Oh Saevus Corax, the messes you get yourself into... Truly impressive stuff.

I liked this installment much more than book 1! While I felt that book 1 dragged a bit too much, and I got bored with the whole Sirupat aspect of it, this one was a fun adventure from start to finish. More grounded than book 1 in a way, which is usually what I prefer.

I really like following Saevus - they way he reacts to dangerous situations is so interesting, and his humour is top notch. My favourite part of this stories honestly - the prose and Saevus humour just go so well together, its a joy to read. Legitimately laughed out loud multiple times (or, well, let out a hah). Loved how we got more insight into his past.

Really looking forward to reading book 3, I expect this trilogy will wrap up in a very interesting way!

An enjoyable sequel, I think I enjoyed this one more. Saevus is such a wily protagonist and I enjoy his musings about human nature and shenanigans. Book went on a little long but I enjoyed the climax. I still prefer Parker's third person better than first person; I think Saevus feels too similiar to his other first person perspectives.

As I suspected after reading the first book, this second installment was much more of a fun read for me. Having done the character and world set up in book 1, the author focused on the plot here and I really enjoyed it. The tone is so snarky throughout and the foreshadowing is great. I don't foresee this being a new favourite series, but it is certainly entertaining.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

K J Parker is as ever brilliant and I love this series of books in the fictional Roman empire world he has built. His writing is superb, grabbing you from the first sentence and hooking you in and right through the story. We return to following Saevus Corax as he tries to hide from his royal and noble history, living his life running a business scavenging battlefields. Until his ex mother in law catches up with him and puts him into an impossible position - capture a fully garrisoned castle with only a few men and bring her what's hidden inside. I loved watching Saevus come up with his trickery while adhering to his own moral compass - a fantastically entertaining, hilarious and original read.

The new Parker trilogy is releasing at a rapid pace this year, following up Saevus Corax Deals with the Dead with this new volume. And, in case you were wondering, yes, it is rather good. I will sound a note of caution that it hits a lot of the same notes stylistically as the previous volume. Our protagonist is smart, funny, determined to just keep his head down and out of the way - and yet catastrophic, world altering events seem to always catch him in their wake. Or the other way around, I suppose. There's civilisations that look familiar if you squint and turn your head to the left a bit, some genuinely funny dialogue, and a viciously dark view of the world which also holds up the best of humanity even as it washes its hands of 'em.
Which is to say, it's a K.J. Parker book; by this point, you probably know what you're getting in terms of structure and tone. I will say though that the story remains as wonderfully byzantine as ever (in several senses), the characterisation is detailed, multi-faceted and occasionally throws out a total surprise, and the technical execution in general is top tier. If you liked the previous Corax book, you won't fond this one disappoints.

Saevus Corax remains as charming, devious and occasionally outright brutal as ever. Or perhaps I should say ruthless, given hsi gift for playing all the angles. In this instance, those angles involve a castle. And how one might take that away from the people currently in it, and keep hold of it afterward. It's a simple conceit (and one which, to be fair, doesn't take up the entire book, which instead pinwheels out of control from there in a very satisfying fashion). But it allows us to see Corax in full flow. To live inside the monologue of someone about to make some very bloody decisions, for the very best of reasons. And later a plan inside another plan inside another. Like an onion, except with arrows and big rocks. There's further, somewhat cryptic delving into his past as well, piecing together things the man himself has tried to forget for quite a while - and which, as these things do, are likely to come back at the worst moment. Again, like an onion, we see sides to Corax we didn't find in the last book - and it's a triumph that Parker can show us these layers, show us the psychological and physical cost of being Saevus Corax, and make him both sympathetic and an unrepentant terror. In any event, Corax remains a fine fellow to share a head and an inner monologue with; just don't accept any wine he gives you.

The story rattles along nicely between reveals, crosses, double crosses and so on. It also moves geographically, including a richly wrought ersatz Byzantine empire, complete with theatres and mail coaches - and other, far stranger places I wont get into for fear of spoilers. Suffice to say, they're eerily alive as well. And the book itself remains a solid, entertaining read moment to moment - from battle debris to sieges to night rides to love and promises and betrayal, there's something for everyone. And the sheer accessibility of Corax as a narrator, his cheerful unreliability and ruthlessness, is what makes it work, and kept me turning pages on and on and on. If you're a Parker fan, it'll probably work for you, too - go give it a whirl.

Saevus Corax Captures the Castle is the second book in the Corax trilogy, and is much more consistently great than the first one. The back and forth around the castle, and between Corax and his antagonistic foils is on top form. Like the first book, this is witty first person POV fun, and this entry matches the Siege trilogy in quality. Things go off the rails in an interesting way in the second half, and I'm looking forward to the last book in the trilogy.

“It occurred to me that most scavengers keep from being prey by operating in flocks, or packs. Birds of a black feather flock together”

My thanks to Little, Brown Group U.K. Orbit for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Saevus Corax Captures the Castle’ by K. J. Parker.

This is Book 2 in Parker’s Saevus Corax Trilogy in which the irrepressible Saevus Corax continues to relay to his audience the picturesque adventures he has in the battlefield salvage business.

Following the latest salvage, their camp is attacked. No money is taken though five of Corax’s key men are missing. He is confused as to why they would leave.

Then he is summoned to a meeting with an elderly woman, clearly known to him. He says of her: “From time to time she happens to me, like earthquakes, economic collapse or the plague, and so far I’ve survived all the outbreaks, but a man only gets so much luck in one lifetime.”

To avoid spoilers I won’t reveal who she is to him though it fills in more details about his chequered past. Being an unreliable narrator, Corax does have a tendency to drop these occasional bombshell revelations.

It transpires that the reason his men were taken is to force Corax into capturing a castle. If he refuses or fails, his men will be killed. So he has no choice but to give it a try. Given that it’s Corax involved, the conventional rules of siegecraft are unlikely to be followed. No further details to avoid spoilers.

I have taken quite a shine to Corax, I expect it is partly due to how he so effortlessly embodies the archetype of the Trickster. It also feels apt that he has taken a name associated with the raven.

Overall, I found ‘Saevus Corax Captures the Castle’ a great deal of fun, blending fantasy adventure with its appealing tongue-in-cheek narration by Saevus Corax. The final book in the trilogy, ‘Saevus Corax Gets Away with Murder’, is due to be published in December.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Quite a KJ Parker ride. I thought it was an epic story, absorbing, and up there with his best. Not quite up with the Siege Trilogy but close so far.

Volume 2 in the Saevus Corax trilogy, featuring a main character who earns his living leading a team of hard working scavengers of battlefield aftermaths. Recycling the armour, weapons, clothing and much else so that it can be reused in a seemingly never ending cycle of wars and skirmishes. We learnt in Volume 1 that Saevus has quite a history and that led to him becoming the object of attention for a number of powerful forces. Having escaped all of that he’s now back to what he knows best, and another bizarre storyline is conjured up by the author.
For heaven’s sake, one of his team members collects body parts from any famous general or king they might find on the battlefield. And collects enough for ‘swaps’ with members of other scavenging teams they meet!
Love and romance struggle to make healthy appearances in Parker’s novels and this is no exception though it becomes a core aspect here. There is talk of being besotted with someone and there’s a powerful, devious mother in law which ties in with this very twisting storyline. And some romance if only the lead character could see it. A real romp of a story.

I’ve read a great deal of this author’s works over the last several years and I worry a bit about my addiction to them. I recall regularly picking up old style romance books, usually in a specially printed large font edition, from the public library for my grandmother when I was small, all apparently similar in style, by the same author who seemed to produce a new one every couple of months. I saw that as simple Comfort reading, probably typical for the elderly. Am I doing the same now in my old age?! KJ Parker isn’t quite the same as these pulp romances but there is a familiarity in style between his books - morally grey smart lead characters, detailed descriptions of landscapes, societies, how medieval style machinery works or is repaired, a darker view of life than mine maybe but still amusing and sharply observational. Where wars and battles occur they’re shown as mostly pointless exercises, with luck playing a major role and where being brave doesn’t help. Plus a frequently familiar setting in a pseudo-Byzantium environment with convoluted religions and beliefs.
It can be an acquired taste but one I have acquired and I don’t find repetitive thanks to the cleverness of the storylines. If only one could find KJ Parker in a large print format in my public library I might be getting a family member to bring me a regular new hardback home, but I’ll make do with the ebook format for the time being. Next please…

5* read for me, and the final book in the trilogy due out soon.

And this is the first ever KJ Parker I’ve obtained via NetGallery as an ARC. Thanks to them.

Saevus Corax Captures the Castle is the second book in this series and continues from the first book. Parker does a great job of having each instalment stand-alone but still interconnect. As with the previous book this is written in the first-person narrative. Saevus Corax continues to be smarter, cleverer, and often with snarky moments of levity throughout the story. It makes this book darkly humorous and adds yet another anti-hero to Parker’s oeuvre. Saevus will do anything to achieve his goals, even make decisions that have unsavory consequences. In this book members of Saevus's battlefield salvage group are kidnapped. He is then blackmailed into completing a task of capturing a castle (for very specific reasons) or he will not see them again. What is even more fun, it is his devious mother-in-law Praeclara who is doing the blackmailing. Praeclara is more than Saevus’s equal at being clever. Once again, reluctantly Saevus must play the (anti) hero to save his family and friends. Who will prevail, the outcome keeps you guessing. Saevus might finally have met his match.

Part of the fun of this book is reading how events unfold, will Saevus achieve his goal and be free of all ties that bind. It written with plenty of the Parker/Holt wit on show. There are also some fun moments between Saevus and secondary character Stauracia, another equally formidable protagonist for him to deal with. I enjoyed reading about Saevus. He is full of interesting knowledge that he just loves to share about his world. There are a few nods to characters from previous books and a bit of philosophy quoted from Saloninus. Saevus’s motivations stretch beyond greed and self-preservation, and there are several key moments that show, just how mad, bad, and dangerous it is to know Saevus Corax. Parker has a way with language, often making characters smart despite the treatment of serious subject matter, he does so with dark humour and there were plenty of times I chuckled to myself. The writing is well paced, energetic, and fun and I loved spending time with Saevus. Book three will be published two week after the release of book two. For me, it’s been a real treat to have all three books within two months. An excellent addition to Parker’s body of work, highly recommended.

My thanks to both NetGalley and Orbit books for a free e-arc and an honest opinion. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The next installment in this trilogy starts off more or less when the previous one ended. We see Saevus and his motley crew doing what they do best. Things quickly turn for the worse when Saevus encounters his mother-in-law who arms twists him into an adventure that sets the ball rolling of the entire narrative. We learn more about Saevus and his pre scavenging life. We also learn more about the world Saevus inhabits,, and enjoy the puns he tells when describing it. Naturally, the story continues delving into the relationships between Saevus's deputies, shows us Stauracia again, and delves even deeper into Saevus's broken psychology.

The book is funny - I found myself laughing out loud on multiple occasions. The author also has his way with language, making the book sound smart despite its levity. The writing frankly is superb - catchy, well paced, energetic, and fun.

I also loved the continuous exploration of the protagonist's psychology. Putting aside the humour, it's a very dark and grim portrait. Grimdark par excellence, hidden under a facade of levity.

Highly recommended to anyone who likes fantasy - it is exemplary of how much fun someone can have with the genre. Naturally, it's not super complex or multi dimensional in its storytelling (like Abercrombie) but that's exactly what makes it such a pleasant read (I finished it in one single day).

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of the book in return for an honest review.

This is a review of the whole trilogy so it will be shared for the three books
KJ Parker is one of the most original writer in the current fantasy world and the characters are always well rounded, quirky, sarcastic and ready to tell their side of the story.
I was lucky to read the entire trilogy and this is another treat: gripping, fast paced and highly entertaining.
The charachters, the world building and the storytelling are in the typical Parker's style and I loved them from the first page till the last.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thank you to Little Brown Book and Netgalley for the ARC.

Much like the first book in the series, the story is infused with humour. It the main thing that I like, there is something fun and relatable in the way the book is told. Saevus Corax isn't your typical lovable character, but I like him and his twisted, weasel mind. You know he isn't telling you all the truth, that he keeps things for himself. He hasn't the best moral compas but somehow, he ends up being quite human in the end .
Seeing the crew and some other characters was nice, discovering a bit of what had been for Saevus since the events of book one was fun. I still like the universe and it's complicity and weird familiarity.
The story has quite a lot of bits that are told rather than shown. It could be annoying to some people, or boring. It worked well with me because of the chosen narration. But I still have to say that some emotions aren't conveyed so strongly as a result (like Saevus love for his wife). I think it is done on purpose, so I don't see it as a weakness.
All in all this second book was nearly as fun as the furst one, a little less so because the novelty isn't as strong anymore. It is typically the kind of book you read with a clear idea of what kind of story you are getting into, since the shape of it is quite similar to the first one. Some things are a bit too stretched out to be "realistic", but it is good entertainment and that's what I'm looking for in reading it, so the contract completed. I will read the last book with joy!

The second in this series, and it’s as much one fun as the first. More gallows-black humour, more twisty and devious plotting (from the author and the title character) and some interesting backstory for Saevus. I also just twigged that Saevus Corax means “Fierce Raven”, which I guess reflects his behaviour around battlefields.

More adventurous, more fun, and even a bit more sincere than the first book, this is Parker’s first novel in a while to put aside the grand sweep of made-up history and focus on a single story, and a satisfying one too.

Because this is Saevus we’re talking about, the story in question is also shaggy, picaresque, and more than a little unbelievable, but also more personal and particular than Deals With The Dead. Despite the title there aren’t any grand armies or sieges here, just a few people half-heartedly scrapping over a glorified manor house for personal reasons. Death and violence still come for Saevus, as ever, and not quietly; from the moment our anti-hero slices a captor’s tendons it’s immediate and intense, and often just distressingly bloody murder.

The tighter scope really pays off in the book’s second half, where Parker makes some substantial departures from his normal script. We have a taut and nearly dialogue-free scramble across a terrifying medieval utopia (which for once doesn’t seem to be a pastiche of an actual historical nation, though I could well be wrong about that), character motivations that stretch beyond greed and self-preservation, and several moments that finally show, rather than tell, just how mad, bad and dangerous to know Saevus Corax might be.

It’s Parker, mind you, so it’s still basically a comedy, just shaded in slightly darker ink than usual. Saevus has his redeeming features, after all, and we keep the typical Parker mix of allusive geopolitics, lessons on pre-modern technology, an inevitably attractive female foil, too-clever-by-half narration, and occasionally predictable twists.

Even so, it’s noticeably less by-the-numbers than the few outings, and maybe the freshest this setting has felt since Sixteen Ways. Here’s hoping Saevus can continue to surprise in his next outing.