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alanwbrown's review
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
roadtripreader's review
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Saloninus is such an arse! - I bloody love him.
That's saying a lot. I "met" him in Pulling the Wings of Angels and his genius pissed me off because of the earth shattering affect it had on that world's belief system. But Science must, after all, pull down the curtain of magic and superstition. He was their Newton-Tesla-Heisenberg and so much more.
And yet, starting here at the beginning or some ways to the beginning - I can't help but like this unreliable narrator. His truths are indistinguishable from his lies. I found myself shocked 😮into forced understanding on so many pages.
Plot/Storyline/Themes:
Saloninus The Philosopher is a lying liar who liars. A liar, an accidental killer, a genius all round - literature, science, art and most importantly, Saloninus the Liar is the Alchemist to beat and blend and change all other metals into something priceless and magnificent.
K.J. Parker built a world from our world that is so rich in things that make worlds well...worlds that I keep forgetting none of them are real. I found myself trying to find the books of these philosophers and alchemists and scientists mentioned and couldn't find them on Goodreads or google. Shot to the heart - they don't exist this side of the dimension.
Two Sentences or less - Characters:
Phocas: Patient murderer or more to the point, a royal serial killer with the facade of being a friend and protector.
Saloninus: Alchemist, Thief, Criminal, Philosopher, Author, Inventor, Magician, Priest, Lying Liar who Lies.
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Scene: :
Saloninus holds a Funeral lecture on the elements of the Human Body being burnt at the stake. This is his eulogy and honestly it is romantic in an academic way.
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Quotes:
🖤 “Time melts. In its liquid form (aqua temporis), it seeps and penetrates, like a thin mineral oil, and pools, and floods, under the influence of heat (the agency of fire, passim). Withdraw that influence and it congeals, like hot fat in a pan, and in its solid state undergoes a kind of slow transmutation into a gooey mess, in which you get stuck.” (Saloninus alchemical view of Time)
🖤 “It’s probably a mistake to teach logic to the young. Logic is a weapon as well as a tool. You learn it, you master it, you can’t wait to go out and use it on someone.” (Father Saloninus being wise and spitting facts)
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Concepts:
■The Alchemist: Saloninus
■ The Invincible Sun moves in orbit of Earth. Curious indeed.
■Philosophers, Scientists,
■ Ichor Tonans
■A walnut-sized gob of pulveus fulminans
StoryGraph Challenge: 1800 Books by 2025
Challenge Prompt: 150 Speculative Fiction Books by 2025
That's saying a lot. I "met" him in Pulling the Wings of Angels and his genius pissed me off because of the earth shattering affect it had on that world's belief system. But Science must, after all, pull down the curtain of magic and superstition. He was their Newton-Tesla-Heisenberg and so much more.
And yet, starting here at the beginning or some ways to the beginning - I can't help but like this unreliable narrator. His truths are indistinguishable from his lies. I found myself shocked 😮into forced understanding on so many pages.
Plot/Storyline/Themes:
Saloninus The Philosopher is a lying liar who liars. A liar, an accidental killer, a genius all round - literature, science, art and most importantly, Saloninus the Liar is the Alchemist to beat and blend and change all other metals into something priceless and magnificent.
K.J. Parker built a world from our world that is so rich in things that make worlds well...worlds that I keep forgetting none of them are real. I found myself trying to find the books of these philosophers and alchemists and scientists mentioned and couldn't find them on Goodreads or google. Shot to the heart - they don't exist this side of the dimension.
Two Sentences or less - Characters:
Phocas: Patient murderer or more to the point, a royal serial killer with the facade of being a friend and protector.
Saloninus: Alchemist, Thief, Criminal, Philosopher, Author, Inventor, Magician, Priest, Lying Liar who Lies.
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Scene: :
Saloninus holds a Funeral lecture on the elements of the Human Body being burnt at the stake. This is his eulogy and honestly it is romantic in an academic way.
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Quotes:
🖤 “Time melts. In its liquid form (aqua temporis), it seeps and penetrates, like a thin mineral oil, and pools, and floods, under the influence of heat (the agency of fire, passim). Withdraw that influence and it congeals, like hot fat in a pan, and in its solid state undergoes a kind of slow transmutation into a gooey mess, in which you get stuck.” (Saloninus alchemical view of Time)
🖤 “It’s probably a mistake to teach logic to the young. Logic is a weapon as well as a tool. You learn it, you master it, you can’t wait to go out and use it on someone.” (Father Saloninus being wise and spitting facts)
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Concepts:
■The Alchemist: Saloninus
■ The Invincible Sun moves in orbit of Earth. Curious indeed.
■Philosophers, Scientists,
■ Ichor Tonans
■A walnut-sized gob of pulveus fulminans
StoryGraph Challenge: 1800 Books by 2025
Challenge Prompt: 150 Speculative Fiction Books by 2025
adru's review
Lyhike looke, libabytsantsist on ikka tore lugeda, aga ma lihtsalt ei või kohe, et mismoodi see autor fantaasiamaailmadega ymber käib - kui GGK-l on Bytsantsis nt kaks kuud, palun väga, usun ja loen edasi, aga kui temal on seal avokaadolastis laevad... no tõesti.
jupiterjazz's review
5.0
4.5 but only because the many alchemy descriptions weren't doing (/meaning) much for me; which I regret because I feel I've missed on some interesting analogies.
Otherwise, another brilliant character, intricate and deceptive narrative... in such a short book it always amazes me.
Otherwise, another brilliant character, intricate and deceptive narrative... in such a short book it always amazes me.
antonism's review
4.0
This was a very good novella. Parker's writing style is very good and entertaining. I got more quotes out of those 60 pages than I usually get out of whole huge novels. The main character, the unreliable first-person narrator, is quite interesting. Even though often done by many authors, Parker gives a fresh take on that style of narration. The plot is complex with lots of twists and surprises but it felt a bit fragmented at times. All in all, I recommend this novella and I definitely intend to continue reading Parker's other works.
hulttio's review
3.0
As always, Saloninus’s exploits are wonderful to read. I saw the sequel book, The Devil You Know, in the library last year and read it in one sitting; it was so delightful and compelling. This is the original story, and it does have a lot of the same magic and ambience as its sequel. You’ve got an unreliable narrator who blows things out of proportion and gives you a haphazard sequence of events that may or may not be related… and throughout it all, you get glimpses of who Saloninus really is. Or do you?
As usual, the true undercurrents of the novella don’t reveal themselves until the very end, but the long setup is worth it. Parker has a great hand for detailing the setting and landscape in a very mesmerizing way; the world he builds feels real, like you’re an old college chum of Saloninus. It’s not overdone, and the details of the worldbuilding are just enough to help you get through the story. Parker also makes great efforts to detail processes of alchemy, a lot of which flew over my head, but aren’t too important in understanding the overall plot (aside from a few lines here and there). Aside from those dense portions, it was an easy and enjoyable read.
I should reread the sequel again, now that I understand where Saloninus came from better. I’m also excited to eventually read the third book. It’s always interesting to see how an author develops a morally grey and not necessarily ‘good’ protagonist. When you take the unconventional characters and add in a dash or two of medieval style worldbuilding, you get something that is right up my alley. Oh, and there are some fantastic one-liners and quotes…
‘A wise man once said that any human being is capable of infinite achievement, so long as it’s not the work they’re supposed to be doing.’
‘I take the view that we’re the sum of everything that happens to us, good and bad. It’s an alchemist’s interpretation, of course, seeing people as a compilation of ingredients combined and acted on by processes. The implication is, if you leave out one of the ingredients, even if, particularly if, it’s unstable or noxious, you get a different result.’
‘If there’s a hell, I truly believe, it’s getting exactly what you’ve always wanted.’
‘The longer you think about truth and wisdom, the more clearly you come to understand that they’re figments of the imagination; and what does that leave?’
As usual, the true undercurrents of the novella don’t reveal themselves until the very end, but the long setup is worth it. Parker has a great hand for detailing the setting and landscape in a very mesmerizing way; the world he builds feels real, like you’re an old college chum of Saloninus. It’s not overdone, and the details of the worldbuilding are just enough to help you get through the story. Parker also makes great efforts to detail processes of alchemy, a lot of which flew over my head, but aren’t too important in understanding the overall plot (aside from a few lines here and there). Aside from those dense portions, it was an easy and enjoyable read.
I should reread the sequel again, now that I understand where Saloninus came from better. I’m also excited to eventually read the third book. It’s always interesting to see how an author develops a morally grey and not necessarily ‘good’ protagonist. When you take the unconventional characters and add in a dash or two of medieval style worldbuilding, you get something that is right up my alley. Oh, and there are some fantastic one-liners and quotes…
‘A wise man once said that any human being is capable of infinite achievement, so long as it’s not the work they’re supposed to be doing.’
‘I take the view that we’re the sum of everything that happens to us, good and bad. It’s an alchemist’s interpretation, of course, seeing people as a compilation of ingredients combined and acted on by processes. The implication is, if you leave out one of the ingredients, even if, particularly if, it’s unstable or noxious, you get a different result.’
‘If there’s a hell, I truly believe, it’s getting exactly what you’ve always wanted.’
‘The longer you think about truth and wisdom, the more clearly you come to understand that they’re figments of the imagination; and what does that leave?’
ameliorite's review
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
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
4.0
I thought I would be frustrated with the lack of physical character descriptions, almost no world building details, and no explanation of intricate concepts (I am not a chemist), but honestly somehow it had a constant pleasant stream of absurdity that made the missing details work out.
This novella feels really unapologetic in a charismatic way, and the main character and plot gave me light Sherlock Holmes vibes (affectionate).
This novella feels really unapologetic in a charismatic way, and the main character and plot gave me light Sherlock Holmes vibes (affectionate).
joelevard's review
3.0
This book is a joke.
No, really. I'm not being mean. K.J. Parker is just messing with you: this is a story told by an unreliable narrator who is upfront about being unreliable, and the entire narrative is just a setup for a punchline that doesn't arrive until you've read the final two words.
There's a really great first line:
"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."
Both of those things end up being not exactly true, but they aren't really false either. Saloninus claims to be the world's greatest alchemist, and maybe he is, but you can't exactly take him at his word. Sometimes, he tells you how something happened. Then he tells you how it could have happened, if he wants to makes himself look good. Then eventually, he admits what actually happened, which is closer to the first version, but now you know why. With the justifications this guy comes up with for his actions, you can see why he lies and embellishes.
It turns out that I like novellas. It's a good length -- more beef than a short story, but not so long that it milks all the life out of an idea (beef, milks... is that a mixed metaphor or not?). I can handle a character changing things up on me for 99 pages. Any longer, and I'd be ready to punch the book in the face. This is the second K.J. Parker novella I've read, and while I think it is just as good as [b:Purple and Black|6402375|Purple and Black|K.J. Parker|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266680350s/6402375.jpg|6591171], I'm taking away a star because it's basically the same idea: both books string you along and then pull the rug out from under you. They're all setup, but this time I knew the punchline was coming. I mean, I still laughed.
Or did I? You'll just have to take my word for it.
No, really. I'm not being mean. K.J. Parker is just messing with you: this is a story told by an unreliable narrator who is upfront about being unreliable, and the entire narrative is just a setup for a punchline that doesn't arrive until you've read the final two words.
There's a really great first line:
"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."
Both of those things end up being not exactly true, but they aren't really false either. Saloninus claims to be the world's greatest alchemist, and maybe he is, but you can't exactly take him at his word. Sometimes, he tells you how something happened. Then he tells you how it could have happened, if he wants to makes himself look good. Then eventually, he admits what actually happened, which is closer to the first version, but now you know why. With the justifications this guy comes up with for his actions, you can see why he lies and embellishes.
It turns out that I like novellas. It's a good length -- more beef than a short story, but not so long that it milks all the life out of an idea (beef, milks... is that a mixed metaphor or not?). I can handle a character changing things up on me for 99 pages. Any longer, and I'd be ready to punch the book in the face. This is the second K.J. Parker novella I've read, and while I think it is just as good as [b:Purple and Black|6402375|Purple and Black|K.J. Parker|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266680350s/6402375.jpg|6591171], I'm taking away a star because it's basically the same idea: both books string you along and then pull the rug out from under you. They're all setup, but this time I knew the punchline was coming. I mean, I still laughed.
Or did I? You'll just have to take my word for it.
thinde's review
3.0
A unique novella with a light and personable style; sadly, lacking a substantial plot.