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Vlad Taltos #6-7
The Book of Athyra
The Book of Jhereg and The Book of Taltos collected the first five novels of Steven Brust’s highly imaginative fantasy series that Locus praised as “entertaining and worth reading.” The Book of Athyra features books six and seven in the series—Athyra and Orca.
Vlad Taltos is a sorcerer and assassin without peer—as deadly at spell casting as he is with sword wielding. Accompanying him on his journeys are two leathery-winged jhereg who share a telepathic link with Vlad—and triple his chances against even the most powerful of enemies…
In Athyra, Vlad finds he’s ready to retire himself and his jhereg companions, but the biggest hitters of the House of the Jhereg have something else in mind. In Orca, Vlad must repay a debt to a boy who saved his life—even if it means breaking a financial scandal big enough to bring down the House of the Orca, and possibly the entire Empire…
Vlad Taltos is a sorcerer and assassin without peer—as deadly at spell casting as he is with sword wielding. Accompanying him on his journeys are two leathery-winged jhereg who share a telepathic link with Vlad—and triple his chances against even the most powerful of enemies…
In Athyra, Vlad finds he’s ready to retire himself and his jhereg companions, but the biggest hitters of the House of the Jhereg have something else in mind. In Orca, Vlad must repay a debt to a boy who saved his life—even if it means breaking a financial scandal big enough to bring down the House of the Orca, and possibly the entire Empire…
448 pages, Paperback
First published February 4, 2003
108 people are currently reading
499 people want to read
About the author
Steven Brust
99 books2,304 followersSteven 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)
http://us.macmillan.com/author/steven...
(Photo by David Dyer-Bennet)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
January 27, 2014
I liked both of the novels in this book. Even though I wasn't planning to read any more Brust, my husband bought this book and I needed something to read in a pinch. After the first few pages I was hooked. These are the first two books in this series not told from Vlad Taltos's point of view. I found them both to be clever and engaging. A former assassin on the run from the Jhereg, Vlad has a lot going on. The ending of the first book is nail-biting and the two shocking surprises at the end of the second book have me wanting to read more in the series (after being sure I was done. I've seldom read this many books by one author. Not counting Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Toni Morrison, Raymond Chandler, and other literary writers). It's interesting to me that Brust's novels are so uneven. I wonder if he does not have a good editor/publisher. These two are great though. I recommend them to anyone who enjoys fantasy.
November 25, 2018
I've decided to make good use of these five stars I'm given, so after a couple of books I got some sort of idea what's worth five stars. Brust, with his Taltos series, is seriously close to qualifying for 5/5.
Now I find it hard to say something on these two books specifically. We get to learn our favorite hero from a very different point of view - more than metaphorically speaking - and there is a lot of new and different things going on which all are still tied together to each other and previous events. We meet a good portion of the setting's casts as we know of so far, and are introduced to a set of new very interesting and promising characters.
All in all, the story keeps growing on a sheer unbelievable scale. So perhaps, in retrospective of my introductory lines about the rating, it may be the individual books that accumulate three to four stars, but the series together deserves 5/5 and even more if I could have it my way.
Now I find it hard to say something on these two books specifically. We get to learn our favorite hero from a very different point of view - more than metaphorically speaking - and there is a lot of new and different things going on which all are still tied together to each other and previous events. We meet a good portion of the setting's casts as we know of so far, and are introduced to a set of new very interesting and promising characters.
All in all, the story keeps growing on a sheer unbelievable scale. So perhaps, in retrospective of my introductory lines about the rating, it may be the individual books that accumulate three to four stars, but the series together deserves 5/5 and even more if I could have it my way.
March 25, 2024
It is impossible to extract my impression of these books as I read them now from the (sometimes vague) memories I have of reading them before, and my overall impression of the series. For both of the books in this collection I am fairly certain I read them before but had little memory of them.
Athyra seems more familiar; I didn't recall any of the plot before I read it, but details would feel familiar at times. I suspect I didn't enjoy this book when I first read it; it is so different from the others, being a tight third-person perspective following Savn, a Teckla peasant boy, with occasional vignettes from the perspective of Rocza, Vlad's second, semi-feral jhereg companion. And one of the appeals of this series is Vlad-- his personality, his humor, his voice, how he narrates his story. I found that I didn't mind as much this time around; partly, I can appreciate that this story needed a different voice to do what it did. And given the larger character arc Vlad is apparently going through, it is helpful to have a perspective from outside.
I'm actually not entirely sure I did read Orca, but I almost had to have done so, since I read books after it and am fairly sure I read them in publication order. I assume that the book feels unfamiliar since so much of it is focused on financial intrigue (shell companies, risky loans, bank runs, etc.) that I didn't have as much context to appreciate or understand when I first read it. But the framing of the story felt a bit familiar, with the majority of the story being told by Kiera (speaking to Cawti), and partly by Vlad (speaking to Kiera). A minor critique, their voices are not significantly different, though it never felt confusing to know who was talking. I am annoyed that there is a major hole in the plot: at one point, Kiera heads to Adrilankha to stir up some trouble, then returns to Northport and is called in to meet with a Jhereg contact, Stony, showing some success in her efforts; she then meets with Vlad, tells him how her last few days went. He then talks about what he had been up to in the days prior, which included killing Stony (when he attempted to kill Vlad). Obviously something was missed in the editing process; disappointing, but not terrible. Strangely, I do remember one bit from this book: . And yet, I completely forgot an even more dramatic revelation:
Athyra seems more familiar; I didn't recall any of the plot before I read it, but details would feel familiar at times. I suspect I didn't enjoy this book when I first read it; it is so different from the others, being a tight third-person perspective following Savn, a Teckla peasant boy, with occasional vignettes from the perspective of Rocza, Vlad's second, semi-feral jhereg companion. And one of the appeals of this series is Vlad-- his personality, his humor, his voice, how he narrates his story. I found that I didn't mind as much this time around; partly, I can appreciate that this story needed a different voice to do what it did. And given the larger character arc Vlad is apparently going through, it is helpful to have a perspective from outside.
I'm actually not entirely sure I did read Orca, but I almost had to have done so, since I read books after it and am fairly sure I read them in publication order. I assume that the book feels unfamiliar since so much of it is focused on financial intrigue (shell companies, risky loans, bank runs, etc.) that I didn't have as much context to appreciate or understand when I first read it. But the framing of the story felt a bit familiar, with the majority of the story being told by Kiera (speaking to Cawti), and partly by Vlad (speaking to Kiera). A minor critique, their voices are not significantly different, though it never felt confusing to know who was talking. I am annoyed that there is a major hole in the plot: at one point, Kiera heads to Adrilankha to stir up some trouble, then returns to Northport and is called in to meet with a Jhereg contact, Stony, showing some success in her efforts; she then meets with Vlad, tells him how her last few days went. He then talks about what he had been up to in the days prior, which included killing Stony (when he attempted to kill Vlad). Obviously something was missed in the editing process; disappointing, but not terrible. Strangely, I do remember one bit from this book: . And yet, I completely forgot an even more dramatic revelation:
May 21, 2019
What happens when an assassin stops? We get some of the story here, as Vlad's previous escapades have led him to a rural village, where a murder tangles him up in issues with a land-owner, and his life collides with Savn, a young healer in training. The style of the story is different from previous volumes - none of the story is from Vlad's perspective: Savn is the narrator, with brief sequences being told from Rocza's perspective. The story is introspective, as Savn and Vlad debate several philosophical topics. Vlad spends much of the story sidelined, which for me made it a less interesting story - I never really took to Savn as lead, although the finale is pretty good.
The second book included, Orca, I enjoyed a lot more, even if it is basically second-hand and third-hand related conversations revolving around finance. We get a lot of Kiera and Vlad here, and they're both at the top of their game, thieving and deceiving their way from a lost lease to an Empire-threatening disaster. There are lots of surprises and intrigues built upon intrigues, and some major revelations come out during the story. Vlad and Kiera are both very proactive here, and Vlad's motivation for his actions is directly tied to the outcome of the previous book. So while I thought Athyra on its own was only okay, its impact on Orca improves it. And Orca is definitely recommended.
The second book included, Orca, I enjoyed a lot more, even if it is basically second-hand and third-hand related conversations revolving around finance. We get a lot of Kiera and Vlad here, and they're both at the top of their game, thieving and deceiving their way from a lost lease to an Empire-threatening disaster. There are lots of surprises and intrigues built upon intrigues, and some major revelations come out during the story. Vlad and Kiera are both very proactive here, and Vlad's motivation for his actions is directly tied to the outcome of the previous book. So while I thought Athyra on its own was only okay, its impact on Orca improves it. And Orca is definitely recommended.
April 17, 2019
I loved the previous volumes of this series, but particularly in the first short novel in this volume, something seemed off. What I liked best about the other books was the interaction between Vlad and his crew: his friends, his familiar, the rivals he worked with etc. In Athyra, Vlad is no longer the point of view character, there is no banter with these other characters, and it feels like the author has lost the mojo and is trying a different approach.
In Orca, the second short novel in this volume, Vlad is still not the point of view character, but it feels like the author has found at least some of the missing mojo. The author has abandoned the third person approach which didn't work for me in Athyra, and has returned to the first person point of view which had worked so well in the earlier novels, albeit now with a different character in that point of view. This also allows for a return to the banter with the familiar that worked so well, although it feels much more subdued here than the earlier novels. As great as it felt to read Loioish saying, "Boss" again, that's about all he said, the savage wit felt like it had been decaffeinated.
2.5 stars for Athyra, 3.5 for Orca.
In Orca, the second short novel in this volume, Vlad is still not the point of view character, but it feels like the author has found at least some of the missing mojo. The author has abandoned the third person approach which didn't work for me in Athyra, and has returned to the first person point of view which had worked so well in the earlier novels, albeit now with a different character in that point of view. This also allows for a return to the banter with the familiar that worked so well, although it feels much more subdued here than the earlier novels. As great as it felt to read Loioish saying, "Boss" again, that's about all he said, the savage wit felt like it had been decaffeinated.
2.5 stars for Athyra, 3.5 for Orca.
September 9, 2025
Another entry into Steven Brust's Vlad Taltos saga, this book brings with it more of the wit, sarcasm, and intrigue that you expect from this series about a magical assassin. However, this book does have its flaws, and I would personally recommend skipping the first entry, "Athrya", and only reading the second entry, "Orca".
In "Athrya", Brust decides to switch to a third-person POV instead of his trademark first-person POV. Because of that, the book loses much of the personal thoughts, quips, and sarcasm that make you connect with the characters and that make this series shine. Additionally, I don't think "Athrya" added much in the way of plot, and you can mostly fill in the blanks of what happened by reading the other books in the series.
In "Orca", Brust is back to his signature first-person POV, bringing the return of the wit, sarcasm, and personal thoughts of the characters. There are interesting and new character dynamics, unique perspectives, and an intrigue plot so outrageously convoluted yet somehow nearly comprehensible that you are left with an enjoyable read that is back to Brust's form.
Final thoughts: skip "Athrya" and read "Orca".
In "Athrya", Brust decides to switch to a third-person POV instead of his trademark first-person POV. Because of that, the book loses much of the personal thoughts, quips, and sarcasm that make you connect with the characters and that make this series shine. Additionally, I don't think "Athrya" added much in the way of plot, and you can mostly fill in the blanks of what happened by reading the other books in the series.
In "Orca", Brust is back to his signature first-person POV, bringing the return of the wit, sarcasm, and personal thoughts of the characters. There are interesting and new character dynamics, unique perspectives, and an intrigue plot so outrageously convoluted yet somehow nearly comprehensible that you are left with an enjoyable read that is back to Brust's form.
Final thoughts: skip "Athrya" and read "Orca".
August 24, 2023
Another great read in Steven Brust’s Vlad Taltos series….
In the world of the Empire, Vlad Taltos is a human living among a race of elves a foot or so taller than he is. Vlad is a Jhereg assassin (in this book, a former Jhereg assassin), with an unusual set of skills, including sorcery and witchcraft, an unusual set of friends, including one vampire and the daughter of a goddess, a brash and delightful personality, and an uncanny ability to get himself into and out of troubles seemingly bigger than he is. Brust’s characters are wonderful, and I’m always a little sad when each book ends. Anyone who values some time spent escaping the often unhappy realities of our own world for a jaunt in a compelling fantasy world will enjoy the entire Vlad Taltos series. Happy reading!
In the world of the Empire, Vlad Taltos is a human living among a race of elves a foot or so taller than he is. Vlad is a Jhereg assassin (in this book, a former Jhereg assassin), with an unusual set of skills, including sorcery and witchcraft, an unusual set of friends, including one vampire and the daughter of a goddess, a brash and delightful personality, and an uncanny ability to get himself into and out of troubles seemingly bigger than he is. Brust’s characters are wonderful, and I’m always a little sad when each book ends. Anyone who values some time spent escaping the often unhappy realities of our own world for a jaunt in a compelling fantasy world will enjoy the entire Vlad Taltos series. Happy reading!
January 21, 2024
2 excelentes livros de Vlad Taltos em que dá seguimento à sua separação de Cawti e onde Vlad se encontra numa pacata aldeia de Northport e envolve um rapaz aprendiz de curandeiro numa que acaba por ser uma dolorosa experiência com um mago Athyra .
Em Orca esse rapaz chamado Savn é levado por Vlad em fuga para outra cidade e parece irremediavelmente perdido dentro de si mesmo depois de ter salvo Vlad do mago Athyra. Aqui Vlad encontra uma senhora com conhecimentos que podem ajudar o rapaz a melhorar mas que está prestes a perder a sua casa, sem explicação lógica . E é aqui que Vlad descobre uma trama depois da morte de um homem de negócios Orca que chega aos níveis do império e que faz com que ele necessite da ajuda de Kiera . E para rematar, o final do livro é revelador com 2 surpresas absolutamente surpreendentes.
Em Orca esse rapaz chamado Savn é levado por Vlad em fuga para outra cidade e parece irremediavelmente perdido dentro de si mesmo depois de ter salvo Vlad do mago Athyra. Aqui Vlad encontra uma senhora com conhecimentos que podem ajudar o rapaz a melhorar mas que está prestes a perder a sua casa, sem explicação lógica . E é aqui que Vlad descobre uma trama depois da morte de um homem de negócios Orca que chega aos níveis do império e que faz com que ele necessite da ajuda de Kiera . E para rematar, o final do livro é revelador com 2 surpresas absolutamente surpreendentes.
August 21, 2019
These aren't my favorites, though I would definitely read a book narrated only by Sethra and her various personalities.
Athyra: Vlad is doing a lot of nonchalant sorcery in this book, even for things like making a light in the caves. I guess the Jhereg know he's in the general region, but normally he wouldn't let them pinpoint where he was more narrowly than that. It's odd to see these things without hearing his reasoning behind it.
Orca: This recession grad isn't super happy reading a book about bad loans and banks being too big to fail, tyvm. The "here's what actually happened in this book" chapter seems even longer than usual and a little tedious, though we're also hearing about it approximately thirdhand, so I don't know what changes that adds.
Athyra: Vlad is doing a lot of nonchalant sorcery in this book, even for things like making a light in the caves. I guess the Jhereg know he's in the general region, but normally he wouldn't let them pinpoint where he was more narrowly than that. It's odd to see these things without hearing his reasoning behind it.
Orca: This recession grad isn't super happy reading a book about bad loans and banks being too big to fail, tyvm. The "here's what actually happened in this book" chapter seems even longer than usual and a little tedious, though we're also hearing about it approximately thirdhand, so I don't know what changes that adds.
June 7, 2020
Well... That was some experience. I can see that many people are not gonna like this one. This book is a setback taken by an author to explain the politics of this universe, positions of power and etc. And for some ungodly reason he decided to make his point straight from the top. Well we all know that nothing can be higher priority for a country than it's money so here it is - a book about banks and internal politics... Thou it drastically expands the scope of the universe it would require a certain mindset. It's delivery is great but it's content is questionable.
March 28, 2023
If you read reviews, you'll know about the perspective shift in these 2 books. Reading this for the 2nd time, I should've been more prepared for the shift, but I wasn't. Like other readers/reviewers, I enjoy Vlad's perspective: I like his interactions with other characters, his sarcasm, his intellect, and with Cawti, even his delusion and misery.
I don't know if I agree with the reviewer who thought that maybe Brust was bored or wanted to try a different approach to these novels because they work just fine; the fact I didn't like them as much as his other works is my problem, not the books. That said, if i'm writing this for a prospective reader, then maybe this will be a gentle warning that these books are a bit of a speed bump in the series. You'll get past it and on your way just fine, and you may not even notice the jolt, but I'm guessing you will. And for that reason, I can't give it the 5 stars his other books got.
I don't know if I agree with the reviewer who thought that maybe Brust was bored or wanted to try a different approach to these novels because they work just fine; the fact I didn't like them as much as his other works is my problem, not the books. That said, if i'm writing this for a prospective reader, then maybe this will be a gentle warning that these books are a bit of a speed bump in the series. You'll get past it and on your way just fine, and you may not even notice the jolt, but I'm guessing you will. And for that reason, I can't give it the 5 stars his other books got.
June 14, 2023
So for these I feel like they take a slightly different turn on Vlad Taltos than the other books have done so far.
The first one I didn't quite enjoy as much, and I think it was mostly because the point of view was from someone else for the majority (or maybe even all?) of the book. And so the familiarity that is present in the other books were missing.
However with the second book contained within, we're back on track, and it follows the first one in the plot, which ties them strongly together.
The first one I didn't quite enjoy as much, and I think it was mostly because the point of view was from someone else for the majority (or maybe even all?) of the book. And so the familiarity that is present in the other books were missing.
However with the second book contained within, we're back on track, and it follows the first one in the plot, which ties them strongly together.
April 24, 2018
Loved Orca and the Kiera perspective
Athyra was a bit difficult. I like Savn, but the voice was not what I was used to in these books. Orca made up for it and made me realize I liked Savn. Kiera’s voice was such a great addition to the series. I hope theee are more from her perspective.
Athyra was a bit difficult. I like Savn, but the voice was not what I was used to in these books. Orca made up for it and made me realize I liked Savn. Kiera’s voice was such a great addition to the series. I hope theee are more from her perspective.
September 16, 2018
An oldie but goodie, Brust's trademark combination of one-liners, deeply good-hearted assassins and thieves, and dangerous quests with wise-cracking dragonic sidekicks remains just as fun a read as ever.
July 23, 2022
Compilation of two books in the series; the former is a bit of a departure from the usual style, the latter offers more business as usual. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/200...
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July 5, 2023A good quick fantasy read. Characters are engaging and the action is well paced. The characters are well established and there isn't much character development at this point in the series. The two books are linked in story and this is a good combination volume.
January 15, 2024
Less action, more intrigue
Both these books were more focused on solving puzzles and untangling lies than on action, and showed some of Vlad’s changes over time. Some exciting reveals, and I want to see how they play out in the next books!
Both these books were more focused on solving puzzles and untangling lies than on action, and showed some of Vlad’s changes over time. Some exciting reveals, and I want to see how they play out in the next books!
October 11, 2017
Definitely a good read, but I only marked it down as a four as it was not as good as it's counter parts in this series.
March 7, 2018
Nice change in writing stile and a nice twist
February 15, 2023
ahhhh
June 21, 2023
Athyra was 3 stars, Orca 4.
November 3, 2023
I preferred Orca over Athyra, but it was close. I'm enjoying that while all of books in the series involve convoluted plots, the framing device used in each has varied so far.
April 25, 2024
Slightly different style, with regard to narrator, than the early books.
A fun time!
A fun time!
August 27, 2025
WHAT??? WHAT??????
November 9, 2025
I love the Vlad Taltos novels. Every time I pick one up, I literally think in my mind, "ah, Vlad. It's good to see you again, my friend." I have read and reread so many of his adventures.
April 12, 2021
As noted..
I like chronological order for keeping the storyline straight...but The authors writing style changed and improved over time..so kind of weird to read them that way.
Anyhoo.. our conflicted anti hero Vlad Taltos is back again..solving mysteries while on the run from the fantasy mob.
Will need to get the last of the series from library soon.
I like chronological order for keeping the storyline straight...but The authors writing style changed and improved over time..so kind of weird to read them that way.
Anyhoo.. our conflicted anti hero Vlad Taltos is back again..solving mysteries while on the run from the fantasy mob.
Will need to get the last of the series from library soon.
November 2, 2007
This collection contains the 6th and 7th novels in the series, Athyra and Orca. Following the events in Phoenix (collected in The Book of Taltos), Vlad is on the run from assassins from his old criminal organization, the Jhereg. He has a way to avoid their magical detection, but it turns out he's still not entirely safe. As he is out wandering the earth, he discovers a small village where, just after he arrives, a man is murdered. He is, of course, the prime suspect, though innocent. It turns out, though, that the man who was murdered once indirectly helped him in a caper. Realizing that one of his old enemies, a powerful sorceror, is behind the murder and feeling a sense of responsibility, Vlad sticks around to deal with the problem, which now also includes a Jhereg assassin who's after him.
All of this, however, is told in a much different way than the rest of the series. The rest of the series has been told from Vlad's point of view, with his hard-boiled, wise-cracking persona as the authorial voice. Here, instead, we get the story largely from the perspective of a peasant boy; when he's not telling the story (at the end of each chapter), we get it instead from the perspective of the mate of Vlad's magical reptilian familiar.
It's a stylistic experiment from Brust, and I think it works fairly well. It's a real risk, because undoubtedly a good portion of the charm of these novels has come from our love of Vlad not only as a character but as a voice, as the story teller. And the fact is that Athyra lacks a certain amount of that charm. The trade-off, though, is that we get an additional deepening of the story. On the one hand, we can see some things that our narrator can't, because we already know Vlad. Equally, though, we can see some things about the Vlad we know in different ways because of the new perspective. This is a novel that captures Vlad in transition. He is being changed by his time on the run and the circumstances that led to it.
The second book in this collection is Orca, which continues more or less where Athyra left off. Once again, Vlad doesn't tell the story himself. Instead, the story is framed as a story within a story. The overall frame is that this is Vlad's friend, Kiera the thief, telling Vlad's estranged wife Cawti about what Vlad has been up to in his absence. Thus, although this novel isn't about their estrangement, we nonetheless get to see it in action and get a continuation of the development of their relationship even though they never see one another. Within Kiera's narrative, the action is frequently turned over to Vlad as he tells a portion of the story to Kiera, who relates it to Cawti. This frame can be a bit frustrating at times, if only because we're frequently told that Kiera isn't telling Cawti everything (in general terms), but at the same time it seems clear that we the reader are getting the whole story without it being entirely clear precisely what's been left out for Cawti. Since the novel is framed as Kiera telling the story to Cawti, I think I would have preferred to hear the story as it was being told to Cawti and find out some other way that we weren't getting the whole story. Oh well. point is, it's a neat device, it offers some good effects, but I didn't find it wholly satisfying.
The story itself is an important one for Vlad's character development. At the end of the previous novel, through the act of helping Vlad, the peasant narrator was severely traumatized. In Orca we see him as mentally vacant, able only to follow simple commands ("eat this" "come with me" that sort of thing). Vlad, feeling intensely responsible for this, has been searching for someone who can help the boy (while still avoiding Jhereg assassins). He finds a woman who seems like she can help. The price of her help, however, is Vlad helping her and the plot goes from there.
All of this, however, is told in a much different way than the rest of the series. The rest of the series has been told from Vlad's point of view, with his hard-boiled, wise-cracking persona as the authorial voice. Here, instead, we get the story largely from the perspective of a peasant boy; when he's not telling the story (at the end of each chapter), we get it instead from the perspective of the mate of Vlad's magical reptilian familiar.
It's a stylistic experiment from Brust, and I think it works fairly well. It's a real risk, because undoubtedly a good portion of the charm of these novels has come from our love of Vlad not only as a character but as a voice, as the story teller. And the fact is that Athyra lacks a certain amount of that charm. The trade-off, though, is that we get an additional deepening of the story. On the one hand, we can see some things that our narrator can't, because we already know Vlad. Equally, though, we can see some things about the Vlad we know in different ways because of the new perspective. This is a novel that captures Vlad in transition. He is being changed by his time on the run and the circumstances that led to it.
The second book in this collection is Orca, which continues more or less where Athyra left off. Once again, Vlad doesn't tell the story himself. Instead, the story is framed as a story within a story. The overall frame is that this is Vlad's friend, Kiera the thief, telling Vlad's estranged wife Cawti about what Vlad has been up to in his absence. Thus, although this novel isn't about their estrangement, we nonetheless get to see it in action and get a continuation of the development of their relationship even though they never see one another. Within Kiera's narrative, the action is frequently turned over to Vlad as he tells a portion of the story to Kiera, who relates it to Cawti. This frame can be a bit frustrating at times, if only because we're frequently told that Kiera isn't telling Cawti everything (in general terms), but at the same time it seems clear that we the reader are getting the whole story without it being entirely clear precisely what's been left out for Cawti. Since the novel is framed as Kiera telling the story to Cawti, I think I would have preferred to hear the story as it was being told to Cawti and find out some other way that we weren't getting the whole story. Oh well. point is, it's a neat device, it offers some good effects, but I didn't find it wholly satisfying.
The story itself is an important one for Vlad's character development. At the end of the previous novel, through the act of helping Vlad, the peasant narrator was severely traumatized. In Orca we see him as mentally vacant, able only to follow simple commands ("eat this" "come with me" that sort of thing). Vlad, feeling intensely responsible for this, has been searching for someone who can help the boy (while still avoiding Jhereg assassins). He finds a woman who seems like she can help. The price of her help, however, is Vlad helping her and the plot goes from there.
September 29, 2016
Wow, things took on a serious, and dark, note in these two volumes of the Jhereg series -- Athyra and Orca -- but still with Vlad's easy charm and humor. On the run now from his old life, adventure will come on him anyway.
In a wild change of pace, "Athyra" is not told in first-person, but instead a third-person POV, viewing Vlad from the outside for a change, in the person of a young (not yet 100 years old) Teckla, who encounters the strange Easterner. His life is changed in ways that lead directly into "Orca," which is told from Vlad's first-person POV, alternating with that of his friend, Kiera the Thief.
As I said, these stories take a surprisingly dark turn. I continue to enjoy them.
In a wild change of pace, "Athyra" is not told in first-person, but instead a third-person POV, viewing Vlad from the outside for a change, in the person of a young (not yet 100 years old) Teckla, who encounters the strange Easterner. His life is changed in ways that lead directly into "Orca," which is told from Vlad's first-person POV, alternating with that of his friend, Kiera the Thief.
As I said, these stories take a surprisingly dark turn. I continue to enjoy them.
February 22, 2013
Two books, two reviews.
Athyra: 4 stars. For reasons commonly known as graduate school, I had to take some time between reading Phoenix in The Book of Taltos and this, and it kind of worked. Vlad the assassin Easterner has left his life (and wife) in Adrilankha to go a-wandering, and the disjuncture of actual time lapse for me helped keep me off balance enough to appreciate that he felt the same. This opens, then, with a family of four--and Vlad nowhere in sight. We get to know Sven the teenager instead, and a right good character Sven is. I like him, even if it was rather an adjustment period series-wise. The whole book keeps you off-kilter like that. You have to have read to this point or you won't really get anything that's going on because Vlad is not the narrator in any way. His recently-acquired Phoenix Stone serves to keep the reader out of his mind as much as everyone else, which is kind of a neat storytelling trick. In fact, the closest we get to him and his old life is snatches of thought from Rocza the jhereg, which is very interesting considering she doesn't really "talk." Vlad, then, gets to look a bit older, a bit wiser, a bit more worn. It suits him, and makes this one my favorite book of the series so far (although I do miss the inhabitants of Castle Black).
Orca: Three stars. Perhaps three and a half. Picking up on the heels of Athyra, Sven the broken and Vlad the even-more-so have landed in their wanderings at Northport, where they get entangled in one hell of a financial scheme. Can anyone say Ponzi? How about Enron? It's a very timely book, if you're able to read that in, and interesting even if you aren't; positively clairvoyant, in fact, considering it was published in '96. The whole book is different characters relating stories to other people of things that have already happened, yet it's surprisingly not dull at all. It can't get four stars because the ending has two surprises that came out of NOWHERE and one of them I just don't buy at all. I do want to see where Brust takes it, but I don't believe in the character development so far.
Athyra: 4 stars. For reasons commonly known as graduate school, I had to take some time between reading Phoenix in The Book of Taltos and this, and it kind of worked. Vlad the assassin Easterner has left his life (and wife) in Adrilankha to go a-wandering, and the disjuncture of actual time lapse for me helped keep me off balance enough to appreciate that he felt the same. This opens, then, with a family of four--and Vlad nowhere in sight. We get to know Sven the teenager instead, and a right good character Sven is. I like him, even if it was rather an adjustment period series-wise. The whole book keeps you off-kilter like that. You have to have read to this point or you won't really get anything that's going on because Vlad is not the narrator in any way. His recently-acquired Phoenix Stone serves to keep the reader out of his mind as much as everyone else, which is kind of a neat storytelling trick. In fact, the closest we get to him and his old life is snatches of thought from Rocza the jhereg, which is very interesting considering she doesn't really "talk." Vlad, then, gets to look a bit older, a bit wiser, a bit more worn. It suits him, and makes this one my favorite book of the series so far (although I do miss the inhabitants of Castle Black).
Orca: Three stars. Perhaps three and a half. Picking up on the heels of Athyra, Sven the broken and Vlad the even-more-so have landed in their wanderings at Northport, where they get entangled in one hell of a financial scheme. Can anyone say Ponzi? How about Enron? It's a very timely book, if you're able to read that in, and interesting even if you aren't; positively clairvoyant, in fact, considering it was published in '96. The whole book is different characters relating stories to other people of things that have already happened, yet it's surprisingly not dull at all. It can't get four stars because the ending has two surprises that came out of NOWHERE and one of them I just don't buy at all. I do want to see where Brust takes it, but I don't believe in the character development so far.
October 27, 2008
So, this book is actually two -- Athyra and Orca, republished as one, as both concern the character Savn, a Teckla boy Vlad runs into in Aythra and ends up with a debt to that he tries to repay in Orca. On my re-read, I mainly reread Orca.
Steven Brust and Terry Pratchett have one thing in common -- both can tell a good story about something I never thought would be entertaining. Pratchett has The Truth about Ahnk-Morphork's first newspaper starting up, Going Postal about the Ahnk Morpork's post office versus the clacks (a telegraph-like system), and most recently Making Money, about Moist, the lead character from Going Postal, getting to the bottom of the city's bank.
And, well, Brust has Orca. Vlad, Brust's lead character for the series, a (former) assassin on the run from the House of the Jhereg, his homeland's equivalent of the Mafia. However, most of the book is told by Kiera the Thief, a friend of Vlad's, to Cawti, Vlad's estranged wife. Kiera runs into Vlad when he's trying to save the house of a healer in exchange for healing for Savn. The two of them discover that it's not just the matter of her banker trying to make a quick buck by tricking a couple of renters, but the edge effects of a Serious Economic Crisis that the Empire is trying desperately to control.
(Note, given the climate of the country, this is why I decided to re-read Orca.)
As always for this series, Orca has a dose of mystery, a dose of action, and some good dialog. We also get to see Kiera and Vlad team up, which is awesome. Orca is also infamous in the fandom for causing the most spoiler warnings on the mailing list, thanks to two twists (one in the last chapter and one in the epilogue).
Speaking of, maybe I should re-read Making Money after this...
Steven Brust and Terry Pratchett have one thing in common -- both can tell a good story about something I never thought would be entertaining. Pratchett has The Truth about Ahnk-Morphork's first newspaper starting up, Going Postal about the Ahnk Morpork's post office versus the clacks (a telegraph-like system), and most recently Making Money, about Moist, the lead character from Going Postal, getting to the bottom of the city's bank.
And, well, Brust has Orca. Vlad, Brust's lead character for the series, a (former) assassin on the run from the House of the Jhereg, his homeland's equivalent of the Mafia. However, most of the book is told by Kiera the Thief, a friend of Vlad's, to Cawti, Vlad's estranged wife. Kiera runs into Vlad when he's trying to save the house of a healer in exchange for healing for Savn. The two of them discover that it's not just the matter of her banker trying to make a quick buck by tricking a couple of renters, but the edge effects of a Serious Economic Crisis that the Empire is trying desperately to control.
(Note, given the climate of the country, this is why I decided to re-read Orca.)
As always for this series, Orca has a dose of mystery, a dose of action, and some good dialog. We also get to see Kiera and Vlad team up, which is awesome. Orca is also infamous in the fandom for causing the most spoiler warnings on the mailing list, thanks to two twists (one in the last chapter and one in the epilogue).
Speaking of, maybe I should re-read Making Money after this...
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