Reviews

The Folding Knife by K.J. Parker

wildguitars's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 stars
I whould have given the story 4 stars because the character work was very good, but some parts of the story felt very boring with too much information dump that didn't matter in the long run and did not progress the story very much.. the political aspects of the novel didn't grab me as much, and the finance parts does not interest me..

bluealliecat's review against another edition

3.0

3.5. Solid book! I had fun with it. Basso’s life was quite the journey.

odinallfather's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

davesdungeon's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

michael_k's review against another edition

lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

antigonus's review against another edition

4.0

The Folding Knife by K.J. Parker is a stunning slow-burner character study of Basso, a self-confessed “unprincipled, amoral, calculating butcher who’ll run the world like a bank.” He puts the capital ‘m’ in Machiavellian, and embodies so many contradictory qualities that the story’s conclusion left me disoriented about my feelings for him as a whole.

Basso pursues narcissistic self-aggrandizement (and a worthy title like ‘Basso the Magnificent’ to go along with it) like no one else, but is also perfectly conscious that his elevation is only possible through a certain degree of collective good. On one hand, he makes moves that will help a great number of people who need it the most; on the other hand, he does so for selfish reasons that will naturally give him more power and room for further manipulation.

His capability to win the undying loyalty of complete strangers with a few gestures and policies is moving. However, Basso sometimes cannot squeeze a single drop of love or forgiveness out of his own family members. He is able to anticipate events that will take place years in the future, yet is too preoccupied to pick up obvious clues from people standing right in front of him.

Mind you, the author ably complements this stunning portrait with a healthy dose of economics, bank transfers, political intrigue, imperialism, geopolitical manoeuvres, trade and military supply chain intricacies, and more. This is the first K.J. Parker book I’ve read and I can only bang my head against a wall for not exploring his work sooner. The author’s knack for memorable quotes, singular physical descriptions of side characters, and hilarious observations on the quirks of military life were an absolute blast to read.

If you are someone who prioritises characters above everything else in the stories you read, please check out this book. You won’t regret it, I assure you.

humanpuke's review against another edition

I want to return to this one day. It’s really good and the main character is fun to read from. My postpartum brain just wasn’t clicking 

zozoisgolden's review against another edition

3.0

3 and a half stars.

This entire book was a military and Roman Republic nerd's wet dream. The end felt too abrupt for my taste even though it was quite expected.

What kept my attention were the socio-economic effects of war and the in-depth foray into Banking. Two subjects I find boring but kept my attention here long enough to finish it. Also, I am a mild sucker for the world and lore which paints the picture of a Roman Republican mirror in the 18 or 19th century.

The characters, however, earned that half star. Injecting various Greek/Roman/Generally Western poets/philosophy inserts does not substitute great character building. Basso is both interesting and yet a blank slate of a man. Unsure of how that's possible but somehow it's how he came off.

The female characters were, lol, swirls of dialogue with vague notions of characterization.

Spoiler

Melunthusa was given zero depth other than the quirky girl Basso could talk shop with. Her betrayal made ZERO sense because at some point she claimed to support her people being invaded, then said Basso didn't ask how she felt???? It was very confusing and made no sense. Lina was just a mask of fury with no nuance and his first wife was fridged just because. Murdering your cheating wife is such great origin material

Basso and Bassano's conversations earned the other half star. That relationship concluded to a place I expected and made sense for the narrative.

I like this book for the detail and exercise in a subject I am unfamiliar with. But the characters could use a lot more work.

maitrey_d's review against another edition

4.0

Interesting, and a quick read. The only fantastical thing in this book is the pseudo-Roman/Italian City State world-building, complete with the over-Latinized names.

The protagonist's character arc is revealed in the first chapter itself: he was a great man, a murderer, and is his city-state's fallen leader. But you're sucked in immediately to know 'why'? How did all this happen?

The book also has great thoughts on banking (the protagonist is a banker, apart from being a politician), the military and how it operates and also some brilliant writing on the mentality of "Us and Them", besides some discussions on ethics and morality. Heady stuff, but KJ Parker makes sure you're never bored.

I also think Parker (who's identity is unknown, right down to his/her gender) is slightly capitalizing on the recent financial crisis and Afghanistan, but don't let that keep you from reading this book. Brilliant overall.

ariaslibrary's review against another edition

5.0

“That’s the thing,” she said. “You add on getting rid of starvation and poverty like it’s a fringe benefit. Like the slice of lemon you get with a plate of whitebait.”

He laughed. “That’s why I succeed,” he said, “where the men with beautiful souls always fail. If you walk through the market asking the stallholders to give you a slice of lemon for free, they’d laugh in your face. Pay for the whitebait and you get a good meal of whitebait for your money, plus the free lemon.”

“The Folding Knife” isn’t a book I’d recommend for everyone. It’s cynical and sometimes depressing. It reads like historical fiction that focuses on the politics and economy of a country. A lot of times, the economics can go over your head but with the way our character describes the situations, it is made easier to understand. Speaking of our main character.

Bassianus “Basso” Severus is such a fascinating character. At a young age, his father marries him off and has him trained to take over a bank he'd bought. His father doesn’t expect him to succeed, but he does! A bit too well actually. He becomes better than the man who trains him. Finally, a smart character who’s actually smart. 

Despite my admiration for a smart character, I hate that I love Basso. He is an amoral man, who does the worst things, all because he sees an opportunity to make a profit. Yet you can’t help but root for him seeing how farther ahead he thinks of his plans, all possible contingencies and outcomes, or maybe that’s just me being impressed. I can’t help but think of that cringey quote “Throw me to the wolves and I’ll come back leading the pack.” but it perfectly describes Basso. As one character said:

“You have a knack of getting yourself into the most appalling trouble, which then turns out to your advantage. You might argue that a truly fortunate man wouldn’t get into the dreadful mess in the first place; he’d live a life of blameless, uneventful rectitude and eventually die, happy and obscure. You, on the other hand, have all the luck; the good sort and the bad. If your enemies took you out into the bay and threw you in the sea, you’d come up a few minutes later with a fistful of pearls.”

Others claim that it’s Basso inheriting his father’s luck that gets him so far and while that may be true, it’s not the whole picture, it’s barely even a noticeable portion. No, it’s Basso being a genius and thinking without silly things such as emotions blinding him. Yet that isn’t true either as seen with his relationships with certain characters.

His relationship with his parents was practically non-existent. They were emotionally distant and we can see Basso act that way as well with his own children (but that’s for other reasons). I would say he was closer to his father, especially after he inherited the bank and started earning money. He learned quite a bit from him, such as recognising the superior gifts of others and using them to his advantage. Basso even starts using his father’s signature quote: “Best deal I ever made”

When it comes to recognising other’s gifts, we have Aelius, a soldier who is the reason Basso is partially deaf. But when Basso sees his skills, he is quick to hire him, foregoing the history they share. The other person is Antigonus, the man who trained him and the only man Basso actually respected. Some might say he saw him as a mentor or a father figure. Still, even with the respect he has for him, Basso doesn’t see him as an equal.

When it comes to complicated family relationships, there’s nothing like that between Basso and his sister. She hates him with every inch of her being. Her loathing is so great, that she dedicates her life to ruining his. There were times when I hoped Basso would just get rid of her, a simple kill made to look like an accident but he doesn’t. Why?

Suddenly, Bassano smiled. “You like talking about her.”

“She’s the person I love most in the world,” Basso replied.

And now Bassano. Bassianus Arcadius Carausius is his nephew and godchild. Basso loves this boy. He loves him so much that when Bassano asks to join the bank, he refuses. Basso knows what kind of person he is, he isn’t blind to his character. He doesn’t want that for his beloved nephew. He wants him to be good. He wants him to be kind.

Bassano nodded slowly. “You reckon that if I go into business, it’ll make me all nasty and twisted.”

“That’s something of an oversimplification,” Basso said quietly, “but you’re on the right lines. I think that if you go into business, and you knuckle down and try really hard and apply yourself and harness all your considerable abilities, you might end up something like me. And that,” he added softly, “would be a dreadful shame. That’s all.”

Tense relationships aside, the plot follows Basso throughout his entire career from the bank to the leader of the government. K. J. Parker does not shy away from showing us the dark side of politics. Situations such as ignoring an assassination attempt because it would give your opponents leeway for their political ambitions, was a bit of a shock to me. Politics is messed up but I love reading about it. As we follow Basso, we learn the difficulty of leading a country, the decisions needed to be made that may go against your very ideals and how one mistake could cost you everything.

“You’re an infuriating man, Uncle. Why?”

Basso stopped. “I’ll give you a hint,” he said. “My father always used to say, the man who wins in the end is the man who can get the most out of a defeat.”