Steven Brust

Book number 17 in Brust's Vlad Taltos series finds the titular hero dealing with fallout from the events of the previous book and hiding out in a theater from the people who are after him this time

You know, it's not that I don't enjoy this series, but more and more as it goes on, I find myself thinking that I don't enjoy it nearly as much as I feel like I should, or even as much as I keep trying to convince myself that I do. This one... is OK, I guess? The combination of frothy stuff about having to save the theater's musical production from lawsuits and financial problems and the implication of cosmically important events being set up is a little odd. One of those two things is much more interesting than the other, but it's the thing that's barely dealt with, not the one that's focused on. Maybe the next book will finally bring things to a really interesting head, but then, I was kind of thinking that already after the previous one.

The resolution of the plot is more than a little contrived-feeling and anticlimactic, too. And while there may be more efficient ways of snapping my suspension of disbelief than having actors in your carefully world-built fantasy novel break out into a Gilbert and Sullivan parody, I'm not sure I can think of one off the top of my head. Honestly, all the little snippets of musical parody here feel like the author being just a little too pleased with his own cleverness.

For all that, it was readable enough, I suppose, and I still have lingering fondness for Vlad and his world, but I can't say this installment has actually got me feeling all that bad about the apparently imminent end of the series.… (mehr)

Lyorn is the 17th entry in the Vlad Taltos series. This is important because it is a very interconnected series and if you haven't read any of the previous installments, most readers will be swimming in this one. I've dipped in and out of the series and found it a struggle to juggle everything.
Vlad, having just extracted himself from trouble with the Right Hand of the Jhereg finds himself hunted by the Left Hand of the Jhereg. Needing a place to hide out while he plans to solve his latest life-threatening problem, he takes refuge in a theatre. Theatres are magically protected against spying, to prevent theft of intellectual property mostly.

The theatre group is putting on a play musical about a play about a historical situation that got several people imprisoned, killed, and threatened an empire. Vlad is given a copy of the musical and a book about the subject it's based on. Vlad is mostly bored by musicals and only reads the book out of boredom. Brust shares excerpts from the book and begins each chapter with lyrics from the musical. Unfortunately, what they mostly convey is why it's boring. They are dry and only very tangentially advance the story. The lyrics are takes on songs from famous Broadway tunes. I was able to recognize many of them but even if you do, it doesn't make them more interesting. A lot depends on your appetite and appreciation for song parody.

While Vlad is working on a plan to solve his problem with the Left Hand, and partly to earn his keep, he agrees to help the theatre group with some of their problems. These include threats from investors, protection schemes, a lawsuit to stop the play, and a kidnapping. This is the best part of the book. Vlad's dry wit, scheming, and barely restrained violence is a lot of fun. The story has the pacing and the structure of an elaborate caper, complete with wrenches being thrown into the works along the way. Vlad's own growth comes in the form of his attempting to come to terms with who he is and his unasked-for role in world events.

Brust's writing is very good, the caper elaborate and delicious in execution. The pacing is uneven and grinds to a halt with the musical interludes and excerpts from the history of the play. Fans of the series will find a lot to enjoy here. I would not recommend it as an entry point for new readers. If you like this type of world and story, checking out the series from the beginning is the way to go.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher.… (mehr)

Another entirely up-to-standard installment in the Vladiad, clearly approaching the end (not just because we're almost through the Cycle but based on internal occurrences).

The expected stylistic experimentation, this time, has the structure mirror the subject: the subject is a musical production (where Vlad us hiding out and whose performance becomes of importance to him), and each chapter not only begins with a song from the musical but has a third party central scene - there are several scene shifts per chapter - which involves third party narration; I think of them as chorus scenes because they are part of the way in which almost every character who has been significant gets a bit part. (Except for the one you might expect, whose absence is noted. But I might have missed a glancing appearance by Devera.)

The songs are parodies of American musical songs, with a couple of G&S songs thrown in for good measure. They're fun in themselves. The musical is about the production of a musical, so some are about the production aspects, and some are about the subject of the musical, which is also the subject of a short history book which is excerpted throughout the story as Vlad reads it.

At the same time, there's a general issue which has (Vlad is told, by Verra) been building since Adron's disaster. Vlad has a role to play, though which role he will end up playing is as yet not clear. One of the transitions in the book is in Vlad's attitude to what he might be doing, and why.

Accordingly this starts to make a whole set of connections between various events in the previous books in the series. It's definitely not a book to read as an introduction to the series.

There is one constraint remaining making it very unclear what is happening: if the two options which seem to be up for bid are the complete eradication of the cycle, which Verra wants and which Vlad seems to favour, and its remaking in favour of the Jhereg, as the Left Hand favours, then the production of the Paarfi books under the Empress Norathar, after the Cycle has turned from Phoenix to Dragon, would suggest an outcome which is neither of the above.

Overall, an entirely welcome addition to an already excellent series.… (mehr)

Vlad’s in trouble—again!

A return to the Vlad shenanigans is always a welcome experience. This time Vlad’s hiding out in a theater from quite a few factions. He sorted the problem with the Jhereg but now The Left Hand is after him, and he no longer has sorcery protections. Oh, and also, being turned into a demon was unplanned and particularly unhelpful. Yet Vlad needs to stay in the City. Big Problem!!
A friend advises him to hide out in a theater because apparently , “Every theater in the City has spells to prevent sorcery, and powerful spells to prevent clairvoyance and any other sort of detection until the show opens, and most of them don’t bother to take the spells down after that.”
Perfect! Sort of! A musical farce is being performed based on the challenge of theatre productions and the empire. I recognised some Gilbert and Sullivan repartee. Vlad by the way dislikes musicals.
He has a bed to sleep in but the food is abysmal so Vlad communicates with the outside to have it delivered. Of course! He’s a foodie! (Personally, I think that’s a bad idea, but I’m only a reader)
It seems the producer is having trouble with Jhereg investors. The latest a Lyorn. Of course Vlad lends a hand. After all he’s in hiding and bored and is doing nothing to bring attention to himself. Ha!
He also has Sethra Lavode, Warlord, working on his problem.
Along the way we’re given a potted history of the Empire and the Stage.
As usual I enjoyed the misadventures of the likeable rogue Vlad (officially Lord Vladimir Taltos, First Count of Szurke by the grace of Her Majesty) and his two small, long suffering, quite vocal, put upon companions, Loiosh and Rocza.
A long time reader of Vlad novels, I love the tone, the irony, the sarcasm and the wit of it all. Well played Brust!

A Tor ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change… (mehr)