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Purple and Black
also appears in the collection Academic Exercises
When his father, brothers and uncles wiped each other out in a murderous civil war, Nicephorus was forced to leave the University and become emperor.
Seventy-seven emperors had met violent deaths over the past hundred years, most of them murdered by their own soldiers. Hardly surprising, then, that Nico should want to fill the major offices of state with the only people he knew he could trust, his oldest and closest friends.
But there's danger on the northern frontier, and Nico daren't send a regular general up there with an army, for fear of a military coup. He turns to his best friend Phormio, who reluctantly takes the job.
Military dispatches, written in the purple ink reserved exclusively for official business, are a miserable way for friends to keep in touch, at a time when they need each other most. But there's space in the document-tube for another sheet of paper.
Cover illustration by Vincent Chong
When his father, brothers and uncles wiped each other out in a murderous civil war, Nicephorus was forced to leave the University and become emperor.
Seventy-seven emperors had met violent deaths over the past hundred years, most of them murdered by their own soldiers. Hardly surprising, then, that Nico should want to fill the major offices of state with the only people he knew he could trust, his oldest and closest friends.
But there's danger on the northern frontier, and Nico daren't send a regular general up there with an army, for fear of a military coup. He turns to his best friend Phormio, who reluctantly takes the job.
Military dispatches, written in the purple ink reserved exclusively for official business, are a miserable way for friends to keep in touch, at a time when they need each other most. But there's space in the document-tube for another sheet of paper.
Cover illustration by Vincent Chong
113 pages, Hardcover
First published July 30, 2009
14 people are currently reading
1062 people want to read
About the author
K.J. Parker
134 books1,683 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 143 reviews
June 21, 2025
2025 reread:
Still as good as the previous times. Just a powerful little book dressed up as military correspondence.
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Reread:
As good as it was the first time. A story of childhood friends, the nature of power, and the idealism of adolescence.
--------------------------------
I would give this 6 stars if I could.
My full review: https://youtu.be/aO3iOF_9gVQ
Still as good as the previous times. Just a powerful little book dressed up as military correspondence.
--------------------------
Reread:
As good as it was the first time. A story of childhood friends, the nature of power, and the idealism of adolescence.
--------------------------------
I would give this 6 stars if I could.
My full review: https://youtu.be/aO3iOF_9gVQ
August 3, 2017
I tried this book after reading Liviu's good rating and rave reviews of this novella. Even the praise didn't give it proper justice. I found the novella reading experience is still better than my high expectation.
It is an epistolary novella. The first letters on this epistolary are effective to grab my attention by mixing official words between emperor and his governor, with informal carefree words between school fast friends.
This is my second read of the author's work, so I expect some twists his story, with political intrigues as plots. I enjoy the plot, it is no less than my expectation. I won't say more about this. You'll hate me if I spoil the plot.
I recommend this low fantasy novella as introduction for people who have not read the author's work. The story is thrilling, with surprisingly warm heart friendships plot.
EDIT NOTE: This novella is my best read for "The Best Beginning" for 2015.
It is an epistolary novella. The first letters on this epistolary are effective to grab my attention by mixing official words between emperor and his governor, with informal carefree words between school fast friends.
This is my second read of the author's work, so I expect some twists his story, with political intrigues as plots. I enjoy the plot, it is no less than my expectation. I won't say more about this. You'll hate me if I spoil the plot.
I recommend this low fantasy novella as introduction for people who have not read the author's work. The story is thrilling, with surprisingly warm heart friendships plot.
EDIT NOTE: This novella is my best read for "The Best Beginning" for 2015.
September 7, 2016
An epistolary novella consisting mainly of correspondence between two young school friends - one of whom has recently unexpectedly become emperor, and the other of whom has been appointed governor of a province by that emperor. While the letters concern matters of politics and affairs of state, the tone is the chatty, informal one one might expect from best friends, and also have to do with keeping up with mundane personal topics and keeping up with other members of their little school clique...
And somehow, along the way, the story twists from an entertainingly gossipy glimpse into the politics of empire, into a musing on the nature of power and the fate of idealism. Excellently done.
And somehow, along the way, the story twists from an entertainingly gossipy glimpse into the politics of empire, into a musing on the nature of power and the fate of idealism. Excellently done.
November 26, 2010
There's nothing more fun than snooping into someone else's mail and reading their letters. When I was in middle school I was friends with these two girls who were always passing notes that I wasn't allowed to read, which made me very angry and paranoid (more so than usual anyway). But once while leaving English, one of the notes was dropped! I furtively picked it up and stuffed it in my pocket, and snuck off to the bathroom to peruse its secrets. It turned out to be totally mundane (I recall it started. "This class is so boring!") and not entirely about how cute I was (probably they had just talked about that already that day though). But I still enjoyed it.
I mention this because I think epistolary novels are oddly the exact opposite of this kind of illicit fun for me (so really, I mentioned it for no reason at all). But no, I hardly ever think novels in letters are as enjoyable as they would have been as simple prose. I have trouble sinking into them, I get distracted by the different voices, or I think they don't seem different enough, or I forget who's writing a particular section. They are tiresome.
I mention this for an actual reason though: K.J. Parker has written an epistolary novel I enjoyed! Though perhaps that it is a brief novella that took me an hour and change to read played a part, I still was never frustrated like I was about 15 minutes into The Gurnsey Potato Face Club. Purple & Black takes the form of letters between the somewhat reluctant emperor (he was next in line for the throne after all of his brothers and uncles murdered one another in a power struggle, yay) of a Romanesque city-state and his chief general, an old college buddy the emperor appointed to the task despite a near-total lack of military experience.
So we're reading letters between the emperor, who is trying to keep order in the city and deal with political strife and tax problems and treaties, and the general, who is trying to quell a shadowy rebellion and not die. And though the description brings to mind Rome (the TV show), the language and humor is very contemporary, full of sarcasm and irony and swears, which makes it really fun to read. Later on there are twists, which I did not see coming, but it was interesting to note that apparently even in ancient and fictional city-states, dudes in college liked to get drunk and sit around philosophizing about how the world would be so much better off if we could all just be Libertarians, man (today they would first watch South Park so they could get some oversimplified ideas to use as a jumping off point).
K.J. Parker (which incidentally is a pseudonym for British woman who writes nothing but grim, violent historical fantasy type stuff, so everyone assumes she's male -- check out even some professional reviews, full of "him"s) has written a really interesting story and managed to make it interesting even in a format I despise somewhat blindly, so props tohim her. And also to Subterranean Press, which neatly printed this in two colors (guess which two), and for plot-related reasons at that.
I mention this because I think epistolary novels are oddly the exact opposite of this kind of illicit fun for me (so really, I mentioned it for no reason at all). But no, I hardly ever think novels in letters are as enjoyable as they would have been as simple prose. I have trouble sinking into them, I get distracted by the different voices, or I think they don't seem different enough, or I forget who's writing a particular section. They are tiresome.
I mention this for an actual reason though: K.J. Parker has written an epistolary novel I enjoyed! Though perhaps that it is a brief novella that took me an hour and change to read played a part, I still was never frustrated like I was about 15 minutes into The Gurnsey Potato Face Club. Purple & Black takes the form of letters between the somewhat reluctant emperor (he was next in line for the throne after all of his brothers and uncles murdered one another in a power struggle, yay) of a Romanesque city-state and his chief general, an old college buddy the emperor appointed to the task despite a near-total lack of military experience.
So we're reading letters between the emperor, who is trying to keep order in the city and deal with political strife and tax problems and treaties, and the general, who is trying to quell a shadowy rebellion and not die. And though the description brings to mind Rome (the TV show), the language and humor is very contemporary, full of sarcasm and irony and swears, which makes it really fun to read. Later on there are twists, which I did not see coming, but it was interesting to note that apparently even in ancient and fictional city-states, dudes in college liked to get drunk and sit around philosophizing about how the world would be so much better off if we could all just be Libertarians, man (today they would first watch South Park so they could get some oversimplified ideas to use as a jumping off point).
K.J. Parker (which incidentally is a pseudonym for British woman who writes nothing but grim, violent historical fantasy type stuff, so everyone assumes she's male -- check out even some professional reviews, full of "him"s) has written a really interesting story and managed to make it interesting even in a format I despise somewhat blindly, so props to
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January 13, 2024What an unexpected delight. I definitely didn’t see the ending coming but I must admit KJ Parker has style!
July 18, 2022
Full review on my channel: https://youtu.be/AUWv-HqFjwY
WOWOWOWOWOW! Parker sure knows how to pack a punch. What an absolutely phenomenal story.
WOWOWOWOWOW! Parker sure knows how to pack a punch. What an absolutely phenomenal story.
February 20, 2019
Brilliant. It’s the first epistolary novella I’ve ever read. And it has it all - humour, tension, twists and heart-wrenching ending.
Nicephorus becomes the emperor of the Vesani after his imperial relatives kill one other off. It’s not his dream-job, but what can you do when the right blood flows in your veins? Nico asks his University buddy Phormio to command his armies on a frontier filled with extremely effective insurgents.
They always exchange two letters at a time: one official in official purple ink, the other, more personal, written in a black ink. The tone of the letters ranges from funny, through cynical to despairing.There’s little world-building details, but the setting is reminiscent of a Roman empire. Even though we learn about the events exclusively through letters, Parker somehow manages to develop his characters and make them distinct and empathetic.
TL;DR - perfection. Now I want to put my hands on a printed copy (that has text printed in purple and black) and reread it soon. If you want an ebook you need to get an anthology of Parker shorter works called Academic Exercises.
Nicephorus becomes the emperor of the Vesani after his imperial relatives kill one other off. It’s not his dream-job, but what can you do when the right blood flows in your veins? Nico asks his University buddy Phormio to command his armies on a frontier filled with extremely effective insurgents.
They always exchange two letters at a time: one official in official purple ink, the other, more personal, written in a black ink. The tone of the letters ranges from funny, through cynical to despairing.There’s little world-building details, but the setting is reminiscent of a Roman empire. Even though we learn about the events exclusively through letters, Parker somehow manages to develop his characters and make them distinct and empathetic.
TL;DR - perfection. Now I want to put my hands on a printed copy (that has text printed in purple and black) and reread it soon. If you want an ebook you need to get an anthology of Parker shorter works called Academic Exercises.
January 13, 2022
The more I think on this one....raising it to 4.5/5.
3.5 stars rounded to 4
I decided to give this novella a try because I keep hearing great things about Parker from Zara (BookswithZara) and Allen (LibraryofAllenzandria). This was my first military-style historical also. I enjoyed that angle of the story reading from the Governor/Commander's POV on building walls or the horrible feelings they must go through knowing they are sending men to die.
My favorite parts were the "official" writing from/to the two main characters but then they would "sneak in" the real things they wanted to say to each other, snarky comments, friendly jesting that you only have with friends you're super close to. The writing style and prose were 6 stars!
I'm definitely adding more Parker to my TBR.
3.5 stars rounded to 4
I decided to give this novella a try because I keep hearing great things about Parker from Zara (BookswithZara) and Allen (LibraryofAllenzandria). This was my first military-style historical also. I enjoyed that angle of the story reading from the Governor/Commander's POV on building walls or the horrible feelings they must go through knowing they are sending men to die.
My favorite parts were the "official" writing from/to the two main characters but then they would "sneak in" the real things they wanted to say to each other, snarky comments, friendly jesting that you only have with friends you're super close to. The writing style and prose were 6 stars!
I'm definitely adding more Parker to my TBR.
March 28, 2018
4.5 stars.it is my third English original version of fantasy fiction!!
it`s hard to say this is fantasy fiction more like historical fiction i think.
But most people categorize Purple and Black into fantasy novella who read this book,so i choose fantasy fiction.Purple and black is a good story which has a twist plot in the end,and it let me think which is good,democracy or monarchy?K.J Parker is a excellent author who creates a good story.
it`s hard to say this is fantasy fiction more like historical fiction i think.
But most people categorize Purple and Black into fantasy novella who read this book,so i choose fantasy fiction.Purple and black is a good story which has a twist plot in the end,and it let me think which is good,democracy or monarchy?K.J Parker is a excellent author who creates a good story.
March 1, 2025
Fantastic exploration of power and idealism through letters between childhood friends.
I think this is a great place to start Parker. It perfectly showcases Parker's ingenuity and Allen's impeccable taste with its humour and heart breaking twists.
I think this is a great place to start Parker. It perfectly showcases Parker's ingenuity and Allen's impeccable taste with its humour and heart breaking twists.
August 21, 2012
I came across this book when the boyfriend brought it and another Parker novella home from the library. He read it while I was taking a nap (it goes very quickly), and when I woke up, he tossed it to me and said, basically, "Here, you're going to love it. It's epistolary. And alternate Byzantine."
Though I have to say, 'alternate Byzantine' is a pretty loose description.
It's an epistolary novella, set in a roughly Byzantine-era and style fantasy 'verse. But if you're put off by it being Byzantine, don't be. Not only are there few details specific to the actual Byzantine empire, the empire in the novella isn't a Christian empire, either. There's references to a sun-oriented religion with monasteries, and a sort of divine right system, but even that's not important. What's important is the relationship between the characters.
The boyfriend pitched it to me as, "It's the Dead Poets Society plus Rome." Which, really, is probably better than any description I could come up with. Take a few over-educated philosophy majors, throw them into a backstabbing political world, and see what happens. Add a liberal dose of anachronistic turns of phrase that somehow manage to feel appropriate instead of lazy (and I don't usually do well with blatant anachronisms, such as the phrase "It's not catapult science"...) and you get a very entertaining, very tragic book.
If you've never tried the author's work before, go ahead and give it a try. :)
Though I have to say, 'alternate Byzantine' is a pretty loose description.
It's an epistolary novella, set in a roughly Byzantine-era and style fantasy 'verse. But if you're put off by it being Byzantine, don't be. Not only are there few details specific to the actual Byzantine empire, the empire in the novella isn't a Christian empire, either. There's references to a sun-oriented religion with monasteries, and a sort of divine right system, but even that's not important. What's important is the relationship between the characters.
The boyfriend pitched it to me as, "It's the Dead Poets Society plus Rome." Which, really, is probably better than any description I could come up with. Take a few over-educated philosophy majors, throw them into a backstabbing political world, and see what happens. Add a liberal dose of anachronistic turns of phrase that somehow manage to feel appropriate instead of lazy (and I don't usually do well with blatant anachronisms, such as the phrase "It's not catapult science"...) and you get a very entertaining, very tragic book.
If you've never tried the author's work before, go ahead and give it a try. :)
June 29, 2009
Great novella set in dispatches between two scholars. One is the accidental heir to an Empire who becomes Emperor on the deaths in fratricidal war of the rest of his family and the other his best friend whom he dispatches as military governor in the one trouble province on the Northern ice-cold border where an unknown enemy attacks.
From his university days there was a circle of friends around Nico (the Emperor) and Phormio (the governor) with the brilliant Gorgias the only dead in the civil wars. Nico appoints the other three friends to important posts in the capital reserving the hardest task for his best friend.
If you read all the rest of KJ Parker novels (I did 8 out 10 so far and found all superb)you will recognize the themes and get an inkling of what is going on faster though the novella will still keep you in suspense for a while.
Even so it's brilliant, almost perfect (maybe 30 extra pages were needed) and a great introduction to her work too.
From his university days there was a circle of friends around Nico (the Emperor) and Phormio (the governor) with the brilliant Gorgias the only dead in the civil wars. Nico appoints the other three friends to important posts in the capital reserving the hardest task for his best friend.
If you read all the rest of KJ Parker novels (I did 8 out 10 so far and found all superb)you will recognize the themes and get an inkling of what is going on faster though the novella will still keep you in suspense for a while.
Even so it's brilliant, almost perfect (maybe 30 extra pages were needed) and a great introduction to her work too.
February 2, 2017
Man. This guy. This guy. How on earth did I not know about K.J. Parker until late last year? The dude's been writing under this name since 1998! Surely I should have heard something about him before now, right? Ah, well. Better late than never, and all that.
In this novella, Nicephorus reluctantly leaves the university to take the throne. His father, brothers, and uncles have all been murdered, leaving him the only one left to take it, even though he doesn't want it. Because only seventy-two of the last seventy-seven emperors have died of natural causes, he puts his closest friends from the university in positions of power. This means his good friend Phormio is sent to the edge of the empire as a general to quash a rebellion that's been forming out there. During that time, they send letters back-and-forth by courier: one official document written in purple ink (to prove it was written by the emperor and his associates); and one unofficial document written in black ink so the two friends can stay in touch. The book is the collection of those letters over the span of several years.
The story starts off in a breezy way, with the general calling his emperor an "unmitigated bastard". Clearly, these people are friends (made more apparent by the emperor's response: "Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry."), and the tone kept me reading with a small smile on my face. There were several moments that made me chuckle, considering that Nico, Phormio, and their four friends are all learning what it takes to run an empire fresh out of the university.
Purple and Black could have been a light, humorous look at six friends finding themselves thrown into the deep end of life, but Parker is a better writer than that. He uses the story to examine politics and power, refusing to draw any easy conclusions about them. His characters suffer from the idealism of youth, which contrasts sharply with the real and true difficulties of being responsible for an entire nation.
Parker's style is a little stream-of-consciousness, making you think that he just sat down with a thread of an idea and wrote to see where it would take him, but his plots are so intricate that it's evident he put a lot of thought into the story before writing it down. That has to be the case, because if he could write stories as intricate as this, or The Devil You Know, just on the fly, then he's much more talented than I first thought.
Look, I know there are a lot of people waiting on The Winds of Winter. Check into K.J. Parker in the meantime. It's a shame that this guy isn't more well-known than he already is.
In this novella, Nicephorus reluctantly leaves the university to take the throne. His father, brothers, and uncles have all been murdered, leaving him the only one left to take it, even though he doesn't want it. Because only seventy-two of the last seventy-seven emperors have died of natural causes, he puts his closest friends from the university in positions of power. This means his good friend Phormio is sent to the edge of the empire as a general to quash a rebellion that's been forming out there. During that time, they send letters back-and-forth by courier: one official document written in purple ink (to prove it was written by the emperor and his associates); and one unofficial document written in black ink so the two friends can stay in touch. The book is the collection of those letters over the span of several years.
The story starts off in a breezy way, with the general calling his emperor an "unmitigated bastard". Clearly, these people are friends (made more apparent by the emperor's response: "Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry."), and the tone kept me reading with a small smile on my face. There were several moments that made me chuckle, considering that Nico, Phormio, and their four friends are all learning what it takes to run an empire fresh out of the university.
Purple and Black could have been a light, humorous look at six friends finding themselves thrown into the deep end of life, but Parker is a better writer than that. He uses the story to examine politics and power, refusing to draw any easy conclusions about them. His characters suffer from the idealism of youth, which contrasts sharply with the real and true difficulties of being responsible for an entire nation.
Parker's style is a little stream-of-consciousness, making you think that he just sat down with a thread of an idea and wrote to see where it would take him, but his plots are so intricate that it's evident he put a lot of thought into the story before writing it down. That has to be the case, because if he could write stories as intricate as this, or The Devil You Know, just on the fly, then he's much more talented than I first thought.
Look, I know there are a lot of people waiting on The Winds of Winter. Check into K.J. Parker in the meantime. It's a shame that this guy isn't more well-known than he already is.
April 6, 2011
I picked up this book because I'd heard good things about the author, and was not disappointed.
The novella consists mostly of letters between two friends: one newly made Emperor, and the other out to quash a rebellion for him. It's a short book, but packs quite a punch; as with many epistolary novels, there's more unwritten than actually on the page, which makes for wonderfully thought-provoking reading. And unlike in most epistolary novels I've read, the letters here actually sound like letters that people might write to one another: there's not a lot of scene-setting, description, dialogue, or telling each other what they already know, which leaves us to fill in a lot of blanks.
Like many of my favorite books, this one is set in a secondary world, but without magic, dragons and so on. It focuses on political intrigue and the corrupting effects of power, and is predictably grim. The one problem I found was that the language felt perhaps too modern and slang-y for the (ambiguous, but certainly premodern) setting. Purple and Black is expensive (I was fortunate enough to find it at the library) but was certainly worth an evening of my time.
The novella consists mostly of letters between two friends: one newly made Emperor, and the other out to quash a rebellion for him. It's a short book, but packs quite a punch; as with many epistolary novels, there's more unwritten than actually on the page, which makes for wonderfully thought-provoking reading. And unlike in most epistolary novels I've read, the letters here actually sound like letters that people might write to one another: there's not a lot of scene-setting, description, dialogue, or telling each other what they already know, which leaves us to fill in a lot of blanks.
Like many of my favorite books, this one is set in a secondary world, but without magic, dragons and so on. It focuses on political intrigue and the corrupting effects of power, and is predictably grim. The one problem I found was that the language felt perhaps too modern and slang-y for the (ambiguous, but certainly premodern) setting. Purple and Black is expensive (I was fortunate enough to find it at the library) but was certainly worth an evening of my time.
August 9, 2011
Fantasy novella consisting of a series of letters between two old friends. Nico is the emperor-by-default (all his relatives killed each other off) of a country modeled after Ancient Rome; Phormio is the newly appointed governor of the northern frontier, an area beleaguered by an elusive insurgency. The correspondence between the men provides deftly humorous and poignant characterizations, and the book is a fun and riveting read ripe with byzantine politics and more serious ponderings on the nature of leadership and power.
August 4, 2017
I was expecting a twist, a turned-over upside-down twisted story between these two men, but never did I anticipated to be this bad. Well, history supposedly written by the winner. So, maybe it was, but this epistolary gave inside thoughts of the loser party, while the letters themselves had plenty of military and politic lessons, as much as youth and the past friendships could have been.
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July 14, 2013
If you're familiar with the history of the Roman Empire, the first half of the book is going to be hilarious. If you're NOT familiar with the history of the Roman Empire, the first half of the book is going to be hilarious.
November 29, 2020
I love KJ Parker's pseudo-Byzantine fantasy, and this short read was up to his excellent standard.
What to Expect
An epistolary tale, a series of exchanges and communiqués between (mainly) the emperor and his fried whom he sent to govern a frontier province. (The title refers to the ink used in those missives - purple for the official imperial communications, and black for the private letters attached). In between we get a story that may start at handling a frontier rebellion, but quickly moves to social criticism - a discussion of idealism and politics.
What I liked
I love Parker's use of a Byzantine-ish background for his fantasy worlds. His rich knowledge of history shines through and creates a wonderful backdrop which he uses to explore human nature. This is an intelligent, speculative-fiction novella that makes you think.
What to be aware of
Though classified as fantasy, this novel doesn't involve magic. Further, the epistolary style is far removed from the typical adventure. It's a delicate story about the human condition, where one has to read between the lines to savour and enjoy it fully.
Felix's Review
Felix, who's familiar with the danger of kings and despots, was entirely unsurprised by the turn of events. He'd like to point out that the "mystery" aspect was rather obvious, as is the lesson about the failure to maintain idealism by everyone who attains power.
Summary
If you already love KJ Parker's longer works like Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City or whether you are looking for a short novella to introduce you to him, this is an excellent, highly recommended read.
--
Enjoying the reviews, but wondering who the heck is that Felix fellow? Glad you asked! He's the protagonist of the Toags, Daggers, and Magic series, an historical-fantasy blend of a paranormal detective on the background of ancient Rome.
Assaph Mehr, author of [[ASIN:B015TXPPG6 Murder In Absentia: Togas, Daggers, and Magic]] - for lovers of Ancient Rome, Murder Mysteries, and Urban Fantasy.
What to Expect
An epistolary tale, a series of exchanges and communiqués between (mainly) the emperor and his fried whom he sent to govern a frontier province. (The title refers to the ink used in those missives - purple for the official imperial communications, and black for the private letters attached). In between we get a story that may start at handling a frontier rebellion, but quickly moves to social criticism - a discussion of idealism and politics.
What I liked
I love Parker's use of a Byzantine-ish background for his fantasy worlds. His rich knowledge of history shines through and creates a wonderful backdrop which he uses to explore human nature. This is an intelligent, speculative-fiction novella that makes you think.
What to be aware of
Though classified as fantasy, this novel doesn't involve magic. Further, the epistolary style is far removed from the typical adventure. It's a delicate story about the human condition, where one has to read between the lines to savour and enjoy it fully.
Felix's Review
Felix, who's familiar with the danger of kings and despots, was entirely unsurprised by the turn of events. He'd like to point out that the "mystery" aspect was rather obvious, as is the lesson about the failure to maintain idealism by everyone who attains power.
Summary
If you already love KJ Parker's longer works like Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City or whether you are looking for a short novella to introduce you to him, this is an excellent, highly recommended read.
--
Enjoying the reviews, but wondering who the heck is that Felix fellow? Glad you asked! He's the protagonist of the Toags, Daggers, and Magic series, an historical-fantasy blend of a paranormal detective on the background of ancient Rome.
Assaph Mehr, author of [[ASIN:B015TXPPG6 Murder In Absentia: Togas, Daggers, and Magic]] - for lovers of Ancient Rome, Murder Mysteries, and Urban Fantasy.
December 19, 2021
4.5***
March 10, 2022
Mr Parker you have my attention
The Folding Knife shall be read eventually
The Folding Knife shall be read eventually
November 2, 2018
Excellent epistolary novella, consisting primarily of letters between two school chums: one of which has, through a series of unfortunate familial mishaps, become the Vesani emperor; the other is a begrudging, newly-appointed governor/ military leader with no qualifications, tasked with suppressing a mysterious rebellion.
As always, Parker masterfully crams a novel's worth of story into a hundred or so pages. Excellent characters, well-drawn plot, and a number of Parkerian surprise twists.
As always, Parker masterfully crams a novel's worth of story into a hundred or so pages. Excellent characters, well-drawn plot, and a number of Parkerian surprise twists.
January 4, 2025
Parker doesn't disappoint me. Loved this.
January 31, 2014
ein erbauliches kleines briefbüchlein.
anhand einiger briefe wird ein machtwechsel in einem königreich beschrieben. in diese spannende geschichte sind auf geschickte art und weise viele soziologische probleme der monarchischen staatsform eingewoben, sodaß es auch lehrreich ist, dieses buch zu lesen, es wird nämlich nicht mit trockenem historizismus, sondern mit persönlichen schicksalen die theorie lebendig gemacht, und das ohne schnickschnak und ohne zeitverlust.
was mir nicht so gefällt ist die etwas unrunde sprache, die einerseits einen elaborierten stil vorsetzt, diesen andererseits aber auch an manchen stellen ins allzu moderne driften lässt. das bild einer technologisch noch auf brief- und tintenebene verkehrenden weltkonstruktion wird brüchig, wenn der duktus von hipper gegenwartssprache zeitweise durchblitzt; das hätte es nicht gebraucht. dies ist aber der einzige makel, der mir die atmosphäre aber doch spürbar eingetrübt hat.
würde das buch gar nicht unter fantasy einordnen, eher unter "lehrstück".
anhand einiger briefe wird ein machtwechsel in einem königreich beschrieben. in diese spannende geschichte sind auf geschickte art und weise viele soziologische probleme der monarchischen staatsform eingewoben, sodaß es auch lehrreich ist, dieses buch zu lesen, es wird nämlich nicht mit trockenem historizismus, sondern mit persönlichen schicksalen die theorie lebendig gemacht, und das ohne schnickschnak und ohne zeitverlust.
was mir nicht so gefällt ist die etwas unrunde sprache, die einerseits einen elaborierten stil vorsetzt, diesen andererseits aber auch an manchen stellen ins allzu moderne driften lässt. das bild einer technologisch noch auf brief- und tintenebene verkehrenden weltkonstruktion wird brüchig, wenn der duktus von hipper gegenwartssprache zeitweise durchblitzt; das hätte es nicht gebraucht. dies ist aber der einzige makel, der mir die atmosphäre aber doch spürbar eingetrübt hat.
würde das buch gar nicht unter fantasy einordnen, eher unter "lehrstück".
December 24, 2009
Power corrupts. Old story in a novel and interesting package. Fantasy but altogether realistic in principle. Delivered in a series of missives between old school chums who are elevated to generals and emperors. Deception, betrayal, and collusion abound, but all the higher good. Bottom line is do people in positions of power inevitably become evil and would the world be a better place if there was just anarchy; no leaders, no government, no large corporate entities. These school mates thought so while they were under the umbrella of superior education, but finding themselves with opportunities for seizing power, what would they do and how would they treat each other if they found themselves in contentious circumstances?
March 6, 2016
Jeez. Wow. I must read more by her. You think things are gonna change but it's the same as it ever was. The letters start out endearing as we read letters between the accidental empower ( he is crowned due to the fact his family wiped each other out) and his best friend, 2 of a group of 6 buddies dragged from college due to the civil war. The letters are endearing and funny as the Emperor deals with the corruption and injustice as he sends his best friend to handle a mysterious insurgency in the northern border. And then it turns on its head as these philosophy students get a grasp on politics and ends with a punch. Great commentary on revolution, and the reality sets in. Short fast read that left me emotionally amazed and gutted.
August 17, 2012
A profoundly moving piece of short fiction and the best of K.J.Parker's shorter work I've read. A work of pure genius. Its funny, intelligent, and in the end totally heart-wrenching. For me fiction is only as good as the depth of emotion it makes me feel. And I don't think I've ever felt such outrage as when I finished this book. Purple and Black is a masterwork of literature and an absolute must read for anyone with any kind of interest in good fiction.
June 7, 2015
Reread! I loved this so much when I read it in Academic Exercises that I paid an outrageous amount of money for the 113 page hardcover edition.
February 6, 2022
3.5
I decided to read this for three reasons, the cover & title intrigued me, it's short, and from just skimming a few reviews from the author's most popular works and saw a bit of quotes, I gathered he writes with a very British wit. And it turned out, he does. This is my first epistolary novel, which is a novel written primarily through letters between characters. I'm not sure how it is in most epistolary novels but this one never had a single line of author narration which means you never hear the author's voice, though it's easy enough to guess what it'd be like judging from how much wit and personality emanates from the characters. Not to give too much away since I think this is a book best told nothing about plot-wise, but this book, despite being a fantasy because of its made-up setting and religions and whatnot, does not have any magic whatsoever, very much historical fiction, so if that's not your thing, now you know. Also, there's a great focus on military and war, just from what I know about The Siege series by this author, I gathered he probably writes war really well, and he does, you can tell he's very knowledgeable and smart about it. What perseveres most through this nice little story though isn't the war but one of the central themes in this series, friendship, it's just written so well and it is unbelievably entertaining seeing it explored only through the characters' voices. I would recommend this to fans of Joe Abercrombie, they both definitely have distinct styles that I feel I'd be able to can point out who's who between two written lines or paragraphs, but I think their styles run very much in the same vein. This is my first K.J. Parker novel but it definitely won't be the last.
Everything's always somewhere, as my mother used to say when I couldn't find my hymn-book. Maybe it's fallen down the back of something, or it got put away somewhere safe. A great big noisy thing like a war is bound to turn up sooner or later.
I decided to read this for three reasons, the cover & title intrigued me, it's short, and from just skimming a few reviews from the author's most popular works and saw a bit of quotes, I gathered he writes with a very British wit. And it turned out, he does. This is my first epistolary novel, which is a novel written primarily through letters between characters. I'm not sure how it is in most epistolary novels but this one never had a single line of author narration which means you never hear the author's voice, though it's easy enough to guess what it'd be like judging from how much wit and personality emanates from the characters. Not to give too much away since I think this is a book best told nothing about plot-wise, but this book, despite being a fantasy because of its made-up setting and religions and whatnot, does not have any magic whatsoever, very much historical fiction, so if that's not your thing, now you know. Also, there's a great focus on military and war, just from what I know about The Siege series by this author, I gathered he probably writes war really well, and he does, you can tell he's very knowledgeable and smart about it. What perseveres most through this nice little story though isn't the war but one of the central themes in this series, friendship, it's just written so well and it is unbelievably entertaining seeing it explored only through the characters' voices. I would recommend this to fans of Joe Abercrombie, they both definitely have distinct styles that I feel I'd be able to can point out who's who between two written lines or paragraphs, but I think their styles run very much in the same vein. This is my first K.J. Parker novel but it definitely won't be the last.
Everything's always somewhere, as my mother used to say when I couldn't find my hymn-book. Maybe it's fallen down the back of something, or it got put away somewhere safe. A great big noisy thing like a war is bound to turn up sooner or later.
October 17, 2020
17 Oct 2020
Plot: Newly ascended emperor gathers all his uni friends and makes them help him run the government.
1. So the first 70% of this book? Excellent. Amazing. Hilarious. Contender for best thing I read all October. The remaining 30%? Still very good and definitely more emotionally stronger, but it involves So you know, not exactly what I'd call enjoyable.
2. This is a very dark story. Not in the sense that hundreds of people die (that happens too) but in the sense of "nothing ever changes, things are just cyclically bad." It's like Terry Pratchett Lite without the grumpy optimism.
3. I think there's a lot here that's uh- read between the lines. This is not a book where the characters words are to be taken at face value. I think you need to pay attention to all of the little details- The relationship dynamics and self-justifications in this story are almost physically painful, ouch.
4. I'm definitely reading more by this author but I think I'll take a break and finish that nice magical plague story instead first. You know, to cleanse my palate with some lighter fare. (This is not a joke.)
Plot: Newly ascended emperor gathers all his uni friends and makes them help him run the government.
1. So the first 70% of this book? Excellent. Amazing. Hilarious. Contender for best thing I read all October. The remaining 30%? Still very good and definitely more emotionally stronger, but it involves So you know, not exactly what I'd call enjoyable.
2. This is a very dark story. Not in the sense that hundreds of people die (that happens too) but in the sense of "nothing ever changes, things are just cyclically bad." It's like Terry Pratchett Lite without the grumpy optimism.
3. I think there's a lot here that's uh- read between the lines. This is not a book where the characters words are to be taken at face value. I think you need to pay attention to all of the little details- The relationship dynamics and self-justifications in this story are almost physically painful, ouch.
4. I'm definitely reading more by this author but I think I'll take a break and finish that nice magical plague story instead first. You know, to cleanse my palate with some lighter fare. (This is not a joke.)
February 27, 2023
So good! How is it possible to tell so much story in a novella that is just over 100 pages?!
I was extremely lucky to have found hardback Subterranean Press editions of both 'Purple and Black' and 'Blue and Gold' in a charity shop and now having read both I can confidently say that I am now a K.J. Parker fan. In fact, the hardback edition really adds to the experience as the use of different coloured ink is a nice touch and was especially impacting when the purple ink was suddenly NOT used later on.
The epistolary format of correspondence between old friends (one of which happens to be the emperor) worked so well, our main characters felt like old friends with believable back stories and a long history and there was an almost immediate sense of this within just a few pages.
Purple and Black was packed full of sharp, precise and witty writing and it reads exceptionally fast thanks to the quick switching of the character responses. There was also plenty of themes being examined, particularly concerning power and corruption and also how people can progress from being young and idealistic into suddenly finding themselves in positions of power or authority and then having a different perspective and approach.
My only complaint is that it was not long enough, I could happily read 500 pages of this. I am keen to try more Parker novellas but I do want to sample some longer fiction too so will probably read 'The Folding Knife' or 'The Company' hopefully very soon.
I was extremely lucky to have found hardback Subterranean Press editions of both 'Purple and Black' and 'Blue and Gold' in a charity shop and now having read both I can confidently say that I am now a K.J. Parker fan. In fact, the hardback edition really adds to the experience as the use of different coloured ink is a nice touch and was especially impacting when the purple ink was suddenly NOT used later on.
The epistolary format of correspondence between old friends (one of which happens to be the emperor) worked so well, our main characters felt like old friends with believable back stories and a long history and there was an almost immediate sense of this within just a few pages.
Purple and Black was packed full of sharp, precise and witty writing and it reads exceptionally fast thanks to the quick switching of the character responses. There was also plenty of themes being examined, particularly concerning power and corruption and also how people can progress from being young and idealistic into suddenly finding themselves in positions of power or authority and then having a different perspective and approach.
My only complaint is that it was not long enough, I could happily read 500 pages of this. I am keen to try more Parker novellas but I do want to sample some longer fiction too so will probably read 'The Folding Knife' or 'The Company' hopefully very soon.
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