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Quillifer #2
Quillifer the Knight
“Williams knows exactly what to do with Quillifer, and it's hugely entertaining.” — Locus
“Walter Jon Williams is always fun, but this may be his best yet, a delight from start to finish, witty, colorful, exciting and amusing by turns, exquisitely written.” —George R. R. Martin
“Chock full of derring-do, blood and thunder, swashbuckling, and other good stuff evocative of Rafael Sabatini, Sir Walter Scott, and the penny-bloods.” —Paul Di Filippo, author of The Big Get-Even
Quillifer—now a member of the nobility—finds himself further immersed in court politics as the outcast princess Floria is suddenly in a position of power with a rebellion stoked by a certain brilliant tactician, in this thrilling sequel to Quillifer .
Rogue. Joker. Lover. Reluctant conspirator.
The ambitious young Quillifer was been knighted for services to the crown, but was then banished from court by a queen who finds him obnoxious. Now, after a two-year voyage to improve his fortunes, Quillifer returns to court and is plunged immediately into a maelstrom of intrigue that triggers duels, plots, amours, and rollicking adventure. Bounding back and forth from the high councils of state to the warm bed of his mistress, Quillifer must exert every ounce of seductive charm and low cunning in order to survive.
Queen Berlauda’s foreign husband brings war in his wake, along with a clutch of officials who enforce the royal will with violence, torture, and judicial murder. A dragon menaces the realm, and political conspiracy threatens the life of Quillifer’s young patroness, Princess Floria. It’s the traditional job of a knight to fight dragons and rescue princesses, but Quillifer is hardly a traditional knight, and he brings to the job an array of unorthodox skills that dazzles his swarm of rivals, seduces their wives, and threatens the realm.
But there’s a greater menace to Quillifer than deadly political intrigue, for once again he finds himself hunted by the cruel, beautiful, and vengeful goddess Orlanda.
“Walter Jon Williams is always fun, but this may be his best yet, a delight from start to finish, witty, colorful, exciting and amusing by turns, exquisitely written.” —George R. R. Martin
“Chock full of derring-do, blood and thunder, swashbuckling, and other good stuff evocative of Rafael Sabatini, Sir Walter Scott, and the penny-bloods.” —Paul Di Filippo, author of The Big Get-Even
Quillifer—now a member of the nobility—finds himself further immersed in court politics as the outcast princess Floria is suddenly in a position of power with a rebellion stoked by a certain brilliant tactician, in this thrilling sequel to Quillifer .
Rogue. Joker. Lover. Reluctant conspirator.
The ambitious young Quillifer was been knighted for services to the crown, but was then banished from court by a queen who finds him obnoxious. Now, after a two-year voyage to improve his fortunes, Quillifer returns to court and is plunged immediately into a maelstrom of intrigue that triggers duels, plots, amours, and rollicking adventure. Bounding back and forth from the high councils of state to the warm bed of his mistress, Quillifer must exert every ounce of seductive charm and low cunning in order to survive.
Queen Berlauda’s foreign husband brings war in his wake, along with a clutch of officials who enforce the royal will with violence, torture, and judicial murder. A dragon menaces the realm, and political conspiracy threatens the life of Quillifer’s young patroness, Princess Floria. It’s the traditional job of a knight to fight dragons and rescue princesses, but Quillifer is hardly a traditional knight, and he brings to the job an array of unorthodox skills that dazzles his swarm of rivals, seduces their wives, and threatens the realm.
But there’s a greater menace to Quillifer than deadly political intrigue, for once again he finds himself hunted by the cruel, beautiful, and vengeful goddess Orlanda.
544 pages, Paperback
First published November 5, 2019
89 people are currently reading
201 people want to read
About the author
Walter Jon Williams
238 books892 followersWalter Jon Williams has published twenty novels and short fiction collections. Most are science fiction or fantasy -Hardwired, Voice of the Whirlwind, Aristoi, Metropolitan, City on Fire to name just a few - a few are historical adventures, and the most recent, The Rift, is a disaster novel in which "I just basically pound a part of the planet down to bedrock." And that's just the opening chapters. Walter holds a fourth-degree black belt in Kenpo Karate, and also enjoys sailing and scuba diving. He lives in New Mexico with his wife, Kathy Hedges.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
September 12, 2022
This was a fun read; it's a big, sprawling fantasy novel with intrigue and adventure and romance that's all presented with well thought-out political and economic and amorous and military and maritime and supernatural elements intertwined. Quillifer's world expands and becomes more complex, as does his character, which I believe must have been at least partially inspired by Cabell's Jurgen. I admire his facility at inventing vocabulary. The second-person narration became a bit cumbersome once or twice but is paid off with a clever twist that I didn't foresee at all and made it all worthwhile. It's a very good follow-up to the first book, and I'm looking forward to the next one.
December 18, 2019
"Quillifer the Knight" is a most worthy successor to "Quillifer" in all the best ways. Walter Jon Williams has outdone himself in this work.
- The attention to detail is exquisite to read. Specific definitions, jargon and argot for everything from sailing to cooking to architecture - Williams uses esoteric words and constructs as adjectives in some strange way, adding fascinating texture to strong prose. This sounds crazy but, to a degree, the specific syntactical choices evolve into minor characters - smh - you'd have to read it to really understand.
- The pace and mechanics are spot-on and solid.
- This book has LAYERS! Metaphors and analogical constructs for everything from contemporary political divisions to the craft of writing itself - deep and rich if one digs under the words.
- The dialogue is just...a pleasure. In every scene there are double and triple entendres, laugh-out-loud humor and drama, every bit as compelling as the plot itself.
- Quillifer and the characters who orbit him are depicted in fascinating detail, vivid and rich. Full of virtues and flaws, every interaction is a delight to read. Quillifer, as the protagonist, is wrong and makes mistakes, as we all do. And as a hero, he shines when his plans don't quite come together as expected and he changes through/despite those setbacks. Good ole' "step on his neck" trouble.
Overall, one of the best books I've read all year. But what really makes this one stand out to me and will do so for a long time to come is what Williams does with regards to a consistent thread of 2nd person POV in the novel. I won't spoil the surprise but by the end of the novel I as laughing aloud at the realization of what I'd just read and my sense of bamboozlement...I just made that word up. We've all heard of an unreliable narrator - how about an unreliable reader? I know, right? Williams masterfully creates a trap for readers and I walked right into it, none the wiser. By baiting it with my own expectations, the author got me hook, line and sinker.
This is not a casual read. It is highly entertaining, but does require a bit of work on the reader's part. Work which pays off with rich dividends by the time the final page is turned.
- The attention to detail is exquisite to read. Specific definitions, jargon and argot for everything from sailing to cooking to architecture - Williams uses esoteric words and constructs as adjectives in some strange way, adding fascinating texture to strong prose. This sounds crazy but, to a degree, the specific syntactical choices evolve into minor characters - smh - you'd have to read it to really understand.
- The pace and mechanics are spot-on and solid.
- This book has LAYERS! Metaphors and analogical constructs for everything from contemporary political divisions to the craft of writing itself - deep and rich if one digs under the words.
- The dialogue is just...a pleasure. In every scene there are double and triple entendres, laugh-out-loud humor and drama, every bit as compelling as the plot itself.
- Quillifer and the characters who orbit him are depicted in fascinating detail, vivid and rich. Full of virtues and flaws, every interaction is a delight to read. Quillifer, as the protagonist, is wrong and makes mistakes, as we all do. And as a hero, he shines when his plans don't quite come together as expected and he changes through/despite those setbacks. Good ole' "step on his neck" trouble.
Overall, one of the best books I've read all year. But what really makes this one stand out to me and will do so for a long time to come is what Williams does with regards to a consistent thread of 2nd person POV in the novel. I won't spoil the surprise but by the end of the novel I as laughing aloud at the realization of what I'd just read and my sense of bamboozlement...I just made that word up. We've all heard of an unreliable narrator - how about an unreliable reader? I know, right? Williams masterfully creates a trap for readers and I walked right into it, none the wiser. By baiting it with my own expectations, the author got me hook, line and sinker.
This is not a casual read. It is highly entertaining, but does require a bit of work on the reader's part. Work which pays off with rich dividends by the time the final page is turned.
May 17, 2021
To me, it feels like this will be the last book of the "series" - not so much because further stories are impossible, but rather because the author has reached a satisfying conclusion with this book. Like the previous novel, this is an excellent story, featuring a Sabatini-esque hero in a fantasy world heavily inspired by the Elizabethan era. To be honest, a reader wanting to "sneak up" on the late 16th Century would not go far wrong in reading the Quillifer books. While still featuring a wealth of adventure (including some very imaginative duels) , QUILLIFER THE KNIGHT includes more politics and intrigue, and Williams expands his world, with the Kingdom of Loretto showing many parallels to France of the same era, including religious conflict with a bit of Catholic vs. Huguenot feel. The end of the plot has both an excellent "wrap up" as well as a satisfying twist that I admit I didn't see coming. 4.5 stars. NOTE While the description on Goodreads for this edition is perfectly serviceable, the blurb on the back of the trade paperback copy I own is terrible - managing to combine being inaccurate with being a spoiler, which, to be honest , is quite a challenge when you think about it.
July 2, 2020
This was a very engaging and entertaining story. Williams's word smithing is a delight as are the clever approaches Quillifer takes to solve or resolve situations. My criticism that carries through both Quillifer books is its magical realism involving the vengeful goddess Orlanda. It was not necessary and both books would have been better without this artifice.
November 6, 2019
If you liked the first book, you will like this one as well. I’m a fan of this kind of genre - a proactive protagonist, building himself from nothing to riches and fame, through wits and charisma. The world is that of uncertain and dangerous past - war, plague, famine and executions. Even the rich and powerful are often just a step away from catastrophe. Quilifier has succeeded in securing personal wealth in the previous book, now he enters the dangerous arena of politics, that is in certain ways deadlier then battlefield. The central theme was that of tyranny and people’s response to it, which I believe was fairly realistic.
I’ve given the book 4 stars, as I think in certain places it’s weaker than its predecessor. Perhaps this stretch of Quilifier’s journey was simply less compelling for me, though certainly still very much interesting. I’m looking forward to Book 3, with all the new and fresh opportunities for our hero to leave his mark upon the world.
I’ve given the book 4 stars, as I think in certain places it’s weaker than its predecessor. Perhaps this stretch of Quilifier’s journey was simply less compelling for me, though certainly still very much interesting. I’m looking forward to Book 3, with all the new and fresh opportunities for our hero to leave his mark upon the world.
December 2, 2020
Well, if you want some swashes buckled, you've come to the right place.
We could criticize the hero for being a bit, well, Kvothe-like in that as age 21-22 he seems to know a lot and be very good at some things. But he's clearly not at all good at some others, so it's OK.
He feels a bit like Prachett's Moist von Lipwig when he starts persuading people, and indeed one of the characters openly acknowledges this at the end.
The whole thing with chapters addressed to "you" turned out to be interesting, but I am not sure it justified the amount of annoyance generated by A telling B about an event at which B was present. But let's just say that with an established, experienced author like Williams you have to accept his "trust me, I know what I'm doing here."
He's a lousy fighter, but good at winning. Sometimes it gets a litle cartoonish as his opponets end up like Elmer Fudd to Bugs Bunny, but after a while it gets more and more amusing.
He's a good schemer. Williams puts him in a series of nifty traps with non-obvious solutions, and our hero finds those solutions.
I like the ongoing idea of Q inventing words that certainly exist in our world and may already exist in his, but since he doesn't know ...
And you have to give marks for what must be a lifetime of collecting details of the names and functions of old-timey things.
We do have to accept the slighty-aging fantasy deal that whenever the hero spends more than an hour with a woman of the right age, they're going to get it on. He appears to be acting in good faith in all but one case, and maybe even in that one.
There are several occurrences of "well, it's icky but it needs doing and I'm the guy to do it," including one near the end that seemed a tad gratuitious but may be a setup for book 3.
I agree with those who think we could lose Orlanda. Surely there are better and easier ways to motivate characters against Quillifer.
But overall --- great fun and I want book 3!
We could criticize the hero for being a bit, well, Kvothe-like in that as age 21-22 he seems to know a lot and be very good at some things. But he's clearly not at all good at some others, so it's OK.
He feels a bit like Prachett's Moist von Lipwig when he starts persuading people, and indeed one of the characters openly acknowledges this at the end.
The whole thing with chapters addressed to "you" turned out to be interesting, but I am not sure it justified the amount of annoyance generated by A telling B about an event at which B was present. But let's just say that with an established, experienced author like Williams you have to accept his "trust me, I know what I'm doing here."
He's a lousy fighter, but good at winning. Sometimes it gets a litle cartoonish as his opponets end up like Elmer Fudd to Bugs Bunny, but after a while it gets more and more amusing.
He's a good schemer. Williams puts him in a series of nifty traps with non-obvious solutions, and our hero finds those solutions.
I like the ongoing idea of Q inventing words that certainly exist in our world and may already exist in his, but since he doesn't know ...
And you have to give marks for what must be a lifetime of collecting details of the names and functions of old-timey things.
We do have to accept the slighty-aging fantasy deal that whenever the hero spends more than an hour with a woman of the right age, they're going to get it on. He appears to be acting in good faith in all but one case, and maybe even in that one.
There are several occurrences of "well, it's icky but it needs doing and I'm the guy to do it," including one near the end that seemed a tad gratuitious but may be a setup for book 3.
I agree with those who think we could lose Orlanda. Surely there are better and easier ways to motivate characters against Quillifer.
But overall --- great fun and I want book 3!
June 18, 2024
“Quillifer, you are singular, like your name. No one knows what to do with you.”
Who is Quillifer? A merchant adventurer (owning multiple ships carrying valuable cargo or playing privateer), a pricy jewel dealer (fabricating stories to match gems with their buyers), a knight errant (being called “a rampallian knight” by his betters), a monster slayer (dealing with dragons, iron birds, etc.), a self-promoter (paying a bard to sing a complimentary song about him at a court feast), a natural actor (donning the faces of choirboy, lawyer, country squire, etc.), a serial lover (advising young men to find a wife—another man’s wife), an inventor (creating mass-produced ink, savory cuisine, neologisms, etc.), a target of divine malevolence (suffering the machinations of Orlanda, a goddess who doesn’t take well to being rejected), and, he tells us from the start, a traitor to the crown in some way (working with his current lover on some great treason that will see them triumphant or traitors).
Quillifer's constant curiosity, endless energy, and original intelligence kick into high gear whenever he faces a challenge or encounters a stultifying tradition. It’s amusing to watch the nobility scorn and insult him, only for him to get the better of them. And once he conceives a plan, he MUST put it into action no matter how dangerous it may be to the people around him or to himself.
And he’s not quite 22.
Quillifer lives and operates in an Elizabethan-esque fantasy world of swords and canons, a non-human humanoid species (the Aekoi) that produces pirates and prostitutes (their women can’t be made pregnant by human lovers), a region that spawns chimera and other monsters, and (so far) two dominant human cultures: longtime rivals Loretto (Italian-French-like culture) and Duisland (English-like culture and home of Quillifer).
When Quillifer (2017), Walter Jon Williams’ first novel about his protean young hero, ends, the butcher’s son has been made a knight after a big novel full of (mis)adventures including the massacre his family and the sack of his home town by Aekoi pirates, capture by a bandit lord, a key role in foiling a rebellion, a knighting, and the first inimical attention of Orlanda.
When the second novel, Quillifer the Knight (2019), begins, Quillifer is narrating his story to his current lover, strategically withholding her identity to us while detonating foreshadowing bombs referring to their treason. He starts his account with his return from a long-distance trading voyage bearing a rich cargo when, not far from his home port, an terrific storm savages his ship.
In the rest of the novel, Quillifer conceives new projects, gets new married lovers, takes tennis and guitar lessons, dragon hunts, races in a regatta, hires a manservant/bard, becomes court Warden (i.e., monster hunter), hangs out with his friends (the Duke and Duchess of Roundsilver, Blackwell the playwright, and Lipton the cannoneer), banters with Princess Floria (she and Quillifer are great together), duels enraged nobles (never let Quillifer choose the setting of a duel), not quite works for the scary dead-eyed royal spymaster Edevane, and so on.
We start suspecting that Quillifer and his lover are engaged in a little rebellion because of the increasing religious, economic, and political tyranny that Queen Berlauda’s husband from Loretto and his people are imposing on the hitherto independent Duisland.
The extended and detailed two-chapter sequence involving storm, shipwreck, and salvage that starts the novel is a bit too long, straining the bounds of credulity as to how anyone (even Quillifer’s lover) could sit still and listen to his monologue story without once reacting or interrupting.
In general, the conceit of Quillifer telling the whole novel to his lover stretches past the breaking point before it finally gets interesting in the resolution to the climax. I’d have preferred Williams to just have Quillifer tell his life story to undefined readers.
The novel is also a little too heteronormative for today’s world, compared to things like, say, Martha Wells’ Witch King or Murderbot series, but it does feature some formidable female characters, like Lady Ransom (a brilliant astronomer), Countess Marcella (a mysterious Aekoi woman), Princess Floria (a petite, charismatic, careful, and clever young woman), and Orlanda (an apparently spiteful, malificent, and omniscient goddess).
There are moments of fine faux Elizabethan dialogue, like “You purpose to fight dragons now?” and
“I am charged to bear this message.”
“Do not then lose your bearings, for what you bear is beyond all bearing.”
There are also many fine, vivid descriptions, like this:
“The dragon lay in the sun on a tawny field spotted red and white with murdered sheep. It rested on the grass in shimmering, tumbled coils, and it seemed to gleam with shifting colors like a fire-opal. I had seen that scintillation before, in that great serpent that rode the storm earlier in the year, and I knew it was a sign of the supernatural power that animated the worm. The drake was difficult to look at, and I did not care to look at it directly, but only from the slant of my eye, and even then I felt uneasy, and there was an eddy in my thoughts at the touch of the extramundane.”
Ralph Lister reads it all with aplomb and a wry, almost insouciant manner that enhances Quillifer’s wit.
The large novel is mostly quite absorbing, and it features a great surprise revelation near the end of the climax, and I’m looking forward to the third book, Lord Quillifer (2022).
Who is Quillifer? A merchant adventurer (owning multiple ships carrying valuable cargo or playing privateer), a pricy jewel dealer (fabricating stories to match gems with their buyers), a knight errant (being called “a rampallian knight” by his betters), a monster slayer (dealing with dragons, iron birds, etc.), a self-promoter (paying a bard to sing a complimentary song about him at a court feast), a natural actor (donning the faces of choirboy, lawyer, country squire, etc.), a serial lover (advising young men to find a wife—another man’s wife), an inventor (creating mass-produced ink, savory cuisine, neologisms, etc.), a target of divine malevolence (suffering the machinations of Orlanda, a goddess who doesn’t take well to being rejected), and, he tells us from the start, a traitor to the crown in some way (working with his current lover on some great treason that will see them triumphant or traitors).
Quillifer's constant curiosity, endless energy, and original intelligence kick into high gear whenever he faces a challenge or encounters a stultifying tradition. It’s amusing to watch the nobility scorn and insult him, only for him to get the better of them. And once he conceives a plan, he MUST put it into action no matter how dangerous it may be to the people around him or to himself.
And he’s not quite 22.
Quillifer lives and operates in an Elizabethan-esque fantasy world of swords and canons, a non-human humanoid species (the Aekoi) that produces pirates and prostitutes (their women can’t be made pregnant by human lovers), a region that spawns chimera and other monsters, and (so far) two dominant human cultures: longtime rivals Loretto (Italian-French-like culture) and Duisland (English-like culture and home of Quillifer).
When Quillifer (2017), Walter Jon Williams’ first novel about his protean young hero, ends, the butcher’s son has been made a knight after a big novel full of (mis)adventures including the massacre his family and the sack of his home town by Aekoi pirates, capture by a bandit lord, a key role in foiling a rebellion, a knighting, and the first inimical attention of Orlanda.
When the second novel, Quillifer the Knight (2019), begins, Quillifer is narrating his story to his current lover, strategically withholding her identity to us while detonating foreshadowing bombs referring to their treason. He starts his account with his return from a long-distance trading voyage bearing a rich cargo when, not far from his home port, an terrific storm savages his ship.
In the rest of the novel, Quillifer conceives new projects, gets new married lovers, takes tennis and guitar lessons, dragon hunts, races in a regatta, hires a manservant/bard, becomes court Warden (i.e., monster hunter), hangs out with his friends (the Duke and Duchess of Roundsilver, Blackwell the playwright, and Lipton the cannoneer), banters with Princess Floria (she and Quillifer are great together), duels enraged nobles (never let Quillifer choose the setting of a duel), not quite works for the scary dead-eyed royal spymaster Edevane, and so on.
We start suspecting that Quillifer and his lover are engaged in a little rebellion because of the increasing religious, economic, and political tyranny that Queen Berlauda’s husband from Loretto and his people are imposing on the hitherto independent Duisland.
The extended and detailed two-chapter sequence involving storm, shipwreck, and salvage that starts the novel is a bit too long, straining the bounds of credulity as to how anyone (even Quillifer’s lover) could sit still and listen to his monologue story without once reacting or interrupting.
In general, the conceit of Quillifer telling the whole novel to his lover stretches past the breaking point before it finally gets interesting in the resolution to the climax. I’d have preferred Williams to just have Quillifer tell his life story to undefined readers.
The novel is also a little too heteronormative for today’s world, compared to things like, say, Martha Wells’ Witch King or Murderbot series, but it does feature some formidable female characters, like Lady Ransom (a brilliant astronomer), Countess Marcella (a mysterious Aekoi woman), Princess Floria (a petite, charismatic, careful, and clever young woman), and Orlanda (an apparently spiteful, malificent, and omniscient goddess).
There are moments of fine faux Elizabethan dialogue, like “You purpose to fight dragons now?” and
“I am charged to bear this message.”
“Do not then lose your bearings, for what you bear is beyond all bearing.”
There are also many fine, vivid descriptions, like this:
“The dragon lay in the sun on a tawny field spotted red and white with murdered sheep. It rested on the grass in shimmering, tumbled coils, and it seemed to gleam with shifting colors like a fire-opal. I had seen that scintillation before, in that great serpent that rode the storm earlier in the year, and I knew it was a sign of the supernatural power that animated the worm. The drake was difficult to look at, and I did not care to look at it directly, but only from the slant of my eye, and even then I felt uneasy, and there was an eddy in my thoughts at the touch of the extramundane.”
Ralph Lister reads it all with aplomb and a wry, almost insouciant manner that enhances Quillifer’s wit.
The large novel is mostly quite absorbing, and it features a great surprise revelation near the end of the climax, and I’m looking forward to the third book, Lord Quillifer (2022).
August 1, 2020
Man, I love Quillifer. I think I liked this even more than I did the first book. I was pleased that his "faces" and "made-up" words were back; those always make me laugh. I also like that, while Quillifer is good at a lot of things -- mainly thinking quick on his feet -- that he is also terrible at some things and, notably, things that people were supposed to be "good" at in his pseudo-medieval setting, such as horseriding and swordplay. It's a good way to keep him grounded and let him be a hero without being a super hero.
I enjoy Williams' device of having Quillifer relate his tale to an unnamed lady, as he did in the first book. The nautical terminology all sounds very authentic, but I am clueless in that regard. The first couple of chapters were heavy on it, but I just pictured Vizzini yelling, "Move the thing! And that... other thing!" and it was all good. I wish I could let my young teen daughters read it because they would love it, but there's a few too many sexytimes. The unveiling of the plot at the end was so much fun.
Unrelated to the actual writing of the book: DON'T READ THE BLURB ON THE BACK COVER. It has nothing to do with this book. It's almost like it should go on the back of the third book (I really hope there is a third book). I spent a lot of time being really confused as to why the story I was reading didn't match up with the synopsis. I think the publisher dropped the ball on that one.
I enjoy Williams' device of having Quillifer relate his tale to an unnamed lady, as he did in the first book. The nautical terminology all sounds very authentic, but I am clueless in that regard. The first couple of chapters were heavy on it, but I just pictured Vizzini yelling, "Move the thing! And that... other thing!" and it was all good. I wish I could let my young teen daughters read it because they would love it, but there's a few too many sexytimes. The unveiling of the plot at the end was so much fun.
Unrelated to the actual writing of the book: DON'T READ THE BLURB ON THE BACK COVER. It has nothing to do with this book. It's almost like it should go on the back of the third book (I really hope there is a third book). I spent a lot of time being really confused as to why the story I was reading didn't match up with the synopsis. I think the publisher dropped the ball on that one.
December 20, 2019
Williams again uses the second person with an unreliable narrator, this time to even better effect than in the first book. It's fun to think about the differences in how he addressed the woman in the first book to how he addresses the woman in this book. It's also fun how the narrator distances himself from failure while embracing success with both arms.
While the first book reminded me of Gene Wolfe's trilogies, this one reminds me of Guy Gavriel Kay's books: outsider gets an up-close look at power, and attempts to keep staying true to themselves while watching the machinations.
Of course the world-building is top-notch, and the political intrigues are believable. Any relation to current events is merely coincidental, I'm sure.
The story hits a lull from the end of the first set piece to around page 200, but once the big struggle gets going the book is hard to put down.
While the first book reminded me of Gene Wolfe's trilogies, this one reminds me of Guy Gavriel Kay's books: outsider gets an up-close look at power, and attempts to keep staying true to themselves while watching the machinations.
Of course the world-building is top-notch, and the political intrigues are believable. Any relation to current events is merely coincidental, I'm sure.
The story hits a lull from the end of the first set piece to around page 200, but once the big struggle gets going the book is hard to put down.
August 7, 2022
What a great follow-up to one of my favourite adventure novels. In "Quillifer the Knight" the eponymous hero discovers just how much of a bother being a member of the royal court can be. And while this book is focused more on intrigue there's still plenty of room for adventure. There's monster hunting, exciting naval action (the author reaching back to his roots), duels, daring escapes, races and romance. The only minor detriment is that the author keeps the focus firmly on Quillifer's homeland of Duisland and we only get a few sentences about Quillifer's adventures in far-off exotic lands. I would've loved to learn more about those adventures and those parts of the setting.
January 16, 2020
This took me a long time but I enjoyed it, especially closer to the end. Lots of big vocabulary words (some of which might be made up), big descriptions of meals, and a character/first person narrator with a lot of forward momentum, making his way up in the fantasy world. (There's not very much day to day magic, but there are some mystical creatures and even a dragon. Also it's the age of sail, and there's lots about politics and trade.) I feel like there will probably be a sequel and I'll read it if there is.
April 2, 2020
This is such a great series, love the main character, he has such a great sense of humor I’m pretty sure Quillifer’s musings on a grocery store trip would make for good reading.
Also this book got me thinking about Williams’s writing in general. The first book of his I read was Hardwired, a solid cyberpunk story. Then I read Angel Station, which I thought was really good scifi. The Praxis and the Dread Empires Fall series is one of my all time favorite space operas. And now the Quillifer series set in a post middle ages level of tech fantasy story. Williams is a great writer in any genre.
Also this book got me thinking about Williams’s writing in general. The first book of his I read was Hardwired, a solid cyberpunk story. Then I read Angel Station, which I thought was really good scifi. The Praxis and the Dread Empires Fall series is one of my all time favorite space operas. And now the Quillifer series set in a post middle ages level of tech fantasy story. Williams is a great writer in any genre.
August 6, 2023
I feel compelled to make a rare review due to the under-rated nature of this book series.
This, as the first first book, is largely written in the second person; something that takes some adjusting to, but quickly becomes a charm that adds so much depth to the story telling.
Quillifer is a character that has stuck with me from young manhood into adulthood. I identified with him and his wild and reckless antics as a young man, and wondered if the second book would hold my attention in the same way. Quillifer is timeless. Looking forward to the next in the series!
This, as the first first book, is largely written in the second person; something that takes some adjusting to, but quickly becomes a charm that adds so much depth to the story telling.
Quillifer is a character that has stuck with me from young manhood into adulthood. I identified with him and his wild and reckless antics as a young man, and wondered if the second book would hold my attention in the same way. Quillifer is timeless. Looking forward to the next in the series!
November 21, 2019
Good reading
I like the series, the character, it has kept my interest and author is obviously competent. Writers could learn from Williams and stop being so predictable. When the story seems to indicate a certain course, well it may indeed go there, but not in the way you expect. I hope he continues the series. Oh yeah and it's good value, not as long I think as the first but still not short like so many of these books these days..
I like the series, the character, it has kept my interest and author is obviously competent. Writers could learn from Williams and stop being so predictable. When the story seems to indicate a certain course, well it may indeed go there, but not in the way you expect. I hope he continues the series. Oh yeah and it's good value, not as long I think as the first but still not short like so many of these books these days..
October 30, 2020
This remains a 2.5 on my shelves - we watch Quillifer swan around with his clever schemes. The ending is the reveal of his masterful scheme to .
I liked the presence of money in this - Quillifer is the consummate businessman. He innovates and hires people to innovate for him. In the meantime, he schemes to earn more, while keeping a sense of morality and protecting his interests.
It's a fun read.
I liked the presence of money in this - Quillifer is the consummate businessman. He innovates and hires people to innovate for him. In the meantime, he schemes to earn more, while keeping a sense of morality and protecting his interests.
It's a fun read.
December 15, 2020
Williams' Quillifer novels are just so much fun to read. Quillifer is a bit of a womanizer, a philosopher, a conman, and a young renaissance man. Quillifer's penchant for making up new words is highly amusing, as much for those in our current vocabularies as for those that are not, and as well as for the mix of Spanish, Italian, Latin and olde English peppered throughout the book. Now here's hoping that we get more Quillifer adventures in the future.
June 9, 2022
Good fun read. The second-person narration is starting to wear a little thin and kind of stretch credulity -- in the first book it was slightly more believable that he was monologuing to a half-asleep lover, but this time around the framing plays into the plot a bit more in a way that is difficult to believe but ultimately easy enough to handwave away that it doesn't really detract too much. Overall, it's light but compelling and always enjoyable, a fun time with a book.
May 1, 2024
As they say - another banger! Quillifer finds himself enmeshed within a new set of dilemmas and Walter Jon Williams develops another devious use of the second person epistolary format to pull some rugs out from underneath readers' feet - and while some of the surprise is predictable, there are some surprises inside the surprise.
All told a great book and just as compelling as Williams' previous in this series.
All told a great book and just as compelling as Williams' previous in this series.
November 17, 2019
Double Bind
With a Vengeful God in opposition our MC is always in a double bind. With ever win you look for the eventful loss. After reading this book, I have no choice but to dread what awaits him in book 3.
I must admit- I didn’t enjoy the narration style although I love the character and story.
Favorite Line: Success has a thousand fathers, I thought, but failure is an orphan.
With a Vengeful God in opposition our MC is always in a double bind. With ever win you look for the eventful loss. After reading this book, I have no choice but to dread what awaits him in book 3.
I must admit- I didn’t enjoy the narration style although I love the character and story.
Favorite Line: Success has a thousand fathers, I thought, but failure is an orphan.
May 16, 2020
Starts slow but ends strong.
It took me a while to get into this book, in spite of the fact that I loved the first one. Once it got cooking, it really sizzled. The flowery writing style is so tongue-in-cheek, and is frequently hilarious. I found the end of the story very compelling, and I think I read the last 25% of the book in one sitting.
It took me a while to get into this book, in spite of the fact that I loved the first one. Once it got cooking, it really sizzled. The flowery writing style is so tongue-in-cheek, and is frequently hilarious. I found the end of the story very compelling, and I think I read the last 25% of the book in one sitting.
March 19, 2022
This book does not disappoint. Quillifer continues to make personal and professional progress as he moves through this book.
Walter Jon Williams has created a world that is so familiar and realistic. I frequently remind myself that this place only exists on the pages of the novels and in its author's mind.
Walter Jon Williams has created a world that is so familiar and realistic. I frequently remind myself that this place only exists on the pages of the novels and in its author's mind.
August 18, 2020
Wonderful romp with a few serious bits thrown in. I wasn't that keen on the first chapter or so, but after that, I really enjoyed this. You could certainly read this without having read the first book, but I'd read the first one.
March 23, 2020
This and its predecessor are great escape books for this weird time.
October 23, 2020
Excellent. I really enjoyed this book. Good adventure and good fun.
May 30, 2022
Absolutely fantastic
January 16, 2024
I like the character Quillifer, but it seems tedious in parts of the book.
December 30, 2025
Absolutely exceptional. I don’t have a single complaint. This book was witty, charming, exciting, and altogether brilliant. A new favourite. 5/5
March 27, 2020
Good book. But, I didn't enjoy it as much as the first Quillifer book. I think that is because of the rather odd (to me anyway) way it was written. The whole story is told by Quillifer to another person who was also a participant in the action. (I wonder if there is a name for this technique? Sort of a curious mixture of first person melding into second person.)
The basic story, however, is quite good. 3.5 stars rounded up.
The basic story, however, is quite good. 3.5 stars rounded up.
April 24, 2020
When I finished the first chapter I thought, “I am really going to hate this book,” but as I kept going I started enjoying it. I can't say I really liked it, though, until Quillifer's ship sunk and he was back on dry land. I never was much of one for seafaring tales. By that point I realized that this was set in the faux-seventeenth century and that was what really grabbed me for the rest of the novel. I like seventeenth-century tales: full of exploration and derring-do and political intrigue.* There's plenty of all three in Quillifer's life.
Quillifer is a fantasy action hero. He can fight and scheme and run and jump over rooftops and climb masts without breaking a sweat. He's also a Renaissance man who starts his own ready-made ink business, sells jewels, invests in infrastructure, funds scientific research, slays the odd dragon, and still finds time to be a total horndog sexing up all the attractive married women who pass by. He's a responsible lecher, though—condoms exist in this universe and he does use them.
I liked that little detail. It saved a lot of wondering if there was going to be an illicit Quillifer Jr. showing up later. It also made one of his later relationships a lot safer because the lady in question was supposedly a virgin until marriage and could not be proved otherwise without an Incident occurring.
The meat of the story, though, is the political intrigue sparked by Queen Berlauda of Duisland's marriage to King Priscus of Loretto. Duisland and Loretto were old enemies before this marriage and the cultural melding is not going as well as might be hoped. Things come to a head when the court travels to Loretto for Queen Berlauda's pregnancy—she blames the doctors in her own country for her previous miscarriages. While there, Quillifer finds himself involved in a conflict between the Queen and her sister Princess Floria who, as a potential heir to the throne, is dangerous both to herself and the crowned heads. Meanwhile, King Priscus starts a war with the country on the other side of Loretto and starts drafting all the young Duisland men he can get his hands on.
It's up to Quillifer, the arrogant, self-absorbed, testosterone-laden social climber to save the day. At least he's a self aware arrogant, self-absorbed, testosterone-laden social climber. A good sense of humor goes a long way towards curbing my desire to slap the smug right out of him.
*See also: The Diary of Samuel Pepys.
Cross-posted from The Eclectic Reviewer
Quillifer is a fantasy action hero. He can fight and scheme and run and jump over rooftops and climb masts without breaking a sweat. He's also a Renaissance man who starts his own ready-made ink business, sells jewels, invests in infrastructure, funds scientific research, slays the odd dragon, and still finds time to be a total horndog sexing up all the attractive married women who pass by. He's a responsible lecher, though—condoms exist in this universe and he does use them.
I liked that little detail. It saved a lot of wondering if there was going to be an illicit Quillifer Jr. showing up later. It also made one of his later relationships a lot safer because the lady in question was supposedly a virgin until marriage and could not be proved otherwise without an Incident occurring.
The meat of the story, though, is the political intrigue sparked by Queen Berlauda of Duisland's marriage to King Priscus of Loretto. Duisland and Loretto were old enemies before this marriage and the cultural melding is not going as well as might be hoped. Things come to a head when the court travels to Loretto for Queen Berlauda's pregnancy—she blames the doctors in her own country for her previous miscarriages. While there, Quillifer finds himself involved in a conflict between the Queen and her sister Princess Floria who, as a potential heir to the throne, is dangerous both to herself and the crowned heads. Meanwhile, King Priscus starts a war with the country on the other side of Loretto and starts drafting all the young Duisland men he can get his hands on.
It's up to Quillifer, the arrogant, self-absorbed, testosterone-laden social climber to save the day. At least he's a self aware arrogant, self-absorbed, testosterone-laden social climber. A good sense of humor goes a long way towards curbing my desire to slap the smug right out of him.
*See also: The Diary of Samuel Pepys.
Cross-posted from The Eclectic Reviewer
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