Sharps

Review [Sharps] is a ripping good adventure yarn, laced with frequent barbed witticisms and ace sword fighting... Parker's settings and characterizations never miss a beat, and the intricate political interplay of intrigue is suspenseful almost to the last page. -- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY Astonishingly good -- RT BOOK REVIEWS Packed with sharp edges and provocative points, Sharps may be the book that fantasy readers have been waiting for . . . the long-awaited gateway drug to Parker's entire world -- PORNOKITSCH Sharps is a book of subtly, nuance and rather fun adventure that is masterfully executed. And it only gets better the more you think about it . . . Any fan of fantasy that is looking for more than the traditional absolutely needs to be reading her work. -- NETHSPACE Packed with sharp edges and provocative points, Sharps may be the book that fantasy readers have been waiting for . . . the long-awaited gateway drug to Parker's entire world ― Pornokitsch Sharps is a book of subtly, nuance and rather fun adventure that is masterfully executed. And it only gets better the more you think about it . . . Any fan of fantasy that is looking for more than the traditional absolutely needs to be reading her work. ― Nethspace Product Description '[Sharps] is a ripping good adventure yarn, laced with frequent barbed witticisms and ace sword fighting... Parker's settings and characterizations never miss a beat, and the intricate political interplay of intrigue is suspenseful almost to the last page.' - Publishers Weekly 'This is another splendid offering from K.J. Parker, the (pseudonymous) British fantasist who seems incapable of writing in anything but top form.' - Locus For the first time in nearly forty years, an uneasy truce has been called between two neighbouring kingdoms. The war has been long and brutal, fought over the usual things: resources, land, money . . . Now, there is a chance for peace. Diplomatic talks have begun and with them, the games of skill and chance. Two teams of fencers represent their nations at this pivotal moment. When the future of the world lies balanced on the point of a rapier, one misstep could mean ruin for all. Books by K.J. Parker: Fencer Trilogy The Colours in the Steel The Belly of the Bow The Proof House Scavenger Trilogy Shadow Pattern Memory Engineer Trilogy Devices and Desires Evil for Evil The Escapement Saloninus Blue and Gold The Devil You Know Two of Swords The Two of Swords: Part 1 The Two of Swords: Part 2 The Two of Swords: Part 3 Novels The Company The Folding Knife The Hammer Sharps Savages Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City My Beautiful Life Book Description The latest novel from one of fantasy's 'premier voices' (SFX) From the Back Cover K.J. Parker's new novel is a perfectly executed tale of intrigue and deception. For the first time in nearly forty years, an uneasy truce has been called between two neighbouring kingdoms. The war has been long and brutal, fought over the usual things: resources, land, money . . . Now, there is a chance for peace. Diplomatic talks have begun and with them, the games. Two teams of fencers represent their nations at this pivotal moment. When the future of the world lies balanced on the point of a rapier, one misstep could mean ruin for all. Human nature being what it is, does peace really have a chance? Praise for the novels of K. J. Parker: 'Impressive . . . there's a mordant wit to the workings of Parker's mind' Time Out 'Exactly what the fantasy genre needs. Mature, confident prose from a talented writer' SFX About the Author K. J. Parker is a pseudonym for Tom Holt. He was born in London in 1961. At Oxford he studied bar billiards, ancient Greek agriculture and the care and feeding of small, temperamental Japanese motorcycle engines. These interests led him, perhaps inevitably, to qualify as a solicitor and emigrate to Somerset, where he specialised in death and taxes for seven years before going straight in 1995. He