Kadomi reviewed Colours in the Steel by K. J. Parker
Review of 'Colours in the Steel' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
I was pleasantly by this 'low-fantasy' book. The writing style somehow appealed to me, even though the plot itself is not that fascinating. Colours in the Steel is set in Perimadeia, a marvelous large city that seems impenetrable. Temrai, new chieftain of a clan of barbarians, is plotting revenge on Perimadeia by conquering the city, after living there for a few months to study how to bring the city down. He is looking for one specific man, Bardas Loredan, whose cavalier unit brought destruction to Temrai's clan when he was a child. Said Bardas Loredan works as a lawyer in the city. The legal system of Perimadeia probably gives the series its name, because advocates are all fencers who settle cases in court by dueling each other to death. When Temrai begins his siege, Bardas is named chief defender of the city, if he wants to or not. Mixed in …
I was pleasantly by this 'low-fantasy' book. The writing style somehow appealed to me, even though the plot itself is not that fascinating. Colours in the Steel is set in Perimadeia, a marvelous large city that seems impenetrable. Temrai, new chieftain of a clan of barbarians, is plotting revenge on Perimadeia by conquering the city, after living there for a few months to study how to bring the city down. He is looking for one specific man, Bardas Loredan, whose cavalier unit brought destruction to Temrai's clan when he was a child. Said Bardas Loredan works as a lawyer in the city. The legal system of Perimadeia probably gives the series its name, because advocates are all fencers who settle cases in court by dueling each other to death. When Temrai begins his siege, Bardas is named chief defender of the city, if he wants to or not. Mixed in is his family history, a pair of siblings from the Island who seem capable of magic, and the Patriarch of Perimadeia trying to figure out what the heck is going on with the events centering on Bardas.
There's a lot of setup happening because especially the magic stuff and the revelations about the Loredan family require a lot more information. There was a lot of wry humor in the writing that appealed to me, but make no mistake, the story itself is pretty grim, with thousands being killed in the war between the clan and Perimadeia. If you enjoy low-fantasy, with meticulous detail when it comes to siege weapons, archery, and crafting in a fantasy world, this might be for you.