About the Author

K.J. Parker is a pseudonym for Tom Holt. He was born in London in 1961. At Oxford he studied bar billiards, ancient Greek agriculture and the care and feeding of small, temperamental Japanese motorcycle engines; interests which led him, perhaps inevitably, to qualify as a solicitor and emigrate to Somerset, where he specialized in death and taxes for seven years before going straight in 1995. He lives in Chard, Somerset, with his wife and daughter.

Reviews

"I have reviewed books before that I thought might someday be found to have achieved greatness.... But I am trying to be precise in my use of the word when I tell you that K.J. Parker is writing work after work that demands to be placed in that category. " --- Orson Scott Card on The Engineer trilogy "Imagine Lost meets The Italian Job...a masterfully planned and executed book, one that builds on ever-revealing characterization and back-story, leading slowly yet inexorably to its final conclusion." --- SFF World

"This exquisitely written novel by a pseudonymous popular author blends gritty military fantasy with the 18th-century island story tradition... With inexorable emotional logic and an eye for detail, deftly weaving in flashbacks to wartime, Parker carries the reader on a headlong gallop to the powerful conclusion."--Publishers Weekly on The Company

The war is long over when Gen. Teuche Kunessin finally returns to his homeland of Faralia, but he's not there to stay. Five surviving comrades from A Company, their last-minute arranged brides, and a motley batch of indentured servants soon make their way to the island of Sphoe, where they hope to settle and become gentlemen farmers. Such a transition won't be easy: these legendary survivors have seen too much, hold differing ideas about the postwar command structure, and carry some dark secrets. The unusual plot gracefully blends developments on the island with flashbacks from the war in a deftly paced mix that's brimming with psychological insights. Parker ("The Engineer" trilogy, the "Scavenger" trilogy) nails the rough banter among longtime comrades and the restless nature of soldiers who experienced too much violence and never expected to come home. There's not the tiniest hint of magic in this muscular stand-alone fantasy, a fine bridge to the genre for action and historical fiction readers. Strongly recommended for all fantasy and popular fiction collections.--Neil Hollands, Williamsburg Regional Lib., VA Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

I have reviewed books before that I thought might someday be found to have achieved greatness.... But I am trying to be precise in my use of the word when I tell you that K.J. Parker is writing work after work that demands to be placed in that category. --- Orson Scott Card on The Engineer trilogy

Imagine Lost meets The Italian Job...a masterfully planned and executed book, one that builds on ever-revealing characterization and back-story, leading slowly yet inexorably to its final conclusion. --- SFF World
This exquisitely written novel by a pseudonymous popular author blends gritty military fantasy with the 18th-century island story tradition... With inexorable emotional logic and an eye for detail, deftly weaving in flashbacks to wartime, Parker carries the reader on a headlong gallop to the powerful conclusion.--Publishers Weekly on The Company