How to Rule an Empire and Get Away with It

By: K. J. Parker

Narrated by: Ray Sawyer

Length: 12 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

This is the history 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 playwright, actor, and impresario. Nobody works harder, even when he's not working. Thankfully, it turns out that people enjoy the theater just as much when there are big rocks falling out of the sky.

But Notker is a man of many talents, and all the world is, apparently, a stage. It seems that the empire needs him - or someone who looks a lot like him - for a role that will call for the performance of a lifetime. At least it will guarantee fame, fortune, and immortality. If it doesn't kill him first.

In the follow up to the acclaimed Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City, K. J. Parker has created one of fantasy's greatest heroes, and he might even get away with it.

For more from K. J. Parker, check out:

Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City

The Two of Swords:

• The Two of Swords: Volume 1
• The Two of Swords: Volume 2
• The Two of Swords: Volume 3

The Fencer Trilogy:

• Colours in the Steel
• The Belly of the Bow
• The Proof House

The Scavenger Trilogy:

• Shadow
• Pattern
• Memory

Engineer Trilogy:

• Devices and Desires
• Evil for Evil
• The Escapement
• The Company
• The Folding Knife
• The Hammer
• Sharps

©2020 One Reluctant Lemming Company Ltd. (P)2020 Orbit

Critic reviews

"Parker's latest epic fantasy proves that all the world is, indeed, a stage, and Parker himself is a master impresario. Readers will enjoy his comedic take on how politics are comprised of equal parts lies, incompetence, and the foolishness of humanity—with just enough flashes of brilliance to save the day. Recommended for fans of Terry Pratchett." —Library Journal

"Readers are ensured a good time and a barrel of laughs to boot."—Publishers Weekly

“An impressive work of fiction. Like all Parker books I have read, Empire is an interesting experience from start to finish—funny and fresh from page one.”—The Quill to Live

Another wonderful book

KJ Parker has you not just believing but knowing once again that knowledge is power. His characters are well thought out and the story is immersive. The world of KJ Parker truly is a stage.

More fun than a siege warfare story should be

I enjoyed this sequel to "Sixteen Ways." Ray Sawyer does a good job of reading the book, except that he reads way too slowly for my taste. I listened to this book at 1.5x speed, and it was much better. This book has an enormous amount of detail on walled city warfare. I thought it was interesting--obviously, the references are not real, but the techniques sounded very plausible. If listening to warfare strategy sounds like torture to you, then give this one a miss. It took me a while to warm up to the main character (I missed Orhan from the first book), but I eventually did. I didn't find the book to be slapdash in the least! I thought it read as if the author had meticulously researched many details before even putting, er, finger to keyboard. The characters were detailed and iikeable, and there were some very funny moments in the book. I think anyone contemplating this book ought to listen to the sample to make sure it's something they'll enjoy. And you should first read "Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City," though it's not strictly necessary since this book stands on its own. You'll appreciate more of the references with the first book behind you though.

Letdown from the 1st book.

Lacked the realism of '16 ways'. Scenarios, decisions, behaviors were much less believable and not rationally/satisfactorily reasoned.