Escapement

The engineer Ziani Vaatzes engineered a war to be reunited with his family. The deaths were regrettable, but he had no choice.

Duke Valens dragged his people into the war to save the life of one woman—a woman whose husband he then killed. He regrets the evil he's done, but he, equally, had no choice.

Secretary Psellus never wanted to rule the Republic, or fight a desperate siege for its survival. As a man of considerable intelligence, he knows that he has a role to play - and little choice but to accept it.

The machine has been built. All that remains is to set it in motion.

"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

"A writer like K.J. Parker is more of a hurricane than a breath of fresh air." — Dreamwatch