said. “Never send a man where you can send an arrow. Or a lump of rock, or, better still, a jar of burning lamp oil.”
The [eventual] capturing of the castle brings on not a resolution for his troubles, but an exponential multiplication of them. Romance rears its ‘ugly’ head, although it must be mentioned that Stauracia, one of my favorite secondary characters from the first book, is not only beautiful, but as smart, quick-tongued and treacherous as our man Saevus.
Besotted. Buy me one drink more than I can handle, and I’ll explain to you, convincingly and in great detail, why love is the most harmful force in the universe.
>>><<<>>><<<
I should not reveal all the twists and turns in the fortunes of these two star-crossed lovers and soldiers of fortune who hate each other with a vengeance instead of falling into each other’s arms. A different quest emerges from the dungeons of the captured castle, a true McGuffin that relates to events from the first episode
Saevus sets out alone on a new quest that will take him into hostile territory and will provide some of the funniest scenes in the whole novel, plus explain all those culinary references in my review [hint, hint : there are cannibals there]
In Hetsuan, foreigner belongs to the subset of linguistic terms that differentiate living things from food. For example, we talk about sheep, pigs, cows, deer and chickens when they’re alive, but mutton, pork, beef, venison and poultry when they’re for dinner. In Sashan, stranger and foreigner are the same word but pronounced with a different tone. Stranger in the Hetsuan dialect means someone you haven’t met before. Foreigner means something best served with lentils on a bed of wild rice.
All alone and in danger of ending his quest in the communal pot, Saevus Corax will risk everything... for what? for love? for money? for his missing crew? who knows? The only thing certain in a K J Parker novel is to expect the unexpected [or the Spanish Inquisition]
Well, every good story needs comic relief, though it didn’t seem all that hilarious at the time.
“Spices,” I said. “I’ll want anise, fennel, peppercorns, cinnamon, cloves. You got that?”
>>><<<>>><<<
I mentioned earlier that these books have in the end a moral lesson wrapped in existential dread. They take the reader on a long and torturous journey to arrive at any kind of explanation for the wild reversals of fortune in the hero’s journey, but I felt my patience was rewarded when Saevus finally decided to come clean and try to explain himself:
The only relevant thing was that I had reduced myself to prey in its purest form; a creature that lives by grazing as it runs, its existence shaped and governed by the need not to be caught, killed and eaten, defined by its predators; life in its most basic manifestation. The only reason I had a life was so as to lose it, as belatedly and as reluctantly as possible, after the maximum of futile effort. They haven’t got me yet, emblazoned on my brow in letter of fiery gold.
You and me both, brothers and sisters. The only thing is, you don’t realise it.
I’ve read almost all of Parker’s books, and I can confirm that this preoccupation with human nature and with moral decisions in the face of extreme adversity is the central theme of all of them. It also explains why so many stories feature crows and other sort of opportunistic beasts: a scavenger survives by his wits instead of his speed or his might.
So instead I thought about predators and prey, and that special in-between category to which I aspired to belong, scavengers. We don’t kill, we just clear up what the killers leave behind – a chance to eat meat without having to do any actual violence.
I’ve ranted in the past about grim dark fantasy and modern Hollywood thrillers that in my opinion glorify violence, making it cool and fashionable. The merit of Parker for me is his talent for showing us the ugliest side of this penchant for violence and making us laugh about it, hopefully also challenging us to reconsider why we enjoy this bloody entertainment so much.
We think they’re ravenous predators. They think the same about us. We’re both right.
There’s a third book featuring Saevus Corax on my shelves. I sort of know what to expect: Parker recycles heavily some of his favorite techniques, his sleigh-of-hand reversals of fortune. But he is also guaranteed to have some aces up his sleeve: expect the unexpected, right? So I will follow ultimate scavenger Corax in his next adventure:
“Even so,” he said, “life goes on.”
“Though not necessarily for very long. How about due west?”
May 31, 2026
"Take him away and lock him in the charcoal store," she said. "And watch him. He's as tricky as a snake."Always bring a book to read.
Precisely what I'd have done in her shoes. Just as well I'd brought a book to read.
This book was the antidote I needed to a reading slump. After an extended period of reading what felt like self-imposed obligations and other slogs, feeling like the reading year was trickling away with my dream TBR untouched while I burdened myself with ill-chosen shiny new things and library holds coming in at a brisk clip, it was time to indulge in what I really wanted to read, so I immediately obtained this from said library. From page 1, it was simply a delight.
This K.J. Parker fellow, a.k.a. Tom Holt, can write. Like, damn, that delightful prose in the voice of a scamp of a character like Saevus Corax just tickles me to no end. The writing feels like Parker is having the time of his life. That joy on the page is what I direly needed. I am so fulfilled now and will continue with the third book post haste. And then I'll eventually pick up some other Parker/Holt books, I'm sure.
I saw a brief Reddit post talking about another Parker book that the commenter called, characterizing this book here, as an antidote to reading about the smartest man in the room. (In the same post I learned that readers refer to the made-up not-magical-in-any-way-but-still-somehow-fantasy-because-what-else-can-you-call-it setting as Parkerland.) I don't mind reading about an incredibly clever fellow because it's a hell of a lot of fun, and it's not at all a Mary Sue situation. Saevus isn't an unreliable narrator, he's just an entertaining storyteller. He's not a murderer, "they started it." I don't think there's any poison to which an antidote is needed.
November 26, 2023
This is a sequel that, as other reviewers have noted, has little to no dependency on Book 1. Fully able to stand on its own. Arguably, it is stronger than Book 1. Less epic but more dramatic.
A 5-star read. Very engaging and even closer to the core to the spirit of K.J. Parker’s best work. I was sad it was over.
Special call out for the great narration to Ben Onwukwe. I wasn’t a fan when I started Book 1. I am definitely a fan now, particularly at 1.2x speed. His voice adds to the experience.
A 5-star read. Very engaging and even closer to the core to the spirit of K.J. Parker’s best work. I was sad it was over.
Special call out for the great narration to Ben Onwukwe. I wasn’t a fan when I started Book 1. I am definitely a fan now, particularly at 1.2x speed. His voice adds to the experience.
December 18, 2023
Saevus Corax Captures the Castle is the second book in this series and continues from the first book. Parker does a great job of having each instalment stand-alone but still interconnect. As with the previous book this is written in the first-person narrative. Saevus Corax continues to be smarter, cleverer, and often with snarky moments of levity throughout the story. It makes this book darkly humorous and adds yet another anti-hero to Parker’s oeuvre. Saevus will do anything to achieve his goals, even make decisions that have unsavory consequences. In this book members of Saevus's battlefield salvage group are kidnapped. He is then blackmailed into completing a task of capturing a castle (for very specific reasons) or he will not see them again. What is even more fun, it is his devious mother-in-law Praeclara who is doing the blackmailing. Praeclara is more than Saevus’s equal at being clever. Once again, reluctantly Saevus must play the (anti) hero to save his family and friends. Who will prevail, the outcome keeps you guessing. Saevus might finally have met his match.
Part of the fun of this book is reading how events unfold, will Saevus achieve his goal and be free of all ties that bind. It is written with plenty of the Parker/Holt wit on show. There are also some fun moments between Saevus and secondary character Stauracia, another equally formidable protagonist for him to deal with. I enjoyed reading about Saevus. He is full of interesting knowledge that he just loves to share about his world. There are a few nods to characters from previous books and a bit of philosophy quoted from Saloninus. Saevus’s motivations stretch beyond greed and self-preservation, and there are several key moments that show, just how mad, bad, and dangerous it is to know Saevus Corax. Parker has a way with language, often making characters smart despite the treatment of serious subject matter, he does so with dark humour and there were plenty of times I chuckled to myself. The writing is well paced, energetic, and fun and I loved spending time with Saevus. Book three will be published two weeks after the release of book two. For me, it’s been a real treat to have all three books within two months. An excellent addition to Parker’s body of work, highly recommended.
My thanks to both NetGalley and Orbit books for a free e-arc and an honest opinion. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Part of the fun of this book is reading how events unfold, will Saevus achieve his goal and be free of all ties that bind. It is written with plenty of the Parker/Holt wit on show. There are also some fun moments between Saevus and secondary character Stauracia, another equally formidable protagonist for him to deal with. I enjoyed reading about Saevus. He is full of interesting knowledge that he just loves to share about his world. There are a few nods to characters from previous books and a bit of philosophy quoted from Saloninus. Saevus’s motivations stretch beyond greed and self-preservation, and there are several key moments that show, just how mad, bad, and dangerous it is to know Saevus Corax. Parker has a way with language, often making characters smart despite the treatment of serious subject matter, he does so with dark humour and there were plenty of times I chuckled to myself. The writing is well paced, energetic, and fun and I loved spending time with Saevus. Book three will be published two weeks after the release of book two. For me, it’s been a real treat to have all three books within two months. An excellent addition to Parker’s body of work, highly recommended.
My thanks to both NetGalley and Orbit books for a free e-arc and an honest opinion. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
January 5, 2025
Another series with a high (dark) comedic value! Perfect timing to pick this one up I say
A snarky read through mostly narration by of course the star of the turn Seavus Corax a leader of a group of mercenaries who follows armies & “takes care” of clearing up the battlefields which involves building funeral pyres, collecting weaponry which is then repaired & resold, healing the wounded again for a profit & many other such like things, aptly named as a “Battlefield salvage contractor”. This we learnt from the first in the trilogy but it’s worth reacquainting ourselves with said facts before we go too far in.
I have to say at jus over 100 pages in & it’s mostly narration, it’s all about Seavus Corax so if you kinda enjoy/like him then all’s good…… I was hoping for a little more dialogue/interaction as per the first outing where I felt the balance was spot on.
We’re into the realms of self-indulgent inner monologue…..
And then…….
The story starts proper, after a series of flashbacks & monologues which give us the lay of the land once you’ve got through them….. and it’s back to form….
However, it wasn’t for long & in truth it became a total non-story, amusing at times for sure but when it came to the punchline (the whole purpose of the second half of the book) it was a WTF moment.... is that really it!!
It was very much a book about Seavus Corax & about how clever he was……
I think my love for this book was a little too up & down to give it a higher mark & so a 3 is all I can give in truth despite the high points, it’s not bad per say, in fact very good and highly amusing at times but then the monologue can grate in periods as it does go on jus a tad too much this time out….. making it overall a tad disappointing when I was expecting more….. but there again twas the middle book in a trilogy which never sit well!
A snarky read through mostly narration by of course the star of the turn Seavus Corax a leader of a group of mercenaries who follows armies & “takes care” of clearing up the battlefields which involves building funeral pyres, collecting weaponry which is then repaired & resold, healing the wounded again for a profit & many other such like things, aptly named as a “Battlefield salvage contractor”. This we learnt from the first in the trilogy but it’s worth reacquainting ourselves with said facts before we go too far in.
I have to say at jus over 100 pages in & it’s mostly narration, it’s all about Seavus Corax so if you kinda enjoy/like him then all’s good…… I was hoping for a little more dialogue/interaction as per the first outing where I felt the balance was spot on.
We’re into the realms of self-indulgent inner monologue…..
And then…….
The story starts proper, after a series of flashbacks & monologues which give us the lay of the land once you’ve got through them….. and it’s back to form….
However, it wasn’t for long & in truth it became a total non-story, amusing at times for sure but when it came to the punchline (the whole purpose of the second half of the book) it was a WTF moment.... is that really it!!
It was very much a book about Seavus Corax & about how clever he was……
I think my love for this book was a little too up & down to give it a higher mark & so a 3 is all I can give in truth despite the high points, it’s not bad per say, in fact very good and highly amusing at times but then the monologue can grate in periods as it does go on jus a tad too much this time out….. making it overall a tad disappointing when I was expecting more….. but there again twas the middle book in a trilogy which never sit well!
September 18, 2023
4.5 stars. Not as good as the first one but still a fantastic read. RTC.
November 18, 2023
Fantastic sequel to Saevus Corax Deals with the Dead. I liked this more than the first one because of tight pacing and focused plot. Halfway through the book, when the plot took an unexpected turn, I was little worried where it goes. But I should have trusted Parker. He executed it to perfection introducing us to the new culture and setting as and when required. His exploration of Predators and Prey is some of the best writing I have ever seen. I could read an entire book just about that. And I think it's the funniest book by Parker so far.
Thanks to Netgalley and Orbit for providing an e-ARC.
Thanks to Netgalley and Orbit for providing an e-ARC.
November 15, 2023
The next installment in this trilogy starts off more or less when the previous one ended. We see Saevus and his motley crew doing what they do best. Things quickly turn for the worse when Saevus encounters his mother-in-law who arms twists him into an adventure that sets the ball rolling of the entire narrative. We learn more about Saevus and his pre scavenging life. We also learn more about the world Saevus inhabits,, and enjoy the puns he tells when describing it. Naturally, the story continues delving into the relationships between Saevus's deputies, shows us Stauracia again, and delves even deeper into Saevus's broken psychology.
The book is funny - I found myself laughing out loud on multiple occasions. The author also has his way with language, making the book sound smart despite its levity. The writing frankly is superb - catchy, well paced, energetic, and fun.
I also loved the continuous exploration of the protagonist's psychology. Putting aside the humour, it's a very dark and grim portrait. Grimdark par excellence, hidden under a facade of levity.
Highly recommended to anyone who likes fantasy - it is exemplary of how much fun someone can have with the genre. Naturally, it's not super complex or multi dimensional in its storytelling (like Abercrombie) but that's exactly what makes it such a pleasant read (I finished it in one single day).
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of the book in return for an honest review.
The book is funny - I found myself laughing out loud on multiple occasions. The author also has his way with language, making the book sound smart despite its levity. The writing frankly is superb - catchy, well paced, energetic, and fun.
I also loved the continuous exploration of the protagonist's psychology. Putting aside the humour, it's a very dark and grim portrait. Grimdark par excellence, hidden under a facade of levity.
Highly recommended to anyone who likes fantasy - it is exemplary of how much fun someone can have with the genre. Naturally, it's not super complex or multi dimensional in its storytelling (like Abercrombie) but that's exactly what makes it such a pleasant read (I finished it in one single day).
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of the book in return for an honest review.
January 5, 2024
Astoundingly bleak, even for Saevus Corax. Still a fun read tho
August 15, 2024
Love these books and this author. They're always the same and they're always different.
November 28, 2025
Had a hiatus here, because Saevus the Scav has gotten himself into a major pickle (with a garnish of onion rings), but he and his pals are a resourceful bunch, and he only had to kill a relative few people. Whew. (And now he has tattooed scalp).
In other news, I'm just as hopelessly addicted to Parker as ever.
In other news, I'm just as hopelessly addicted to Parker as ever.
November 14, 2023
Overall, this second book of this series is an improvement over the first book. It is a more enjoyable read, and I am glad I gave this series another chance. I will give it three and a half stars as the book is still a little bit of a mixed bag for me. I will try not to go into spoilers, but what I found so enjoyable in this book was not the main plot, but to do with an interesting civilization full of "nice" and civilized cannibals, Hetsuan. If that doesn't provide a good idea of the world you will enter in this book, then I don't know what will.
The novel is a first-person narrative with a protagonist that is difficult to like, Saevus Corax. Saevus is in charge of a group of 500 that pays for the rights to scavenge battlefields. They provide the needed service of cleaning after the horrors of war. They are medieval cleaners. After a job, members of Saevus's work family are kidnapped. He is provided a task to complete, capture a castle or he will not see them again. So once again, reluctantly Saevus, must play the hero to save his work family and friends.
The whole book is an inside joke for those that like to read heroic fantasies. The protagonist is not a hero by any means, in fact, like in the first novel he does some despicable things within these pages for selfish and altruistic reasons. This isn't an adventure with a burly, muscle-bound hero looking to save the world, but a cowardly, ruthless, and devious minded main character who questions too often if he wants to be the prey or the predator.
The only negative with this book is if you don't find the inside joke humorous, you really are not going to like this book. In some ways, I truly believe that is what the author is going for. He is making light of many of the tropes of fantasy, like how character spend so much time doing nothing in their medieval worlds, but just walking from one place to another. There are pages where nothing happens and then the author will realize he is losing his audience and speed things along. You could say this egotistical narrator, the protagonist, doesn't want us to keep reading, He isn't providing us a grand adventure geared towards us as the audience that is going to be enjoyable, but is writing his adventures for himself and doesn't care if we finish the book.
With this book once again, the author has created a unique voice in this novel. And after two books with this unique voice, I hate to say this, but Saevus has grown on me over time, like a bloated, arrow-riddled corpse left out in the sun on the battlefield.
And I have to mention it again, the novel has a society of civilized cannibals in it. What isn't there to like about that?
I want to thank the publisher Orbit and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
The novel is a first-person narrative with a protagonist that is difficult to like, Saevus Corax. Saevus is in charge of a group of 500 that pays for the rights to scavenge battlefields. They provide the needed service of cleaning after the horrors of war. They are medieval cleaners. After a job, members of Saevus's work family are kidnapped. He is provided a task to complete, capture a castle or he will not see them again. So once again, reluctantly Saevus, must play the hero to save his work family and friends.
The whole book is an inside joke for those that like to read heroic fantasies. The protagonist is not a hero by any means, in fact, like in the first novel he does some despicable things within these pages for selfish and altruistic reasons. This isn't an adventure with a burly, muscle-bound hero looking to save the world, but a cowardly, ruthless, and devious minded main character who questions too often if he wants to be the prey or the predator.
The only negative with this book is if you don't find the inside joke humorous, you really are not going to like this book. In some ways, I truly believe that is what the author is going for. He is making light of many of the tropes of fantasy, like how character spend so much time doing nothing in their medieval worlds, but just walking from one place to another. There are pages where nothing happens and then the author will realize he is losing his audience and speed things along. You could say this egotistical narrator, the protagonist, doesn't want us to keep reading, He isn't providing us a grand adventure geared towards us as the audience that is going to be enjoyable, but is writing his adventures for himself and doesn't care if we finish the book.
With this book once again, the author has created a unique voice in this novel. And after two books with this unique voice, I hate to say this, but Saevus has grown on me over time, like a bloated, arrow-riddled corpse left out in the sun on the battlefield.
And I have to mention it again, the novel has a society of civilized cannibals in it. What isn't there to like about that?
I want to thank the publisher Orbit and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
October 8, 2023
More adventurous, more fun, and even a bit more sincere than the first book, this is Parker’s first novel in a while to put aside the grand sweep of made-up history and focus on a single story, and a satisfying one too.
Because this is Saevus we’re talking about, the story in question is also shaggy, picaresque, and more than a little unbelievable, but also more personal and particular than Deals With The Dead. Despite the title there aren’t any grand armies or sieges here, just a few people half-heartedly scrapping over a glorified manor house for personal reasons. Death and violence still come for Saevus, as ever, and not quietly; from the moment our anti-hero slices a captor’s tendons it’s immediate and intense, and often just distressingly bloody murder.
The tighter scope really pays off in the book’s second half, where Parker makes some substantial departures from his normal script. We have a taut and nearly dialogue-free scramble across a terrifying medieval utopia (which for once doesn’t seem to be a pastiche of an actual historical nation, though I could well be wrong about that), character motivations that stretch beyond greed and self-preservation, and several moments that finally show, rather than tell, just how mad, bad and dangerous to know Saevus Corax might be.
It’s Parker, mind you, so it’s still basically a comedy, just shaded in slightly darker ink than usual. Saevus has his redeeming features, after all, and we keep the typical Parker mix of allusive geopolitics, lessons on pre-modern technology, an inevitably attractive female foil, too-clever-by-half narration, and occasionally predictable twists.
Even so, it’s noticeably less by-the-numbers than the few outings, and maybe the freshest this setting has felt since Sixteen Ways. Here’s hoping Saevus can continue to surprise in his next outing.
Because this is Saevus we’re talking about, the story in question is also shaggy, picaresque, and more than a little unbelievable, but also more personal and particular than Deals With The Dead. Despite the title there aren’t any grand armies or sieges here, just a few people half-heartedly scrapping over a glorified manor house for personal reasons. Death and violence still come for Saevus, as ever, and not quietly; from the moment our anti-hero slices a captor’s tendons it’s immediate and intense, and often just distressingly bloody murder.
The tighter scope really pays off in the book’s second half, where Parker makes some substantial departures from his normal script. We have a taut and nearly dialogue-free scramble across a terrifying medieval utopia (which for once doesn’t seem to be a pastiche of an actual historical nation, though I could well be wrong about that), character motivations that stretch beyond greed and self-preservation, and several moments that finally show, rather than tell, just how mad, bad and dangerous to know Saevus Corax might be.
It’s Parker, mind you, so it’s still basically a comedy, just shaded in slightly darker ink than usual. Saevus has his redeeming features, after all, and we keep the typical Parker mix of allusive geopolitics, lessons on pre-modern technology, an inevitably attractive female foil, too-clever-by-half narration, and occasionally predictable twists.
Even so, it’s noticeably less by-the-numbers than the few outings, and maybe the freshest this setting has felt since Sixteen Ways. Here’s hoping Saevus can continue to surprise in his next outing.
November 7, 2023
I couldn't get ahold of this book fast enough! Parker pits Saevus against seemingly insurmountable odds and reminds us that in-laws are pretty much the worst!
ARC review thanks to Orbit Books and NetGalley.
ARC review thanks to Orbit Books and NetGalley.
October 20, 2025
Saevus Corax may be one of Parker's most interesting characters: an absolute scoundrel who is very good at what he does.
The tie-in to The Big Score in this book was a nice touch.
The tie-in to The Big Score in this book was a nice touch.
May 20, 2024
In the first part, Saevus Corax is blackmailed by his powerful, vile mother-in-law (wait, he's married???) to capture a small castle, in the middle of an uninhabited moor, from an unknown enemy, with his untrained company of battlefield scavengers, in four days. It's an impossible task that demands every ounce of his cleverness and resourcefulness and it's fascinating to watch him accomplish it.
In the second part, Corax sets out to cross a reclusive closed-bordered country of great militarily might which kills and eats all foreigners who stray into its territory. All to find his wife and daughter, who may or may not be holed up there. It's an impossible task that demands every ounce of his cleverness and resourcefulness and it's fascinating to watch him accomplish it.
A marked improvement over the first volume.
Plot points:
So how does he take the castle?
So how does he survive a journey of hundreds of miles across a cannibal landscape?
In the second part, Corax sets out to cross a reclusive closed-bordered country of great militarily might which kills and eats all foreigners who stray into its territory. All to find his wife and daughter, who may or may not be holed up there. It's an impossible task that demands every ounce of his cleverness and resourcefulness and it's fascinating to watch him accomplish it.
A marked improvement over the first volume.
Plot points:
So how does he take the castle?
So how does he survive a journey of hundreds of miles across a cannibal landscape?
January 11, 2024
*copy from Netgalley in exchange for a review*
The new Parker trilogy is releasing at a rapid pace this year, following up Saevus Corax Deals with the Dead with this new volume. And, in case you were wondering, yes, it is rather good. I will sound a note of caution that it hits a lot of the same notes stylistically as the previous volume. Our protagonist is smart, funny, determined to just keep his head down and out of the way - and yet catastrophic, world altering events seem to always catch him in their wake. Or the other way around, I suppose. There's civilisations that look familiar if you squint and turn your head to the left a bit, some genuinely funny dialogue, and a viciously dark view of the world which also holds up the best of humanity even as it washes its hands of 'em.
Which is to say, it's a K.J. Parker book; by this point, you probably know what you're getting in terms of structure and tone. I will say though that the story remains as wonderfully byzantine as ever (in several senses), the characterisation is detailed, multi-faceted and occasionally throws out a total surprise, and the technical execution in general is top tier. If you liked the previous Corax book, you won't fond this one disappoints.
Saevus Corax remains as charming, devious and occasionally outright brutal as ever. Or perhaps I should say ruthless, given hsi gift for playing all the angles. In this instance, those angles involve a castle. And how one might take that away from the people currently in it, and keep hold of it afterward. It's a simple conceit (and one which, to be fair, doesn't take up the entire book, which instead pinwheels out of control from there in a very satisfying fashion). But it allows us to see Corax in full flow. To live inside the monologue of someone about to make some very bloody decisions, for the very best of reasons. And later a plan inside another plan inside another. Like an onion, except with arrows and big rocks. There's further, somewhat cryptic delving into his past as well, piecing together things the man himself has tried to forget for quite a while - and which, as these things do, are likely to come back at the worst moment. Again, like an onion, we see sides to Corax we didn't find in the last book - and it's a triumph that Parker can show us these layers, show us the psychological and physical cost of being Saevus Corax, and make him both sympathetic and an unrepentant terror. In any event, Corax remains a fine fellow to share a head and an inner monologue with; just don't accept any wine he gives you.
The story rattles along nicely between reveals, crosses, double crosses and so on. It also moves geographically, including a richly wrought ersatz Byzantine empire, complete with theatres and mail coaches - and other, far stranger places I wont get into for fear of spoilers. Suffice to say, they're eerily alive as well. And the book itself remains a solid, entertaining read moment to moment - from battle debris to sieges to night rides to love and promises and betrayal, there's something for everyone. And the sheer accessibility of Corax as a narrator, his cheerful unreliability and ruthlessness, is what makes it work, and kept me turning pages on and on and on. If you're a Parker fan, it'll probably work for you, too - go give it a whirl.
The new Parker trilogy is releasing at a rapid pace this year, following up Saevus Corax Deals with the Dead with this new volume. And, in case you were wondering, yes, it is rather good. I will sound a note of caution that it hits a lot of the same notes stylistically as the previous volume. Our protagonist is smart, funny, determined to just keep his head down and out of the way - and yet catastrophic, world altering events seem to always catch him in their wake. Or the other way around, I suppose. There's civilisations that look familiar if you squint and turn your head to the left a bit, some genuinely funny dialogue, and a viciously dark view of the world which also holds up the best of humanity even as it washes its hands of 'em.
Which is to say, it's a K.J. Parker book; by this point, you probably know what you're getting in terms of structure and tone. I will say though that the story remains as wonderfully byzantine as ever (in several senses), the characterisation is detailed, multi-faceted and occasionally throws out a total surprise, and the technical execution in general is top tier. If you liked the previous Corax book, you won't fond this one disappoints.
Saevus Corax remains as charming, devious and occasionally outright brutal as ever. Or perhaps I should say ruthless, given hsi gift for playing all the angles. In this instance, those angles involve a castle. And how one might take that away from the people currently in it, and keep hold of it afterward. It's a simple conceit (and one which, to be fair, doesn't take up the entire book, which instead pinwheels out of control from there in a very satisfying fashion). But it allows us to see Corax in full flow. To live inside the monologue of someone about to make some very bloody decisions, for the very best of reasons. And later a plan inside another plan inside another. Like an onion, except with arrows and big rocks. There's further, somewhat cryptic delving into his past as well, piecing together things the man himself has tried to forget for quite a while - and which, as these things do, are likely to come back at the worst moment. Again, like an onion, we see sides to Corax we didn't find in the last book - and it's a triumph that Parker can show us these layers, show us the psychological and physical cost of being Saevus Corax, and make him both sympathetic and an unrepentant terror. In any event, Corax remains a fine fellow to share a head and an inner monologue with; just don't accept any wine he gives you.
The story rattles along nicely between reveals, crosses, double crosses and so on. It also moves geographically, including a richly wrought ersatz Byzantine empire, complete with theatres and mail coaches - and other, far stranger places I wont get into for fear of spoilers. Suffice to say, they're eerily alive as well. And the book itself remains a solid, entertaining read moment to moment - from battle debris to sieges to night rides to love and promises and betrayal, there's something for everyone. And the sheer accessibility of Corax as a narrator, his cheerful unreliability and ruthlessness, is what makes it work, and kept me turning pages on and on and on. If you're a Parker fan, it'll probably work for you, too - go give it a whirl.
November 25, 2023
Another fun entry from K.J. Parker. Things are getting complicated for Saevus Corax: It turns out he had been married, and his ex-mother-in-law is one of the scariest and most deadly people on earth. And she wants him to capture a castle for her. Piece of cake, really, right?
Plots within plots unfold, and we can enjoy the snarky cynicism and clever machinations that Parker is known for. Along the way Corax learns a few things about himself that he may not like. And we learn a few things that make him more human, and also more repellant, than anything we learned before.
Plots within plots unfold, and we can enjoy the snarky cynicism and clever machinations that Parker is known for. Along the way Corax learns a few things about himself that he may not like. And we learn a few things that make him more human, and also more repellant, than anything we learned before.
April 27, 2024
Saevus Corax is not the nicest of people of people but given the world he must live in, he does the best he can. In this volume he gets to deal with the mother in law from hell and some other screwed up family matters and kills somebody at their own request. It's a strange adventure, and being an artist I can understand the value of a brief line of text. It's a bit tongue in cheek, typical for Parker.
October 20, 2024
I've worked out what these books remind me of tonally: Firefly. This is probably why I like them. Plot-wise I'm not totally convinced: a lot of lurching from one disaster to another without much in the way of connective tissue, but still very enjoyable.
November 21, 2023
Are you looking for a fun, adventure, told by a character who makes a lot of mistakes, has a penchant for a good lie or four, but cares deeply for those around him? Then this series is the series….
We join Saevus back in the battlefield collection business, having narrowly escaped his previous adventure. He is broke and now part of his crew has been kidnapped by his mother in law….or maybe monster in law. All she wants is him to capture a castle…
From there it’s quite the story, all told from the perspective of Saevus
Thank you Orbit and Net Galley for the ARC
We join Saevus back in the battlefield collection business, having narrowly escaped his previous adventure. He is broke and now part of his crew has been kidnapped by his mother in law….or maybe monster in law. All she wants is him to capture a castle…
From there it’s quite the story, all told from the perspective of Saevus
Thank you Orbit and Net Galley for the ARC
May 15, 2024
Much better than the previous one, unexpectedly. Reminds me a lot of the "Rake" TV series (Australian one, though) in a fantasy setting. And that is great.
November 21, 2023
This series and the series that starts with Sixteen ways to defend a walled have a very similar feel of the good for nothing or at least good for very little protagonist cleverly finding the way to survive overwhelming odds that really ought to do him in. They’re very much aimed at a male reader I think but I’m enjoying them and full intend to read book three. They’ve got a fun dry humor to them and a certain scruffy charm.
January 7, 2024
This was the middle of the trilogy and still pretty fun. Much like book one, it starts when Saevus and his crew are scrounging in a battle field and then someone from his past turns him and forces him into having an adventure. We get more of his backstory and some characters from book 1 return. Hopefully library gets me book 3 soon!
May 4, 2024
4.5 rounded up. Oh Saevus Corax, the messes you get yourself into...
March 3, 2026
Parker's signature writing, but drags a little in the middle. Still looking forward to the final book
September 18, 2025
3.5
Little bit boring but worth it at the end
Little bit boring but worth it at the end
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