KJ Parker

[GOLLUM]

I'm not happy to hear that an author has been dropped.

However I would suggest that you should read some different naval books? Having read the likes of Patrick O'Brian, Conrad and Forrester then the Kearney portrayal of sailing seems a little flat in comparison.

Thanks for the tip. I've heard of O'Brian's work and Forrester I assume is of Hornblower fame? I've seen films on those and really enjoyed them but yet to read the books.

 

[anthorn]

K.J Parker is a GUY dudes

 

[Gav]

K.J Parker is a GUY dudes

So why does it say on the books I have that he is a she?

 

[Max the Mediocre]

Wiki also says Parker am female, she am.

 

[Werthead]

I thought the scenes at sea were excellent but then I'm not a seamen so I wouldn't really know how accurate it is. You may be happy to know that after the second book of this series Kearney's publisher has dropped publication of these books so things are still a little in limbo as far as I know.

Kearney's now been picked up by Solaris Books, who will be printing a one-volume edition of The Monarchies of God in Summer 2008 (with a re-written final volume) as well as his new stand-alone novel, The Ten Thousand. The Sea Beggars is still up in the air until Bantam let the rights lapse back to Kearney or agree to sell them to Solaris.

K.J Parker is a GUY dudes

Tell her that then. On her website she says she's a she. I'm prepared to take her word for it.

Having said that, I've seen arguments the she's actually a pen-name used by Tom Holt to write 'proper' fantasy, but I gather that's been denied by both parties.

 

[Gav]

with a re-written final volume

If true this is excellent news and I will buy the omnibus.

 

[GOLLUM]

Good news, thanks Werthead.

 

[biodroid]

So is Devices and Desires any good? Waiting to read Speaker for the Dead once my fiancee finishes it and need something to read.

 

[Switchback]

definitely a dude:

interview: K J Parker Interview

" We asked K. J. Parker to let us into a few secrets about his writing."

 

[Connavar]

K.J. Parker is an author of fantasy fiction. According to the biographical notes in KJ Parker's books, Parker has worked in the law, journalism and numismatics, and now writes and makes things out of wood and metal. Parker is married to a solicitor and now lives in southern England.
According to an autobiographical note now removed from Parker's official website, Parker was raised in rural Vermont, a lifestyle which has influenced Parker's work. This note implied that Parker is female; this is supported by a page on Parker's French publisher's website (see external links below). However, some people believe that Parker is a pseudonym of the British writer Tom Holt[citation needed] but others contest this as the writing styles of the two authors are so different from each other. Tom Holt also writes under another, less imaginative, pseudonym of Thomas Holt. The styles of both T. Holts are reflective of each other: possible evidence against the link.
Parker's books break down into three trilogies. The Fencer Trilogy follows Bardas Loredan, a fencer-at-law. The Scavenger Trilogy is about a character called Poldarn who wakes on a battlefield suffering from amnesia. The most recent series, The Engineer Trilogy, features an engineer, Vaatzes, who is forced into exile from his home city and plots a dreadful revenge. All of Parker's books feature morally ambiguous characters and are darker than the average fantasy fare.






Wiki thinks its a female author. Not that is its proof but when i search for KJ Parker in google and clicked pics i saw a female.




Female or male Scavenger series sounds interesting to me, it sounds darker and less generic epic fantasy which is exactly what im looking for.


Is it good compared to her other series ?

 

[Durandal]

I think the only thing we can say definitively about K.J. Parker is that K.J. Parker is not his/her real name -- the "about the author" page in the back of "Devices & Desires" reads simply "K.J. Parker is a pseudonym."

At any rate, I just picked up the entire Engineer Trilogy, and I'm looking forward to reading it. It's currently on the stack with about 50 other books...

 

[Connavar]

I finaly started reading Shadow and find it an good read so far. A dark heroic fantasy like story without epic generics is what im looking for and found.

Also her writing doesnt get in the way of the story like it has done with other fantasy writers i have tried lately.

Im rooting for the main character cause of his problems. He reminds of John Doe in that fox series. The memory loss and abilities he has without knowing why and how.

 

[GOLLUM]

Interesting. I couldn't stand the Fencer trilogy and never finished it. After that I've never been near Parker's work again.

Sound like the writing has improved?

 

[Connavar]

I think so cause Scavenger series is very interesting so far thanks to the first book.

 

[StevenSavile]

For what it is worth, I am 95% certain Parker IS Tom Holt - several years back Holt was researching sword making and asked several intricate questions on a sword smith's website, signed them as Holt, then, later the exact answers given to Holt wound up in Parker's novel. Lots of folk caught it and the original question was pulled from the sword smith's website...

Of course, it's all circumstantial, but it's pretty compelling evidence.

 

[Connavar]

Who cares really.

Prolly his/her publisher are just trying to be special,unique and covering up who KJ Parker really is.

Have you read Shadow ?

Wonder what people that have read it think.

 

[Werthead]

On KJ Parker's previous website (before it was renovated) there was a very nice essay she wrote which basically went into details about how she didn't like to play with dolls as a child and never wore dresses, but was the archetypal tomboy and this bled over into her fiction.

Seems a bit elaborate just to maintain a pen-name.

 

[StevenSavile]

I have one very good friend who writes macho SAS type thrillers, and has a stand-in for every signing, every photograph etc... because HE is a SHE... in this case it's about protecting sales - how many of those macho thrillers do you see written by women? Not so many...

As to why care - well, say I write a novel and it debuts, sells only 8,000 copies in the US - that's tiny, barely enough to warrent printing to be honest, so then the second hits, and I only sell 6,000 diminishing returns and all that... but the publishers have faith in my writing, and know that the right story will fly... unfortunately book stores won't buy a third book in huge numbers, they'll expect between them to only sell 5,000, accounting for the drop off again... so instead of calling the new book a Steven Savile novel, the publisher brands it and Alex Carter novel, and I become a brand new quantity all over again...

Means those book buyers don't tarnish the new book with my bad track record... if it was a major shift in direction, say I wrote a romance novel, that's another reason, to demark one kind of story from another so you don't get a lot of disappointed fantasy readers scratching their heads over my lovey dovey book

 

[Brian G Turner]

So is Devices and Desires any good?

Have dipped into it to see what it's like - first few pages look promising to me. Will have to hold back until I've finished one of the current books I'm reading, though.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I found the whole Engineer Trilogy (beginning with Devices and Desires) gripping. So much so that I had scarcely finished one book before I was at the bookstore looking for the next. It is definitely not your typical fantasy, nor does it fit into any of the sub-genres.

Darker than I would usually like but it won me over.