A review by kizzia
Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City by K.J. Parker

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book is the first in a trilogy, one I picked up after a friend described Orham as “if Vetinari and Vimes were one person and they had nothing to lose” and she absolutely wasn’t wrong. Orham is a fantastic, if somewhat unreliable, narrator and main character; he’s intellegent, sneaky, wonderfully human and completely compelling. Plus the plot is  believable and twisty and gripping, the wit is strong and the writing is excellent. 

If I weren’t currently on a book buying ban I’d already have books two and three in The Siege trilogy - How To Rule an Empire and Get Away With It & A Practical Guide to Conquering the World - bought and ready to read.