Devices And Desires: The Engineer Trilogy: Book One

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Sophisticated, subtle, and ruthless, the Perpetual Republic of Mezentia is a near-perfect industrial realm, in near-perfect control of much of the world. From the workshops and factories of their Guildsmen stream goods in infinite variety; stamped and chiselled, hammered, forged, woven and carved. Their river is domesticated to power a thousand intricately interacting water-wheels and the nations all around are just as intricately bound into a net of commercial subservience.

They exist, so far as the Mezentians are concerned, to buy what they have to sell. From Mezentia, fleeing execution for an infraction of Guild rules, comes Ziani Vaatzes, a Guild foreman, and Engineer of perverse genius. It isn't that Ziani wants revenge. What he wants is to see his wife and daughter necessarily abandoned in Mezentia again. But to do that he'll have to take many difficult and dangerous steps, and cause a very large amount of pain, fear, and death, because the Guilds not only want to kill him for the rule he broke, they also want to kill him because of the knowledge he carries in his head of Mezentia's technologies, which cannot be allowed to fall into the hands of the neighbouring Barbarian Kingdoms.

This story has the structure of a particularly intricate set of falling dominos. That's the type of viewpoint you're going to get with Vaatzes and his chapters are a high point of the book. But the two dukes, the woman, and the advisor are, for lack of a better description, childish and stupid. Like a bridge built by North Koreans.

The opening — in which Vaatzes gets exiled and then taken in by an incompetent Duke whose army was just massacred by the Mezentines — is pretty sweet. And the ending is great. But the middle is incredibly long and tensionless. So yeah, three stars, enough to push me on to the second book. I didn't finish the second book and stopped the series there. Second book suffers even worse from poor pacing] It features a unique world built and influenced by a medieval tone of politics and conspiracy but also features mechanical science fiction elements.

It is, to that extent, a slow at times but well crafted and written fantasy - not one with poetic or beautiful prose necessarily, but with tight scripting and a tension that knits the entire narrative together. I will certainly be hoping to continue the story to see where it all ends. The plot follows an Engineer who is under threat of death due to being an 'abominator' in the great Republic.

This forces him to flee to one of the other key kingdoms in the area and begin helping them to build mechanical weapons to attack the kingdom for revenge. However the book also reveals that his motives may not be as sound as they seem nor may his aims be quite what he himself even believes - as is revealed at the book's end. For its interesting worldbuilding, politics and use of subtlety I must highly recommend this novel. It starts out slowly but the ending is worth it.

There was one moment that seemed a little overly and obviously crafted by the author but for the whole it was a very nuanced novel that I enjoyed as well as found well made.

Feb 23, Mr. Matt rated it really liked it Shelves: Ziani Vaatzes is an Engineer in the Republic city state of Mezentia. He has also violated the guild's time honored specifications. There is only one sentence for abomination: Ziani is arrested, tried and convicted, but he escapes before his execution, fleeing to the nearby Duchy of Eremia. The Republic has only one option: They can't let the secrets and industrial knowledge in his head fall into the hand's of the Republic's enemies - especially one that only a few weeks ago lost an i Ziani Vaatzes is an Engineer in the Republic city state of Mezentia.

They can't let the secrets and industrial knowledge in his head fall into the hand's of the Republic's enemies - especially one that only a few weeks ago lost an ill-fated war against the Republic. I love the premise of K. Parker's world and story. It has everything I like in a story. There are hidden, moving plot lines that stink of betrayal. Why was the Republic so ready for war? Is it part of guild politics, or a natural reaction to the escape of the abominator? What moves Ziani to aide the Eremians? I never quite knew what was really going on. That was a good thing.

It kept me guessing. The world is fantastic too. It is a gritty, dusty world. There are machines and gadgets and devices rather than magic and spells and demons. In fact, I'm not even sure if there is magic. That's a good thing too. It makes for a fresh story compared with much of the fantasy that I read. My problem with the book is in execution.

I think the characters are a little too cardboard. Ziani is a bit too scheming. Moreso than I think is natural and realistic. Or rather it is not so much that he is scheming but he is playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers. Not sure what I think about that. I also have a hard time really empathizing with any of the characters.

They are actors on a stage rather than living, breathing people. Finally, I think the book was a bit long. My first encounter with K. Very enjoyable, original in some aspects and a nice opener to a trilogy. Let me make a suggestion. Pick a time when you can sit down and read quietly for enough time to get involved in this one. I chose to take this with me and read it at the laundromat and as I was waiting around doing "other stuff".

What we got here is a somewhat involved story told from multiple points of view. There is a political system with a certain Machiavellian feel. This is buttressed by the somewhat Da Vinci like character of the engineer. The political situation in the book also Let me make a suggestion. The political situation in the book also put me much in mind of the waring Renaissance city states.

This is an interesting book and I suspect I didn't do it justice. I never got truly interested in it. While it drew me in somewhat the very detail left me feeling Lone dialogues and information dumps. You know, love letters where every one is going So bottom line it's a well done well written book. I just never got involved. Will I try to reread it someday?

It didn't draw me in as I expected it to. Maybe you'll like it better. Devices and Desires, by K. Book One of the Engineer Trilogy. That may be enough to make some readers rush to the stores for this latest work now. The first line is a wonderful hook. But if you want to get into his brain, I recommend the eye socket. The book is a large one and yes, the first part of a trilogy. The main story is this: For this, Ziani is sentenced to death as an Abominator.

However, he escapes the death sentence proclaimed him and is forced into exile to Eremea, leaving his beloved city, republic and Guild, his wife Ariessa and his daughter Moritsa behind. He does however promise his retribution on all those who have led to his demise. Duke Orsea, the monarch ruler of the mountain dwelling Eremia Montis. Duke Orsea is first met as the leader of the defeated Eremeans in a massacre by Mezentine machines - scorpions, that rapidly fire hundreds of metal poles into the air in battle to lethal effect.

We are also introduced here to Miel Ducas, his faithful right-hand man and coincidentally boyhood sweetheart of Veatriz, who is torn between his friendship and duty to Orsea and his secret love for Veatriz. It is to them that Ziani arrives, apparently offering his services in order to exact his revenge on Mezentia. So then we begin a book of power struggles, manners and intrigue.

It is a complex mix of memorable characters and places, of political and historical events in a well-realised world. As you might therefore expect, there are a wealth of characters with complex motives, and political industrial and social machinations a-plenty. The book is full of dichotomic resonances — order versus change, rationality versus passion, love versus hate or at least revenge , old versus new, industrial change versus historical tradition. It is a book about institution and conventions, and the breaking of them; of customs and order being subverted, of protocol and diplomacy, of the old ideas being replaced by the new.

Interestingly, Parker points out that for all of the sophisticated machines, the clever social skills, the political machinations, it is love that is the fundamental: As the book developed, I found myself drawn in more and more. It is a leisurely book yet skilfully written. The story enfolds slowly, yet cleverly. The world building is magnificent. The huge variety of places and names gave the place a real sense of history though you may find yourself hard pressed to keep up with some of the place-names and pronounce some of the names.

I particularly liked the complex and varied organisation of the Guilds of Mezentia, which were balanced by the equally complex court requirements of the Eremeans. As for the characters, it is here that Parker has clearly surpassed herself. Again, as expected, there are a large variety of characters, often with unpronounceable names, yet the main protagonists are well realised. Ziani is perhaps the most interesting character — a Machiavellian puppet-master, an obsessive maverick genius, whose complex machinations are both dazzling and yet at times astoundingly ruthless.

With such a character, the other leads could become less important. Miel is the man bound by duty, who remains devoted to his friend against all opposition. Orsea is a leader with low self-esteem, who is placed into a position of power for which he feels unsuited, yet at times is astonishingly prescient of events. Valens is a brooding romantic anti-hero, torn by unrequited love and clearly underestimated by his enemies. In addition to this, the use of language is wonderful. On a more positive note, and as you might expect in such a book, the plot twists and turns both expected and unexpected are complex and engaging; with a nice twist at the end, twenty-four chapters later I surfaced.

It is clear that it may not be a book for everyone; some of the events seem a little too obscure and rambling at first, perhaps even a little too complex, though in the end most makes sense.

Some details are given in far too much detail, though the reason for such listings is clear: However, because of this, some will find parts of the book too slow-paced, and perhaps a little dry. I must say that there were times when I got a little frustrated with the book. There are then chapters where there is what I can only see as information dumping. Chapter Four, about a hundred pages in, is where Ziani and Miel try to find areas of common communication between them.

It is well written, but in the space of a few pages history, geography and culture are all covered with such a contrasting speed to the majority of the book that it jarred with me as I read it. I felt it was a clumsy way of bringing the reader up to date. In the same way, the last part of Chapter Twenty-Three, about forty pages from the end, is where Ziani appears to apologise to Miel for major plot events that he has instigated.

Whilst it was enlightening and an interesting counterpoint to the earlier chapter, it so conveniently brought the reader up to date with various plotlines that it read a little like the author was writing a whodunit, where the reader is shown the answers to the mystery in a few pages.

Overall though, this was a pleasingly challenging read. What is most apparent to me is that by reading this book, I realised that KJ is an author who is not prepared to stagnate. Though there are elements of the book that readers of her earlier work will recognise — an interest in the rituals of fencing, an obsession with designing and constructing efficient machinery - this book pushes the boundaries of her writing, and one that I found stylistically and conceptually much more ambitious than any of her previous work I have read. It is an often over-crowded area of the genre where this book resides.

However, I was pleased to find that, in the end, I think it is one of its more worthy members. At one point Ziani muses over his gravestone having the epitaph: Complex, literate, leisurely yet engrossing, if your tastes run to complex political Fantasy, this is not a bad one to try. I look forward to the next book in the series. View all 4 comments. I got yer grimdark right here I'm pretty sure there's nobody else writing books like K.

The closest comparison I can think of is Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle they share the same fascination with history and with detail; with the inner workings of technology and bureacracy , but intending no disrespect, Parker's books are infinitely more readable, despite occasional pages-long disquisitions on the formation of cuir boilli or proper etiquette for the different kinds of hunting pa I got yer grimdark right here The closest comparison I can think of is Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle they share the same fascination with history and with detail; with the inner workings of technology and bureacracy , but intending no disrespect, Parker's books are infinitely more readable, despite occasional pages-long disquisitions on the formation of cuir boilli or proper etiquette for the different kinds of hunting parties.

There's a precision to the language that's almost surgical. So Devices and Desires is the first book of the Engineer trilogy and, appropriately, it's a finely-tuned mechanism of stresses, tensions and tolerances, put into play by the eponymous engineer, Ziani Vaatzes, exiled from his home city for daring to improve on the specified designs, determined above all else to get home to his wife and daughter, or at least to ensure their safety. To quote Parker from an interview at the back of the book and because I couldn't say it better myself: Nov 10, Artemas rated it it was ok Shelves: I even purchased all 3 books of the series before even reading the first one; big mistake.

To be fair to the author: I never felt the hook that sucks the reader into the story. This might have been tolerable for a shorter book, but at pages this one demanded a little too much without giving me back an I REALLY wanted to like this book and was excited to start it. This might have been tolerable for a shorter book, but at pages this one demanded a little too much without giving me back anything in return. Jan 27, Angela rated it liked it Shelves: I read this book. I started the second book.

However, as it seems like the series is about the protagonist systematically destroying everything in the rest of the book in an attempt to do The only thing which kept me reading, really was Duke Valens, and the covers. I must adm I read this book. I must admit that the artwork on the books was really what drew me to them in the first place, and what kept me going back. If the usual schlocko covers were in place, I probably wouldn't have touched them in the first place. As it is, I think the art department was somewhat wasted, but it's definitely getting Parker's work out to a larger audience.

I liked the very machine-like plot appropriate for what is basically a swashbuckling adventure novel with an engineer as the anti hero. It felt like every chapter was adding another cog or gear or something that would keep changing your expectation of what the eventual result was supposed to be, but that that result was inevitable anyway. I can't wait to read the next one and hopefully find out more about the Cure Hardy. What is their deal? Anyway, I gave this 5 I liked the very machine-like plot appropriate for what is basically a swashbuckling adventure novel with an engineer as the anti hero.

KIRKUS REVIEW

Anyway, I gave this 5 stars because I kept being surprised by how much I was liking it. However, a few problems: Dec 18, Craig rated it liked it Shelves: This one was hard to rate. Imaginative world creation and unique writing style might have been worth four or five stars, but I had real trouble staying engaged. Like no other book in recent memory, I'd read a chapter or two, enjoying the characterization and story, but find my interest fading for some reason.

I'd put it down for a day and repeat the process again and again until I finished the book. I liked the book for sure, but was very disappointed not to have liked it more. Would be worth a This one was hard to rate. Would be worth a shot for anyone else though, you might not have the same trouble I did. I've always believed in the old adage, "A fool speaks when he should be silent," and this book does everything in its power to prove this true. It is painfully, embarrassingly stupid, and I feel I have grown stupider for having read it. The word garbage isn't strong enough to describe the juvenile, arbitrary, and irredeemibly moronic development of both plot and characters.

I could store my car in the plot holes of this book and use them to drive to California without having to worry about the w I've always believed in the old adage, "A fool speaks when he should be silent," and this book does everything in its power to prove this true. I could store my car in the plot holes of this book and use them to drive to California without having to worry about the weather mussing my windshield. I'm disgusted to be sharing the planet with this imbecile AND his equally ridiculous editor, who is as much to blame as Parker since he or she encouraged this undercooked tripe into publication.

Parker should be ashamed to have created this rotting, stinking carcass of a story. He should be ashamed that so many trees were killed to print it up and spread its putrid worthlessness across the face of the earth. His family should be ashamed of him for his contribution in making the world an angrier and less beautiful place. Yes, angrier, because none of us will get those moments spent in these pages back. I wish for Parker and his editor what I wish for George W.

Quite frankly, the smartest thing this fool did was utilize a psuedonym; otherwise he'd constantly be getting beat up in the parking lot of his mother's apartment complex. There is a lot to like about this book. First off, it's basically an ode to the engineering mindset -- I'm pretty sure it's clockpunk at least as sure as one can be basing their decision on a few sentences in Wikipedia and even the non-engineer characters share a similar rationalist view of the world.

Instead of being vaguely Celtic or French like most high fantasy it's vaguely Italian judging only by the names and the Guilds though; the geography bears no resemblance to Italy. And, perhaps There is a lot to like about this book. And, perhaps most unusual of all, it's very much concerned with economics -- there are political and personal machinations, but there is also a keen eye for cost and profit and unequal trade.

Unfortunately, there is also a lot to dislike about this book, for me at least. The biggest issue I had with it was that I'm just not into clockpunk for the same reason I'm not into much steampunk and I'm not into hard SF -- I get really, really bored with long descriptions of technical specifications, no matter what the technology is. This book could have been half the length if those passages were cut out, and none of the story would have been lost.

And it wasn't just the ingenious titular devices being described; I was also treated to very long passages about armor, and bows, and the various techniques for hunting boar. I have no clue if Parker was accurate in these descriptions, mostly because I started skipping them altogether. Second to that in making me grind my teeth was the very rational mindset shared by all the characters. I got that that practice of immediately assessing a situation, breaking it down into its component parts, and then coming up with a solution to work that situation to his advantage is the hallmark of Vaatzes' the engineer character; it was a nice change from most fantasy heroes, and emphasized the message that engineers are a breed apart.

But then all of the other men who got a turn as viewpoint character thought in exactly the same way, and it just rang false for me. One person, yes, I can see behaving that way; but most people, as far as I can tell, don't have the objectivity to think like that when they're in the middle of a war zone, stuck through with arrows, and that wrecked my suspension of disbelief. Most of my other issues with the book stem from kind of the same place. A character would do something, or feel a certain way, and I'd buy it; but then three other characters would also behave exactly the same and I'd get frustrated and annoyed.

Questions?

For example, much of the book is about the lengths that people go to for love, and that's a rich though well-trod field to play in; but why, for heaven's sake, do all the men in this world have to be in love with only two women? Everybody keeps going to war with everybody else, and the armies are all male, so there should be a pretty severe gender imbalance, and Parker deals with that by having a whole class of women become traders; but it seems like so many women went off to be traders that there are no eligible beauties for the men to swoon over, and they're forced to share!

Not really to share -- this book shies away from actual sex or bad language, though it has no shortage of violence. Parker Write Review Rated 0.

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