I laughed, I cried, I haven't stopped thinking about it for days. What a bittersweet but satisfying ending to one of my favorite new series. These could technically work as standalones, they don't have cliffhangers, but I highly recommend reading them all and in order for maximum impact. They're all releasing back-to-back-to-back, so you really have no excuse.

Saevus Corax (aka one of my favorite characters of all time) and his crew of battlefield salvagers are back, but this time The Big War TM is imminent, and he's feeling a little melancholic. Is this really all he should be doing with his life? Has the day finally come when his lack of a moral code has caught up with him?

This installment is still hilarious like the other two, full of biting satire and hijinks, but it manages to give trauma, repression, and complicated family relationships/friendships/romance equal weight. The ending to this series felt very fitting, but also genuinely shocked me. Like, I screamed. Out loud. And then cried and stared at the wall for a few hours. But I promise, I mean that in the most complimentary way possible.

If you like absurd books with unreliable narrators, fourth wall breaks, medieval adventure, sarcasm, moral ambiguity, commentary on the bleakness of the human condition, but also humor, romance, and incredible world-building, please read these. And then come talk to me, because I am not ok. Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, & the author for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

“Saevus Corax Gets Away With Murder”

by K. J. Parker

Releasing December 5, 2023