Teckla

Another very easy read, but this time Vlad has his most difficult challenge ever... His wife.

I can't think of a better way to seriously cramp the style of a man who succeeded against all the odds to win the most high-paid assassination than to have his wife decide to go all in on a revolution for the downtrodden in the slums, especially since Vlad's at the top of his game, rich as hell, and have powerful people owe him favors.

Of course, that's exactly what happens, and he's just trying to save his marriage while being unable to accept or go along with the ultimately doomed idealism. Hell, this would have made a fine novel, full of outrage, love, hopeless fear, and sadness, and all without a touch of fantasy. Fortunately for us, we've show more got a flying novel that goes down so smooth it might as well have been a dragon dipping into a lake.

I never felt so close to Vlad as during this novel, and that may be because I'm already invested in the character, or it could be because the conflict is real, immediate, and scary, while only occasionally turning into a bloodbath.

Revolution. It was painful to read mainly because it seemed so ill-prepared and idealistic, which was probably an artifact of seeing it through Vlad's eyes, but I couldn't help but agree. It's nice to imagine that hoards of angry peasants can do more than step up to be slaughtered, but come on... what was Cawti thinking?

I suppose this novel felt the most real. It was a squabble between a married couple, with the regular complications of mob-wars, assassinations, and plotting one's own death... and that was only on the husband's side.

Forgive me if I am stuck wondering how this whole novel would have played out written from Cawti's point of view. It might have turned into something savagely different and fun instead of being tinged with despair. Who knows? I might be sitting on this one for a while wondering that very question. That's a good thing. I'm getting more for my money on this read. :) show less

This book seems to be really highlighting Brust's skill as a writer - Vlad is on the outs with his wife, depressed and worried, and spends a lot of time just watching things going on, or even cleaning. But the writing keeps drawing me in and forward through the story. Lots of philosophising as Vlad learns about the Teckla/Easterner uprising, and lots of introspection as he tries to decide where he stands. I was almost convinced that someone put a spell on him, he seemed so unlike himself. Pretty much no interaction with his Dragonlord friends, this was a book focussed on the city and Vlad's place in it.

Relationships and a workers' revolution: such a challenging subject for a fantasy book, and really a radical thematic departure from the first two installments. I later discovered (following Brust's blog in the olden days) that he tends to lean heavily towards socialism and is both opinionated and educated on the topic. Once I learned that, this book made more sense: essentially a pamphlet to convince the reader (as a stand in for Vlad), I think. Brust is at least a decade older than I, but I don't know if his age stretches into the 60s revolution.

This book introduces my least favorite storyline in the entire series, which is the Easterner uprising in South Andrilankha. There's just something about the whole thing that I find very dull. Also, it turns Cawti from a smart and sexy assassin into an obsessed revolutionist.

Despite this, the story still manages to be fairly entertaining, particularly Vlad's torture and the aftermath of it.

I simply could not relate to Taltos' unwillingness to adapt his personal code of honour to his wife's political and personal interests: as far as I could suspend my disbelief, it made him a deeply unattractive character whose fate I could barely bring myself to care about.

Assassin Vladimir Taltos faces a failing marriage and a political uprising. His wife, Cawti, joins a Teckla, peasant class, revolution, opposing Vlad's role in the elite Jhereg crime organization, leading to deep personal and political conflict.

The Teckla, the lowest caste of Dragaeran society, are rebelling against the empire, a movement supported by human easterners, like Cawti.

Vlad is forced to take a hard look at his life as an assassin, ultimately finding a satisfactory solution to the conflict, even though his marriage remains in question.

Hmmm... after reading the first book in this series, I immediately bought the remainder of the books because I figured they would all be similar in quality and tone. Now I am worried that I was mistaken.

The first book was a noir vigilante book set in a foreign (fantasy) world. The second was more along the lines of an almost-noir detective novel, and although there was not much vigilantism, the dark theme remained. This one was... well... a soap opera-y philosophical fiction. It had no detective work going on; it had no noir; it had no vigilantism. It was a bit on the lecture-y side (oh, look how bad "THE MAN" is and how the "system" controls us) and involved the main character essentially pacing back and forth (literally, from one side show more of town to another, and figuratively in trying to figure out his wife) and bemoaning the apparent breakdown of his marriage (in the face of her struggle against governmental control of "the people")

See my disappointment? It is missing all the features I enjoy (vigilantes, noir, detectives) and includes some of my main pet peeves (morals and lectures). And what was left - man pulling his hair out over relationship breakdown - really didn't tickle my emotional armpits. I simply didn't care. Maybe I'm callous, or maybe Brust simply is better at writing noir than emotional pieces.

I really hope the next one is back to the good stuff because this one was just not worth reading. show less