Iorich

Finally gave in and read the rest of this - I'd been saving it as a special treat and it really was. I actually went back and read from the beginning just to savor the experience. Brust's prose and layers of story are so rewarding that it's well worth rereading.

I will need to dig up all of these from the beginning and do a complete reread the next time I'm in a dry spell.

Vlad is back in Adrilanka because a friend has been arrested on a charge that makes no sense. Imperial politics, and we see him reconnect with Cawti and others from the earlier books. This is really only directed to those who are already reading the series to say this is brilliant - I don't think you could start at book 12.

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3.5 stars.

in which Vlad once again gets called back to the city to deal with stuff. he's lost in what the heck is going on, figures it out with the aid of some dizzying leaps of non-logic, and attempts to solve problems with some more clever plan than just "brandish a knife and see who reacts to it." the whole gang makes an appearance here, from Morrolan to Kragar to Cawti (scenes with her and Vlad and the son he's missed growing up are especially heartbreaking): no introductions are made, so don't start here if you're new to these people.

in the end, there's a strong suggestion that Vlad may need to start dealing with his exile instead of just hiding out. if that's where the next book is headed, I'm all over it. ( )

This is the newest one, both in terms of publication date and internal chronology, and while it wasn't all that exciting plot-wise, it sets up some things that I suspect will be important later. I don't think I can actually verbalize the appeal of these twisty little books anyway. ( )

This is getting back to the original series - where Vlad is out to solve a mystery without angering too many people :) So when Aliera is arrested for practising high magic (a fact known by everyone), Vlad has to figure out what is the real reason for this and what does it have to do with a few unimportant Teckla getting killed in an unknown village.

It has all the things you would expect from a Vlad Taltos Book - smart wit, and complicated and plausible plot, and at heart, a mystery that needs to be solved. ( )

Another good entry in the Vlad Taltos series. ( )