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Granted, walking around with two jhereg on your shoulders is not the best disguise for an ex-assassin wanted all over the Empire. But a young boy saved his life and then needs help, Vlad Taltos pays his debt--even if it means uncovering a financial scandal big enough to bring down the House of the Orca and the entire Empire.Tags
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Kiera finally gets a book! I was waiting for this for a long while! And it's one of my favorites in the "Vlad Taltos"/Dragaera series! Which is rather astonishing because it's the book that's about banks and paperwork! Sort of.
This series always makes me laugh and spend the rest of the time grinning till my face hurts. This was no exception. The prose is beautiful, the plot is enjoyable and Vlad is hilarious in his gambits and conversations. And if you're a fan of "Orca" and haven't read the other books or are still considering finishing the series, then read the rest! They're worth it!
I also really love Mother, the healer Vlad goes to for help with Savn. Her tolerance for Vlad's antics is great to watch and her gentleness with Savn is show more quite beautiful. I really liked seeing how she learned about and attempted to deal with his illness.
If you're reading the series, DO NOT SKIP THIS BOOK! There's at least two BIG plot reveals and an important turning point you won't want to miss. show less
This series always makes me laugh and spend the rest of the time grinning till my face hurts. This was no exception. The prose is beautiful, the plot is enjoyable and Vlad is hilarious in his gambits and conversations. And if you're a fan of "Orca" and haven't read the other books or are still considering finishing the series, then read the rest! They're worth it!
I also really love Mother, the healer Vlad goes to for help with Savn. Her tolerance for Vlad's antics is great to watch and her gentleness with Savn is show more quite beautiful. I really liked seeing how she learned about and attempted to deal with his illness.
If you're reading the series, DO NOT SKIP THIS BOOK! There's at least two BIG plot reveals and an important turning point you won't want to miss. show less
Orca is set a year or so after Athyra. Most of it from the perspective of Vlad's friend Kiera, with the exception of chapters in which Vlad fills Kiera in on what he's been up to.
Kiera is Vlad's oldest friend, and I've always felt like she didn't quite fit in somehow - she doesn't belong to Vlad's other groups of friends and her involvement was always peripheral rather than central.
She doesn't give much away, but what she does is - fascinating. She's sort of my favourite character now. (Sort of.)
Orca is a convoluted mystery with some unexpected twists. Probably one of my favourites in this series.
“Well,” I said slowly. “Congratulations, Vlad.” He looked at me and waited for the punch line. I said, “You’ve now not only got show more the Jhereg after you but also the Empire, and, as soon as they tie you to the documents we stole, the House of the Orca will want you, too—and me, by the way. That leaves only fourteen more Houses to go and you’ll have the set. Then you can start on the Easterners and the Serioli. Good work.”
“It’s a talent,” he said. “I can’t take credit for it.” show less
Kiera is Vlad's oldest friend, and I've always felt like she didn't quite fit in somehow - she doesn't belong to Vlad's other groups of friends and her involvement was always peripheral rather than central.
She doesn't give much away, but what she does is - fascinating. She's sort of my favourite character now. (Sort of.)
Orca is a convoluted mystery with some unexpected twists. Probably one of my favourites in this series.
“Well,” I said slowly. “Congratulations, Vlad.” He looked at me and waited for the punch line. I said, “You’ve now not only got show more the Jhereg after you but also the Empire, and, as soon as they tie you to the documents we stole, the House of the Orca will want you, too—and me, by the way. That leaves only fourteen more Houses to go and you’ll have the set. Then you can start on the Easterners and the Serioli. Good work.”
“It’s a talent,” he said. “I can’t take credit for it.” show less
This is a solid Sword and Sorcery read, with just enough action to keep things interesting, but it's mostly about unravelling a ponzi scheme and a land swindle orchestrated by the Orca.
Vlad is just being Vlad, paying his debts. If it turns out that he bites off way more than he can chew, then blame it on his character.
If it actually makes him seem like a meddling busybody of an ex-assassin that's racking up the hate of every single empire in the land, then so be it. It's his nature. Or at least, it's the nature of this landless wanderer who seems to think he must atone for something, even if to my eyes he needn't atone for anything.
I keep reading these not because there's an overarching goal or something he must aim for any longer. His show more friends miss him and at least one can reach him, not including his dragons, so all in all, it's still all about healing his new friend who lost his mind in the previous book.
Interesting? Yes.
Worthwhile? Yes.
Does it still feel like just a meandering path to some unknowable future? Yes.
I don't know how I feel about that, but the character is strong enough, and the actual novel was still interesting, so I don't really see a reason to stop.
But. I still want more. I still remember truly grand things happening and stylistic wonders and brilliant plot. This didn't match my memories, but I can't say it was bad. show less
Vlad is just being Vlad, paying his debts. If it turns out that he bites off way more than he can chew, then blame it on his character.
If it actually makes him seem like a meddling busybody of an ex-assassin that's racking up the hate of every single empire in the land, then so be it. It's his nature. Or at least, it's the nature of this landless wanderer who seems to think he must atone for something, even if to my eyes he needn't atone for anything.
I keep reading these not because there's an overarching goal or something he must aim for any longer. His show more friends miss him and at least one can reach him, not including his dragons, so all in all, it's still all about healing his new friend who lost his mind in the previous book.
Interesting? Yes.
Worthwhile? Yes.
Does it still feel like just a meandering path to some unknowable future? Yes.
I don't know how I feel about that, but the character is strong enough, and the actual novel was still interesting, so I don't really see a reason to stop.
But. I still want more. I still remember truly grand things happening and stylistic wonders and brilliant plot. This didn't match my memories, but I can't say it was bad. show less
So now I'm at the mid-point - Book 7 of the 15 published to this point. This one was another change-up in style from the previous books, alternating first person accounts between 2 characters. For this, the audiobook wisely brought in another narrator to handle the female character's viewpoint. Weirdly, this narrator (Angele Masters) did a fine job in the regular chapters; handling different voices without issue. However, the Interludes were all a conversation between 2 female characters, with minimal to no ... uhhh... "speaking indicators" (I don't know the term - "Tom said... Bill said...") and her voices for these 2 characters were so similar that I had to back-track a few times to make sure I could tell which was which.
The story show more itself was a crazy-complicated financial house-of-cards whodunnit. Like watching one of those old crime shows the older generation seems to love - full of double-crosses and banking transactions. Probably should've been a little more boring than it was, but I enjoyed it. show less
The story show more itself was a crazy-complicated financial house-of-cards whodunnit. Like watching one of those old crime shows the older generation seems to love - full of double-crosses and banking transactions. Probably should've been a little more boring than it was, but I enjoyed it. show less
2023 - As I did a reread of the entire Vlad Taltos stories, this one was my favorite. Here we have Vlad, basically reconstructing a bank failure - one that is caused by bad investments that could potentially bring ruin the whole empire. Of course, we have Kiera the Thief taking an interest - she's between jobs.
I'm not sure why I like this one so much, maybe its the detective work, or that it shows a side of Vlad that is not so mercenary. Of course, the story is a lot of fun as well. Highly recommended.
2012 -A Thoroughly enjoyable read. Vlad is right on target, a bit wiser, a bit quieter, a bit more introspective. In his quest to help Savn, a young Teckla boy who was injured helping Vlad, he find a lady who can help... for a price. She show more wants him to help her figure out how to stay on her land. This leads Vlad (and the trusty thief Kiera)on complicated scheme of shell business that if would break, would bring down the entire empire.
It takes a skilled author to write about something as mystifying as finances... and it Steven Brust has managed to do it. show less
I'm not sure why I like this one so much, maybe its the detective work, or that it shows a side of Vlad that is not so mercenary. Of course, the story is a lot of fun as well. Highly recommended.
2012 -A Thoroughly enjoyable read. Vlad is right on target, a bit wiser, a bit quieter, a bit more introspective. In his quest to help Savn, a young Teckla boy who was injured helping Vlad, he find a lady who can help... for a price. She show more wants him to help her figure out how to stay on her land. This leads Vlad (and the trusty thief Kiera)on complicated scheme of shell business that if would break, would bring down the entire empire.
It takes a skilled author to write about something as mystifying as finances... and it Steven Brust has managed to do it. show less
Another one told from not-Vlad's point of view, this time Kiera's. As soon as I figured that out, I was excited, as I've always liked her character and it was good to hear more from/about her. Vlad found a woman who can help Savn, but he gets caught up trying to save her house. He calls in Kiera for a burglary and she also gets drawn in. Lots of plots and misdirections and complications, I'm still not sure I follow it all, and there was something revealed that makes me want to go back and re-read all the previous books with the light of new knowledge shining on them. And, because Brust is like that, he makes that point, of looking at old situations without the old assumptions in place, to see new things in them
I really enjoyed reading from Kiera's perspective. She is definitely one of my favorite Brust characters. Why do like the assassin and thief so much more than anyone with a reasonable job? I think this finally explains why I dislike Sethra - she's like the antithesis of Kiera. I wonder though how she can deal with being separated from Iceflame? I am also still wondering what the background is between Sethra and Vlad in his past-life? I'm surprised how much I've enjoyed these books about Vlad that are written from other points of view.
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ThingScore 100
This is one of the ones I loved straight away.
added by r.orrison
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102 works; 16 members
Books Read in 2013
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Books Read in 2022
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Author Information
72+ Works 35,603 Members
Steven Karl Zoltan Brust is a writer and musician. He was born on November 23, 1955. Brust has worked as a systems programmer for a computer company and played guitar, drums, and banjo in such bands as Cats Laughing, Morrigan, and Boiled in Lead. Brust writes science fiction, including the Vlad Taltos series, The Pheonix Guards, 500 Years After, show more and Brokedown Palace. He has written "choose-your-own-adventure" books for Tor and published several short stories in a series. Brust also released a solo album, A Rose for Iconoclastes, on the SteelDragon label. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Some Editions
Series
Work Relationships
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Orca
- Original publication date
- 1996
- People/Characters
- Vlad Taltos; Kiera; Cawti; Fyres; Savn; Stony (show all 9); Vonnith; Loiosh; Sethra Lavode
- Dedication
- In memory of my brother, Leo Brust, 1954 - 1994
- First words
- My Dear Cawti:
I'm sorry it has taken me so long to answer your letter, but the gods of Coincidence make bad correspondents of us all; I am not unaware that the passing of a few weeks to you is a long time - as long as ... (show all)the passing of years is to me, and this is long indeed when one is uncertain - so I will plead the excuse that I found your note when I returned from traveling, and will answer your question at once: Yes, I have seen your husband, or the man who used to be your husband, or however you would describe him. (prologue)
Vlad knew almost at once that I was in disguise, because I told him so. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)In the meantime, you know that you can always call on me if you are in trouble, and I will repeat that it was a joy to me to see you and Vlad Norathar, who seems to already have the good looks of his father and the iron will of his mother.
Faithfully,
Kiera
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Statistics
- Members
- 1,269
- Popularity
- 19,309
- Reviews
- 16
- Rating
- (3.79)
- Languages
- English, Turkish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook
- ISBNs
- 3
- UPCs
- 1
- ASINs
- 5