Tiassa: A Novel of Vlad Taltos

Vlad Taltos #13

by Steven Brust

Once, Vlad Taltos knew his he killed people for a living. That skill got him his foothold in House Jhereg, running the rackets for a chunk of urban Adrilankha. Later, things happened that left Vlad a changed man, on the run from the Jhereg and frequently involved in the affairs of Dragonlords, Empresses, and even Jenoine. Far more involved than the average human.

Meanwhile, in the very distant past, one of the gods fashioned an artifact―a silver figurine of a tiassa, a winged panther-like animal. To Devera the Wanderer, it's a pretty toy to play with. To Vlad, it's a handy prop for a con he's running. To the Empire, it's a tool to be used against the Jenoine. And to the Jhereg, it's a trap to kill Vlad.

As it happens, however, the silver tiassa has its own agenda.

Tiassa tells a story that threads its way through more than ten years of the remarkable life of Vlad Taltos―and, to the delight of longtime fans, brings him together with Khaavren, from The Phoenix Guards and its sequels. Khaavren may be Vlad's best friend―or his most terrible enemy.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Audiobook, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Speculative Fiction

336 pages, Paperback

First published March 17, 2011

About the author

Steven Karl Zoltán Brust (born November 23, 1955) is an American fantasy and science fiction author of Hungarian descent. He was a member of the writers' group The Scribblies, which included Emma Bull, Pamela Dean, Will Shetterly, Nate Bucklin, Kara Dalkey, and Patricia Wrede, and also belongs to the Pre-Joycean Fellowship.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/steven...

(Photo by David Dyer-Bennet)

Reviews

[Choko · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** 4.35 ***

Being with Vlad again is a pleasure!!! I love this author's way to keep you on your toes at all times, demanding of you to remember the smallest details of all the previous books, which are almost never in a chronological order. I have a lot of fun with it, since it feels like a puzzle and loving the main characters adds to the enjoyment of the read.

Recommend it to all the Vlad fans and all fans of stories and tales, you should check this series out!!!

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was rather interesting in that the main thread of the tale was in a little god-made figurine with incidental characters handling it throughout a space of ten years, including a young Vlad, an older Cawti, his estranged wife, and, oddly enough, the Captain of the Phoenix Guards, of which apparently has his own series, so I just got to enjoy *his* strong voice, which was a pleasure and quite different from either Vlad's or Cawti's.

Suffice to say, strange things are afoot. There could be a horrendous invasion on its way and only stoppable by this little artifact, or it could be just some rather desperate and complicated attempts on Vlad's life. Who knows? I mean, it's not like Vlad has ever given anyone reason to dislike him or anything.

No. Not him. He's as sunny as the Demon Goddess is explicable.

Fun tale, split up quite a bit differently than any others that I've read by Brust, but that's only natural if the main character in focus doesn't actually have a voice. :)

Still loving the series!

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tiassa reads more of a fix-up book than a novel, containing three (loosely) linked novellas and some 'interludes' about the gods and goddesses that serve as a bridge among them. The real link consists of a small sculpture of tiassa made of silver with gems for eyes, made by a god for some reason or another. Brust plays here with the narrative style, changing it with each story, and even bringing in some of the characters from the Khaavren Romances.

The first story takes place when Vlad still worked as a Jhereg 'boss' and consists of a caper if you will. At this point in the series, it felt like stepping back several paces and further, felt rather rehearsed. I loved the tales of Vlad the Jhereg doing his thing as a small mob boss, but I really wanted Brust to move on. Finally, this caper did not impress.

For the second tale, Brust serves up Cawti as the main protagonist and brings Khaavren into the storyline. The Empress' wizard detected the imminent emergence of the dreadful Jenoine close to the capitol, albeit with rumors that somehow, a little silver tiassa could thwart their arrival. Khaavren's wife Lady Whitecrest (from the Romances) aims to help her husband and meets Cawti, as all the 'signs' point to Vlad having the tiassa (it was his at one point in time). Cawti and Lady Whitecrest team up to figure out what is what.

Finally, the best of three novellas employs Khaavren as the main protagonist, and Brust slips into the narration style of the Romances here. Khaavren, still working as the captain of the Phoenix Guards, also heads 'secret investigations', a crack team of investigators included our old friend Pel. This takes place several years after Vlad fled to escape assassination and Vlad only really makes a few cameos here.

Overall, this felt more like a bridge novel than something new to the series. The installment before this Brust set about a decade after Vlad fled and now we once again go back in time. I like how Brust keeps playing with the timelines here, but this did not add much to the overall story/saga of Vlad. Still, a fun read and I really enjoyed the last novella. 3.5 stars, but not enough oomph to round to four.

[Wanda Pedersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book number 524 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project

Adventures in library borrowing. I was delaying the renewal of this book, wanting to get the maximum number of days, as one does. Suddenly, with three days left on the book, there were two holds placed on it! Two! My reading priorities were changed abruptly as I coped with this new situation.

Fortunately I do enjoy Vlad Taltos books and concentrating my attention on this one was no hardship. The plot covers a lot of time, taking us back to pre-marriage Vlad, goofily in love with Cawti, right through the various stages of his life since then. Like any good story, there are two sides. As expected, Vlad is the focus of one side. His counterpart is Khaavren, the Captain of the Phoenix Guard, who is tasked with investigating the events that Vlad has participated in. This book would not be part of the series if the plot wasn't convoluted. The two men are very different. Vlad is the fast thinker and practiced plotter. He employs an interesting mix of planning (involving rehearsing, as for a play) and flying by the seat of his pants. What his objective truly is may be obscured by decoy objectives. Khaavren is much more analytical, as befits a crime investigator and a Tiassa.

A very enjoyable romp in the Vlad Taltos universe. If you like him, I think you will enjoy it.

[carol. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps three and a half stars~

Initial thoughts: good, but not one of his best. The novel is more like four vignettes; a short story by Devera, a story about an elaborate distraction and con done during the days when Vlad was engaged with Cawti, an incident involving the Jenoine that involves Khaavren, Cawit, Daro and Norathar and another story that is more "current," when he meets Khaavren. The characters are well done as always, but the tiassa as object remains a mystery. Otherwise, Tiassa could very well refer to the Tiassa people, specifically Khaavren. I liked the stories, they were certainly true to the overall Taltos stories and fit well with other storylines. All four were told in different voices; the Devera section was more like a diary, the the Vlad story was told in typical early Taltos style, the third more like later Vlad or the Phoenix Guard style. The Paarfi voice made a reappearance for the last story, which was a little odd. I was expecting more of a cohesive novel similar to others in the Cycle series, but this was almost more of a "filler" book, or a short story book than a true installment in the Vlad chronicles. I look forward to the next. It seems like Brust has had some challenges of late that include a return to Minnesota; I wish him well with many more stories.

It was fun to see a picture of the cycle in it's entirety; I confess the pictures of some of the animals were nothing like the mental images I had.

[Antigone · Rating 3 out of 5]

My intellect is a harsh mistress.

Every so often I have to shut her down. And because she is so demanding, so forceful in her insistence on being challenged and informed, this harsh mistress of mine gets shut down pretty hard. No more challenges. No more information. Nothing that requires a single ounce of analysis or thought. Time for peace and pleasantry. No work. Not now.

I've read all twelve of the Vlad Taltos novels and a healthy percentage of the Khaavren Romances that occupy the same universe, but I'll be damned if I can tell you very much about them. There's a scoundrel named Vlad. He's an Easterner (I have no idea what this means, although I'm sure it's been explained to me) who travels around some feudal empire with a soul-possessed sword on his hip and a flying creature on his shoulder. This is, of course, when he's not headquartered in his personal fiefdom of black market enterprises and/or taking on some fantastical investigative case as a local private eye. As far as I can tell, he's got a hand in a lot of nefarious stuff...though I don't really care what. I'm just here because he makes me happy.

Brust's sardonic style of writing is ridiculously appealing. His hero is so familiar with the realm he inhabits, and the figures it gives him to contend with, that his mockery seems both earned and eminently justified. He is tolerated by those in authority, and just about everyone else, due to his habit of (eventually) saving the day. He always seems to arrive at the right fact, the right method, the right god to tap or risk to take to set his universe in balance again, however precariously. And no one is more surprised by this awkward talent than he.

There is a great deal that deserves to be said about this work and the world-building that went into it. Perhaps someday I'll re-read the lot and put some conceptual grease into describing it, but for now all I can tell you is this: When I close the door to my mind and post that "Gone Fishing" sign? Odds are good I'm hangin' with Vlad.

[Stefan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tiassa is the thirteenth Vlad Taltos novel by Steven Brust, and counting Brokedown Palace and the Khaavren Romances, the nineteenth book to date set in Dragaera. Jo Walton has written an excellent series of blog postst about the series so far so I won’t waste your time trying to summarize this amazing series and instead direct you to Jo’s spoiler-free introduction just in case you’re new to Dragaera.

Speaking of newcomers: while I think Tiassa is a wonderful addition to the series, I disagree with the Publishers Weekly review when it calls the book “very accessible to new readers.” Tiassa is a wonderful novel, but I’d go as far as saying that it could be one of the worst places to start for a newcomer to the series, because anyone who isn’t familiar with several plot lines and characters from past books would miss most of what’s going on. So, if you’re new to the series, stop reading this now and go find a copy of The Book of Jhereg instead.

(Note: the rest of this review contains spoilers for previous books in the series, but not for Tiassa.)

The first thing I usually do when getting a new Vlad Taltos novel is page to the end to check if the book has seventeen chapters, as is often the case. Imagine my surprise finding “Chapter the Sixth” and a Paarfi-style How things unfolded summary as the header for the last chapter before the Epilogue. Hmm. Closer inspection reveals that Tiassa consists of three large segments: “Tag” and “Whitecrest” have five chapters each, while “Special Tasks” has six. Add one short section titled “The Silver Tiassa” and we have our seventeen chapters—not counting the Prologue, Interlude and Epilogue.

In some other books in the Vlad Taltos series Brust performs the literary equivalent of flying trapeze work by doing things like dividing each chapter into three separate narratives and keeping them all ticking along, or structuring books around a laundry list or a meal and somehow making it all work beautifully. Tiassa does something very different but equally surprising and skillful: it offers several separate stories told from multiple points of view, which pull together threads from the other books in the series while still delivering a coherent plot centered on a mysterious object: the silver tiassa.

The House of Tiassa’s line in the Cycle poem is “Tiassa dreams and plots are born,” and the chapter heading of the Tiassa chapter in Jhereg is “Inspiration requires preparation.” As you’d expect from Steven Brust, both of these are meaningful for the novel Tiassa: every section of the novel deals with a carefully constructed plot or scam that eventually turns out to be something completely different from what you (and most of the characters) thought it would be.

The first large section (“Tag”) is narrated by Vlad and is set in the time he was still running his territory in Adrilankha. He’s engaged to Cawti, and both Kragar and Melestav are still his employees. The story focuses on a complicated scam that involves the silver tiassa object as a red herring. The Blue Fox and Ibronka play a large part in it. This was my favorite section of the book because it’s set in my favorite part of the overall chronology, and Vlad narrates it in his own inimitable way. (In my own personal dream universe, Steven Brust produces one new novel per month set in this period of Vlad’s life. After finishing the series as currently planned, of course.)

The second section (“Whitecrest”) takes place after Vlad has fled Adrilankha, on the run from the Jhereg. It deals with another scam, entirely different and on a much bigger scale, again involving the silver tiassa. The five chapters are told in the third person and each have a separate point of view, including Khaavren, Daro, Cawti and Norathar. I’m not sure who the internal writer or narrator is: it’s definitely not Vlad, and the style is much too straightforward for Paarfi.

The third big section (“Special Tasks”) is written by Paarfi, in much the same style as the Khaavren Romances, and is set a few years later than the second part of the novel. A random Teckla finds a battered and bloody Easterner floating in the river north of Adrilankha, and dutifully delivers him to the nearest Phoenix Guard. Khaavren gets involved with finding out why he was injured, which leads to, yes, another scam that involves a certain silver object shaped like a tiassa.

Completing the puzzle, the shorter segments offer some revelations that should get Dragaera fans really excited, including a dizzying look through the eyes of Devera the Wanderer, and some things it would just be cruel to spoil, as much as I want to talk about them here.

Put all of this together, and you have a complex episodic novel that will reward people who are very familiar with the series or have recently read the previous books, because it features several characters we haven’t seen in a while and doesn’t provide much background about them. Yes, you could read Tiassa without knowing who Piro or Ibronka or Sara or Savn are (just to pick a few), but you’d miss out on most of the subtext. As a fan of the series, I still ended up at the Dragaera Wiki to check at least one name I vaguely remembered but couldn’t quite place. While some books in the series are fairly self-contained and can be enjoyed (if probably not fully understood) on their own, Tiassa has too many lines leading to and from other novels to work as an entry point to the series. Why PW called it “very accessible for new readers” will never make sense to me.

In the end, Tiassa probably won’t rank very high in my personal list of Dragaera favorites, if only because one third of it is essentially a Paarfi novel featuring Vlad. Don’t get me wrong, I like the Paarfi novels, but I don’t love them quite as much as Vlad telling his own story. Regardless, this is another great installment in the series. It almost feels as if Steven Brust is showing off: he covers a decade in the life of his main character while writing in several different styles and keeping a bunch of subtly connected plots going, linking back to previous books while also throwing in some new revelations—and then finally emphasizing that this is really just another stop along the way when Vlad muses, “Any point in a process looks like the process was leading up to it if that’s as far as you’ve gotten.” Yep. If you’re not reading the Dragaera novels yet, you’re missing out on some of the smartest and most entertaining fantasy around.

(This review was also published at www.fantasyliterature.com AND on www.tor.com - my first review there!)

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 13 in the Vlad Taltos series. Another re-read.

The prologue has Vlad conversing with Sethra Lavode. She asks him to tell her how he obtained the tiassa, a mysterious silver figurine.

Next is a brief short story from Devera's point of view. She's a cute little girl who happens to be the granddaughter of a goddess. She talks about her experience with the tiassa and how she acquired it. Then the story begins, but in three separate and seemingly unrelated novellas.

The first is told from Vlad's first-person point of view. Chronologically, this one takes place prior to the first book in the series, Jhereg. Vlad masterminds an elaborate scheme. But then, he usually does! Of course the tiassa factors into his plans.

The next is written from the alternating third-person perspectives of several characters, from Khaavren (the Captain of the Phoenix Guards), to Cawti (Vlad's estranged wife). Many of these characters are new to the series. This part of the book falls closer to the current events in the internal series timeline. The tiassa is again a plot device.

After a brief Interlude featuring the goddess Verra and a few other characters, (I love the interludes in this series!), the third novella begins. This is from the second-person point of view of an historian named Paarfi. He, (Paarfi), writes in an archaic style and sprinkles in an occasional "Dear Reader" to us. He is quite verbose, and the amount clauses in each sentence!!! 😆. I found this style terrific and really amusing. Steven Burst totally nailed this form of narrative. And yes, the silver tiassa is once again an issue.

This is a typical sample of Paarfi's literary style while writing his history:


"We should note in passing that the Khaavren of two hundred years before would have ridden a horse rather than a carriage; but we should also note that the Khaavren of two hundred years before was younger; and younger, we should add, by the amount of two hundred years."


This was immensely enjoyable!

[Jamie Collins · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars. I did finish it, but it's my least favorite of all the Vlad Taltos novels. From reading other reviews, I take it that this one is a crossover with Brust’s other series, the Khaavren Romances, which I have not read, and that likely explains my discontent with the latter two-thirds of the book.

It began well enough with one of Vlad’s usual capers, which I enjoyed despite the fact that Cawti was in it (I’ve never liked Cawti). Then the style of the story changed, and I sighed, figuring this would be one of the more metaphysical Taltos novels, which I don’t like as well as the more straightforward adventure stories. But then the book just got confusing and started having a lot of dialog like this:

“The circumstances were very unusual.”
“But you will explain them?”
“Certainly, and at this very moment, if you wish.”
“I would be very pleased to hear this explanation.”
“Then I will tell you.”
“I am listening.”

A little of that kind of thing goes a long way. I understand that the Khaavren romances are written as an homage to the work of Alexandre Dumas, which I have also not read, so perhaps I am simply unable to appreciate Brust’s efforts here. Maybe I will reread this after I’ve read either Dumas or the Khaavren romances, or both.

[Tim Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good but not great. You'll miss a lot if you haven't read most of the other Taltos books, and you might be confused if you haven't read at least one of the Phoenix Guards series. Especially since it takes a while to realize that the book's timeline isn't linear. Characters X and Y will sound familiar, and if you haven't been keeping up you might not realize that it's because you HAVE met them before.

The overall world structure is getting a bit of what Doctor Who would call "wibbly wobbly, timey wimey" but it's just plausible enough to get by.

Re the above Phoenix Guards thing, you really need to know that those books are all written in a Dumas-tribute style that can be frustratingly wordy until you get used to it and start to enjoy it. Part of this one is too, so be warned; he's doing it on purpose and for a reason.

I enjoyed this, but I am starting to worry that the remaining books in this series are going to degenerate into using time travel and god/goddess tricks to do wildly implausible things. Brust has built a wonderful frame, and it has good rules. He needs to stay within them.

[Darek Zawisko · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Hallie · Rating 4 out of 5]

... and now we're entering the Lost Time of not-reading (books in print) and when did I start reading again, and did I write those books down as read in May and June purely as I picked them off the floor beside the bed, rather than any kind of approximation of actual reading order?

I bought this on the 30th of March, the day I finished reading Iorich, my mother went into hospital on the 4th of April and died on the 17th of April.. I met Farah and Edward in town on the 27th of May and went into a bookshop on the way home, where I bought The Winner's Kiss and 13 Minutes, and my memory seems to tell me that I didn't read anything before then, only listened to audiobooks, but that may be wrong.

Regardless, this series feels as if it really did provide me with a link to the world of books when I unexpectedly found I couldn't pick up a book for some weeks. You can't disentangle that from the books themselves, even if there were a reason to try, but it's a good thing I was starting to get back to my old form (much of the punch-drunkness caused by things that happened *after* my mother's death, that were unnecessary and so much harder to cope with) by the end of Hawk, because I'd hate to feel too vulnerable to what Brust might do to us at the end of all things. (All things Vlad, obviously.)

[Soo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mini-Review:

4.5 Stars for Narration by Bernard Setaro Clark
4 Stars for First 2/3 of the Book
2 Stars for Last 1/3 of the Book
3.5 Stars for Plot Progession

Tiassa was the first book of the series I have listened to in audio. I have a hard time going into certain series on audio because I'm afraid the narrator would not match the story voice. Most of the time, I tend to not care for the narrator (even if they are ones I love) for series I've read for years. BSC was nice surprise! He was able to embody Vlad in a manner that I can appreciate. It's not quite how I envision or hear in my head but it's a good adaptation.

Random Bits:
- Intro scene with Sethra was great!
- Love the backstory for the Tiassa.
- Cawti is awesome. I wish they were still together. =(
- The last segment was written in historical report format. Some of it was funny. Some of it was too long. Overall, I like the info dumps but it was very erratic & different narrative from the rest of the book.

[Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another amusing Dragaera book. I can't exactly call it at Vlad Taltos book as he only is featured in the first of three stories. He's merely mentioned in the second, and a guest appearance at best in the third.

All of the humor and double talk is present, and the scheme of the first story is brilliant.

[Derek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Without the dialog, the witty interplay between characters and their verbal banter, this book would be an empty husk. So much happens as part of conversations that I really don't have a grasp of the Dragaeran world despite the obvious and deep worldbuilding. Other than clothing or facial features, there's very little visual information to latch on to. While the story cruises along with high entertainment value, there are record-screech moments of disorientation when a character mentions something at variance with whatever head-canon you've constructed to fill in missing details. One such: an offhand comment regarding a plot of land that used to house a petroleum refinery. I had no idea how to incorporate that into my conception of the city of Adrilankha.

All the Taltos stories I've read to date start with an irresistible hook seemingly designed to rope in Kindle sample readers.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book in the series that consists of multiple stories. The first two are fine, but the third one is written in a very annoying style.

[Random · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sadly Disappointed.

Two books ago (Jhegaala), I wrote one of my first reviews on this site. I was slightly disappointed with the book. I still found Vlad entertaining, but coming after 3 solid books (Dragon, Issola, and Dzur), the book just fell short. Not enough action, not enough stakes, and unfortunately, a disappointing novel.

One book ago (Iorich), I finished the book and was very disappointed. So disappointed in fact, that I just gave the book a rating and didn't bother to write anything. Was I happy that Vlad was back in Adrilankha? Check. Big stakes? Check. Possibilities for the book? Definitely. Action? Nope. Verbal banter? Becoming thin. Second bad book in a row? Check. Third strike eminent? I hoped not.

The description/blurb for Tiassa was promising. I really liked The Khaavren Romances, and I was looking forward to seeing Khaavren from Vlad's point of view. Did it happen? Kind of. For a few minutes. I guess. Ok, it did, but not enough for me to really appreciate it. Knowing what I know after reading Tiassa, I would have skipped this book completely because of how it was structured. The bit with Cawti and Norathar was ok. The bit with Vlad back running his territory was ok (and I was hoping it was being built upon). That is where my enjoyment ended. Tiassa felt like a comic book series that was being written by different authors and tied together by one event. And yes, I did say different authors. It didn’t flow for me, and I found myself annoyed through the second half of the book.

My biggest problem with the book was that I definitely didn't buy the book I was expecting. Expectations can ruin any experience. However, I think my expectations were well within reason. When I buy a Vlad Taltos novel, I have a certain expectation of what that novel will entail. I was not expecting to have to listen to Paarfi, and I had no desire to hear Vlad's voice from his point of view. I feel a little ripped off. If I had wanted to buy a book with Paarfi’s point of view through the majority of it, I guess I would have liked to know that was what I was going to be getting. As I was reading the Paarfi pieces, I just kept thinking, “I guess Brust was truly behind on this book and had to find a way to get more words together so that the publisher wouldn’t be pissed.” That really isn’t something that I wanted to be thinking, and the changes in narration really killed Coleridge for me. I know that Dumas was paid by the word, and when Brust started the Khaavren Romances, I thought it was brilliant, funny, and truly paid homage to one of my favorite authors. Here? Not so much. It felt forced, it felt wrong, and worse, felt like a cop-out.

If this was Brust's love letter (that description is used so much lately) to bring his history and all of his characters/stories together, it failed for me. It did make me think of the history of his writing, the history of Vlad, and what I enjoyed about Brust’s Vlad stories. Was the fun here? Occasionally, but not really. In very small quantities, yes, it was. There were a few pieces that I enjoyed. Was it worth reading? No. Was it strike three? Yes, and sadly, I’m out.

[Jonathan Lupa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yikes! Usually Brust books instantly fall in my 'best books evah' category, but I had some problems with this one- actually 3.

1. The timeline jumps around aggressively. I mean, once I finished the last page, I strung it all back together, and just didn't see what the hell was going on. Brust has a habit of kind of thematically writing his books, and this one probably follows a style or theme that I am simply unfamiliar with, however, regardless of the reasoning, I didn't care for that.

2. He slips a bunch of the 'Phoenix Guards' writing style in there. I imagine him having a trollface the whole time. I mean, I read those books, and you can get used to reading that horribly thick pseudoacademic prose, but it's NOT GOOD. It may be clever, but I consider it something of a cheap shot throwing it into the Taltos books. Furthermore, he does it in the last half of the book, where it's fresh in my mind as I write the review. I could have forgiven him had he started with it and went to the more flowing narrative later.

3. This series has apparently become long enough, and jumped around in the timeline enough, that I have started to lose track of the particulars. I don't remember many of the supporting cast who I was supposed to remember (I've read all Brust's books), and it made some of the relationships hard to put my finger on.

Anyways, recent books like Iorich or Dzur were simply terrific. This one is probably my least favorite to date.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a brilliant mix of narrative voices (one of the things Brust does best) and multilayered plot threads playing out over time. I would have liked a slightly more resolved ending, but it feels like the beginning of a larger story arc which hopefully will be addressed in a future book.

[Michael Pryor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crafty, surprising, satisfying.

[Anissa Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

I lost track of this series a while back and rediscovered it while updating my database in GoodReads, of all things.

I was worried I wouldn't be able to pick up the threads of the ongoing plot, but it wasn't too difficult. I enjoy Brust's worldbuilding and am always amazed at how effortlessly his characters accept what seem like bizarre oddities to me in their alien civilization.

The audiobook narrator did a great job with the voices, even of the jhereg familiar. I was looking forward to a spicy yarn and at first things were going great. But the plot was very -- experimental -- and I can't say it worked for me. The book ends in a very stilted and pedantic way that was a bit of a yawn. I can see what he was trying to do, but I was not amused.

Still, I'll keep reading the series. The characters are good, although a bit too impressed with their own wit. The reason to stick with it is the world and the lore. But I'll wait a bit before diving into the next one.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been a fan of Brust since I read Jhereg way back in the 80s. Over the past year and half I have been gleefully making my way back through the Vlad Taltos series, both to embrace the greatness of the earlier novels, and to celebrate reading for the first time the more recent ones. Tiassa, the thirteenth in the series is by far one of the best. For one, it has Vlad's usual wit and cleverness, but it also brings in Steven Brust's other great protagonist, Khaavren. Trust does a wonderful job of telling one epic story in four parts, each with their own voice. Brust is a master of dialogue and Tiassa is a masterpiece of dialogue and storytelling. I enjoyed every page. Do yourself a favor, read these books!

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an odd novel. It begins in the typical narrative style of the past Vlad Taltos books then part way in takes a completely different turn into a formalized, stylized narration. At first it was interesting but it's not as easy to read and it often takes half a page to get an idea across. Then it ends as it began with our regular narrator. It was a strange way to break a story up.
Nothing really happened, in the whole book. Vlad is attacked and barely escaped with his life. He's rescued and the Viscount (also Capitan of the Phoenix Guards) takes an interest in the scuffle. Information comes to light concerning the object of interest in the previous novel. A small silver statue that may have special properties. A search is ordered and really we get a bunch of stylized chatter and things resolve.

[Tasula · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love all Brust's novels. Vlad Taltos is a lovable criminal, on the run from assassins while trying to plan a wedding with the woman who tried to kill him. This book consists of three parts, all related to a silver Tiassa that was entrusted to Vlad. Some of the beloved (at least by me) characters from other books appear, like Sethra Lavode, Norathar, Khavren, etc. And Vlad's familiars, the jheregs, are always amusing. Reading his books is like cuddling up with an old friend.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book shines with its sharp humor and the sense that Vlad is regaining control over his life. However, the narrative's frequent shift away from Vlad's point of view made it feel that he's become a secondary character in his own series. This could easily blend into the Phoenix Guard series, with the distinctive speech patterns of the Dragaeras occasionally posing a challenge for me to follow.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a longtime Brust reader, I loved seeing Vlad and Khaavren together. I like how the second section brings most of the major female characters together. But I didn't understand what the silver tiassa did, until I read someone else's explanation.

[Wendy Herongrove · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, so good. I highly recommend you read Dragon and The Khaavren Romances before this one, to appreciate all the callbacks and fun

[Kc Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

First third was classic Vlad greatness, second third was an interesting aspect into other characters, and I am not sure if I liked the last third part. Is this the writing styles of the Romances series? The story is great in anyway.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 rounding down. I had a lot of complex feelings about this one, which is scattered and had a hard book to follow from the last one, but which drops a bombshell or two in the epilogue.

[Nathan Trachta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Brust’s Dragaera books have been a special love more me; Vlad I’ve loved since the beginning; the directness, the humor, and Vlad’s honor, with its ever so slight twist; what’s not to love. Then Mr. Brust added to his Dragaera books by bringing us the Khaavren Romances. Rather than the direct first person accounts that Vlad has, the Khaavren Romances are Dumasian; meaning our author goes to extravagant efforts to stretch things out almost as long as he could, an excellent counter point to Vlad. Something I’d thought of for awhile was that given how old Dragaera can live if Khaavren would ever meet Vlad and which style would Mr. Brust use.

Tiassa is a series of short stories revolving around a silver tiassa that comes into Vlads possession and the interactions caused by the silver tiassa. Four are short descriptors, either setting or concluding the other three, those three are the meat of Tiassa. While all could be independent the fact that there is interdependency between the stories makes the story. Our first major story (Tag) is a pure and simple Vlad story. The action is quick with Vlad’s mind working even quicker. Our second major story (Whitecrest) brings Khaavren into the scene with Mr. Brust’s slipping easily into the Dumasian style. Once more we see Khaavren’s quick mind picking up details and moving (with much description to support) to the conclusion rapidly. Special Tasks is where Vlad meets Khaavren. As one ight expect the dialog and thought are quick with excellent play between the two. Btw, all throughout Tiassa I was left wondering if the silver tiassa is a great weapon.

Rating wise this one’s a 4 star book. While I loved how Mr. Brust brought Khaavren and Vlad together and the play between the two was excellent, it doesn’t rise to others in the two series. I did find the use of short stories to bring the tiassa alive an interesting concept, especially with the dependency between stories and the need for Mr. Brust to switch writing styles. Despite this, I didn’t feel bound to the story like I had for Jhereg or The Phoenix Guards. Another detraction is I’m still left with the question of what a tiassa is and what characteristics do they define.