Issola is a satisfying entry in the Vlad Taltos series. The novel reveals some of the mysteries of the deep background of the series universe, with the main the arriving from the machinations of the Jenoine, the alien species whose experimentation with humans and animals created the variety of Dragaera. As perhaps a throw-away line,… Continue reading The Great Vlad Taltos Reread: Issola
Category: Authors
The Great Vlad Taltos Reread: Dragon
“No shit, there I was…” So begins Dragon, the eighth book in the Vlad Taltos series. With Dragon, Steven Brust produced two solid Vlad Taltos entries in a row. While Orca was a mystery, Dragon is a war story. Once again, Brust takes us back in time. Chronological order is merely something Brust toys with,… Continue reading The Great Vlad Taltos Reread: Dragon
The Great Vlad Taltos Reread: Orca
Swimming along with the Vlad Taltos reread, we come to volume 7, Orca. Now, the Orca are the shippers, sailors, bankers, and traders of the Dragaera. Given Brust’s sympathies, one would expect that this is the book in which he gives them a metaphorical drubbing, demonstrating his loathing of bankers and capitalists. After all, he… Continue reading The Great Vlad Taltos Reread: Orca
The Great Vlad Taltos Reread Continues: Athyra
Moving on today to Athyra in the reread of Steven Brust’s Vlad Taltos series. I dimly recall being very disappointed the first time I read this, discovering that not only had Brust abandoned first person narration, but that the POV character isn’t even Vlad. This time, of course, I was prepared for it, and was… Continue reading The Great Vlad Taltos Reread Continues: Athyra
The Great Vlad Taltos Reread: Phoenix
And so the reread of Steven Brust’s Vlad Taltos series continues. Phoenix is the fifth volume. Much as a story follows a rise and fall in action, like a roller coaster, there — unfortunately — appears to be a rise and fall in my appreciation of each succeeding entry. I truly enjoyed Taltos, a favorite,… Continue reading The Great Vlad Taltos Reread: Phoenix
The Great Vlad Taltos Reread: Taltos
The reread continues through the cycle, with volume 4, Taltos. After the slog that was Teckla, I was glad to encounter what may be my favorite Vlad Taltos novel. Once again we bounce around in time, jumping back from the events of Teckla. Taltos tells parallel stories, the primary narrative being about his initial meeting… Continue reading The Great Vlad Taltos Reread: Taltos
The Great Vlad Taltos Reread Continues: Yendi and Teckla
Continuing my semi-serious intention to reread the Vlad Taltos books, we come to volume two, Yendi. If book one did not provide a sufficient clue that these novels will be presented in chronological order, Yendi ought to do the trick. Vlad tells a story of his early period in the organization running his own territory,… Continue reading The Great Vlad Taltos Reread Continues: Yendi and Teckla
The Great Vlad Taltos Reread: Jhereg
I may or may not manage the task of rereading Steven Brust’s Vlad Taltos series. Maybe I’ll complete it in time for publication of the last novel. I don’t know. At the moment, it seems a worthwhile, and achievable goal. Reading any given book is personal experience. Each reader has a unique relationship with any… Continue reading The Great Vlad Taltos Reread: Jhereg
The Port of Peril. Moderately Perilous.
The third book of Otis Adelbert Kline’s Venus trilogy is The Port of Peril. For some reason it is the only one of the three that takes the definite article. Robert Grandon once again takes center stage. While I do miss the immediacy of the first-person narration of the second book, Port is a significant… Continue reading The Port of Peril. Moderately Perilous.