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Vlad Taltos #9
Issola
Okay, so maybe I've been living in the woods too long, where you can't even get a decent cup of klava first thing in the morning. So who should turn up but Lady Teldra, the courtly servant of my old friend the Dragonlord Morrolan?
Teldra wants my help, because Morrolan and Aliera have disappeared, and according to Sethra Lavode, it looks like they may be in the hands of the Jenoine. Do I want to mess with them? The guys who made this place? And I thought I had problems before...
Oh well, what's a little cosmic battle with beings who control time and space? It's better than hunkering down in the woods without even so much as a drinkable cup of klava.
Teldra wants my help, because Morrolan and Aliera have disappeared, and according to Sethra Lavode, it looks like they may be in the hands of the Jenoine. Do I want to mess with them? The guys who made this place? And I thought I had problems before...
Oh well, what's a little cosmic battle with beings who control time and space? It's better than hunkering down in the woods without even so much as a drinkable cup of klava.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2001
About the author
Steven Brust
95 books2,263 followersSteven Karl Zoltán Brust (born November 23, 1955) is an American fantasy and science fiction author of Hungarian descent. He was a member of the writers' group The Scribblies, which included Emma Bull, Pamela Dean, Will Shetterly, Nate Bucklin, Kara Dalkey, and Patricia Wrede, and also belongs to the Pre-Joycean Fellowship.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/steven...
(Photo by David Dyer-Bennet)
http://us.macmillan.com/author/steven...
(Photo by David Dyer-Bennet)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 148 reviews
February 10, 2017
I didn't expect this book to go where it went. Seriously. Wow.
It takes place as the latest, chronologically, with Vlad in the wilds in exile, but it just goes to show, you never know where you'll wind up. Do you think he's going home? hahahahaha wow.
As fantasy, we get to join in a war between gods, but as science fiction, I've just been titillated more about the deep SFal past in this book than all the rest, combined. I mean, there's tons of reveals here and none of them are enough to satisfy me. I'd be perfectly content to read 400-500 pages of straight exposition on this. Seriously. But no, we only get concise and quick reveals that only make me ask more questions and get even more impressed with the world-building even as we get to dive into a much, much larger conflict with nothing but guts, magic, and the beginnings of a legendary weapon. Note that the legendary is only partially complete. Even the gods and the demigods and the necromancers and the demon gods and the Others don't know everything. :) Apparently.
Do you want some answers? Oh yes, there ARE a few wonderful answers here, and some tragedy, too, which rather got to me. It hit me pretty hard. I might have to take a few moments to recover.
Here's the best part, folks. We get to go back to Castle Black. :) Excited? Yup. Me too. :)
And I'm entirely back in the swing of the series. I couldn't stop now even if I tried. :) YAY!
It takes place as the latest, chronologically, with Vlad in the wilds in exile, but it just goes to show, you never know where you'll wind up. Do you think he's going home? hahahahaha wow.
As fantasy, we get to join in a war between gods, but as science fiction, I've just been titillated more about the deep SFal past in this book than all the rest, combined. I mean, there's tons of reveals here and none of them are enough to satisfy me. I'd be perfectly content to read 400-500 pages of straight exposition on this. Seriously. But no, we only get concise and quick reveals that only make me ask more questions and get even more impressed with the world-building even as we get to dive into a much, much larger conflict with nothing but guts, magic, and the beginnings of a legendary weapon. Note that the legendary is only partially complete. Even the gods and the demigods and the necromancers and the demon gods and the Others don't know everything. :) Apparently.
Do you want some answers? Oh yes, there ARE a few wonderful answers here, and some tragedy, too, which rather got to me. It hit me pretty hard. I might have to take a few moments to recover.
Here's the best part, folks. We get to go back to Castle Black. :) Excited? Yup. Me too. :)
And I'm entirely back in the swing of the series. I couldn't stop now even if I tried. :) YAY!
November 23, 2021
The ninth book of the Vlad Taltos series. If you, like me, have made it this far, you know what to expect and Brust serves it up. Vlad is hiding out from the Jhereg mainly and everybody else incidentally. So he is surprised when Lady Teldra, the servant of the Dragonlord Morrolan appears in his campsite one night.
Always willing to hear out the people that seek him out, Vlad learns from her that Morrolan and Aliera are missing. Vlad may talk a good line about being a cold and calculating assassin, but in reality he is easily talked into being part of the rescue mission. And he does wonder why all these wizards and demigods seem to want him included in the effort. Lady Teldra is an Issola (hence the title) which means that she is the soul of courtesy and graciousness. During periods of captivity and when the sorcerors are debating things, Vlad and Teldra discuss manners, politeness, and appropriate behaviour. While there may be epic battles taking place, this quiet discussion becomes the real centre of the novel.
If you're not into that, don't worry—there are threatening Jenoine abductors, tight places to escape from, deadly Morganti weapons being brandished, and a final decisive battle. Vlad is still making smartass remarks and as usual, Loiosh, Vlad's familiar, provides some comic relief. All the stuff we are used to finding in this series.
Book Number 429 of my Science Fiction & Fantasy Reading Project.
Always willing to hear out the people that seek him out, Vlad learns from her that Morrolan and Aliera are missing. Vlad may talk a good line about being a cold and calculating assassin, but in reality he is easily talked into being part of the rescue mission. And he does wonder why all these wizards and demigods seem to want him included in the effort. Lady Teldra is an Issola (hence the title) which means that she is the soul of courtesy and graciousness. During periods of captivity and when the sorcerors are debating things, Vlad and Teldra discuss manners, politeness, and appropriate behaviour. While there may be epic battles taking place, this quiet discussion becomes the real centre of the novel.
If you're not into that, don't worry—there are threatening Jenoine abductors, tight places to escape from, deadly Morganti weapons being brandished, and a final decisive battle. Vlad is still making smartass remarks and as usual, Loiosh, Vlad's familiar, provides some comic relief. All the stuff we are used to finding in this series.
Book Number 429 of my Science Fiction & Fantasy Reading Project.
May 17, 2024
Book #9 in the Vald Taltos saga returns to the 'normal' style of Vlad being the narrator and once again, Brust gives us another fun adventure. Vald, still on the run from the House of Jhereg, awakens one evening in the woods to find Lady Teldra calling him. Lady Teldra serves as the official greeter if you will for Castle Black; coming from the house of Issola, she constitutes the definition of tactful hostess and poise. Why did she take the trouble to track down Vald?
Well, it seems the enigmatic Jenoine, a 'master race' who had something to do with creating the world Vald and friends live upon, have captured Morrolan and Aliera. Teldra, having consulted the big players of the Empire, tracked down Vald to obtain his help. What could Vald do that the mighty warriors and wizards of the Empire not do? Similar to when Vald was summoned by Verra to hire him to kill a king, it seems the Jenoine want Vald to assassinate the Goddess Verra!
After the last few installments, Brust reunites some of the main characters here for this adventure, taking us into the strange realm of Gods and Demigods, their struggles over the world and yes, the Jenoine as well. Brust gives us Vald in full snarky form and lots of speculation, largely from the conversations between Teldra and Vald, about the appropriate action, tact and doing the right thing...
I have no idea where Brust is going with this series and that, for me, is a very good thing. His writing continues to impress, I love the snark and humor involved, and each entry into the series feels fresh and vibrant. Not sure how much longer we will have Vald on exile road, however, as his is just such a city boy. Another solid entry! 4 lady-like stars!
Well, it seems the enigmatic Jenoine, a 'master race' who had something to do with creating the world Vald and friends live upon, have captured Morrolan and Aliera. Teldra, having consulted the big players of the Empire, tracked down Vald to obtain his help. What could Vald do that the mighty warriors and wizards of the Empire not do? Similar to when Vald was summoned by Verra to hire him to kill a king, it seems the Jenoine want Vald to assassinate the Goddess Verra!
After the last few installments, Brust reunites some of the main characters here for this adventure, taking us into the strange realm of Gods and Demigods, their struggles over the world and yes, the Jenoine as well. Brust gives us Vald in full snarky form and lots of speculation, largely from the conversations between Teldra and Vald, about the appropriate action, tact and doing the right thing...
I have no idea where Brust is going with this series and that, for me, is a very good thing. His writing continues to impress, I love the snark and humor involved, and each entry into the series feels fresh and vibrant. Not sure how much longer we will have Vald on exile road, however, as his is just such a city boy. Another solid entry! 4 lady-like stars!
June 20, 2022
Book 9 in the Vlad Taltos series. Another re-read.
The author went back to his original literary style with this one. The story is told by Vlad in first person.
Lady Teldra, a member of the House of Issola, leaves Castle Black and tracks down Vlad in the wilderness; he's still on the run from the Jhereg Organization's assassins. She asks Vlad to help her locate Morrolan, (the Lord of Castle Black) and his cousin Aliera. The pair of them have disappeared and even Sethra Lavode is stumped. They appear to be alive since the Necromancer couldn't find them, either.
I always liked Lady Teldra, and the first time that I read this book I was so glad that she had been given a co-starring role. It is really cool to see how much more there is to her than originally met the eye. Even as a reader I tend to think of her as just an exquisitely polite and courteous character. I really enjoyed her conversations with Vlad.
Another development in this one is that we finally meet the mythological Jenoine race in person. Up until now they've just been discussed. They have formed a big part of the ancient history of this world, and before this book Sethra Lavode was the only character with first hand knowledge of them. Although they exist in reality, most denizens of this world still maintain that they were a myth. Sethra should know since she's older than dirt.
This is such a fun series and I am really enjoying reading it again!
The author went back to his original literary style with this one. The story is told by Vlad in first person.
Lady Teldra, a member of the House of Issola, leaves Castle Black and tracks down Vlad in the wilderness; he's still on the run from the Jhereg Organization's assassins. She asks Vlad to help her locate Morrolan, (the Lord of Castle Black) and his cousin Aliera. The pair of them have disappeared and even Sethra Lavode is stumped. They appear to be alive since the Necromancer couldn't find them, either.
I always liked Lady Teldra, and the first time that I read this book I was so glad that she had been given a co-starring role. It is really cool to see how much more there is to her than originally met the eye. Even as a reader I tend to think of her as just an exquisitely polite and courteous character. I really enjoyed her conversations with Vlad.
Another development in this one is that we finally meet the mythological Jenoine race in person. Up until now they've just been discussed. They have formed a big part of the ancient history of this world, and before this book Sethra Lavode was the only character with first hand knowledge of them. Although they exist in reality, most denizens of this world still maintain that they were a myth. Sethra should know since she's older than dirt.
This is such a fun series and I am really enjoying reading it again!
January 1, 2015
REREAD (SEPT 2014)
Not much to add to the below. The scaling issue remains a major problem, but it's partially made up for by getting to know Lady Teldra better.
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(Original review Aug 2006)
Overall 3/5
Story 3/5
Re-Readability 4/5
Characters 4/5
One of bits of coolness about Brust’s Vlad tales is the extensive and intriguing backstory that he weaves in and out of the tales (often, it seems, more by hints than fully-developed concepts). The problem with that is, sooner or later, you have to pay the hints off, and that’s what this tale is — a payoff of various bits and pieces that Brust has discussed regarding the gods, the Jenoine, and the origins of Dragaera.
And the problem with that? It’s all way out of scale for Vlad Taltos, the erstwhile assassin, who’s been most worried about his safety, the Organization on his tail, and his evolving personal code of morality. Within the bounds of a witchcraft and sorcery and elves, Brust’s best stories are witty noir.
This isn’t. Instead, Vlad, though pulled into the story to help his friends, is out of his depth most of the time, present more as a narrator to events and conversationlist with the High and Mighty. That’s entertaining enough, and the chance for him to better get to know the mysterious Lady Teldra, Morrollan’s majordomo, is more than that, but ultimately it renders Vlad unusually passive and unnecessary to the action until the very (and somewhat contrived-feeling) end.
A mediocre Brust book is still fun, but Issola is, alas, still “just” a mediocre Brust book. And someone who’s never read any of the series really shouldn’t start here.
Not much to add to the below. The scaling issue remains a major problem, but it's partially made up for by getting to know Lady Teldra better.
-----------
(Original review Aug 2006)
Overall 3/5
Story 3/5
Re-Readability 4/5
Characters 4/5
One of bits of coolness about Brust’s Vlad tales is the extensive and intriguing backstory that he weaves in and out of the tales (often, it seems, more by hints than fully-developed concepts). The problem with that is, sooner or later, you have to pay the hints off, and that’s what this tale is — a payoff of various bits and pieces that Brust has discussed regarding the gods, the Jenoine, and the origins of Dragaera.
And the problem with that? It’s all way out of scale for Vlad Taltos, the erstwhile assassin, who’s been most worried about his safety, the Organization on his tail, and his evolving personal code of morality. Within the bounds of a witchcraft and sorcery and elves, Brust’s best stories are witty noir.
This isn’t. Instead, Vlad, though pulled into the story to help his friends, is out of his depth most of the time, present more as a narrator to events and conversationlist with the High and Mighty. That’s entertaining enough, and the chance for him to better get to know the mysterious Lady Teldra, Morrollan’s majordomo, is more than that, but ultimately it renders Vlad unusually passive and unnecessary to the action until the very (and somewhat contrived-feeling) end.
A mediocre Brust book is still fun, but Issola is, alas, still “just” a mediocre Brust book. And someone who’s never read any of the series really shouldn’t start here.
February 28, 2012
This was a pleasant read, and Vlad’s narration is amusing, as always. I enjoyed Vlad's odd partnership with Lady Teldra.
But the story was just not my cup of tea. It’s too abstract: an incomprehensible metaphysical contest involving the Great Weapons and the gods and the Jenoine, who are described as “a vastly powerful race of extradimensional creatures”.
There has always been a lot of magic in this series, too much for my taste, but usually Vlad keeps everything grounded enough for me with that business of No matter how subtle the wizard, a knife between the shoulder blades will seriously cramp his style.
I’m still willing to continue with the series - overall I am enjoying it.
But the story was just not my cup of tea. It’s too abstract: an incomprehensible metaphysical contest involving the Great Weapons and the gods and the Jenoine, who are described as “a vastly powerful race of extradimensional creatures”.
There has always been a lot of magic in this series, too much for my taste, but usually Vlad keeps everything grounded enough for me with that business of No matter how subtle the wizard, a knife between the shoulder blades will seriously cramp his style.
I’m still willing to continue with the series - overall I am enjoying it.
September 17, 2007
I find that I've already marked this book as read, when in fact I have not. I must have been thinking of Athyra....
At any rate, I found this volume to be Brust at his very best. I read the book in the course of two days, completely clearing my schedule to ravenously consume it.
The Vlad stories are among his finest, simply because Vlad and his pet jhereg Loiosh are such wonderful smartasses, and the pinch of sarcastic humor is exactly the seasoning a story of high magic and dark sorcery requires. This one is even more mature: Vlad and the other staple characters are well-realized, and that gives Brust the opportunity to explore relationships between them.
The moment I finished this book, I was trying to lay hands on the next. I will be quite sad when I no longer have more of these stories to look forward to.
At any rate, I found this volume to be Brust at his very best. I read the book in the course of two days, completely clearing my schedule to ravenously consume it.
The Vlad stories are among his finest, simply because Vlad and his pet jhereg Loiosh are such wonderful smartasses, and the pinch of sarcastic humor is exactly the seasoning a story of high magic and dark sorcery requires. This one is even more mature: Vlad and the other staple characters are well-realized, and that gives Brust the opportunity to explore relationships between them.
The moment I finished this book, I was trying to lay hands on the next. I will be quite sad when I no longer have more of these stories to look forward to.
March 21, 2008
You learn a lot about two characters, and a bit about how to make Klava.
July 13, 2020
After last volume's flashback to younger days, we're back to the present and Teldra, Morrolan e'Drien's assistant/majordomo, tracks down Vlad to ask for his help. Both Morrolan and Aliera are missing and she fears the implications since only a really powerful being could be able to capture them and prevent them from escaping.
Vlad, having returned young Savn to his family and traveling alone again, accedes to go with Teldra to Dzur Mountain, Sethra Lavode's dwelling, and decide on a course of action.
Things turn complicated when it turns out the mythical Jenoine are responsible for the missing Dragonlords, having taken them off-world, and then the goddess Verra also becomes involved, much to Vlad's chagrin. Things get much more complicated before they manage to rescue Morrolan and Aliera, only to get captured themselves, and have the roles reversed.
I liked this one a lot because it includes again the most interesting characters and we get to learn more about this world's past and its cosmology, which is always interesting because Brust doesn't really touch upon it much since the books are narrated from Vlad's p.o.v. and he's not really the academic sort, living mostly in the moment and concerning himself with practical things for all the always gets pulled into insane crap because he's friends with a bunch of what passes in this series for demi-gods and superheroes.
Vlad, having returned young Savn to his family and traveling alone again, accedes to go with Teldra to Dzur Mountain, Sethra Lavode's dwelling, and decide on a course of action.
Things turn complicated when it turns out the mythical Jenoine are responsible for the missing Dragonlords, having taken them off-world, and then the goddess Verra also becomes involved, much to Vlad's chagrin. Things get much more complicated before they manage to rescue Morrolan and Aliera, only to get captured themselves, and have the roles reversed.
I liked this one a lot because it includes again the most interesting characters and we get to learn more about this world's past and its cosmology, which is always interesting because Brust doesn't really touch upon it much since the books are narrated from Vlad's p.o.v. and he's not really the academic sort, living mostly in the moment and concerning himself with practical things for all the always gets pulled into insane crap because he's friends with a bunch of what passes in this series for demi-gods and superheroes.
August 9, 2022
Vlad's friends Morrolan and Aleria have been taken by the nearly godlike Jenoine and it's up to Vlad with the unlikely help of Lady Teldra, Morrolan's seneschal, to rescue them from wherever it is they're being held and then unravel the twisted plans the Jenoine have to seize our world.
This was a rollicking good tale of adventure. Possibly the best of the Vlad Taltos books. Many things are revealed and explained. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and hope the next keeps up the pace.
This was a rollicking good tale of adventure. Possibly the best of the Vlad Taltos books. Many things are revealed and explained. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and hope the next keeps up the pace.
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December 5, 2023One of the better ones. Lots of laughs. Deeper thoughts. Culmination of a number of things he'd been building up to. Curious what happens next
February 9, 2017
This one was nearly perfect. Can't wait for the next one.
July 18, 2017
Great! Still a lot of talking but at least we weren't jumping around in time too much. Fun developments
March 20, 2015
3.5 stars.
“I miss the days when I used to be nostalgic.” ~Vlad Taltos
I’ve been slightly disappointed with the last few novels in Steven Brust’s VLAD TALTOS series, but with Issola, book 9, Brust returns to what I liked about the earlier books. While I admired Brust’s willingness to experiment with his world, his characters, and especially the narrative structure of his novels, I think he’s best when the overall plot is moving forward and Vlad is using his assassin skills to solve mysteries and help his powerful Dragonlord friends.
In Issola, we’re back to a present timeline. Vlad and Cawti are separated but Vlad is starting to recover from the funk he’s been in for quite a while now. He’s been run out of his organization and is hiding from them in the woods. Then Lady Teldra (an Issola who is servant to the ... Read More: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
“I miss the days when I used to be nostalgic.” ~Vlad Taltos
I’ve been slightly disappointed with the last few novels in Steven Brust’s VLAD TALTOS series, but with Issola, book 9, Brust returns to what I liked about the earlier books. While I admired Brust’s willingness to experiment with his world, his characters, and especially the narrative structure of his novels, I think he’s best when the overall plot is moving forward and Vlad is using his assassin skills to solve mysteries and help his powerful Dragonlord friends.
In Issola, we’re back to a present timeline. Vlad and Cawti are separated but Vlad is starting to recover from the funk he’s been in for quite a while now. He’s been run out of his organization and is hiding from them in the woods. Then Lady Teldra (an Issola who is servant to the ... Read More: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
March 24, 2012
More Vlad!
This is an unusual Vlad book in how, well, usual it is. That is, there's nothing weird going on structurally or plot-wise; it's a fairly straightforward quest story. There's an ancient evil (well, sort of), our hero sets off on a quest to do something about it (well, sort of), and there's a massive battle of good vs evil at the end (well, sort of).
We do get Vlad as his usual wisecracking, reluctant-hero self, we get the detailed exploration of a field/topic (in this case politeness), we get a character from the title House as well as Vlad acting like a member of that House. We get a great (if bittersweet) ending.
And Vlad finally gets some impetus to reconnect with his friends and with the world. Awesome.
This is an unusual Vlad book in how, well, usual it is. That is, there's nothing weird going on structurally or plot-wise; it's a fairly straightforward quest story. There's an ancient evil (well, sort of), our hero sets off on a quest to do something about it (well, sort of), and there's a massive battle of good vs evil at the end (well, sort of).
We do get Vlad as his usual wisecracking, reluctant-hero self, we get the detailed exploration of a field/topic (in this case politeness), we get a character from the title House as well as Vlad acting like a member of that House. We get a great (if bittersweet) ending.
And Vlad finally gets some impetus to reconnect with his friends and with the world. Awesome.
November 4, 2018
Sorry to say, but I've found this series to become steadily less enjoyable, and to me, this was the worst yet. Way too much time spent in expository discussions and way too abstract in its concepts. The action was minimal - sit around somewhere and talk, go somewhere else and talk. Go back to the first place and talk yet again. Throw in an occasional action scene left purposefully vague and confusing, then talk again. Vlad's sarcasm is just not enough to carry the story, and other than Teldra, the other characters show little personality in this story. Overall, I found it boring. 2 stars, which on my scale means I finished it but wish I hadn't.
May 28, 2010
In trying to remember what I had and hadn't read in this series, I ended up re-reading Issola. I'm not usually terribly enthused by the epic powerful heroes having epic powerful battles that shake the earth and shape history, striving against the gods, and that sort of Very Important Thing. But when you have Vlad Taltos in the middle of things, the king of Getting By, Day to Day, and Where's My Coffee/Klava, it brings a different flavor to things.
I cried at the ending, again.
Oh yeah. There's a *lot* of exposition and semantic nattering.
I cried at the ending, again.
Oh yeah. There's a *lot* of exposition and semantic nattering.
June 24, 2011
I've always wondered about Lady Teldra and I was happy to finally get some answers. About the only thing I want to say about this is that it was the first time I have honestly believed a romantic relationship in the series. Not that it was a romance by any means, but Vlad and Cawti always seemed more convenient than real. This time I believed the attraction and was very much rooting for it the entire book.
Shelved as 'abandoned'
October 13, 2014Not my cuppa
December 28, 2016
Lady Teldra - and the issola quality of courtesy, as considered by Vlad and discussed with Lady Teldra- totally make this book.
October 16, 2019
Taking such a long break since book 8 makes it easy to start forgetting details of the 17 Dragaeran Houses... but this book was still great, especially where it ended...
August 28, 2012
And here's where it hits me that I don't know if I missed something, to blame Verra, or to narrow my eyes at Brust. I just know that when Vlad took off from the City, he wore a black phoenix stone. Here, he has something that seems to be a black one and gold one together. Since they're not so easy to come by, it just seems weird.
Then again, he has a little box here to keep them in that nullifies their effects, so I tend to go with, "This addition will be explained in a novel someday." I guess it's just weird that Vlad doesn't mention it will be, because usually he does.
But, of course, as we find out later in the series, Vlad's got excuses for dropping the ball now and then on things like that.
But it still kinda makes me want to narrow my eyes at Brust. That comes from the fact that gold was supposed to be for blocking sorcery, and black for blocking psychics. But here, when Sethra mentions it, it's backwards---and then it's mentioned backwards again, and also in the next book. What gives, man?
Other than that, I love this one. Lady Teldra is a staple in the series, though she's rarely seen. She answers Morrolan's door, basically. Only she's awesome at it. She has a major role to play in this one, and it's just lovely to see her and Vlad play off one another.
The story's great as well, throwing in gods and Jenoine (big, powerful nasties) with lots of action from the Big Powerful characters like Morrolan, Aliera, and Sethra. It's so totally Epic. At least, it would be, if Vlad weren't our narrator. And that's what makes it most awesome.
That, and Vlad telling Morrolan and Aliera off when they all finally make it back to Dzur Mountain. That was epic in any case.
Review from June 30, 2008:
This is actually a review of books four through nine, with a dash of 10 thrown in (that would be the one that comes after this one.) They were all rereads, and for quite a few, it wasn't the first time I'd reread them.
The books covered in this review, in order of publication (which is my favorite way to read them) go like this:
Taltos
Phoenix
Athyra
Orca
Dragon
Issola
And a dash of Dzur
General Summation
Vlad’s just a human in a world of Dragaerans -- tall, very long-lived humans with hints of animal (most of those specific to Vlad’s world) characteristics in their features and personalities. He hates them, as they have made his life miserable since he was a kid, but damned if not every singe one of his very closest friends is a Dragaeran.
The Dragaerans are grouped into houses, according to their characteristics, and one of those houses happens to sell titles to anyone who will buy. Vlad’s father bought a title in the House of Jhereg, as the man always wanted to be Dragaeran and did a lot of work to make his son want to be one, too. (Totally didn’t catch, but Vlad does get to be in House Jhereg because of his father’s obsession.)
The Jhereg are the ones who run illegal (tax-free) gambling operations and whorehouses, give out loans at monstrous interest rates and collect on them with force, and---
Dude, they’re the fantasy genre version of the mafia, but they’re so much dirtier, grungier, and more raw than the mafia.
They even have assassins, though we’re not talking about people who sit up in windows and wait for someone to pass by below so they can snipe them. They have all manner of interesting methods for killing one another. Vlad uses his skills of human swordplay (which he learned from his grandfather), enhanced by his short training in Dragaeran swordplay (taught by a tutor his father insisted upon), sorcery (a Dragaeran thing; another of his father’s insistings), and witchcraft, taught to him by his grandfather.
As a part of his witcherly studies, he gained a familiar around the time he started actually working for House Jhereg, rather than just being a member. His familiar? Why, the animal House Jhereg is named after.
A jhereg is a carrion animal that looks a lot like what you and I might imagine a dragon looks like. Only it’s small enough to fit on Vlad’s shoulder. Loiosh, Vlad’s familiar, offers some of the greatest banter. Being a witch’s familiar, his intelligence is higher than that of his kin, and part of being a familiar means he has a psionic connection with Vlad. Since most of the stories are in Vlad’s first person point-of-view, we get to hear Loiosh’s smart-ass remarks.
Why these books?
The new one, Jhegaala is coming out July 8th [[2008]] and I had to get my Vlad back on, in preparation. I’ve preordered my copy from Amazon and Mike and I will continue to fight about who gets to read it first while we wait for its arrival.
How’d it go?
It’s always a pleasure to re-read Vlad. It’s like hearing someone talk about all the shit they’ve been through, but since no one interrupts him in his storytelling, he seems to forget he’s sharing it at all. Vlad’s not a writer, but his personality makes up for it. And besides, he’s talking to you in order to tell the story, not writing it down. And everything about his stories backs that up.
Taltos, I know some of you have heard more than you’d like to, is my favorite. It goes over Vlad and Morrolan’s journey to the Paths of the Dead -- the place Dragaerans go when they die. (Humans aren’t allowed and I’m fairly certain that one day we’ll know why. There are hints of it.)
They don’t die to get there, a fact that irks everyone they meet on the Paths. It’s damn good stuff.
This is the book I’ve read the most. I finally had to cover it in clear mailing tape just to hold it together. This is the book in which Vlad describes Morrolan as having hair that’s straight and long enough to cover his ears. Then, five paragraphs later, points out that Morrolan’s hair is curly and shoulder-length. I’ve never been able to figure out if that’s an accident or a malicious clue of -- something -- from Brust.
The rest of the books go over more adventures of Vlad’s life, such as problems with his wife and his position in the Organization, which is the “working” part of House Jhereg. He finds himself in a war between lords of House Dragon because he lets one of them piss him off, he takes a commission for his patron goddess to assassinate a foreign king as part of some mysterious goddess plan, and he even finds himself in a battle with the enemies of the gods.
Short on adventure, Vlad is not. And his sense of humor and cynicism is what these stories are really about. If Vlad weren’t telling the tale, it wouldn’t be nearly as readable, interesting, or relatable. Vlad rocks.
Which is why I had such a hard time with Athyra and Orca when I first read them. Athyra is a third person tale, following the point-of-view of a Dragaeran youth who meets Vlad when our hero is on the run from House Jhereg. (He made some people mad and they decided he needed to be dead.)
When I first read it, I was sorely disappointed because I missed hearing Vlad’s voice, and I missed Loiosh’s remarks (which only Vlad can “hear”), and I missed all the personality and quips that entails.
But this time, I say, I rather enjoyed it. The writing is actually writing, instead of that impression of hearing a bantering and hard human sharing the story. And I found myself rather enjoying following Savn around this time and seeing Vlad through his eyes. Now that I’ve pulled my head from my ass and learned to read this novel as it is, rather than trying to make it another Vlad telling, I find myself liking this novel rather a lot.
You can learn a lot when you pull your head out of your ass. The world smells a lot better, too.
Orca is told from first person, but from Kiera’s point-of-view. Kiera’s a Jhereg thief and the first Dragaeran friend Vlad made. This book is basically Kiera relaying a story to Vlad’s wife. Vlad’s still on the run from the Organization, but asked Kiera to help him figure out what’s going on in this faraway port city. The reason? The old hedgewitch who can cure a friend of Vlad’s demands the deed to the land she lives on as payment for her help.
This one is a politicking mess. There’s just too much for me, of Kiera and Vlad wandering around trying to figure things out. There are sections of Vlad’s first person POV, but every one has Kiera’s feel to it, as if she’s relaying even that.
Now. I have a great appreciation for the fact that Brust pulled that off, but it was a tease just the same.
This is my least favorite book in the series, though I find it necessary. Being in Kiera’s head is quite fun as well; it’s the plot that disinterests me. Some of the things they have to do in order to figure out the plot are great, though. I’m talking about Vlad’s disguises and Kiera’s slips to the wary reader. Those were great fun. Also, the revelation at the end is worth the whole damn trip, I say. And you have to take the trip in order for the destination to have meaning. What I’m saying is, in this case, the end most certainly justified the means.
This series has some of the greatest opening lines. I often pick them up when I’m trying to figure out what makes an engaging opening. Thirty pages later, I remember that I was only supposed to be reading the first few lines. Despite Orca being my least favorite book, it doesn’t fall short in the opening department:
How can you not love that?
Through all of them, Morrolan is my favorite character, but mainly because Vlad describes him in the most entertaining ways. Vlad’s presence and personality make lordly mannered Morrolan even more entertaining. I get a sick sort of giddy when I see lordly types lose their composure.
There are many more great characters Vlad interacts with. The Dark Lady of Dzur Mountain, Sethra, comes to mind. To this day, I’m still not sure if she’s of House Dragon or House Dzur. (You’d think her residence would make a reader assume Dzur, and maybe it does, but Vlad’s assumption of Dragon blows that out of the water.) She’s very, very old. And undead, scarily powerful, lordly, and awesome when she gets going. Vlad’s damn thankful she’s his friend.
I can’t forget Kragar, Vlad’s right-hand man in the Organization. Practically invisible without even trying to be, he’ll say, “I’m here, boss,” from the chair across from Vlad’s desk just after Vlad asks someone to send for him.
There’s Vlad’s wife, Cawti, who routinely ticks me off. I freakin’ loved her when Vlad met her and how they got together is priceless. But as their story goes, I get very disappointed with her. That’s good, though, because so’s Vlad.
Aliera, Morrolan’s cousin, entertains the hell out of me quite often. She’s short for a Dragaeran, but her temper makes up for it. That makes for some awesome interactions.
Okay, I’m going to stop myself there, before I just confuse people with names. Reading along, trust me when I say each person has such a distinct personality. You remember them, you follow along with Vlad’s relationship with them, and you usually can’t wait to see them again.
One last thing. The novels are chronologically out of order, but I suggest reading them in published order anyway. It really is the best way. I know, for I’ve read them in published order, chronological order, and every order in between.
Don’t blame Vlad for not being the best writer. The fact that he’s not is part of the genius of the books. He’s willing to share these adventures in his own voice, complete with all his sarcasm and wit. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Dzur is the latest, upon the writing of this review, both chronologically and publishedly. Heh. Jhegaala promises to go back to the point just after Vlad flees the Jhereg, back when he visits the ancestral home of the humans. We knew he did that, from other books, but we’ve never known just what happened when he was there, and he keeps changing the story of how he lost his finger. Now, we should get to see first(heh)hand.
Then again, he has a little box here to keep them in that nullifies their effects, so I tend to go with, "This addition will be explained in a novel someday." I guess it's just weird that Vlad doesn't mention it will be, because usually he does.
But, of course, as we find out later in the series, Vlad's got excuses for dropping the ball now and then on things like that.
But it still kinda makes me want to narrow my eyes at Brust. That comes from the fact that gold was supposed to be for blocking sorcery, and black for blocking psychics. But here, when Sethra mentions it, it's backwards---and then it's mentioned backwards again, and also in the next book. What gives, man?
Other than that, I love this one. Lady Teldra is a staple in the series, though she's rarely seen. She answers Morrolan's door, basically. Only she's awesome at it. She has a major role to play in this one, and it's just lovely to see her and Vlad play off one another.
The story's great as well, throwing in gods and Jenoine (big, powerful nasties) with lots of action from the Big Powerful characters like Morrolan, Aliera, and Sethra. It's so totally Epic. At least, it would be, if Vlad weren't our narrator. And that's what makes it most awesome.
That, and Vlad telling Morrolan and Aliera off when they all finally make it back to Dzur Mountain. That was epic in any case.
Review from June 30, 2008:
This is actually a review of books four through nine, with a dash of 10 thrown in (that would be the one that comes after this one.) They were all rereads, and for quite a few, it wasn't the first time I'd reread them.
The books covered in this review, in order of publication (which is my favorite way to read them) go like this:
Taltos
Phoenix
Athyra
Orca
Dragon
Issola
And a dash of Dzur
General Summation
Vlad’s just a human in a world of Dragaerans -- tall, very long-lived humans with hints of animal (most of those specific to Vlad’s world) characteristics in their features and personalities. He hates them, as they have made his life miserable since he was a kid, but damned if not every singe one of his very closest friends is a Dragaeran.
The Dragaerans are grouped into houses, according to their characteristics, and one of those houses happens to sell titles to anyone who will buy. Vlad’s father bought a title in the House of Jhereg, as the man always wanted to be Dragaeran and did a lot of work to make his son want to be one, too. (Totally didn’t catch, but Vlad does get to be in House Jhereg because of his father’s obsession.)
The Jhereg are the ones who run illegal (tax-free) gambling operations and whorehouses, give out loans at monstrous interest rates and collect on them with force, and---
Dude, they’re the fantasy genre version of the mafia, but they’re so much dirtier, grungier, and more raw than the mafia.
They even have assassins, though we’re not talking about people who sit up in windows and wait for someone to pass by below so they can snipe them. They have all manner of interesting methods for killing one another. Vlad uses his skills of human swordplay (which he learned from his grandfather), enhanced by his short training in Dragaeran swordplay (taught by a tutor his father insisted upon), sorcery (a Dragaeran thing; another of his father’s insistings), and witchcraft, taught to him by his grandfather.
As a part of his witcherly studies, he gained a familiar around the time he started actually working for House Jhereg, rather than just being a member. His familiar? Why, the animal House Jhereg is named after.
A jhereg is a carrion animal that looks a lot like what you and I might imagine a dragon looks like. Only it’s small enough to fit on Vlad’s shoulder. Loiosh, Vlad’s familiar, offers some of the greatest banter. Being a witch’s familiar, his intelligence is higher than that of his kin, and part of being a familiar means he has a psionic connection with Vlad. Since most of the stories are in Vlad’s first person point-of-view, we get to hear Loiosh’s smart-ass remarks.
Why these books?
The new one, Jhegaala is coming out July 8th [[2008]] and I had to get my Vlad back on, in preparation. I’ve preordered my copy from Amazon and Mike and I will continue to fight about who gets to read it first while we wait for its arrival.
How’d it go?
It’s always a pleasure to re-read Vlad. It’s like hearing someone talk about all the shit they’ve been through, but since no one interrupts him in his storytelling, he seems to forget he’s sharing it at all. Vlad’s not a writer, but his personality makes up for it. And besides, he’s talking to you in order to tell the story, not writing it down. And everything about his stories backs that up.
Taltos, I know some of you have heard more than you’d like to, is my favorite. It goes over Vlad and Morrolan’s journey to the Paths of the Dead -- the place Dragaerans go when they die. (Humans aren’t allowed and I’m fairly certain that one day we’ll know why. There are hints of it.)
They don’t die to get there, a fact that irks everyone they meet on the Paths. It’s damn good stuff.
This is the book I’ve read the most. I finally had to cover it in clear mailing tape just to hold it together. This is the book in which Vlad describes Morrolan as having hair that’s straight and long enough to cover his ears. Then, five paragraphs later, points out that Morrolan’s hair is curly and shoulder-length. I’ve never been able to figure out if that’s an accident or a malicious clue of -- something -- from Brust.
The rest of the books go over more adventures of Vlad’s life, such as problems with his wife and his position in the Organization, which is the “working” part of House Jhereg. He finds himself in a war between lords of House Dragon because he lets one of them piss him off, he takes a commission for his patron goddess to assassinate a foreign king as part of some mysterious goddess plan, and he even finds himself in a battle with the enemies of the gods.
Short on adventure, Vlad is not. And his sense of humor and cynicism is what these stories are really about. If Vlad weren’t telling the tale, it wouldn’t be nearly as readable, interesting, or relatable. Vlad rocks.
Which is why I had such a hard time with Athyra and Orca when I first read them. Athyra is a third person tale, following the point-of-view of a Dragaeran youth who meets Vlad when our hero is on the run from House Jhereg. (He made some people mad and they decided he needed to be dead.)
When I first read it, I was sorely disappointed because I missed hearing Vlad’s voice, and I missed Loiosh’s remarks (which only Vlad can “hear”), and I missed all the personality and quips that entails.
But this time, I say, I rather enjoyed it. The writing is actually writing, instead of that impression of hearing a bantering and hard human sharing the story. And I found myself rather enjoying following Savn around this time and seeing Vlad through his eyes. Now that I’ve pulled my head from my ass and learned to read this novel as it is, rather than trying to make it another Vlad telling, I find myself liking this novel rather a lot.
You can learn a lot when you pull your head out of your ass. The world smells a lot better, too.
Orca is told from first person, but from Kiera’s point-of-view. Kiera’s a Jhereg thief and the first Dragaeran friend Vlad made. This book is basically Kiera relaying a story to Vlad’s wife. Vlad’s still on the run from the Organization, but asked Kiera to help him figure out what’s going on in this faraway port city. The reason? The old hedgewitch who can cure a friend of Vlad’s demands the deed to the land she lives on as payment for her help.
This one is a politicking mess. There’s just too much for me, of Kiera and Vlad wandering around trying to figure things out. There are sections of Vlad’s first person POV, but every one has Kiera’s feel to it, as if she’s relaying even that.
Now. I have a great appreciation for the fact that Brust pulled that off, but it was a tease just the same.
This is my least favorite book in the series, though I find it necessary. Being in Kiera’s head is quite fun as well; it’s the plot that disinterests me. Some of the things they have to do in order to figure out the plot are great, though. I’m talking about Vlad’s disguises and Kiera’s slips to the wary reader. Those were great fun. Also, the revelation at the end is worth the whole damn trip, I say. And you have to take the trip in order for the destination to have meaning. What I’m saying is, in this case, the end most certainly justified the means.
This series has some of the greatest opening lines. I often pick them up when I’m trying to figure out what makes an engaging opening. Thirty pages later, I remember that I was only supposed to be reading the first few lines. Despite Orca being my least favorite book, it doesn’t fall short in the opening department:
"Vlad knew almost at once that I was in disguise, because I told
him so. When he called out my name, I said, ‘Dammit, Vlad,
I’m in disguise.’"
How can you not love that?
Through all of them, Morrolan is my favorite character, but mainly because Vlad describes him in the most entertaining ways. Vlad’s presence and personality make lordly mannered Morrolan even more entertaining. I get a sick sort of giddy when I see lordly types lose their composure.
There are many more great characters Vlad interacts with. The Dark Lady of Dzur Mountain, Sethra, comes to mind. To this day, I’m still not sure if she’s of House Dragon or House Dzur. (You’d think her residence would make a reader assume Dzur, and maybe it does, but Vlad’s assumption of Dragon blows that out of the water.) She’s very, very old. And undead, scarily powerful, lordly, and awesome when she gets going. Vlad’s damn thankful she’s his friend.
I can’t forget Kragar, Vlad’s right-hand man in the Organization. Practically invisible without even trying to be, he’ll say, “I’m here, boss,” from the chair across from Vlad’s desk just after Vlad asks someone to send for him.
There’s Vlad’s wife, Cawti, who routinely ticks me off. I freakin’ loved her when Vlad met her and how they got together is priceless. But as their story goes, I get very disappointed with her. That’s good, though, because so’s Vlad.
Aliera, Morrolan’s cousin, entertains the hell out of me quite often. She’s short for a Dragaeran, but her temper makes up for it. That makes for some awesome interactions.
Okay, I’m going to stop myself there, before I just confuse people with names. Reading along, trust me when I say each person has such a distinct personality. You remember them, you follow along with Vlad’s relationship with them, and you usually can’t wait to see them again.
One last thing. The novels are chronologically out of order, but I suggest reading them in published order anyway. It really is the best way. I know, for I’ve read them in published order, chronological order, and every order in between.
Don’t blame Vlad for not being the best writer. The fact that he’s not is part of the genius of the books. He’s willing to share these adventures in his own voice, complete with all his sarcasm and wit. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Dzur is the latest, upon the writing of this review, both chronologically and publishedly. Heh. Jhegaala promises to go back to the point just after Vlad flees the Jhereg, back when he visits the ancestral home of the humans. We knew he did that, from other books, but we’ve never known just what happened when he was there, and he keeps changing the story of how he lost his finger. Now, we should get to see first(heh)hand.
January 21, 2024
“Issola” jumps forward in time again, to a point some time after the end of “Orca”. But it also represents a bigger jump, to a completely different frame of reference. At various points throughout the series, Brust has alluded to a larger science-fiction backstory for Dragaera, featuring the fearsomely powerful Jenoine. The suggestion is that the Dragaerans were the result of Jenoine experiments in implanting genes from the unusual native fauna into humans; the gods, meanwhile — or at least the oldest and strongest ones, like Verra — were Jenoine servants, whose revolt freed Dragaera from Jenoine control. In “Issola”, what we learn is that this is not merely ancient history: the Jenoine are still around and still trying to retake control of Dragaera, and one of the lesser-known functions of the Empire is to work with the gods to prevent this. So when Morrolan and Aliera disappear, probably kidnapped by the Jenoine because Blackwand and Pathfinder are sufficiently powerful to represent a danger even to them, Lady Teldra — the namesake of the book — shows up to ask Vlad to come and look for them. Vlad is the best choice because he has Spellbreaker, and as we found out in “Dragon”, Spellbreaker is not just a fancy shape-shifting chain that breaks spells: it is potentially part of a Great Weapon itself (or, more confusingly, may once have been part of one in the past). This means that it can be used to track Blackwand — Great Weapons have an affinity for each other — and after a quick chat with Sethra to fill Vlad, and the reader, in on some of the details, Vlad and Teldra are off to another planet, or possibly plane of existence, to try to get Morrolan and Aliera back. What follows has, surprisingly, a fair amount of resemblance to “Dragon”: there’s a lot of sitting around and talking, with occasional intervals of largely improvised action, culminating in a final battle, in a very high-fantasy style, at the Lesser Sea of Amorphia. But it doesn’t work as well as “Dragon”, or, in my opinion, any of the previous books in the series. Part of the problem is the Jenoine, who are supposed to be a different order of being than humans or Dragaerans, so powerful as to be incomprehensible. The issue is that this makes them bad villains: they’re dangerous, but also blank. Teldra can talk to them — diplomacy is an Issola thing, so she knows a lot of languages — though mostly they don’t seem to be that interested in talking, so their reactions can only be guessed at, and their goals and motives have to be inferred. Lady Teldra has a somewhat similar problem: she has spent centuries, or possibly millennia, perfecting the art of saying the polite thing in such a way that her interlocutor thinks that she really means it. The result is that it’s impossible to know what she really thinks: she has some long conversations with Vlad, but since her affect never changes, it’s unclear if she is telling him her innermost secrets or just continuing her role as the ultimate hostess, regardless of the fact that she is currently chained to the wall of a prison somewhere very far from home. Her motives, in fact, are even more difficult to figure out than the Jenoine’s. For one thing, why is she here at all? Ok, she speaks Jenoine, but she doesn’t wield a Great Weapon, or even a Great Weapon precursor, meaning that she’s just about useless in the big final battle. Is she in love with Morrolan, or deeply loyal to him out of some kind of feudal obligation, or motivated by something else entirely? I’ve read this book several times by now and still have no idea. The story moves well, and the sudden change of perspective — compared to being hunted by the Jenoine, being hunted by the Jhereg no longer seems quite as scary — is interesting, but the two big blanks in the middle of it make it one of the series’ weaker efforts.
November 4, 2016
Vlad has lost almost everything. Living in the wilderness to avoid the price on his head, he's shocked when Lady Teldra finds him. And the message she bears is even worse. Morrolan and Aliera have disappeared without a trace, which implies culprits beyond anything Vlad has faced before, as the two had been well-defended against normal attack. Now Vlad once again finds himself in well over his head, making things worse . . .
One thing I really like about these books is how well the various powers and personalities fit in together. Vlad is the weakest of his group of friends by almost any measure. As an Easterner, he's got a mere human lifespan compared to the thousands of years the Dragaerans live. As a magic-worker, he's a somewhat competent sorcerer to their expert, though he may have a bit of an edge in witchcraft, which doesn't work the same way at all. Even as a fighter, since his specialty is assassination, he's more set up for surprise attacks and sudden violence rather than a prolonged fight. But he's clever, and has a twisted way of thinking, and can do a few things that no one else can (or will dare). So although he's personally very unhappy about being in the rescue team, he's an irreplaceable part.
Another thing of note is the particular rumination that tends to span most of the story. In this book it's about the role of courtesy. Vlad, grating as he is, assumes he has none, whereas Lady Teldra has a positive genius for it. Their conversations about the topic support the story in interesting ways.
It's also interesting to see these characters continuing to develop. Vlad is changing, I think, although it's harder to see because he's narrating and doesn't see it himself. But the story digs deeper into Morrolan, Aliera, Sethra, and of course Lady Teldra. I liked seeing Lady Teldra's enigmatic personality up close. Elegant, graceful, but like the issola her House was named for, far more than just a pretty face.
I am again reading these completely out of order, because it's what I happen to have available, but the story does a good job of not relying too heavily on what came before. Vlad isn't terribly talkative about his own past in any case, and the little hints and references he makes tend to come off as digressions that he'll cut off in order to get back to the current story. So although I'm certainly curious how he got from where I last read him to here, that's no impediment to enjoying the story.
At any rate, I'm now a bit torn which direction to keep reading, since I both want to fill in the gaps as well as see what happened next. Because that end neatly fulfilled some much earlier hints from previous books, and it will be fascinating to see what Vlad does from here out. But I'd also dearly like to know how Vlad lost everything he'd worked so hard to get. I rate this book Recommended.
See my reviews and more at https://offtheshelfreviews.wordpress....
One thing I really like about these books is how well the various powers and personalities fit in together. Vlad is the weakest of his group of friends by almost any measure. As an Easterner, he's got a mere human lifespan compared to the thousands of years the Dragaerans live. As a magic-worker, he's a somewhat competent sorcerer to their expert, though he may have a bit of an edge in witchcraft, which doesn't work the same way at all. Even as a fighter, since his specialty is assassination, he's more set up for surprise attacks and sudden violence rather than a prolonged fight. But he's clever, and has a twisted way of thinking, and can do a few things that no one else can (or will dare). So although he's personally very unhappy about being in the rescue team, he's an irreplaceable part.
Another thing of note is the particular rumination that tends to span most of the story. In this book it's about the role of courtesy. Vlad, grating as he is, assumes he has none, whereas Lady Teldra has a positive genius for it. Their conversations about the topic support the story in interesting ways.
It's also interesting to see these characters continuing to develop. Vlad is changing, I think, although it's harder to see because he's narrating and doesn't see it himself. But the story digs deeper into Morrolan, Aliera, Sethra, and of course Lady Teldra. I liked seeing Lady Teldra's enigmatic personality up close. Elegant, graceful, but like the issola her House was named for, far more than just a pretty face.
I am again reading these completely out of order, because it's what I happen to have available, but the story does a good job of not relying too heavily on what came before. Vlad isn't terribly talkative about his own past in any case, and the little hints and references he makes tend to come off as digressions that he'll cut off in order to get back to the current story. So although I'm certainly curious how he got from where I last read him to here, that's no impediment to enjoying the story.
At any rate, I'm now a bit torn which direction to keep reading, since I both want to fill in the gaps as well as see what happened next. Because that end neatly fulfilled some much earlier hints from previous books, and it will be fascinating to see what Vlad does from here out. But I'd also dearly like to know how Vlad lost everything he'd worked so hard to get. I rate this book Recommended.
See my reviews and more at https://offtheshelfreviews.wordpress....
July 21, 2018
I've said it before, but humor me while I repeat myself: I like long series, and the best long series are the ones in which the author is not afraid to throw a wrench in the works, to push his (or her) characters out of their rut and in unexpected directions.
Steven Brust has done this once already in his Vlad Taltos series... Issola is the ninth book and Vlad is still dealing with the massive shift in his circumstances from book #5, Phoenix. I can't give too much info without spoiling surprises and secrets (though a careful reading of previous books hints at the new info) but one of the things that makes Brust such an interesting fantasy writer is that he is not married to the conventions of the genre. A turn into sci-fi territory feels like the next logical step. In this, it reminds me of Anne McCaffery's Pern series, which started as a dragon fantasy and became space-opera-science-fiction without losing consistency in her world-building.
A short overview: Lady Teldra finds Vlad in his self-imposed exile and recruits him to rescue Aliera and Morrolan from kidnappers. Since Aliera and Morrolan are two of the most powerful sorcerers/warriors in Dragaera, anyone who could hold them captive must be formidable, and it takes the combined forces of Vlad, Lady Teldra, the undead super-warrior Sethra, the undead demon Necromancer, the Demon Goddess Verra, and all the gods in the Dragaeran pantheon to overcome the captors. In fact, Vlad questions why his services are needed at all, since he is by far the least powerful one in the party. Along the way we find out his secret strength, learn about the ancient history and founding of Dragaera, where the gods and goddesses came from and their agenda, and all sorts of other unexpected twists that will be important in future books.
Brust is not finished with the Vlad Taltos series yet... fifteen books out of a projected nineteen have been published. That puts Issola almost in the middle, and suggests there are more surprises to come. What a treat!
Steven Brust has done this once already in his Vlad Taltos series... Issola is the ninth book and Vlad is still dealing with the massive shift in his circumstances from book #5, Phoenix. I can't give too much info without spoiling surprises and secrets (though a careful reading of previous books hints at the new info) but one of the things that makes Brust such an interesting fantasy writer is that he is not married to the conventions of the genre. A turn into sci-fi territory feels like the next logical step. In this, it reminds me of Anne McCaffery's Pern series, which started as a dragon fantasy and became space-opera-science-fiction without losing consistency in her world-building.
A short overview: Lady Teldra finds Vlad in his self-imposed exile and recruits him to rescue Aliera and Morrolan from kidnappers. Since Aliera and Morrolan are two of the most powerful sorcerers/warriors in Dragaera, anyone who could hold them captive must be formidable, and it takes the combined forces of Vlad, Lady Teldra, the undead super-warrior Sethra, the undead demon Necromancer, the Demon Goddess Verra, and all the gods in the Dragaeran pantheon to overcome the captors. In fact, Vlad questions why his services are needed at all, since he is by far the least powerful one in the party. Along the way we find out his secret strength, learn about the ancient history and founding of Dragaera, where the gods and goddesses came from and their agenda, and all sorts of other unexpected twists that will be important in future books.
Brust is not finished with the Vlad Taltos series yet... fifteen books out of a projected nineteen have been published. That puts Issola almost in the middle, and suggests there are more surprises to come. What a treat!
November 23, 2024
The back half of this novel is rather good, representing an important step forward for former assassin and current fugitive Vlad Taltos, who's come out of hiding to help a few friends who've been kidnapped by some sort of demigods. It also hinges on a new relationship -- platonic but deeply intimate -- between that protagonist and Lady Teldra, the courteous steward of Castle Black who has previously only been a very minor character in the series. Her quiet politeness blossoms in conversation with the Easterner, yielding the kind of respectful yet puzzled culture clashes of something like Shōgun.
It's fun to read before it all turns tragic, but it emerges from some of the most tedious exposition that author Steven Brust has yet devised, justifying the mysticism behind these latest worldbuilding details and the precise logistics of the enemies and their plans for Vlad's world. With such a flimsy beginning compromising the far stronger concluding arc, I suppose I'll toss my rating for this title straight down the middle. Still, it's nice to see the franchise pushing forward into the future and finally delivering on the Spellbreaker mystery that's lingered in the background for several books now.
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It's fun to read before it all turns tragic, but it emerges from some of the most tedious exposition that author Steven Brust has yet devised, justifying the mysticism behind these latest worldbuilding details and the precise logistics of the enemies and their plans for Vlad's world. With such a flimsy beginning compromising the far stronger concluding arc, I suppose I'll toss my rating for this title straight down the middle. Still, it's nice to see the franchise pushing forward into the future and finally delivering on the Spellbreaker mystery that's lingered in the background for several books now.
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January 19, 2018
Vlad Taltos is still on the run from his former criminal organization, when his friend Teldra finds him. As the house Issola major domo who serves the Dragonloard Morrolan, Vlad is surprised to see her in the woods, not to mention that she found him when he's been on the run. When she tells him that Morrolan simply disappeared, and needs his help, he risks his old associates finding him to help.
After some initial investigation, he and Teldra find themselves transported to a strange world, following the trail the kidnappers left, and quickly find themselves confronting a plot by the Jenoine, the strange creatures who came before, and are vastly powerful, but so alien as to be inscrutable to humans.
While Vlad is vastly over-matched against the Jenoine, his sideways and tricky strategies and thinking help confound their plans and piece together some of the bizarre kidnapping plot. Even with allies as powerful as Vlad has, it takes all of his wits to help them defeat the Jenoine's attack on their world.
The Jenoine and a larger magical threat have been hinted at throughout the series, but in this book they finally brings them to the forefront. Vlad having such powerful friends finally begins to make sense from the overall narrative of the story, as the Jenoine require such power to be faced, and allow his allies to shine as main characters more than simply being supporting characters to Vlad's own issues as a former assassin.
After some initial investigation, he and Teldra find themselves transported to a strange world, following the trail the kidnappers left, and quickly find themselves confronting a plot by the Jenoine, the strange creatures who came before, and are vastly powerful, but so alien as to be inscrutable to humans.
While Vlad is vastly over-matched against the Jenoine, his sideways and tricky strategies and thinking help confound their plans and piece together some of the bizarre kidnapping plot. Even with allies as powerful as Vlad has, it takes all of his wits to help them defeat the Jenoine's attack on their world.
The Jenoine and a larger magical threat have been hinted at throughout the series, but in this book they finally brings them to the forefront. Vlad having such powerful friends finally begins to make sense from the overall narrative of the story, as the Jenoine require such power to be faced, and allow his allies to shine as main characters more than simply being supporting characters to Vlad's own issues as a former assassin.
September 23, 2017
A rather lore-heavy entry into the ongoing saga of Vlad Taltos.
I've seen other reviewers knock Issola for straying too far from the noirish roots of the series and while I see where they are coming from, I disagree. The appeal of the Vlad Taltos novels for me has always been that they so rarely tread the same ground twice, and especially from Teckla onward, each new entry has always presented something similar yet different. And while each novel appears as a mostly self-contained story, each sits atop a rich sediment of backstory and the nonchronological format of the series has always lent itself to telling a big story in a creatively unusual way.
But at least considering this particular venture: this is essentially the story of cosmic conflict that is already quite familiar to epic fantasy, told mostly through the interactions of two wildly divergent characters conversing on the different ways they interact with the world they both must inhabit. For all the world-breaking implications of the plot, this is a small, intimate novel focused on the nuances of personality- which is something exceedingly rare in adventure fantasy.
I thought Athyra marked an important maturation for both Vlad and the series and here, with Issola, that trend continues. Nine books in, the series is smarter and more humane than it's ever been.
Plus Vlad now has a badass new sword.
I've seen other reviewers knock Issola for straying too far from the noirish roots of the series and while I see where they are coming from, I disagree. The appeal of the Vlad Taltos novels for me has always been that they so rarely tread the same ground twice, and especially from Teckla onward, each new entry has always presented something similar yet different. And while each novel appears as a mostly self-contained story, each sits atop a rich sediment of backstory and the nonchronological format of the series has always lent itself to telling a big story in a creatively unusual way.
But at least considering this particular venture: this is essentially the story of cosmic conflict that is already quite familiar to epic fantasy, told mostly through the interactions of two wildly divergent characters conversing on the different ways they interact with the world they both must inhabit. For all the world-breaking implications of the plot, this is a small, intimate novel focused on the nuances of personality- which is something exceedingly rare in adventure fantasy.
I thought Athyra marked an important maturation for both Vlad and the series and here, with Issola, that trend continues. Nine books in, the series is smarter and more humane than it's ever been.
Plus Vlad now has a badass new sword.
June 2, 2023
A book mostly about, courtesy, of all things.
We are now in a run on these books where the quality just does not dip until Vallista. This, like the book before, is another strong 4.5.
Ostensibly this should be the most straightforward 'big fantasy' book of the series. Vlad is still running around in the wilderness avoiding the fantasy mafia, two of his powerful friends go missing and the most unlikely minor character comes to get him to help. Cosmic powers type shenanigans ensue. Gods and monsters battle for the fate of the world. Except, Brust skips by that lot as if to say, boring (because with Fantasy as a whole, it has largely become boring).
I mean there's also a locked room thing going on with various Zelazny/Dumas type theatrics there but that's still just a side issue.
That minor character that comes to the fore? She is all about courtesy, and courtesy is the meat of this. Brust does a good line in pointing out that courtesy is combat by any other means and when facing inscrutable ancient alien cosmic powers, courtesy might just be your best weapon.
It's also a sad book at the end given the twist that gives Vlad the power up that has been hinted at since he just flat out stole an artifact from the undead wizard we have met twice before.
Just excellent stuff even with all this going on. Recommended.
We are now in a run on these books where the quality just does not dip until Vallista. This, like the book before, is another strong 4.5.
Ostensibly this should be the most straightforward 'big fantasy' book of the series. Vlad is still running around in the wilderness avoiding the fantasy mafia, two of his powerful friends go missing and the most unlikely minor character comes to get him to help. Cosmic powers type shenanigans ensue. Gods and monsters battle for the fate of the world. Except, Brust skips by that lot as if to say, boring (because with Fantasy as a whole, it has largely become boring).
I mean there's also a locked room thing going on with various Zelazny/Dumas type theatrics there but that's still just a side issue.
That minor character that comes to the fore? She is all about courtesy, and courtesy is the meat of this. Brust does a good line in pointing out that courtesy is combat by any other means and when facing inscrutable ancient alien cosmic powers, courtesy might just be your best weapon.
It's also a sad book at the end given the twist that gives Vlad the power up that has been hinted at since he just flat out stole an artifact from the undead wizard we have met twice before.
Just excellent stuff even with all this going on. Recommended.
January 22, 2019
5/5 because I loved every page and still feel a little like crying.
It's hard to tell what makes a story touch a readers heart. But I can tell Brust once and for all convinced me of his mastery in writing. The protagonist? Actually developing, slowly and steadily, but onward, with flaws, weaknesses, moods and changes. I wondered often if Brust is projecting himself most of the time, but either he's an excellent creator or I'd love to be friends with him.
The stories are unique, each in it's own right, and yet they weave a larger tale together.
Again I failed to see the final end, the grand climax coming. Most books, movies or games I tend to finish at ~85% because I know what's going to happen and it's just a matter of the final momentum spinning down.
Not with Brust, though. He manages to leave out the details you don't spot missing, while picking the details necessary for the right conclusions. He doesn't even bother sending you onto a false impression, he straight and honest, and hence the whole story adds up, even and especially some details not showing add up to the whole.
All in all, this book did it for me. Along with Myst and the Earthsea Trilogy, this is now one of my personal all time favorites.
It's hard to tell what makes a story touch a readers heart. But I can tell Brust once and for all convinced me of his mastery in writing. The protagonist? Actually developing, slowly and steadily, but onward, with flaws, weaknesses, moods and changes. I wondered often if Brust is projecting himself most of the time, but either he's an excellent creator or I'd love to be friends with him.
The stories are unique, each in it's own right, and yet they weave a larger tale together.
Again I failed to see the final end, the grand climax coming. Most books, movies or games I tend to finish at ~85% because I know what's going to happen and it's just a matter of the final momentum spinning down.
Not with Brust, though. He manages to leave out the details you don't spot missing, while picking the details necessary for the right conclusions. He doesn't even bother sending you onto a false impression, he straight and honest, and hence the whole story adds up, even and especially some details not showing add up to the whole.
All in all, this book did it for me. Along with Myst and the Earthsea Trilogy, this is now one of my personal all time favorites.
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