The Belly Of The Bow: Fencer Vol 2 (Fencer Trilogy)

Colours in the Steel, Volume One of the Fencer Trilogy, introduced a remarkable new voice in fantasy fiction. The Belly of the Bow confirms that rich promise and.
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New Ed List Price: What can you expect depending on book condition? The book will be clean without any major stains or markings,the spine of the book will be in great shape meaning the book still has a lot of life in it, no pages will be missing, the pages may be slightly folded through previous use but not majorly.

The book will be clean without any major stains or markings, the spine will be in excellent shape with only minor creasing, no pages will be missing and the cover is likely to be very clean. There may be some creasing through previous use but not much. The book pretty much look like a new book. There will be no stains or markings on the book, the cover is clean and crisp, the book will look unread, the only marks there may be are slight bumping marks to the edges of the book where it may have been on a shelf previously.

Note that payment must have cleared and reached us by 12pm to allow eBay enough time to send us the order details. Express shipping is available only to UK customers at present. Meet Tombstone Jack, the toughest bounty hunter in the old west. Traditional western action at its finest! Product details File Size: Orbit May 7, Publication Date: May 7, Language: Related Video Shorts 0 Upload your video. Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a customer review. There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. In my review of Parker's "Colours in the Steel", I stated that the characters were a little mediocre and that the philosophical questions asked of the reader were the most interesting parts of the novel.

On top of that, I also stated that there were somewhat too epic descriptions of the technology used in the novel such as siege engines. The detailed descriptions of medieval technology are just about the only similarity between "Colours in the Steel" and "The Belly of the Bow", and yet I loved this book just as much as the first! Parker does a complete degree spin on just about every point that "Colours in the Steel" established.

Make room for guerilla fighting and bowyering. Not nearly as much this time around, except in a strictly literal sense. By that I mean that there is a big bad standing army made up of scholars and philosophers. Finally, instead of bland characters we have deep, intricate, and flawed characters that are somehow likeable despite their bad habits.

Once again, this book is not for the uninitiated. It's depressing at times as well as disgusting squeamish people beware , but nothing stopped me from enjoying the second installment of the Fencer Trilogy. I know this book isn't for everyone, but I daresay that I loved this book more than the first. It's really incredible how different it is.

Parker gets really poetic when drawing comparisons between people and bows, but all of the refreshing character conflicts and intrigue leaves little room for the philosophical questioning I loved so much from the first book. The reader is still asked questions like "How much control do we really have?

Hardly any of the characters are questioning anything this time around, probably because they've become so sure of themselves. Parker gets inventive with his world design once again. Instead of fencers fighting over merchant disputes in the courts, two commercial enterprises duked it out with militaries one of which is made up of university students. Lastly, Parker nails his classic obscure structure patterns.

He'll switch back and forth between primary characters, only to then throw the reader into the perspective of some random officer just to see the battle from his view. Other times, passages will be narrated as if by an unknown historian as he or she recounts battles or the broad strokes of the ongoing war. Overall, a job well done. Parker managed to fix the shortcomings of the first novel but unfortunately strayed away from one of my favorite elements. As a result, "The Belly of the Bow" is a much easier read in terms of pacing.

But with more interesting characters and intriguing political maneuvers, I would say that it was a more enjoyable read as well. One person found this helpful. If the previous installment was about Bardas Loredan and the city of Perimadeia, the Belly of the Bow wants presents the other members of his family, namely Niessa and Gorgas Loredan and their sick twisted family relationship.

There is also a war between bank and institute, fought with armies, but also with money and magic. It's like fighting tanks with a knife. Why not have archers yourself? Apart from that, there's no real flaw in the story in my humble opinion. As much as i wanna know how all this will end, i'm gonna read something completely different now.

Whole lot of nothing going on in this one, until close to the end when somebody does something totally out of character and totally unbelievable. It really made no sense at all and almost made me quit reading the series. Hopefully the third one is better, if not, I might just be done with this author. The action I spoke about really, really made no sense in anyway.

The Belly of the Bow: 2 (Fencer Trilogy) By K. J. Parker

It was like the author took all the character building he had been doing and just threw it out the window and decided to start over. Jan 24, Ee Cheng Ooi rated it really liked it. People have rated this book poorly, with the claim that it violates the rule of heroic fantasy - that the hero has to be heroic.

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I don't hold to this in the slightest, and thus thoroughly enjoyed the novel. Feb 02, Molly Ison rated it liked it Shelves: This must be what is meant by the banality of evil. Jun 11, Vincent rated it it was amazing. This carries on where the last book left off, Bardas is no longer in the centre of things but he still appears pivotal. We get to meet the whole Loredan family with Gorgas in particular taking centre stage for large parts of the story, most of the key characters from the previous book are here again still connected to Bardas.

This keeps the laid-back style of the first book with plenty of humour.

THE BELLY OF the Bow: 2 (Fencer Trilogy) By K. J. Parker - £ | PicClick UK

The characters are likeable and quirky, the politics is written with a very high leve A perfect sequel. The characters are likeable and quirky, the politics is written with a very high level of cynicism and the action is never over done. We do get the see Bardas in a different light here, his relationship with his younger brother is difficult and in the end he stops being the hapless but likeable hero and becomes more like Gorgas. The ending is exceptional; bizarre, over the top and certainly unforgettable.

Jun 14, Caroline Hodge rated it it was ok Shelves: I'm trying to review this from memory a looooong time ago That, and I was considering the law at the time. To be honest this series is more like a slow descent into horror. I went on and read the third. I really should have left it here. Especially considering the nature of 3's plot.

The Belly of the Bow: 2 (Fencer Trilogy) By K. J. Parker

This is the l I'm trying to review this from memory a looooong time ago This is the last point Bardas makes any kind of sense, or any dimensionality, I think the author's obsession with fates, circles and families overtakes any logic to characters. I then read the Scavenger series. I've not touched a Parker since. If you like your fantasy depressing and macabre read Parker, if not, it's not worth it, it' 'ok'. Dec 06, Duncan rated it really liked it. Second in the fantasy series about a very strange family, and how their interactions sway this particular fantasy world's geopolitics.


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For some reason, I was struck this time by how Parker's worlds are almost entirely devoid of emotions and where there's emotion, it's mostly inferred rather than shown --the characters all explain them strictly in rational terms, to the point where, if emotion does show up, it seems strangely out of place. At any rate, this series devotes a fair amount of attent Second in the fantasy series about a very strange family, and how their interactions sway this particular fantasy world's geopolitics. At any rate, this series devotes a fair amount of attention to the building of weapons and to military tactics, and the former was particularly interesting; the "bow" metaphor didn't work quite as well as the "sword" metaphor from the previous book, though.

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Feb 27, Carl Phillips rated it liked it. While I like the exposition-style parts of the book, and the way the author uses multiple POVs to show the full sweep of the events that are occurring, I just don't care at all about any of the characters. With a warning that the series is as much fun as a kick in balls. Well written, but bleak. Oct 24, Chris Ross rated it it was amazing. Brilliantly Dark and humorous book, if a little slow at times.

Yes there are some shocking moments in it, but all of the characters are flawed and broken so it fits. Very refreshing to read something so grim and no heroes. May 16, Ted rated it did not like it. Luckily I came to this after reading almost all of the rest of KJ Parker's works. This one goes nowhere and is brutal without purpose. Because I'm a completionist I'll give the next one a shot but you are better off skipping this trilogy based to avoid reading this one, IMHO. Jul 30, Andrea rated it it was amazing Shelves: Jul 13, Daniel Vogelsong rated it really liked it Shelves: I can never see the turn coming in KJ Parker books.

It's always out of left field, always what I least expect. Couldn't put it down. Guess I'll have to buy the third volume in the trilogy now. I rarely spend a weekend reading but I just had to keep reading til the end. Definitely a second act book. Apr 04, Lindsey Roberts rated it it was amazing. This not fighting takes it out of you. The Belly of the Bow is the second in his Fencer Trilogy, following the Loredan family as they attempt to take on the world and each other at the same time. Starting shortly after the first book finishes, everyone seems to have settled into some sort of new life after the fall of Perimadeia.

Niessa believes in magic — and the Principal — and wants Alexius and Vertris to be her tools. It is in the control of his brother, Gorgas — a general, a killer and a man who values peace with his brother above everything else. Like the first book, the story switches narration as the war rages.

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The characters from the first book all remain present even when their paths go in difference ways and new ones are introduced. While all have personal motivations for acting the way they do, the majority just want to still be alive at the end of the book. The Belly of the Bow follows the same structure as the first. However - in terms of the structure — how closely it follows the first book makes it a touch predictable. Although there is a third book, a small amount of reluctance to read has taken hold — if that too follows exactly the same pattern, it will be a disappointing read.

The trick works once. The skill with which Parker writes other aspects of his novels means he can get away with it twice — just about. A third time would be taking it too far. Parker is an engaging and entertaining writer though. He knows how to make you fall in love with the characters, how to increase the tension and how to make you laugh out loud at the right moments.


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    6. The ending aside, the book is a thoroughly enjoyable read and definitely a recommendation if you wish to be entertained. Nov 30, Aaron rated it really liked it. Parker's style of writing. All his characters are super smart or at least appear to be , but are very self-deprecating as well. Some quotes I like: