Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City

The Siege, Book 1

De: K. J. Parker

Narrado por: Ray Sawyer

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 the enemy has sworn to slaughter them all.

To save the city will take a miracle, but what it has is Orhan. A colonel of engineers, Orhan has far more experience with bridge building than battles, is a cheat and a liar, and has a serious problem with authority. He is, in other words, perfect for the job.

Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City is the story of Orhan, son of Siyyah Doctus Felix Praeclarissimus, and his history of the Great Siege, written down so that the deeds and sufferings of great men may never be forgotten.

©2019 K. J. Parker (P)2019 Hachette Audio UK

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Full of invention and ingenuity...Great fun." (SFX)

"Parker's settings and characterisations never miss a beat." (Library Journal)

excellent book

I had trouble knowing who was who at times but that often happens in audiobooks when you cant read the names and they're made-up and unfamiliar.
This is quite the story.

I don't do five stars but...

I don't have the words to express how amazing this book is for me. I initially read it on a flight, then listened to the audio book, and have since reread the book to take notes. I believe its one of tbe most impressive books I've ever read as it seems constantly effortlessly fresh and clever.

If you like Tom Holt's work you will love this

Why? Because it in fact is Tom Holt who wrote it.
That should be all one needs to know.

Very, very entertaining

A wonderful pseudo historical fantasy work that makes me think of Douglas Adams collaborating with Umberto Eco. “The Name of the Rose”, but cheeky and funny, absolutely entertaining, and narrated to perfection.
If there’s an audiobook term for a “page turner”, this is it. The “unreliable narrator” Orhan is so full of shit but he presents it with humble sincerity: “I just build bridges”

great performance

I really enjoyed the story and the performance. Very well done, the narrator nailed the personna.

Top quality first person narrative

The story takes place in notConstantinople and the main character is as charming as he is irritating (in a good way, mind you). The schemes the author comes up with are legitimately genius and the prose is nothing short of excellent.

Great Story for the Right People!

If you have ever fancied yourself as a tactician, strategist, engineer or just enjoyed siege games then this book is for you! This story artfully conveys the challenges of defending the equivalent of a city in medieval times intertwined with interesting subplots and creative writing. It does so with colorful characters and surprising plot twist. The narration is slower than I am used to and the limited range of character voices made it hard to follow who was talking at times. Nonetheless I looked past that to enjoy the book. Do not look for a sequel to this story. It is a stand alone story. A snapshot of an epic struggle from a distant time and far off place.

If Croaker and The Stainless Steel Rat had a love child

Fun, plausible ways to examine a city under siege. All the snarky writing you could want. Just a fun listen.

Instantly fell in love with the book

Amazing story with an amazing narration. perfect encapsulation of Europe for a period pf 1000 years, without actually having to dove into any hostprically accurate places, persons or events.

The characters are all charming, especially the narrator, and the world building is natural ans logical, requiring no extra explanations od cpntext other than what the narrator provides.

Like Pratchett, but with a bit of vulgarity.

A story of not-quite-rome being defended by an engineer who would much rather not.

The dry tone and humor is reminiscent of Terry Pratchett in all the best ways and the narration is perfect for the character being portrayed.