And the reread of the Vlad Taltos series continues, with Hawk. Hawk begins with a prolog, an homage to the opening credits sequence of the television show Burn Notice. I approve. Rereading Hawk, I get the feeling that Steven Brust was watching a lot of television while writing it. The story is a sort of long con, of the kind one might encounter in shorter form in the show Leverage.
Vlad, you see, has an epiphany, induced when he remembers something Daymar had told him years ago, during a night of drinking. What Vlad informs we, the readers, is that he has come up with a scheme so monetarily valuable that the Jhereg will cancel the standing assassination order in exchange for the secret. Would Vlad hold out on us? The plot then, is Vlad putting together all the elements he needs to pull off an elaborate confidence trick. Each piece must be acquired and assembled, usually with complications attached. Vlad, working out of his old offices, has chances to wax nostalgic and meet some of the crew working for Kragar. As always, much eating occurs, with the type of meal carefully describe, and there is much drinking of klava. But Brust keeps things moving, keeping us constantly apprised of Vlad’s nervousness and his recognition of how much is riding on this one operation.
The culmination is tense and the final twist is earned. Good stuff.
If you’re in the mood for more good stuff, pre-ordering is available for Brazos, book three of the Twilight Galaxy series.
