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The Two of Swords #2
The Two of Swords: Part Two
A prisoner of war struggles to get by in a city under siege. With enemies on both sides of the city walls, only a clever man could hope to survive.
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.
This is the second installment in the Two of Swords serialization.
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.
This is the second installment in the Two of Swords serialization.
51 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 21, 2015
5 people are currently reading
154 people want to read
About the author
K.J. Parker
134 books1,691 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 - 27 of 27 reviews
June 27, 2018
Nova knjiga (novela, poglavlje, šta vec) novi lik koga pratimo. Upozanali ga u prvom delu ali sada ulazimo u mnogo više detalja mada sa druge strane i na kraju price ostaje mnogo misterije. Plus što se tice velike price koja povezuje sve ovo informacije dobijamo na kafenu kašicicu... i to polu prazno. Ali štivo je pitko tako da se nastavlja odiseja. Plus me interesuje na šta ce ovo da izgleda na kraju.
April 24, 2015
here I would just repeat what i said for #1:
I finished this and #1 and currently reading #3 and the one thing I would say for now is read the first three before you have an opinion as they are successively told from another pov and illuminate (and obscure and hint at much more) what came before
I finished this and #1 and currently reading #3 and the one thing I would say for now is read the first three before you have an opinion as they are successively told from another pov and illuminate (and obscure and hint at much more) what came before
July 12, 2019
A continuation of Part One with the POV from some of the old and some new characters. Kind of slow for a while before opening up a new front and something different for Part Three. I get the anti-war, war-is-senseless theme so I'm hoping for a better Part Three. It looks like very few will survive the constant warring.
January 17, 2016
Later edit:
Musen’s POV: after the departure of Teucer, Musen has to find a way to escape from being held as a prisoner of war. In the meantime, he meets Oida, the highly renowned musician (and not only…). A (highly unusual) priestess, Telamon (whose name reminded me of the same named character from WoT - sigh -), comes to his help and lead him towards a new start, based on his distinctive (sic!) skills…
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Same review as for Part 1.
Being monthly installments, I can't tell yet if it's going to be a very good one or not. It's like reading separate chapters. I'm on third part right now and it's being told from a third POV, meaning a third character, with no regard to the previous two ones.
The story goes like this: there is a war between East and West. People are taken from villages and sent to battle. Two of them, Teucer and Musen, take a different path after some events (I don't want to spoil so I won't go into details).
So, first part is told from Teucer's POV, second one from Musen's and third, which I'm currently reading, from another character which has a role in the second part...
Will see how it'll go with the forth, maybe after that I'll be able to form an opinion. So far, it is kinda catchy, even if only being curious what the development will be, because at the end of each part, the character is left in the air :D
Musen’s POV: after the departure of Teucer, Musen has to find a way to escape from being held as a prisoner of war. In the meantime, he meets Oida, the highly renowned musician (and not only…). A (highly unusual) priestess, Telamon (whose name reminded me of the same named character from WoT - sigh -), comes to his help and lead him towards a new start, based on his distinctive (sic!) skills…
--------------
Same review as for Part 1.
Being monthly installments, I can't tell yet if it's going to be a very good one or not. It's like reading separate chapters. I'm on third part right now and it's being told from a third POV, meaning a third character, with no regard to the previous two ones.
The story goes like this: there is a war between East and West. People are taken from villages and sent to battle. Two of them, Teucer and Musen, take a different path after some events (I don't want to spoil so I won't go into details).
So, first part is told from Teucer's POV, second one from Musen's and third, which I'm currently reading, from another character which has a role in the second part...
Will see how it'll go with the forth, maybe after that I'll be able to form an opinion. So far, it is kinda catchy, even if only being curious what the development will be, because at the end of each part, the character is left in the air :D
June 22, 2015
Boring, very little happens, and I still think the writing quality is mediocre at best. I'm really disappointed - I was hoping I would enjoy Parker/Holt's writing based on what I've heard so far, and the fact I own two of his books in hard copy already. I may just have to abort that, or try and read Sharps and see how I feel about a full-sized novel rather than these 80 page novelettes. But so far, I've been very unimpressed with these, and found myself just looking forward to the end - not to find out the ending, but to get it over with.
June 10, 2015
Good continuation. The p.o.v. character this time is Musen, Teucer's companion from book 1. The story's picking up, the setting is gaining detail, there are some intriguing mysteries. The first part didn't have much to hold my attention, but in this second installment I'm starting to notice some of KJ Parker's magic trickling in.
serial-chapters
February 29, 2016I didn't like Musen in the first segment of The Two of Swords, so wasn't thrilled to find he was the point-of-view character in this one. While not a likeable person--certainly a type that I'd avoid in real life--his adherence to his religion made him more tolerable than he'd been in part 1 where all I saw was his self-centeredness. Although that is certainly still part of him.
Speaking of religion, I didn't realize "craftsmanship" was a religious term until well into the story, and I had to backtrack a bit to catch the references with that understanding.
The author's knowledge of military history shines forth in preparations for a future siege: the laying up of stores, shoring up of walls and entrances, and things that can go wrong such as fires and rain. Thankfully there wasn't too much of this, and what was included had a wry tone that made it fun to read.
In both segments, a young person gets a great deal of attention from powerful people because of his talents. There's a sense of his not being in control, of not having much say in his future, although in the end he is taken care of and on his way to new places. I can't imagine the whole sequence will be this way, though. On to the next one!
Speaking of religion, I didn't realize "craftsmanship" was a religious term until well into the story, and I had to backtrack a bit to catch the references with that understanding.
The author's knowledge of military history shines forth in preparations for a future siege: the laying up of stores, shoring up of walls and entrances, and things that can go wrong such as fires and rain. Thankfully there wasn't too much of this, and what was included had a wry tone that made it fun to read.
In both segments, a young person gets a great deal of attention from powerful people because of his talents. There's a sense of his not being in control, of not having much say in his future, although in the end he is taken care of and on his way to new places. I can't imagine the whole sequence will be this way, though. On to the next one!
April 30, 2015
The second part of K.J. Parker’s Two of Swords starts where the first ended; however, it mixes things up a little bit by switching the viewpoint on the reader. We move from a focus on a farmboy-turned-archer to another member of his village militia – this one a tad more suspicious, a smidge more unreliable, and infinitely more unlikable. Where the first section was a journey novel, this chapter is more static – we’re shown a protagonist looking to survive and establish themselves in a society which doesn’t care much about them, and trying to survive by any means necessary.
The prose continues to be in Parker’s characteristic wry and dry style. It’s very densely written as well – there’s almost always a layer of subtext under the initial meaning. This applies to both the dialogue and the descriptions – the protagonist for this section is a bit more observant and quite a lot more cynical than the one from the initial chapter, and this is displayed in a more focused set of descriptions, and a finer reading of individual expressions and motivations. Parker manages to make the descriptions both vivid and believable – the picture painted is one of military squalor, mud, and uncaring institutions populated by incompetents. The physical descriptions are drawn through the prose, but the characters, equally well crafted, are largely seen through the eyes of the protagonist – their personalities seeping through the lens of his perception in dialogue and interpretations of their actions.
Speaking of dialogue, Parker’s has always been a joy to read, and there’s no change here. There’s a certain understated dark humour underlying all of the character interaction, and each piece of dialogue has clearly been thought about, and pitched appropriately for the character. Sometimes it’s a bit opaque, but this seems to be part of the narrative, cloaking a wider meaning in a feeling of obscurity, forcing the reader to piece together subtext and layers of meaning – it’s a surprisingly easy read, but gives up more to the reader if considered again.
The plot takes a different turn – as is probably to be expected with a different protagonist. The reader is shown a bit more of the previously mentioned ‘craftsmen’, which gives a bit more context to some of the mysteries from the first chapter. I wouldn’t say it’s fast-paced, exactly – there’s a lot of discussion, a lot of sidelong glances and more intrigue than in the previous instalment, and perhaps a little less widespread violence. But while I wasn’t flipping desperately through pages to find out what happened, this slower paced approach was just as effective, and just as effective – I may not have torn through the pages, but I couldn’t put it down once I’d started, being absorbed into the nuances and intrigues.
Overall then, this second segment in Two of Swords is at least on a par with the first. It has Parker’s trademark characterisation, and a sense of a wider world which is slowly spinning out of control, matched with some truly excellent dialogue and narrative at a personal level which is extremely compelling. If you’ve already read the first section, I’d urge you to give this one a shot. If you haven’t, you could read this as a standalone piece, but I’d recommend starting with the first chapter.
The prose continues to be in Parker’s characteristic wry and dry style. It’s very densely written as well – there’s almost always a layer of subtext under the initial meaning. This applies to both the dialogue and the descriptions – the protagonist for this section is a bit more observant and quite a lot more cynical than the one from the initial chapter, and this is displayed in a more focused set of descriptions, and a finer reading of individual expressions and motivations. Parker manages to make the descriptions both vivid and believable – the picture painted is one of military squalor, mud, and uncaring institutions populated by incompetents. The physical descriptions are drawn through the prose, but the characters, equally well crafted, are largely seen through the eyes of the protagonist – their personalities seeping through the lens of his perception in dialogue and interpretations of their actions.
Speaking of dialogue, Parker’s has always been a joy to read, and there’s no change here. There’s a certain understated dark humour underlying all of the character interaction, and each piece of dialogue has clearly been thought about, and pitched appropriately for the character. Sometimes it’s a bit opaque, but this seems to be part of the narrative, cloaking a wider meaning in a feeling of obscurity, forcing the reader to piece together subtext and layers of meaning – it’s a surprisingly easy read, but gives up more to the reader if considered again.
The plot takes a different turn – as is probably to be expected with a different protagonist. The reader is shown a bit more of the previously mentioned ‘craftsmen’, which gives a bit more context to some of the mysteries from the first chapter. I wouldn’t say it’s fast-paced, exactly – there’s a lot of discussion, a lot of sidelong glances and more intrigue than in the previous instalment, and perhaps a little less widespread violence. But while I wasn’t flipping desperately through pages to find out what happened, this slower paced approach was just as effective, and just as effective – I may not have torn through the pages, but I couldn’t put it down once I’d started, being absorbed into the nuances and intrigues.
Overall then, this second segment in Two of Swords is at least on a par with the first. It has Parker’s trademark characterisation, and a sense of a wider world which is slowly spinning out of control, matched with some truly excellent dialogue and narrative at a personal level which is extremely compelling. If you’ve already read the first section, I’d urge you to give this one a shot. If you haven’t, you could read this as a standalone piece, but I’d recommend starting with the first chapter.
February 8, 2017
Part Two of Parker's war epic takes us behind the scenes of the commanding soldiers, through the eyes of a prisoner of war. Musen, the secondary character from Part One, is our main character, and he's surviving as a thief in the camp of one of the other armies near the ocean. He's a craftsman, with more loyalty to other craftsmen than he is to his own countrymen, and one of the questions he asks near the end is the main theme of this novella: "What is the war about?"
We're still in full-on exposition mode here, meaning that we're getting less plot in the story than we're likely to see later on. The first two parts of this epic are self-contained pieces, but it's still not clear where Parker is going to be taking us on this journey. He's not shifting from character to character without a reason; it looks like he's bridging the novellas by writing each one from the perspective of a character who's featured in the previous one, so the story keeps progressing in a natural way. It makes me wonder if we'll return to these characters in future parts, or if they're each going to be one-and-done, with the main characters showing up as (possible?) secondary characters in future pieces. Either way seems like a good approach, so I'm not concerned.
Parker's in his usual style here, too, with his trademark wry, sardonic prose. Still, he's not one to take too lightly despite his irreverent approach; bad things happen here, and sometimes for no good reason at all. Then again, the question raised here is "What is war about?", and maybe this unfair chaos is his answer to that question.
We're still in full-on exposition mode here, meaning that we're getting less plot in the story than we're likely to see later on. The first two parts of this epic are self-contained pieces, but it's still not clear where Parker is going to be taking us on this journey. He's not shifting from character to character without a reason; it looks like he's bridging the novellas by writing each one from the perspective of a character who's featured in the previous one, so the story keeps progressing in a natural way. It makes me wonder if we'll return to these characters in future parts, or if they're each going to be one-and-done, with the main characters showing up as (possible?) secondary characters in future pieces. Either way seems like a good approach, so I'm not concerned.
Parker's in his usual style here, too, with his trademark wry, sardonic prose. Still, he's not one to take too lightly despite his irreverent approach; bad things happen here, and sometimes for no good reason at all. Then again, the question raised here is "What is war about?", and maybe this unfair chaos is his answer to that question.
February 21, 2018
4/5 Rating
Read a review for The Two of Swords, Volume 1 (The Two of Swords #1-8) at MyLifeMyBooksMyEscape
Read a review for The Two of Swords, Volume 1 (The Two of Swords #1-8) at MyLifeMyBooksMyEscape
March 2, 2017
The narrative focus passes to Musen, Teucer's companion in the latter part of their shambolic stint as army levies. Musen, it seems, has hidden qualities - and some of the eccentric numbering of parts becomes clearer. The Crown Prince (title of Part One) is a card in a pack akin to the tarot which is used by a group similar to the freemasons - craftsmen, here; this is based around the smith and smithy - which makes sense of the babbling from Musen in the hidden village. This is why he is able to read - and why he survives as a paroled prisoner of war after Teucer is sent overseas. He develops some (not much) skill as a thief - and the narrative ends with him being sent to a 'thief academy' at the end of the section.
This is slowly becoming intriguing as various threads are dangled. The war still features but is as opaque as it was in the first part. Why are two generals, brothers, on opposing sides? And how big is the craftsman movement? More to come...
This is slowly becoming intriguing as various threads are dangled. The war still features but is as opaque as it was in the first part. Why are two generals, brothers, on opposing sides? And how big is the craftsman movement? More to come...
October 7, 2015
Part 2 ties in nicely to the first and is told from the POV of Teucer's recruit companion Musen, and we learn that there is a lot more to him than Teucer knows.
So far (I'm reading part 4) each part has a central character and introduces the next - in this case the fascinating priestess Telamon.
The style is typical KJ Parker at his best with all the accuracy and top-notch research we are accustomed to. Very much recommended, though it is slightly weaker than the first part.
NOTE: These are not novellas (as advertised) as much as longer chapters of a serial novel. So far 14 volumes have been announced - meaning at least £14 total. That's a lot (read: way too much) even for a novel by one of my favourite writers.
So far (I'm reading part 4) each part has a central character and introduces the next - in this case the fascinating priestess Telamon.
The style is typical KJ Parker at his best with all the accuracy and top-notch research we are accustomed to. Very much recommended, though it is slightly weaker than the first part.
NOTE: These are not novellas (as advertised) as much as longer chapters of a serial novel. So far 14 volumes have been announced - meaning at least £14 total. That's a lot (read: way too much) even for a novel by one of my favourite writers.
May 4, 2015
Part 2! This one's focus is Musen, who I didn't really like much in part 1, but he really comes into his own here. Some interesting new characters introduced, but none of them get a ton of page time. There's some interesting masonic/religious/tarot type stuff too. Not much else to say at this point given it's episode 2 in a serial, but I'm liking it a lot so far. More than The Company for sure.
April 28, 2015
Algo peor que la primera parte, centrándonos en uno de los dos que sobrevivieron en el capítulo anterior. Es una especie de masón al que ayuda el enemigo a vivir en una ciudad conquistada... hasta que sus compatriotas están a punto de llegar para liberar la ciudad. El autor sigue hablando sobre la inutilidad de la guerra y lo absurdo de los asedios y cómo se pierden vidas a mansalva solo por pura estrategia.
February 15, 2016
I found this part to be a bit of a step back in quality from the 1st part.
The story follows Musen but despite having some potential as the thief/scoundrel, just doesn't have the strength to carry this tale by himself.
To me, the supporting characters were way more interesting and showed greater depth. This part suffered for missing Teucer and Guifres. Not a lot happens.
The story follows Musen but despite having some potential as the thief/scoundrel, just doesn't have the strength to carry this tale by himself.
To me, the supporting characters were way more interesting and showed greater depth. This part suffered for missing Teucer and Guifres. Not a lot happens.
April 26, 2015
A second point of view, just as interesting as part 1. Keep it coming!
May 31, 2015
Building nicely
August 28, 2015
Musen is not likable :(... A Hint of a bigger complimentary role (thought not the best friends from the same village) with Teucer
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 29, 2015
Looking forward to continuing with this serial novel but I definitely need to read them as more of a batch. I had forgotten most of Musen's story from part one by the time I started this one.
November 8, 2015
Nothing much happens.
April 11, 2016
The idea is interesting but it just does not work for me. The POV switches become just annoying and frustrating and result in you not caring about any of it.
October 3, 2016
Daha iyiydi, Musen'in hikayesi biraz daha akıcı yazılmıştı. Nereye gideceğini merak ettim, ama bu tefrika okuma ara vermeyi gerektiriyor.
January 8, 2020
This chapter is told from Musen’s perspective rather than Teucer’s, and it’s here that I got a greater understanding of the title of the whole story. A variation of tarot cards plays a fairly large role in Musen’s chapter, part of his faith and his position as a craftsman. Typically in tarot, the Sword arcana represents thoughts, power, and conflict, and twos often represent meetings and the acquisition of information. Each chapter, I noticed, was told from the perspective of a character met by the main character of the previous chapter, who brought them information (and often confusion; I guess the card was reversed in the reading!)
(Why yes, I do know how to read tarot cards…)
So Musen and Teucer have been captured, and Teucer sent away while Musen remains. He gets involved with the army, mostly helping out in stores, but indulging his habits of thieving now and again. Musen becomes more than just the irritating “I know something you don’t know” character we saw in the first chapter. We get to see more of his faith in the gods, and what being a craftsman means to him. He’s still very much a jerk, but he has layers, and there’s a good deal of interest to him. Especially toward the end of this chapter, when he’s confronted by a strange woman who tells him that he ought to get training to be a better thief, and to use that skill for good.
I wasn’t as fond of this chapter as I was of Teucer’s, mostly because this one seemed to range between interesting things and just very boring things. Lots of ups and downs. The ending was fantastic, and I want to know more about what happens to Musen at this thief school, but getting to that scene felt a bit tedious. Still, not bad, and it’s early days yet. Any confusion I felt about events in the first chapter slowly faded, too, as more and more of the world was revealed through the eyes of a much more knowledgeable character, and it makes me appreciate how the first 3 chapters were released at the same time. Had it just been part 1, with part 2 coming out a month later, I can’t say that my interest would have held.
(Received in exchange for an honest review.)
(Why yes, I do know how to read tarot cards…)
So Musen and Teucer have been captured, and Teucer sent away while Musen remains. He gets involved with the army, mostly helping out in stores, but indulging his habits of thieving now and again. Musen becomes more than just the irritating “I know something you don’t know” character we saw in the first chapter. We get to see more of his faith in the gods, and what being a craftsman means to him. He’s still very much a jerk, but he has layers, and there’s a good deal of interest to him. Especially toward the end of this chapter, when he’s confronted by a strange woman who tells him that he ought to get training to be a better thief, and to use that skill for good.
I wasn’t as fond of this chapter as I was of Teucer’s, mostly because this one seemed to range between interesting things and just very boring things. Lots of ups and downs. The ending was fantastic, and I want to know more about what happens to Musen at this thief school, but getting to that scene felt a bit tedious. Still, not bad, and it’s early days yet. Any confusion I felt about events in the first chapter slowly faded, too, as more and more of the world was revealed through the eyes of a much more knowledgeable character, and it makes me appreciate how the first 3 chapters were released at the same time. Had it just been part 1, with part 2 coming out a month later, I can’t say that my interest would have held.
(Received in exchange for an honest review.)
May 27, 2023
"The Two of Swords Vol. 2" takes off where the first ended, though this time it revolves around Musen (Teucer's companion).
He's essentially a POW with a certain amount of freedom, certainly enough to indulge his penchant for thieving.
The only thing in his favour is that he is a member of the Guild, a religious group immersed in politics, assassination, the inner workings of both Empires, and embedded in the structure of both at all levels.
Cards (somewhat similar to Tarot) play a role but to be honest it baffled me.
The book introduces two new characters, Oida, an exception composer who is one of the few people who can travel freely in both Empires, and Telamon, a highly successful female operative in the Guild.
A little bit more information is revealed, but not enough to indicate where the overall story is heading.
It's likeable in much the same way as the first episode, but still hasn't really cut to the chase - given that there are 23 books in the series that may take some time.
2.5 Stars, raised to 3 Stars.
He's essentially a POW with a certain amount of freedom, certainly enough to indulge his penchant for thieving.
The only thing in his favour is that he is a member of the Guild, a religious group immersed in politics, assassination, the inner workings of both Empires, and embedded in the structure of both at all levels.
Cards (somewhat similar to Tarot) play a role but to be honest it baffled me.
The book introduces two new characters, Oida, an exception composer who is one of the few people who can travel freely in both Empires, and Telamon, a highly successful female operative in the Guild.
A little bit more information is revealed, but not enough to indicate where the overall story is heading.
It's likeable in much the same way as the first episode, but still hasn't really cut to the chase - given that there are 23 books in the series that may take some time.
2.5 Stars, raised to 3 Stars.
October 1, 2023
The war has ground on for so long for several reasons. The intransigence of the claimants to the throne is one; the fact that the two greatest generals in the world (brothers who hate each other) have enlisted on opposite sides is another.
And the factions within East and West, the Empire’s neighboring countries, and “the smiths” — a fraternal/religious organization ( Masons) Full of political intrigue .
I read this and the next 2 books once they were actually novels. If you are a fan of Parker, than this series is up there with Sharps and Sixteen Ways.
And the factions within East and West, the Empire’s neighboring countries, and “the smiths” — a fraternal/religious organization ( Masons) Full of political intrigue .
I read this and the next 2 books once they were actually novels. If you are a fan of Parker, than this series is up there with Sharps and Sixteen Ways.
October 10, 2018
5/10: Not as good or as funny as part one.
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