Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Saevus Corax is the leader of a crew for hire that cleans up battlefields and likes to smooth talk his way out of sticky situations. He also has numerous secrets that he did not ever intend to allow to see the light of day, but nothing’s really coming up Saevus in this series opener.

I’ve really enjoyed the two novella from KJ Parker I’ve read (Prosper’s Demon and Pulling the Wings Off Angels), and Saevus Corax Deals with the Dead is definitely a KJ Parker book. I did like this, though I think that Parker’s humor is best suited for shorter fiction; while it’s fun and zippy in the novellas from him I’ve read, it felt a lot more tedious here. It definitely reads as if Deadpool was dropped into a medieval(ish??) setting and started salvaging battlefields for profit, which I genuinely think makes a fun movie or shorter work of fiction. Saevus is a fun narrator, and I liked the way Parker framed this, but for a full-length novel I found that I want some more emotional depth other than being a sardonic little shit. These chapters also felt absurdly long, which is mostly a matter of personal preference, but it definitely made this feel longer than it really was.

I did enjoy watching Saevus get himself into sticky situations and then try to dig his way out of them, and I do think that he’s a clever character with an interesting perspective. This also felt familiar in a way that I can’t really describe other than “ah, yes, a KJ Parker book,” even though I’ve only read two, but I think that his narrators tend to sound similar and the things he wants to explore doesn’t really change from book to book. I did enjoy the variety of twists in this, and while I am not the type of person to anticipate twists to begin with, I can usually pick up on clues and hints. I really didn’t see any of them coming in Saevus Corax Deals With the Dead, and I think that Saevus’ narrative voice helped make this feel fun and interesting instead of “wait, what, why???” While I wish women had a bigger role, I did quite like the two women that get screen time here; they were very fun and I hope they make more appearances in the sequels.

Overall, I did like this and I think Parker is a very funny writer. I definitely prefer his shorter works, and there are times where I thought this dragged, but I’ll still pick up the next two books in this series just to see what sticky situations Saevus Corax gets himself into.

KJ Parker writes another solid, humorous, medieval military fiction tale set in Parkerland. Saevus is a lot like the personality and intellect of Tyrion Lannister stuck in a world which verges on being a medieval Monty Python set.

Saevus Corax is a fun, first-person retrospective tale about a man who is looking out for himself. And if it happens that looking out for himself also helps his friends and those around him, so be it. Throughout this story, Saevus recollects his times and troubles as a battlefield recovery specialist. But his troubles don't stop there. For each obstacle, Saevus has a plan.

I enjoyed a lot about this book... the witty humor. The clever schemes and maneuvering. And the solid medieval military fantasy writing. I do enjoy how the logistics of battles really shine in Parker's writing. I look forward to seeing what other tales Saevus has yet to tell us about.

There is no magic or dragons. No wand waving saves the day, just knowledge of people and history along with self-deprecating, dry humor. Parker's protagonists can seem somewhat interchangeable, so if you have read The Siege trilogy, you'll feel right at home. There can be a bit of telling and not showing. But that can come with a fictional setting in a made-up world.

Overall, I enjoy KJ Parker's writing and storytelling abilities. Saevus Corax is a fun book with plenty of twists and turns, which reads like a Monty Python story, but the protagonist is actually clever.

The premise drew me in. An unreliable narrator who, along with his crew, salvages armor, weapons, and heirlooms from soldiers after a battle and burns the bodies.

But, the narrative style left me feeling disconnected from the story. We would hear threats like “you’ll be turned over to your brother and father” that were supposed to be scary. And then in the next scene we’d be brought back to a memory and have it explained to us.

Ultimately, I put the book down a little over 1/3 of the way through and don’t intend on finishing.

1/5 Stars (DNF @ 21%)

TL;DR - Simultaneously too much and not enough, and all of it boring. I was expecting actual fantasy, but what I got was endless explanations of battles and military gear and politics, and I did not have a good time.

Big thanks to Orbit and NetGalley for providing the ARC for this book in exchange for an honest review!

‘Saevus Corax Deals With the Dead’ by K. J. Parker is the story of the titular character, except that’s not his real name. He’s in the business of cleaning up after wars, stripping and burning bodies and selling whatever he finds on the battlefield to the highest bidder. Someone sets him up to take the fall for a series of crimes, and he has to figure out who and why while evading the authorities. I stopped at 21% of they way in, so if it gets much more complex than that, I can’t recount it to you.

I just could not get into this book. It started out strong, with what seemed like an interesting protagonist in an interesting line of work, but that only carries so far. The humor of Seavus’ narration seemed charming at the beginning, but it quickly became grating and then eye-rolling, until I just couldn’t stand it anymore. He has some dark past that seems to be catching up with him, but he was so bland as a character that I really couldn’t make myself care about him or that past.

On top of that, the plot is very slow, and bogged down by copious descriptions of military tactics and equipment and all sorts of mundane details that mean nothing to me and do nothing to advance the plot. 21% of the way in and basically nothing has happened, and it was a struggle for me to get to that far.

There’s no fantasy in the portion I got through, at least, not any magic or beasties or anything like that. From the name, I was hoping for something with necromancy or death magic or something of the like, but it’s perfectly mundane up to the point where I stopped, which is not what I expected when requesting this ARC.

The world-building was very confusing to me. From what I can gather, this book is tied to a lot of the author’s other books and takes place in presumably the same universe, and from what I can glean from reviews of his related books, the world is only similar to ours, not actually the real world, except that it uses a whole heap of specific historical terms from our world in combination with made-up (as far as I can tell) names that seems to draw from real-world sources. Add to that a lot of anachronisms in speech and no clear real-world parallel for me to anchor to, and the sum totals me being incredibly confused and frustrated, enough so that I had to call it quits before I went insane.

Final Thoughts:

If all of the above is your thing - slow pace, an overabundance of military stuff, pseudo-historical worldbuilding, snarky narration, etc - then you might really like this book. Unfortunately for me, none of that is up my alley, so I really did not enjoy what I was able to read of this book.

Saevus Corax Deals with the Dead
by K.J. Parker
Action Adventure Fiction
NetGalley ARC
Publication Date: October 3, 2023
Orbit Books
Ages 18+

Saevus Corax and his crew salvage battlefields, collecting weapons and clothes, and burn the dead, but there is something in his past that has caught up with him.

Yeah, it sounded good, but probably because I was expecting something evil like zombies because you know dead bodies, but there was not a 'creature' in sight, and at 24% I didn't care about the MC or his plight. I couldn't connect with him because he was 'telling' the story instead of showing, and I was hoping that him being a 'jerk' would add depth to his character, but I was wrong.

Skimmed to the end and nothing grabbed me enough on the way.

1 Star

Saevus Corax Deals With the Dead uses a unique (and often very funny) concept that I enjoyed. At times it was a bit heavy on the historical background and "inside joke" asides, but overall I found it entertaining.

The humor was great, the settings felt very real and easy to picture, and for the most part, the characters were well-defined as individuals.

I read this while on vacation and it was a pleasant way to pass the time.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the eARC of this title**

This was a really enjoyable fantasy read for me and I am surprised I have never heard of this author before. While the narrator definitely wasn't the most reliable character ever, I found him likable enough to enjoy his voice throughout his journey.

I am not going to jump directly into my eARC of the second book, but will read it before publication and do more of a series overview at that point. For book one in a trilogy, I'm excited to see what comes next for Saevus Corax!

This was not for me. Phew. I get that KJ Parker is basically royalty in this genre but…this was some weak writing. Very messy with no real cohesiveness. Made for a tough and not enjoyable read.

"A Knight's Tale" + "Ocean's Eleven" with a dash of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", told by an unreliable narrator with fourth wall breaks. If that's your kind of recipe, and you (like my brother) have been on the hunt for some new fantasy with no romance, read this book.

Saevus Corax is a bit of an entrepreneur. He has his own battlefield salvage business, which is exactly what it sounds like--he and his crew troll abandoned battlefields to strip the dead of any valuables before disposing of them.

This wasn't alway Saevus' job. In fact, Saevus wasn't even always his name. He's gone through a few identities, and unfortunately, they're starting to catch up with him. There's a handful of bounties on his head, and the entire kingdom has started to play a combination of capture the flag and hot potato, with Saevus as the flag slash potato.

The majority of this book is Saevus flip-flopping between schemes and playing political and religious figures against one another to try to escape various situations, only to end up in worse ones. The dry humor and satire in this cracked me up, and I had no idea where the story was going. This would be such a fun book to see adapted into a mockumentary-style movie. I'm excited to start book 2 soon!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, & the author for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Imagine reading the journal of someone who is telling you a story, but is torn between truth and making themselves not the bad guy. Now imagine that there are moments of wandering thoughts and jumps in the story. This is what you’ll get with Saevus Corax Deals with the Dead.

Personally, I loved it. I have never read a book from this unique perspective and was immediately drawn in. There were times were the story got a little rambling but I think that added to the charm.

Thanks Orbit and Net Galley! Can’t wait to read the next book.

It started off so funny and intriguing I was hooked! And then about a quarter of the way in it got pretty dang boring. There were a lot more words used than was necessary to tell this story.

Not my fav. But maybe for you. Especially if you like political, war based drama.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher Orbit for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The novel is a mixed bag for me. I cannot say that I was thoroughly entertained, which for myself is what I look for in a high rating. But I will say that the author is talented and has created a very unique narrator and character in Saevus Corax.

The beginning of the book was creative and imaginative as you learn about the business of battlefield scavenging. If this would have been the focus of the book, I may have enjoyed it more. There is some really good dark humor, gallows humor if you will, as our narrator the main character describes in detail his business, and how competitive his business is with rival companies.

Without giving spoilers, Saevus Corax is not a likeable character or your stereotypical fantasy hero. In these pages you will see him be a poisoner, liar, cheat, and manipulator of the individual and of the masses. He is not a muscle-bound, sword-wielding hero, but he knows how to use his brains.

This is a book full of themes around war and politics. How politics and war are intertwined and is good for the economy. But while war is good business, it is worth the cost in lives and humanity.

I could describe the plot more but let us say most of the novel we find Saevus Corax captured and bound up. So, if you are looking for your next great fantasy adventure full of swords flashing and magic flying, it is best to look for something else to read. But if you want to read something different with a unique voice, then you will enjoy entering the mind and world of Saevus Corax.

I dug the 💩 out of this book!

I read this whole book, to include the list of other books by author at the beginning, before realizing K.J. Parker is a pseudonym because this felt like a completely different author, and that's rad!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

<blockquote> “...in my efforts to stay alive, I cause havoc, like a frightened pig strayed into a flower garden: the more you try and shoo me away, the more harm I do.”</blockquote>

When we first meet Saevus Corax, it’s on the battlefield. After the battle. Corax, along with his company, are battlefield salvage contractors, recovering what they can from slain men (armor, arrows, etc.) and dealing with the dead. It’s a hard and dirty job, but Corax’s impish references to his past indicate it’s better than it could be. But when an old colleague unexpectedly appears and Corax is framed for a crime he did not commit, he’s on the lam from the biggest, baddest institutions in the world.

I’ve loved every novel from Parker I’ve read, and this is no exception. His snarky, clever protagonists are the best. Corax is no exception. Scavenging is gruesome work to say the least, but Corax’s irreverent attitude immediately endeared him to me. The description of removing armor from a dead man had me in giggles, which is a very odd sentence to type. (But you be the judge, here’s the section:

“Armour is Polycrates’ department, and his boys were straight on to it as usual. They’ve had a lot of practice, and it’s a treat to watch them when they get into the swing of it. One man rolls the body over onto its back, kneels down, gets his arms under the armpits and stands up, lifting the body so his mage can dive in underneath, undo the buckles and shuck the armour off in one nice easy movement, like opening shellfish except that the bit we want is the shell, not the meat.”)

The book is full of clever commentary on our own world and references to Parker’s other works, though this book can be enjoyed without knowing about the latter. I also love Corvax’s name– it’s clearly a reference to “corvus”, the genus of birds that includes crows and ravens.

If there’s a fault, maybe it’s that Corvax’s voice is so similar to other Parker protagonists. It’s rather like how all of John Scalzi’s characters are just John Scalzi (all the women are Scalzi in a wig, any children are just miniature Scalzis, etc.) I don’t think this should dissuade anyone from reading, but I’ve found it a good idea to read something from another author in between Parker books as a palette cleanser so they don’t run together.

The narrative voice of this story was really fun and witty, and Saevus is really compelling as a character. He's not an overly likeable character but he has his golden moments, which really makes him come to life and feel real. I think that the pacing of the story and timing of the information drops/hints was well done, and I enjoyed getting to see the world and story flesh out. I think that if you enjoy a witty fantasy story with a character that's more grey than you often see, then you're going to enjoy this!

I stopped at 9%, but this will be a delightful romp for the right readers. The voice is light and unique, with witty one liners all over the place, and I felt like this one had a significantly better balance than the other (Saevus Corax Captures the Castle). Between the two, this is the one I'd recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the ARC.

I thought the blurb sounded good, so I requested this book. I didn’t realize this author isn’t new, but I haven’t read him before. However, after reading this one, this won’t be the last book I read by him. Saevus in some ways is not a real likeable character, but he does have redeeming qualities. I do like characters like this as no one is all good or all bad, and I like to see a small dose of reality in my characters. This tale about him is twisty, and we slowly learn about the things he is hiding from. There are parts of the book that do drag a bit, but you are always pulled back in. I can’t say too much about what goes on because I don’t like to write spoilers, but this was a well-written tale and an interesting plot. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

In a lot of ways, this book serves as a companion to Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City: it's set in the same world (though some time later, it seems) and concerns a clever protagonist who works in and around wars without being a soldier himself. If you like that book, you will like this one. I don't think it was incredibly new (and I wonder if I would be more impressed with it if I hadn't read that book previously), but it's very competently put together and a propulsive read. There are always things happening, and yet there's also still time for musing.

Those musings I found to be a double edged sword: on the one hand, there was some genuinely lovely stuff about the shape and purpose of narrative, and I appreciated the ways in which the opinions about playwriting bounced off the events of the story. On the other hand, the relentless snarkiness sometimes grew to be a little samey. That sometimes undermined the strength of the stakes, as did the way in which unresolved plot strands were sometimes used as an excuse for a deus ex machina to get Saevus in or out of trouble.

Fundamentally, though, I like reading stories about people being competent, and I like listening to characters explain to me their areas of expertise. Saevus Corax is an expert in some aspects of warfare I might not have considered, and he is frequently competent. Those things made this a solid, enjoyable read.

The risk with reading a KJ Parker book (that you'll hate the narrator too much to enjoy the story) and the balancing reward (that the story will be so twisty and clever and full of the best fiddly politicking that you can't put it down) work out very much in favor of this book.

Because Parker's narrators are always holding something back, you never quite know how to feel about them, which can put you on the wrong foot. Saevus Corax is no different, but having gotten to the end, I can tell you that the twists don't pull his character out from under you. It's not that he's likeable or trustworthy; it's that his likeability and trustworthiness (or lack thereof) are visible on the page throughout. He does awful things and noble things throughout the book in relative balance. And of course, because it's Parker, he's very good at it, and it's absolutely worth your while.

I loved the secondary characters, and I even liked that no one was pure and noble, but not too many people were pure evil, either. I'm very much on board with this series!

A very unique story of a man that has to clean off the battlefield…what comes with dealing with the dead when they start moving?