Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Parker (the Scavenger trilogy) raises the bar for realistic fantasy war craft with this series opener. When the engineering guild sentences Ziani Vaatzes to death for improving on its supposedly perfect specifications for mechanical toys, he manages to escape Mezentia and throws in his lot with its recently defeated enemy, city-state Eremia. In exile, Vaatzes sets up shop making weapons, but his real goal is to create a new kind of engine-one made of human components, designed to reunite him with his family. He painstakingly executes a slow-moving master plan involving love, betrayal and secrets among the two countries' leaders. The tragic aftermath of the climactic battle forces a rereading of all that went before. It takes some hard slogging to get through assiduously researched technical descriptions of everything from dressing a duke to hunting a boar, and a few too many coincidences and expository speeches mar Parker's otherwise exquisite feat of literary engineering. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
When engineer Ziani Vaatzes is sentenced to death for building a device that differs from the official standards, he manages to flee from his home in the Guild-controlled Republic of Mezentia and find refuge in the enemy country of Eremia. To ensure his safety, he offers to teach Mezentine engineering techniques to the technologically ignorant Eremians, so that they can build weapons equal to those of their Mezentine enemies. Eremia's Duke Orsea reluctantly gives his approval, unwittingly laying himself and those he loves open to the machinations of a man out for vengeance against the country that condemned his work as well as the enemy who gave him succor. The author of the "Fencer" trilogy begins a new series with an intriguing tale highlighted by the conflicts between love and betrayal, honor and expediency. Parker's characters evoke sympathy despite their flaws, and his world-building examines three very different societies, each with its own view on the use of technological devices. First published in Britain, this richly textured and emotionally complex fantasy belongs in libraries of all sizes. Highly recommended. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Those who prefer epics painted in sophisticated shades of gray to ultimate battles of good and evil will relish this first volume of a trilogy, published in the U.K. in 2005. The Perpetual Republic of Mezentia operates according to the principles of mass production; however, those principles are so calcified that innovation is not only stifled, it's punishable by death. When weapons engineer Ziani Vaatzes is condemned for making a nonstandard mechanical doll for his daughter's birthday, he manages to evade his jailors and escape to the small duchy of Eremia Montis. Jealous of their secrets, Mezentia is prepared to exterminate all of Eremia to prevent Vaatzes from passing on any of his knowledge. Meanwhile, Vaatzes is concocting a complex scheme that will allow him to return to his beloved wife and child. This scheme, which Vaatzes imagines as a vast machine, involves war on a massive scale and betrayals both large and small. Thousands will be destroyed in the operation of Vaatzes's device, but he simply doesn't care, as long as he gets to go home. After a flood of books that revolve around the fight for a throne, the destruction of evil and/or the search for a long-lost magical McGuffin, it's refreshing and innovative to read a work whose plot is based on simple and deeply personal stakes. Highly recommended, especially to readers tired of the usual thing. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
