Book Review: Devices and Desires

First off, an apology for having taken such a long break. I've been out of my normal habitation space for quite some time, and they only just now tracked me down and managed to drag me back.

As such, the future bodes well. I should be back to five a week, although I'm thinking Wednesday will be changed to something other than food, unless people actually wish it to stay that way.

Anyways. On to the book review...

Devices and Desires is the first book in The Engineer Trilogy, K.J. Parker. The other two books, Evil for Evil and The Escapement, have already been published, in my opinion a huge plus when beginning to read any series.

On an interesting note, no one knows the true identity of K.J. Parker. The name itself is a pseudonym. Not even Parker's gender is definitively known.

Devices and Desires follows, in large part, the story of Ziani Vaatzes, a leading engineer in the incredibly conservative guild system of Mezentia. When he makes a few minor improvements to the supposedly perfect specifications of guild design, he is sentenced to death. Escaping the sent, he goes on to manipulate Mezentia's many enemies in an attempt to reunite with his family.

The world in which the book is set is, in large part, a typical feudal European setting. What makes it fantastical is the steampunk devices - especially weapons - created by the Eternal Republic in Mezentia. Think of the insertion of steampunk into the world much as magic was inserted in the first two books of A Song of Ice and Fire - it's there, and it helps the story along every once in a while, but largely it doesn't do a whole lot.

Writing style and plot development in the book can be favorably compared to Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen. Similar in many ways, both are series that focus largely on conflict and have many tragic moments, well-written action, and frequent humor in downtime sequences.

The major difference between Parker and Erikson is that Parker's plots and world are much more accessible. While I would highly advise rereading the book after finishing it, Devices and Desires does not have they incredibly large and diverse array of characters or, in many cases, too-complex-to-read plots of Steven Erikson.

In short, then, if you're looking for a simpler version of Malazan Book of the Fallen - by far my favorite fantasy series - with steampunk elements instead of magic, this is the series for you. It's well-written, much easier to get through, and still contains all of the really good bits that made Erikson's books so excellent.