anti_formalist12's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
alex_sedai's review against another edition
4.25
Honestly I think this book would be pretty boring for a lot of readers. It’s slower paced and there isn’t a lot of action for much of the book but I was always very interested in the characters and the world. My biggest disappointment was that there wasn’t really any fantastical elements in the book even though it’s categorized as a fantasy book. I’m very interested to read more by this author in the future.
stacey332's review
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This was my first KJP book and I'm glad I started with this one because I enjoyed it! I thought that the morally grey character work was great, that the story was interesting, and that it was easy to be immersed in the story because several aspects of it (the politics, the town etc.) felt very true to real history. While I enjoyed the plot points, I think this was paced far better for someone who is more of a character reader than I am as the vast majority of the exciting plot points happen either right at the beginning of the book or in the last 100 or so pages of it; the middle section is really a lot of setup and character work.
To be honest I have no idea why this was marketed as fantasy and kind of wish it was just marketed as historical fiction because I kept waiting for some kind of spin on the world, characters or story that just never came and it was slightly disappointing in that regard.
To be honest I have no idea why this was marketed as fantasy and kind of wish it was just marketed as historical fiction because I kept waiting for some kind of spin on the world, characters or story that just never came and it was slightly disappointing in that regard.
antonism's review
3.0
3.5 / 5
I’m having a bit of trouble reviewing The Hammer by KJ Parker. I can’t even make myself come up with an adequate summary. So for those reasons, I will forgo my usual review format and get into something more casual and comfortable. You see, The Hammer is a very interesting book; a book that keeps you reading and wanting to find out what comes next. But at the same time, it’s also a frustrating book; a book that annoys you with some things but still makes you keep reading. I’m not making much sense now, am I? Let’s analyze a bit then.
First, and I want to get this out of the way, I don’t very much like Parker’s writing style. I can’t exactly say and pinpoint what it is but there’s something in there that jars me. Could it be the subtle changes in style and pacing from page to page? Maybe it’s the descriptions and choice of words? For sure, the names didn’t appeal to me, especially the met’Oc names because as a native Greek speaker I found them a bit off and ridiculous. Additionally, (and you probably know this if you’ve been following my reviews) as I have a pet-peeve with dialogue, I can’t say I was very satisfied with its presentation here. It often felt a bit stiff and unnatural at times. The constant facial expressions that went with it didn’t help.
The story is amazing on the other hand. A closed social environment with sub-divisions for their separate social groups is the set-up that provides so much dynamic tension for all interactions among characters. All of those groups are stuck to their traditions and way of things, all very unwilling to change but gradually being forced to. I thought that the title of the novel is symbolic for many things but mostly it represents the main character, who is the major element which forces all those changes in motion intentionally or not.
The characters are a mixed bag as well. They are interesting and realistic at their actions but at the same time they end up too “gray” eventually. What I mean is, I like it when I get “gray” characters because they are a bit good, a bit bad and a bit in-between, you know, like people usually are in real life. But when they are intentionally “gray” then that creates the same problem for me as if they were specifically white-good or black-bad.
In the end, while I liked and enjoyed this book, it also managed to frustrate me quite a bit at times. But all those little annoyances of mine are completely on a subjective basis and I’m sure not everybody will feel as I did. With a very interesting story and a lot of deeper meanings, I can see this becoming a favorite for many. It might not have worked perfectly for me but I can still recommend it for many fantasy (and not only) readers.
3.5 / 5
I’m having a bit of trouble reviewing The Hammer by KJ Parker. I can’t even make myself come up with an adequate summary. So for those reasons, I will forgo my usual review format and get into something more casual and comfortable. You see, The Hammer is a very interesting book; a book that keeps you reading and wanting to find out what comes next. But at the same time, it’s also a frustrating book; a book that annoys you with some things but still makes you keep reading. I’m not making much sense now, am I? Let’s analyze a bit then.
First, and I want to get this out of the way, I don’t very much like Parker’s writing style. I can’t exactly say and pinpoint what it is but there’s something in there that jars me. Could it be the subtle changes in style and pacing from page to page? Maybe it’s the descriptions and choice of words? For sure, the names didn’t appeal to me, especially the met’Oc names because as a native Greek speaker I found them a bit off and ridiculous. Additionally, (and you probably know this if you’ve been following my reviews) as I have a pet-peeve with dialogue, I can’t say I was very satisfied with its presentation here. It often felt a bit stiff and unnatural at times. The constant facial expressions that went with it didn’t help.
The story is amazing on the other hand. A closed social environment with sub-divisions for their separate social groups is the set-up that provides so much dynamic tension for all interactions among characters. All of those groups are stuck to their traditions and way of things, all very unwilling to change but gradually being forced to. I thought that the title of the novel is symbolic for many things but mostly it represents the main character, who is the major element which forces all those changes in motion intentionally or not.
The characters are a mixed bag as well. They are interesting and realistic at their actions but at the same time they end up too “gray” eventually. What I mean is, I like it when I get “gray” characters because they are a bit good, a bit bad and a bit in-between, you know, like people usually are in real life. But when they are intentionally “gray” then that creates the same problem for me as if they were specifically white-good or black-bad.
In the end, while I liked and enjoyed this book, it also managed to frustrate me quite a bit at times. But all those little annoyances of mine are completely on a subjective basis and I’m sure not everybody will feel as I did. With a very interesting story and a lot of deeper meanings, I can see this becoming a favorite for many. It might not have worked perfectly for me but I can still recommend it for many fantasy (and not only) readers.
3.5 / 5
aaairm's review
4.0
Needed a reread to fully appreciate it, but it was really good. Nobody does dark and complicated like KJ Parker
ponderings_of_pete's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
KJ Parker hits it out of the park once again. Love this man's writing, his conflicted characters, and everything he does.
Feels like a fantasy version of Australian Independence (although I don't know if this is how Australian Independence went). Noble vs commoner conflicts, and a really screwed up family of exiled nobles that act like nobles but are just douchey (to put it lightly) farmers with too much ego for their britches.
Disclaimer: I don't do stars, but I do contribute to the system of star inflation because they don't mean anything anyways
Feels like a fantasy version of Australian Independence (although I don't know if this is how Australian Independence went). Noble vs commoner conflicts, and a really screwed up family of exiled nobles that act like nobles but are just douchey (to put it lightly) farmers with too much ego for their britches.
Disclaimer: I don't do stars, but I do contribute to the system of star inflation because they don't mean anything anyways
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gaslighting
Minor: Colonisation
metaphorosis's review against another edition
3.0
The Hammer is formulaic. It's a very effective formula, and one that has made me a fan of KJ Parker's work, but it's a formula nonetheless. You'll find here the same characters and tropes that inhabit most of Parker's other work: good characters that turn bad, bad characters that turn good, a seemingly relentless logic that leads to extreme and brutal results, and, most of all, a metaphor hammered until it's paper thin, then folded and re-folded and hammered again.
You'll find, also, the common vocabulary and the usual tantalizing hints that all Parker's work occurs in the same world. There is a Company, a Republic, and Empire, a Colony. In this case, there is an explicit link to other books in mention of the Vesani Republic.
I like KJ Parker. I really do. I thought the first Parker book I read ([b:Colours in the Steel|338404|Colours in the Steel (Fencer Trilogy, #1)|K.J. Parker|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1337636888s/338404.jpg|1661034]) was excellent - despite what was then unexpected savagery. I liked other series almost as much, but felt they weren't treading very far afield. Recent standalone books continued the trend, though [b:The Company|3599870|The Company|K.J. Parker|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348879699s/3599870.jpg|3642573] at least offered a different setting.
The story here is about an exiled noble family, rich in tradition and pride, poor in almost everything else. They live in the vicinity of a colony working for Home, but keep their distance. The 'savages' who inhabit the rest of the peninsula are mostly in the background. As always, good intentions lead to bad results.
The Hammer sticks very close to the approach Parker has perfected. So much so, in fact, that it feels like a book she (let's say) has written before. If you've read Parker's other work, you've pretty much read this one. You know what will happen. You know where it will end. Only the details are different, and in this case, they're just not that interesting. It feels like something off a production line. That's a shame, particularly from an author whose approach and tone are so different from those of most other fantasy authors.
I'd be very disappointed to find that Parker has only one string to her bow. I'd still read her books, much as I still read [a:Stephen Donaldson|6994600|Stephen Donaldson|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66-251a730d696018971ef4a443cdeaae05.jpg]'s books. But I'd hope for more.
You'll find, also, the common vocabulary and the usual tantalizing hints that all Parker's work occurs in the same world. There is a Company, a Republic, and Empire, a Colony. In this case, there is an explicit link to other books in mention of the Vesani Republic.
I like KJ Parker. I really do. I thought the first Parker book I read ([b:Colours in the Steel|338404|Colours in the Steel (Fencer Trilogy, #1)|K.J. Parker|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1337636888s/338404.jpg|1661034]) was excellent - despite what was then unexpected savagery. I liked other series almost as much, but felt they weren't treading very far afield. Recent standalone books continued the trend, though [b:The Company|3599870|The Company|K.J. Parker|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348879699s/3599870.jpg|3642573] at least offered a different setting.
The story here is about an exiled noble family, rich in tradition and pride, poor in almost everything else. They live in the vicinity of a colony working for Home, but keep their distance. The 'savages' who inhabit the rest of the peninsula are mostly in the background. As always, good intentions lead to bad results.
The Hammer sticks very close to the approach Parker has perfected. So much so, in fact, that it feels like a book she (let's say) has written before. If you've read Parker's other work, you've pretty much read this one. You know what will happen. You know where it will end. Only the details are different, and in this case, they're just not that interesting. It feels like something off a production line. That's a shame, particularly from an author whose approach and tone are so different from those of most other fantasy authors.
I'd be very disappointed to find that Parker has only one string to her bow. I'd still read her books, much as I still read [a:Stephen Donaldson|6994600|Stephen Donaldson|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66-251a730d696018971ef4a443cdeaae05.jpg]'s books. But I'd hope for more.
pctek's review
5.0
For those who don't seem to know, K. J. Parker is Tom Holt.
As Parker the books are darker.
But of a theme, people are not who you think.
Sometimes there are battles but nasty things happen in a far more subtle way. And often far nastier. Like this one.
You like them, or you don't.
I do.
As Parker the books are darker.
But of a theme, people are not who you think.
Sometimes there are battles but nasty things happen in a far more subtle way. And often far nastier. Like this one.
You like them, or you don't.
I do.
mlejoy's review
3.0
I'm a little torn on what to rate this - it's around a 3.5 for me. First, this is only loosely fantasy - there's no magic or anything different - just set in a fictional place. I spent most of the book trying to figure out who was good and who bad. I found the ending really unsatisfying. The book wasn't boring or bad, I just didn't care for how things turned out. I will try other books by this author though.