[.uk] Devices and Desires (Engineer Trilogy) (ISBN 0316003387)

Not Bad, But Not Good:
I saw this particular title in my local bookstore a few times and thought it looked interesting. I read the short summary on the back and decided to give it a try. Now the way the summary makes it sound is that this trilogy is all about deception, love, and betrayal. Two of those things are definitely prominent throughout the story; deception and betrayal. The love bit seems to be non-existent however. Anyway, what really drags this entire series down is the fact that there is so much emphasis on the mechanical side of things in the story and not the characters. To me a good story needs good characters, but I quickly found myself not caring about any of the characters and what happened to them. You could tell that the author did quite a bit of research before writing this as well, for the story goes into such gross depth on the mechanisms that it sometimes felt like I was reading a textbook instead of a fantasy novel. Aside from all of that though, the story does have its good points as well. The story is very deep and involves many characters, and like I said earlier, involves lots of deception and betrayal. However, the few interesting and exciting parts of the trilogy are heavily weighed down by the boring and redundant descriptive passages about machines, but if you like mechanisms and wouldn't mind spending a large amount of time reading lengthy descriptive passages, then these would definitely be for you. However, if you're just a casual fantasy reader then you could easily pass this series up.

Devices and Desires - K.J. Parker:
Writing Style - 3/5 Characters - 3 Storyline - 3 Resonance - 2 The Not-So-Revealing Synopsis: Parker presents the paragon of medieval efficiency and technology with the main character's home society. Possible defects in the structure of the supposed utopian industrial society force one disaffected citizen to confront the backward feudal societies of which he knows nothing. The Review: Substitute Parker's engineering for magic and you have the classic content of a medieval fantasy novel. It would be a mistake to consider the technological angle to be the book's prime novelty and main asset. The engineer's society and a few inventions are well built and described but are mostly introduced and exhausted within the first fifth of the book. The engineer theme thereafter is forced and awkward, if not out-right detractive. The surprising strength of the book is in the development of the political. Feudal society is viewed from a newcomer's perspective that reveals both the inanity and worth of fealty and duty. Several subfields relevant to the period are explored in detail and are well worked into the larger themes. Unfortunately contemporary words and phrases taint the otherwise pleasant writing ("hedge my bets," "dog ate my homework"). It was a truly enjoyable read without a single chapter that bored but I have no desire whatsoever to read the sequels. If you are a big fantasy reader I would recommend this book, if not, I encourage you to spend your fantasy credits elsewhere.

Amazingly Good:
Devices and Desires is not like any fantasy novel that I have previously read. No gods or demons, swords & sorcery, priests or magic jewels. Just an excellent premise (chivalry vs. engineering) and very, very good writing. Every character in this book, even the shortest one-paragraph walk-ons, is finely and individually drawn. The author's fine sense of irony and exquisite asides - "The world is full of annoyances, none more infuriating than a fool with a valid point" - made me want to read it slowly, because the experience was so delightful that I never wanted it to end.

A good read that has a few flaws.:
Devices and Desires was a rather quick read for me. I would say, overall, that I enjoyed the book. However, the author has a tendency for writing long-winded plotlines that have little bearing on the main story or anything else in the book. I would find myself asking "why am I reading this?" or "Get to the point." Also there were quite a few times I thought sections ( spanning many pages ) could have been better written into a few paragraphs. The only other criticism I might have falls to the fact that I really couldn't find myself getting into many of the main characters. It was not that I couldn't understand their motivations or even grudgingly agree with them... more like it seemed they were actors in a play given bad lines and directing. My favorite character had to be Valens whose walk into the grey area of ruling and politics was fun to read and strangely my least favorite character was Ziani, who I felt was not done well enough to justify his lofty position as main character. If you have already read the book the monologue at the end was just a little too pat and illogical for me to swallow. I can't be more specific I am afraid without giving away spoilers and I am loathe to do that. But I do recommend the book just don't be expecting greatness in it.

Tough Review:
I write this review after only reading this first book in the Engineer Trilogy and we know that sometimes the first book in a series of fantasy fiction can become clarified in retrospect as the series progresses. Keep that in mind for I am not 100% kind to this book. The novel's engineering aspects and its fencing and hunting terminologies are fastidiously and admirably researched. However, this fact is laboriously clear to the reader from page 1 and it bogs down the story and over burdens its prose often. There are few other descriptions in the story that are as well crafted as those aspects and that leaves the whole world and its characters collapse into two dimensions when none of those three topics are being discussed. Now with the negative stuff out of the way it would seem that what is left after you parse out the negative aspects of this novel is still a fairly enjoyable story. It is fresh and it is new and these aspects cannot be over looked either. Though the world can be flat at times the history and structure of Mezentia, its Guilds, and its culture stands out in the novel. All characters within that context read very well. The others from outside those walls are much more often one-dimensional characters that operate more as cogs in the wheels of a rather "machined feeling" narrative. Clearly though, further books in the series could take off on a three dimensional narrative jaunt that might evoke more emotion and clarity of purposes. The story most certainly has that potential.