Academic Exercises (collection)
Academic Exercises is a collection of fantasy short stories and essays by British writer Tom Holt, writing as K. J. Parker. It was the first of two Parker collections from Subterranean Press, and was first published in hardcover and ebook in July 2014.
Summary
The book collects nine short works of fiction and three essays by the author.Contents
- "A Small Price to Pay for Birdsong"
- "A Rich, Full Week"
- "Amor Vincit Omnia"
- "On Sieges"
- "Let Maps to Others"
- "A Room with a View"
- "Cutting Edge Technology"
- "Illuminated"
- "Purple and Black"
- "Rich Men's Skins; A Social History of Armour"
- "The Sun And I"
- "One Little Room an Everywhere"
- "Blue and Gold"
Reception
The collection was reviewed by Paul Di Filippo in Locus Online, Jul. 13, 2014, Gary K. Wolfe in Locus #643, August 2014, Gardner Dozois in Locus #644, September 2014, and Katherine Farmar in Strange Horizons, Oct. 27, 2014.Awards
The collection placed second in the 2015 Locus Poll Award for Best Collection.- "A Small Price to Pay for Birdsong" won the 2012 World Fantasy Award for Best Novella and placed eighteenth in the 2012 Locus Poll Award for Best Novelette.
- "A Rich, Full Week" placed twenty-fourth in the 2011 Locus Poll Award for Best Novelette.
- "Amor Vincit Omnia" placed twentieth in the 2011 Locus Poll Award for Best Novelette.
- "Let Maps to Others" won the 2013 World Fantasy Award for Best Novella and placed ninth in the 2013 Locus Poll Award for Best Novella.
- "The Sun And I" was nominated for the 2014 World Fantasy Award for Best Novella and placed ninth in the 2014 Locus Poll Award for Best Novelette.
- "One Little Room an Everywhere" placed twenty-fourth in the 2013 Locus Poll Award for Best Novelette.
- "Blue and Gold" placed fourteenth in the 2012 Locus Poll Award for Best Novella.