K. J. Parker is an author of fantasy fiction. The name is a pseudonym and the writer's true identity has never been revealed. While Parker's stories take place in alternate universes with invented geographies and histories, some of the typical features of fantasy fiction such as explicit use of magic are not present. The stories tend to have tragic themes with characters whose actions are unintentionally, ultimately self-destructive. Other major themes in the books are politics, technology, and either or both of the former as a means to power.