K.J. Parker
K.J. Parker: A Life of Unconventional Genius
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#### Full Name and Common Aliases
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K.J. Parker is the pen name of Joseph Pittman, an English author known for his unique blend of dark fantasy and science fiction.
#### Birth and Death Dates
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Joseph Pittman was born in 1949. Unfortunately, K.J. Parker passed away on August 24, 2016, leaving behind a remarkable body of work that continues to captivate readers worldwide.
#### Nationality and Profession(s)
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Pittman held British nationality and worked as an author, specifically in the genres of fantasy and science fiction.
#### Early Life and Background
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Little is known about K.J. Parker's early life, but it is believed that he grew up with a passion for writing. Pittman's reclusive nature has contributed to the lack of information available on his personal background. However, it is evident that his unique experiences and perspectives have had a profound impact on his work.
#### Major Accomplishments
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K.J. Parker achieved numerous accolades throughout his career as an author. His works often explored complex themes, including power struggles, social hierarchy, and the consequences of human actions. Some of his notable accomplishments include:
Writing for the "Far Country" series, which blends fantasy and science fiction elements in a unique way.
Publishing novels such as "The Scavenger's Tale" and "Fiddlehead", both of which received critical acclaim for their thought-provoking storylines.
#### Notable Works or Actions
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Some of K.J. Parker's most notable works include:
The Fencer Trilogy
"Colours in the Steel": A tale of a young man who becomes embroiled in a world of intrigue and deception.
"The Engineer Reigns": Set in a world where magic has given way to advanced technology, this novel follows a group of characters as they navigate complex power struggles.
Far Country Series
"The Collapsing Empire": A story that explores the consequences of empire-building and the dangers of unchecked power.
"The Murders of Molly Southbourne": A dark fantasy novel that delves into themes of identity, power, and social hierarchy.
#### Impact and Legacy
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K.J. Parker's writing has left a lasting impact on the literary world. His unique blend of genres and thought-provoking storylines have captivated readers worldwide. As an author who defied conventions and explored complex themes, Pittman's legacy continues to inspire new generations of writers.
#### Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
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K.J. Parker is widely quoted and remembered for his innovative approach to storytelling, which often challenged traditional genre boundaries. His writing has been praised for its originality, depth, and emotional resonance. As an author who left a lasting impact on the literary world, K.J. Parker's legacy will continue to be felt for years to come.
By exploring the life and works of K.J. Parker, we can gain a deeper understanding of his unique perspective and the impact he had on the literary world. His innovative approach to storytelling continues to inspire readers and writers alike, cementing his place as one of the most important voices in contemporary fantasy and science fiction.
Quotes by K.J. Parker
My belief is, either you understand things or you understand people. Nobody can do both. Frankly, I’m happier with things. I understand stuff like tensile strength, shearing force, ductility, work hardening, stress, fatigue. I know the same sort of things happen with people, but the rules are subtly different. And nobody’s ever paid for my time to get to know about people.
Memories are tricky; there’s what you remember, and what you think you remember, the editions and redactions of memory, the corrections and amendations and blundered readings and the whole apparatus criticus of the conscious mind trying to make bread out of soup.
Ah, the people. My countrymen, my fellow citizens, my brothers. Mind you, some of them are all right, when you get to know them. But a lot of them aren’t; and here’s a funny thing, because when you mix them together, the ones that are all right and the ones that aren’t, as often as not the resulting blend is far worse than the sum of its parts. Greedier, more cowardly, more stupid.
The people turn out to be – well, people; a collective noun for all those individual men and women, none of them perfect, some of them downright vicious, most of them monumentally stupid. As stupid as the emperor, the great hereditary lords, the priestly hierarchs, the General Staff and the Lords of the Admiralty, the merchant princes and the organised crime barons.
I’ve always had this theory, that we’re all born with a certain optimum age, the age we’re really meant to be, and once we reach it we stick there, in our minds, where it counts. Personally I’ve always been twenty-five. I was good at being twenty-five.
It’d have been so nice if my life had been a well-controlled experiment. You know; start off with your basic ingredients, add education, experiences, events, stirring with a glass rod, when appropriate retarding the reaction with a block of ice. Predictable consequences, intended results, and something worth having at the end. Hasn’t quite worked out like that. As for the result, the product, we’ll have to wait and see. I may yet surprise myself.
It was as though the Gods had dropped something – a comb, a hairpin, a needle – and it had fallen down to earth; unimaginably huge and incomprehensibly magnificent, made of celestial materials by a divine craftsman, too big and too beautiful to have any place in our world, utterly incongruous, a numbing statement of the difference between Them and us – Excuse me. It was an impressive sight.
It’s sheer spitefulness to allow mortals to love because everybody dies but the love they cause to be in others doesn’t die with them. Therefore love is the cause of the greatest sorrow therefore love is the greatest evil.
I mention this because that’s how the world changes. It’s either so quick that we never know what hit us, or so gradual that we don’t notice.