Very Quick Review: MAKING HISTORY by K. J. Parker (TorDotCom)

How to manipulate history and (maybe) get away with it

A group of scholars must do the impossible for a ruthless king. The cost of refusal, of course, is death.

History isn’t truth, it’s propaganda.

Seeking war with his neighbor, the tyrannical ruler of Aelia convenes several of his kingdom’s professors for a chat. First citizen Gyges only just invaded Aelia a few years back and, naturally, his public image can’t take the hit of another unjustified assault.

His totally sane solution? Simple, really. These scholars must construct a fake ancient city from scratch to verify Gyges’s apocryphal claims.

Now these academics must put their heads together to make history. Because if they don’t, they’ll lose their heads altogether.

In a country ruled by a usurper king, history can be a powerful tool for cementing authority and power. To do a decent job of manipulating the past, it’s important to turn to the people who know the most about it: historians. In Parker’s latest, excellent novella, a group of historians are (quietly) threatened by their new king into creating a new history that supports his authority and mandate.

Making History contains all of the things we have come to expect from a K. J. Parker novella: a playful twist on history, myth, and fantasy. The characters are engaging, varied, often hapless or naïve. In Making History, they’re also academics, and they come complete with all the petty foibles one should expect from such a group. This includes their sense of subject-superiority, easily distracted by their subjects and the puzzle that has been presented to them.

Over the course of the story, the historians throw themselves fully into the project (if they didn’t, they’d probably be killed, so it’s a balance between surviving and welcome, unique challenge). As the project unfolds and progresses, though, it becomes clear that they may not be the only group engaged in manufacturing history… What will this mean for their country, their jobs, and (most importantly) their lives?

Parker’s prose is excellent throughout, often amusing and witty. The plot moves at a steady pace, and perfect for the story he’s telling. Every new novella just further cements my opinion that Parker is the master of this type of story. Fans of his work will no doubt find plenty to love in this new book, while newcomers will find a perfect example of why he is so beloved by readers.

Very highly recommended.

K. J. Parker’s Making History is due to be published by TorDotCom in North America and in the UK, on September 2nd.

Also on CR:

Reviews of The Devil You Know, The Last Witness, Downfall of the Gods, My Beautiful Life, Prosper’s Demon, Academic Exercises, The Big Score, The Long Game, and Pulling the Wings off Angels