K.J. Parker

Author Information
K.J. Parker's Latest Book

Newest Release

  • Bibliography:
    60 Books (5 Series)
  • First Book:
    February 2003
  • Latest Book:
    September 2025
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Full Series List in Order

The Engineer Trilogy

1 - Devices and Desires (Nov-2004)
2 - Evil for Evil (Dec-2006)
3 - The Escapement (Dec-2007)

The Fencer Trilogy

1 - Colours in the Steel (Feb-2003)
2 - The Belly of the Bow (May-2003)
3 - The Proof House (May-2003)

Saevus Corax

1 - Saevus Corax Deals With the Dead (Oct-2023)
2 - Saevus Corax Captures the Castle (Nov-2023)
3 - Saevus Corax Gets Away With Murder (Dec-2023)

Scavenger Trilogy

1 - Shadow (Mar-2004)
2 - Pattern (Apr-2004)
3 - Memory (Apr-2004)

The Siege

1 - Sixteen Ways To Defend a Walled City (Dec-2018)
2 - How to Rule an Empire and Get Away with It (Aug-2020)
3 - A Practical Guide to Conquering the World (Jan-2022)

Book List in Order: 60 titles

  • Colours in the Steel

    The Fencer Trilogy - 1

    Perimadeia: the famed Triple City and the mercantile capital of the known world. Behind its allegedly impregnable walls, everything is available. Including information which will allow its enemies to plan one of the most remarkable sieges of all time...

  • The Proof House

    The Fencer Trilogy - 3

    The gripping, hugely entertaining conclusion of K.J. Parker's Fencer Trilogy.After years spent in the saps under the defenses of the apparently impregnable city of Ap'Iscatoy, Bardas Loredan, sometimes fencer-at-law and betrayed defender of the famed...

  • The Belly of the Bow

    The Fencer Trilogy - 2

    In one night of blood and betrayal, the famed Triple City of Perimadeia has fallen to the barbarian hordes. The man who led the defending forces, Bardas Loredan, has fled to the island of Scona. Here, eschewing the violence that has characterised his...

  • Shadow

    Scavenger Trilogy - 1

    A man wakes in the wilderness, amid scattered corpses and inquisitive crows. He has no memory of who he is or how he came to be there. The only clues to his former existence lie in his apparent skill with a sword and the fragmented dreams that permea...

  • Memory

    Scavenger Trilogy - 3

    The exciting conclusion to K. J. Parker's Scavenger trilogy.Returning to his childhood home was supposed to bring peace for Poldarn. But it was not to be. The island proved no sanctuary from the ghosts of his past, or from the demons that stalk his d...

  • Pattern

    Scavenger Trilogy - 2

    In a world he does not know, Poldarn's future is uncertain. Pursued by invisible enemies and haunted by the demons of his past, nobody can be trusted-not even himself, it seems. Attempting to piece together his own life from whatever scattered fragme...

  • Devices and Desires

    The Engineer Trilogy - 1

    When an engineer is sentenced to death for a petty transgression of guild law, he flees the city, leaving behind his wife and daughter. Forced into exile, he seeks a terrible vengeance -- one that will leave a trail of death and destruction in its wa...

  • Volcan

  • Evil for Evil

    The Engineer Trilogy - 2

    Civitas Vadanis is in trouble. The Mezentines have declared war; and the Mezentines are very focused on their goals when it comes to killing. Duke Valens, of Civitas Vadanis, has a dilemma. He knows that his city cannot withstand the invading army; y...



  • The Escapement

    The Engineer Trilogy - 3

    The engineer Ziani Vaatzes engineered a war to be reunited with his family. The deaths were regrettable, but he had no choice. Duke Valens dragged his people into the war to save the life of one woman - a woman whose husband he then killed. He regret...

  • The Company

    A NOVEL OF WAR, FRIENDSHIP, AND BETRAYAL. Hoping for a better life, five war veterans colonize an abandoned island. They take with them everything they could possibly need -- food, clothes, tools, weapons, even wives. The colonists feel sure that t...

  • Purple and Black

    Subterranean Press is proud to announce a new novella by the enigmatic author of The Company and The Engineer Trilogy.

    When his father, brothers and uncles wiped each other out in a murderous civil war, Nicephorus was forced to leave the Univ...

  • The Folding Knife

    Basso the Magnificent. Basso the Great. Basso the Wise. The First Citizen of the Vesani Republic is an extraordinary man. He is ruthless, cunning, and above all, lucky. He brings wealth, power and prestige to his people. But with power comes unwa...

  • Blue and Gold

    'Well, let me see,' I said, as the innkeeper poured me a beer. 'In the morning I discovered the secret of changing base metal into gold. In the afternoon, I murdered my wife.' For a man as remarkable as the philosopher Saloninus, just another day....

  • The Hammer

    Gignomai is the youngest brother in the current generation of met'Oc, a once-noble family exiled on an island for their role in a vaguely remembered civil war. An uneasy peace exists on the island. The met'Oc are tolerated, in spite of occasional ca...

  • Sharps

    For the first time in nearly forty years, an uneasy truce has been called between two neighbouring kingdoms. The war has been long and brutal, fought over the usual things: resources, land, money... Now, there is a chance for peace. Diplomatic tal...

  • Academic Exercises

    Academic Exercises is the first collection of shorter work by master novelist K.J. Parker, and it is a stunner. Weighing in at over 500 pages, this generous volume gathers together thirteen highly distinctive stories, essays, and novellas, including ...

  • The Two of Swords: Part One

    ""Why are we fighting this war? Because evil must be resisted, and sooner or later there comes a time when men of principle have to make a stand. Because war is good for business and it's better to die on our feet than live on our knees. Because they...

  • The Two of Swords: Part Three

    ""Why are we fighting this war? Because evil must be resisted, and sooner or later there comes a time when men of principle have to make a stand. Because war is good for business and it's better to die on our feet than live on our knees. Because they...



  • The Two of Swords: Part Two

    ""Why are we fighting this war? Because evil must be resisted, and sooner or later there comes a time when men of principle have to make a stand. Because war is good for business and it's better to die on our feet than live on our knees. Because they...

  • The Two of Swords: Part Four

    ""Why are we fighting this war? Because evil must be resisted, and sooner or later there comes a time when men of principle have to make a stand. Because war is good for business and it's better to die on our feet than live on our knees. Because they...

  • The Two of Swords: Part Five

    ""Why are we fighting this war? Because evil must be resisted, and sooner or later there comes a time when men of principle have to make a stand. Because war is good for business and it's better to die on our feet than live on our knees. Because they...

  • The Two of Swords: Part Six

    ""Why are we fighting this war? Because evil must be resisted, and sooner or later there comes a time when men of principle have to make a stand. Because war is good for business and it's better to die on our feet than live on our knees. Because they...

  • Savages

    An unnamed man wakes to find himself facing the loss of everything that matters most to him. Against all odds, he escapes with his life and heads out into the turbulence of the wider world, recreating himself, step by step, as he goes along. That ...

  • The Two of Swords: Part Seven

    ""Why are we fighting this war? Because evil must be resisted, and sooner or later there comes a time when men of principle have to make a stand. Because war is good for business and it's better to die on our feet than live on our knees. Because they...

  • The Two of Swords: Part Eight

    ""Why are we fighting this war? Because evil must be resisted, and sooner or later there comes a time when men of principle have to make a stand. Because war is good for business and it's better to die on our feet than live on our knees. Because they...

  • The Last Witness

    When you need a memory to be wiped, call me. Transferring unwanted memories to my own mind is the only form of magic I've ever mastered. But now, I'm holding so many memories I'm not always sure which ones are actually mine, any more. Some of...

  • The Two of Swords: Part Nine

    Why are we fighting this war? Because evil must be resisted, and sooner or later there comes a time when men of principle have to make a stand. Because war is good for business and it's better to die on our feet than live on our knees. Because they s...

  • The Two of Swords: Part Ten

    ""Why are we fighting this war? Because evil must be resisted, and sooner or later there comes a time when men of principle have to make a stand. Because war is good for business and it's better to die on our feet than live on our knees. Because they...



  • The Two of Swords: Part Eleven

    ""Why are we fighting this war? Because evil must be resisted, and sooner or later there comes a time when men of principle have to make a stand. Because war is good for business and it's better to die on our feet than live on our knees. Because they...

  • The Two of Swords: Part Twelve

    ""Why are we fighting this war? Because evil must be resisted, and sooner or later there comes a time when men of principle have to make a stand. Because war is good for business and it's better to die on our feet than live on our knees. Because they...

  • The Two of Swords: Part Thirteen

    ""Why are we fighting this war? Because evil must be resisted, and sooner or later there comes a time when men of principle have to make a stand. Because war is good for business and it's better to die on our feet than live on our knees. Because they...

  • The Devil You Know

    The greatest philosopher of all time is offering to sell his soul to the Devil. All he wants is twenty more years to complete his life’s work. After that, he really doesn’t care. But the assistant demon assigned to the case has his suspicions,...

  • The Two of Swords: Part Fourteen

    Why are we fighting this war? Because evil must be resisted, and sooner or later there comes a time when men of principle have to make a stand. Because war is good for business and it's better to die on our feet than live on our knees. Because they s...

  • Downfall of the Gods

    If you visit the Temple and ask nicely for forgiveness, you might get it -- assuming you aren't Lord Archias and you haven't killed the Goddess's favorite musician, Lysippus. But even goddesses are expected to follow certain rules, and as much as she...

  • The Two of Swords: Part Fifteen

    ""Why are we fighting this war? Because evil must be resisted, and sooner or later there comes a time when men of principle have to make a stand. Because war is good for business and it's better to die on our feet than live on our knees. Because they...

  • The Two of Swords: Part Eighteen

    Why are we fighting this war? Because evil must be resisted, and sooner or later there comes a time when men of principle have to make a stand. Because war is good for business and it's better to die on our feet than live on our knees. Because they s...

  • The Best of Beneath Ceaseless Skies Online Magazine, Year Seven

    Eighteen more short stories of literary adventure fantasy from Beneath Ceaseless Skies, the four-time Hugo Award and six-time World Fantasy Award finalist online magazine that Locus online calls “a premiere venue for fantastic fiction, not just onl...

  • Priest's Hole

    Irongrove Lodge draws the broken and disillusioned, the merely curious, the poor and the wealthy alike. Steeped in a terrible and arcane history, it is a house like no other. And here is a man like no other; for a fee he can change his face. He can b...



  • Mightier Than the Sword

    An Imperial legate is called into see his aunt, who just happens to be the empress running the civilized world while her husband's in his sick bed. After some chastisement, she dispatches her nephew to take care of the dreaded Land and Sea Raiders, p...

  • The Two of Swords: Part Seventeen

    ""Why are we fighting this war? Because evil must be resisted, and sooner or later there comes a time when men of principle have to make a stand. Because war is good for business and it's better to die on our feet than live on our knees. Because they...

  • The Two of Swords: Part Sixteen

    ""Why are we fighting this war? Because evil must be resisted, and sooner or later there comes a time when men of principle have to make a stand. Because war is good for business and it's better to die on our feet than live on our knees. Because they...

  • The Father of Lies

    Bringing together K. J. Parker's recent novellas and novelettes, totaling over 500 pages of wry, twisty fiction, FATHER OF LIES delves into the arcane as never before. Set amid the world of Parker's critically acclaimed novels and award winning stori...

  • Sixteen Ways To Defend a Walled City

    The Siege - 1

    K. J. Parker's new novel is the remarkable tale of the siege of a walled city, and the even more remarkable man who had to defend it. A siege is approaching, and the city has little time to prepare. The people have no food and no weapons, and ...

  • My Beautiful Life

    Over the past two decades, K. J. Parker has established himself as one of the most original voices in contemporary fantasy. Through works ranging in scale from multi-volume epics (The Engineer Trilogy) to standalone novels (The Company) to a vivid as...

  • Prosper's Demon

    In the pitch dark, witty fantasy novella Prosper's Demon, K. J. Parker deftly creates a world with vivid, unbending rules, seething with demons, broken faith, and worse men. In a botched demonic extraction, they say the demon feels it ten time...

  • How to Rule an Empire and Get Away with It

    The Siege - 2

    This is the story of how the City was saved, by Notker the professional liar, written down because eventually the truth always seeps through. The City may be under siege, but everyone still has to make a living. Take Notker, the acclaimed playwrig...

  • The Big Score

    Welcome to the world of Saloninus, the most unlikely Renaissance Man you will ever encounter. A man of many and diverse talents, he is the hero and narrator of K.J. Parker's witty, hugely entertaining novella, The Big Score.Saloninus is a man ...

  • Inside Man

    K. J. Parker returns to the amoral world of Prosper’s Demon with a wry, sardonic novella that flips the eternal, rule-governed battle between men and demons on its head.An anonymous representative of the Devil, once a high-ranking Duke of Hell and ...



  • A Practical Guide to Conquering the World

    The Siege - 3

    A Practical Guide to Conquering the World can be read by itself, but for those who like endings it can also be considered the refreshingly pragmatic conclusion to World Fantasy Award-winning author K.J. Parker’s acclaimed sequence of novels that be...

  • The Long Game

    The always unpredictable K. J. Parker has written some of the most original and compelling fantasy fiction of recent decades. In his latest novella, The Long Game, Parker has turned once again to the comic side of his multi-faceted talent, and...

  • Pulling the Wings Off Angels

    Pulling the Wings Off Angels is a madcap adventure brimming with the ethical quandaries and sardonic wit of The Good Place by World Fantasy Award-winning author K. J. ParkerLong ago, a wealthy man stole an angel and hid her in a chapel, where she rem...

  • Under My Skin

    -anyone who reads the right book has an allyHere is the right book. Under My Skin, K.J. Parker's superb new collection, includes almost 700 pages of novelettes and novellas, some appearing here for the first time anywhere, with one completely new nov...

  • Saevus Corax Deals With the Dead

    Saevus Corax - 1

    The first novel in a new epic fantasy trilogy from World Fantasy Award-winner K. J. Parker.For more from K. J. Parker, check out:Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled CityHow to Rule an Empire and Get Away With ItA Practical Guide to Conquering the Wo...

  • Saevus Corax Captures the Castle

    Saevus Corax - 2

    From one of the most original voices in fantasy comes a twisted tale of murder, betrayal, and battlefield salvage.   For more from K. J. Parker, check out:   Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled CityHow to Rule an Empire and Get Away With It A...

  • Saevus Corax Gets Away With Murder

    Saevus Corax - 3

    From one of the most original voices in fantasy comes a twisted tale of murder, betrayal, and battlefield salvage.    For more from K. J. Parker, check out:   Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled CityHow to Rule an Empire and Get Away Wit...

  • Set in Stone

    A sculptor struggles when he is commanded to perpetuate the lies of a deceitful and cruel king...At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied....

  • New K. J. Parker Novel #2 2025

    A new epic fantasy novel from World Fantasy Award-winner author K. J. Parker, one of the most original voices in the genre. For more from K. J. Parker, check out:Saevus Corax Deals With the Dead Saevus Corax Captures the Castle Saevus Corax Gets Away...

  • New K. J. Parker Novel 2/25

    A new epic fantasy novel from World Fantasy Award winner K. J. Parker, one of the most original voices in the genre.   For more from K. J. Parker, check out:Saevus Corax Deals With the Dead Saevus Corax Captures the Castle Saevus Corax Gets Away...

  • Making History

    KJ Parker's new novella is a darkly witty historical fantasy. A group of scholars are asked to do the impossible by a ruthless king. The cost of refusal being death, of course.History isn't truth...it's propaganda.Academics can be cocky. Atop their p...

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

K.J. Parker has published 60 books.

The next book by K.J. Parker, Making History, will be published in September 2025.

The first book by K.J. Parker, Colours in the Steel, was published in February 2003.

Yes. K.J. Parker has 5 series.
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