Five Hundred Years After

The Khaavren Romances #2

by Steven Brust

In which our Heroes--Khaavren, Pel, Aerich and Tazendra--are reunited again a mere five centuries later...just in time for an uprising that threatens to destroy the Imperial Orb itself!

This is the story of the conspiracy against the Empire that begins in the mean streets of Underside and flourishes in the courtly politics of the Palace where Khaavren has loyally served in the Guards this past half-millennium.

It is the tale of the Dragonlord Adron's overweening schemes, of his brilliant daughter Aliers, and the eldritch Sethra Lavode.

And it is the tale of four boon companions, of love, and of revenge...a tale from the history of Dragaera, of the events that changed the world!

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

576 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

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

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

"So, you just read a book?"
"Yes, and it was very good."
"Would you like to hear about it?"
"Yes, I am waiting for you to do so."
"I will be happy to do so, provided you are in a listening mood."
"Oh, how I crave to heard about a good story!"
"Would you like to hear about it then?"
"I would like nothing better!"
"Ok..."

Five Hundred Years After takes place, well, about 5 hundred years after The Phoenix Guards and brings our four main protagonists together for the first time for adventure. Khaavren stayed with the Phoenix Guards and soon after this tale begins, he became captain of them. Wily Pel has been studying the Art of Discretion, Aerich has been tending his estates, along with his neighbor Tazendra.

Brust narrates this similarly to The Phoenix Guards, e.g., supposedly written as a history volume, or one may say, historical fiction, or even perhaps historical romance (applied broadly). The 'author' provides nuanced commentary throughout the volume, often meandering on asides to help frame the details under discussion. In effect, Five Hundred Years After finally gives us the back story behind the Adron's Disaster and the fall of the empire.

Of course, Brust gives us villains, heroes, a wee bit of romance and tells the story with a gleam in his eye. If you dug the first volume in this series, you will not be disappointed here! 4 lovely stars!

[Melissa McShane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm upping my rating to five stars upon re-reading this sequel to The Phoenix Guards, mostly because this time I more fully appreciated Brust's genius in fitting his invented history of the Dragaeran Empire to the framework of Dumas' novels. Where The Phoenix Guards was a wild, carefree romp of an adventure, this book has a more composed pace and is more serious in its plot. There's still action and swordplay and revenge, but the background is the end of the reign of the Phoenix Emperor and the plotting and revolution that surround it.

More familiar characters appear: not only our friends Khaavren, Aerich, Tazendra, and Pel, but people from the Vlad Taltos novels. I adored the relationship between Sethra Lavode and Aliera e'Kieron (and their constant state of nearly dueling each other); I was excited to meet the mysterious assassin Mario, whose name is famous in Vlad's time; and of course there's Adron e'Kieron, Aliera's father and putative savior of the Empire. Brust is so good at bringing characters to life with only a few words it always astonishes me. Even the very minor characters have personality.

But, of course, it's the main characters I care about most. Khaavren, five hundred years older than in the first book (obviously) has changed in ways that make perfect sense; he's no longer the hothead he was, but has responsibilities and cares, particularly in how he guards the Emperor (who the reader knows isn't particularly worthy of Khaavren's care). I was sad at first when it turned out the four friends weren't close anymore, but that changes quickly, and Brust does a fantastic job of putting them all in positions where they are occasionally at odds and more often working together.

I wish I'd read Dumas' book Twenty Years After to know in what ways this book parallels that one. But I don't really care, because what interests me is the story of the events leading to Adron's Disaster and the Interregnum, and this book delivers. It left me eager to continue on to the third book (which is three volumes, as per Dumas again) even though I've read it before.

[Robin Hobb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did you ever read The Three Musketeers? And did you then (as I did) go on to read all the sequels.

Steven Brust and I share a deep love of Dumas. It's reflected in this book.

[Chris Bauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I have read Five Hundred Years After by Steven Brust. I understand you wish to hear of it."
"I would like nothing more. Please tell me of it."
"Yes. I shall give you my review now."
"I am listening, Reviewer."

I've been reading about the exploits of Vlad Taltos since I was in high school back in the late 80's. If anything, each book is more subtle and nuanced than one before it. Five Hundred Years After was written almost a decade ago but works well as a sequel to Phonenix Guards. While Vlad doesn't make an appearance in this work, the look/feel/world-building elements are present and accounted for.

Brust has an amazing talent for dialogue, misdirection and layering complex plot circles on top of themselves. The patterns of speech, tone and other factors make it worth studying just to see how he pulls off some of his tricks.

If you have not yet read his work, you'd be doing yourself a favor by checking out any of his titles.

[Brian Durfee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Literary Perfection

[This Is Not The Michael You're Looking For · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whether you like this book or not is very dependent on how much you can deal with a rather overwhelming parody joke. The following is an example of a typical piece of dialogue:

"I have an idea!"

"An idea?"

"Yes, an idea."

"And is it a good idea?"

"I believe it is in fact a very splendid idea."

"I would be ever so honored if you would share this idea with me."

"Than I shall do so."

"I cannot but wait."

"I shall begin ahence."

"As soon as you are ready."

"Here then, is the idea..."

This book was written in the "don't say anything in one sentence which you could say in fifteen" style. This is not to criticize, the author, however, since this was a very deliberate effort to parody the writing and style of Alexandre Dumas (I personally don't recall Dumas being so tedious, but it has been many years since I've read something of his). The title of the book, in fact, is a reference to the second of the Three Musketeer's novels ("20 Years After"), although the plot is not particularly related. It is in fact the written view of Adron's Disaster (for those familiar with the Taltos universe), told from the point of view (more of less) of the four characters first introduced in the The Phoenix Guards.

If you can get past the...er...fullness of the dialogue, then you might enjoy this story, although I don't think it really holds up to the better Taltos novels. If the little sample I invented is already driving you nuts, than this is one series to definitely skip.

[Genna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sort of like Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell (though this book isn't anything like that one) or like The Series of Unfortunate Events (not like those either) I loved this book BECAUSE of the pedantic and fictional author. I loved every aside where the narrator would pause to explain to you that he wasn't going to waste your time by describing the horses to you because they weren't historically relevant, that other authors would try to fill pages with descriptions of horses' billowing manes or slender ankles or noble countenances but HE wouldn't stoop to such tactics. I loved how he went on for pages about all of the things about horses he wouldn't waste your time by explaining to you because HE, unlike those others, is a Serious Historian.

And also, more than that, I loved that women are treated as equals to men. The random guard is as likely to be a woman as a man. The hot-headed warrior unmatched in duels could be of any gender. Women, in these books, are as motivated by honor as the men, and the men are as desirous of a good marriage as the women and that, in fantasy, is a rare and precious thing.

And this book shows rather than tells, which is also a wonderful thing.

(Note: The first book in this series is The Phoenix Guards. This is the second book.)

[Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book number two of my chronological rereading of Brust's books set in Dragaera as the four heroes of The Phoenix Guard return for more fast paced adventure.

Barely a chapter passes without people taking passes at each other with swords in duels, battles or street fights. The swashbuckling and entertaining formally polite dialog from the first book is still there, but the some of the lightness and fun is missing this time around. I believe that this is because the bulk of the fun in the first book was due to the camaraderie and banter between the four friends. In this book the friends aren't all together in a single place until very late in the novel. Also, the tone of the book seems darker as well, with the plot revolving around revenge, murders, rebellion and assassination. This doesn't mean that 500 Years After wasn't fun to read, but it does mean it was less fun than Guard. Regardless, it's vintage Brust, and it was a pleasure to revisit the novel.

[Stig Edvartsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book as much as its predecessor.

The book is brimful with love for Dumas, D'Artagnan and the three musketeers and pays homage to "Twenty Years After" by Dumas without copying the plot. There's nary a cardinal in sight.

A good portion of the love is shown in the way Brust plays with the voice of the author, in this case personified in the historian Paarfi, a somewhat huffy and wordy historian who may be overstating his own terseness at some length. Brust's enthusiasm when he plays with the author's voice and with language makes this book, but the swashbuckling, intricate plotting and delightful asides ensures that this will become a book readers will come back to.

Much to her dismay I repeatedly read potions of the book out loud to my significantly better and frequently interrupted half, making concentration hard when binge-watching Danish historical comedy. By way of apology I will ensure family-sharing is enabled on my kindle.

[Chy · Rating 5 out of 5]

" 'Don't tell them that I meant well.' "

Oh, the layers! In just that one line! For a reader all caught up on the Vlad series, this is freaking gold. All of it. Caught up on even a little of the Vlad series, you know how this books ends, and who lives through it, but it is outstanding to see them leading up to it, and to see just how they live through it.

Just...awesome (or, if you prefer, amazing) all the way through.

[T.A. Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Profound and subtle, at once.

I will explain, way long ago when I first read The Phoenix Guards and this et al., I had to get used to the odd somewhat droll writing style which the author uses to immerse you into the world's social and language formalisms.

I've reread the series so many times because I've built such a rapport with the characters that by the time the final book comes ("Sethra Lavode'), I'm greatly affected emotionally. Imo it's a great series.

[Tasula · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved Phoenix Guards and this sequel

[Jefferson · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's not much else to say, except: I loved this book. I loved the previous book, The Phoenix Guards, of which this is the sequel. I loved the wordplay, I loved the character development, I loved the narrative interjections, and I loved the attention to detail in the story itself. The only thing I did NOT love was that I had a busy work schedule that kept me from reading this as quickly as I would have liked.

Five Hundred Years After is the kind of novel that you can only get in a long series with an author who is both a great stylist and unafraid to take narrative risks... because the whole premise of this book is built on style and a narrative risk. The style: an homage to Alexandre Dumas, with description and dialogue appropriate to a mid-19th century romance. This could get tedious, but Brust avoids that by 1) having the narrator step in with humor whenever things start to drag, and 2) never condescending to parody the style. Brust might make jokes at the characters' (and the narrator's) expense, he might make jokes at the READERS' expense, but he never, never makes fun of the style itself. It is easy to be arch, clever, and twee when playing with style, but Brust's love of the style is genuine and that sincerity elevates the novel above pastiche.

Narrative Risk: The Phoenix Guards is loosely based on The Three Musketeers, and Five Hundred Years After is even more loosely based on the sequel, Twenty Years After (so I'm told... I didn't know Three Musketeers had a sequel until now!) This is a historical fiction novel set in the fantasy world of Dragaera. Jo Walton points out (in her excellent book of essays, What Makes This Book So Great) that a writer of historical fiction assumes certain knowledge of events, and the reader expects certain plot points to occur: a novel set during American Revolution, for example, would almost certainly involve George Washington, Ben Franklin, and a trip to Philadelphia in major or minor points. But here, the "big event," Adron's Disaster and the events leading up to it, are unknown unless you have read Brust's OTHER series set in Dragaera, the Vlad Taltos novels, and even then it is referred to obliquely, as an event in the distant past. So: a novel that is a sequel to a novel, both an homage to another novel and its sequel, about a fictional historical event that you would know nothing about unless you read another 14 book series. *whew*

And yet... it works, and works grandly. Returning to the heroes from the first book, Pel, Tazendra, Aerich, and of course Khaavren, was a pleasure. The plot, a series of conspiracies and rebellions in the corrupt reign of a foolish emperor, was engaging. The ending, culminating in the aforementioned Adron's Disaster, was satisfying. And the door is left cracked for the next three (!!!) novels in this sub-series.

One more thing, as if all that wasn't enough to cement my affection for this book: apparently Paarvi, the Dragaeran author of The Phoenix Guards and Five Hundred Years After, has been stung by criticism that his first novel was not historically accurate. As the narrator, he takes great pains to point out, in increasingly plaintive and bitter asides, his methods and reasons for presenting the historical facts in this fashion. He even goes as far as to point out when he is leaving information out that he was not able to confirm, i.e. (and I'm paraphrasing here) "The reader may notice that the fate of the runaway horses is not made plain. The author was unable to discover what, in fact, became of them, nor do they have any further bearing on the activities of our friends." What fun!!!

[Aelvana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the promising beginnings of friendship, Khaavren is the only one of his four comrades left in the Phoenix Guard. He's been alone for hundreds of years, growing quieter, but still strongly committed to his duty. The Empire has been suffering from the neglect (and foolishness) of the Emperor, but as conspiracies threaten to unravel the kingdom, Khaavren determines to do what he must to protect his king and his country. Even if it does set him at odds with old friends.

This was more interesting to me than The Phoenix Guards. Knowing the end from the beginning---that Adron's Disaster is the focus of the book---lends a certain tragedy to the whole affair. This is echoed in Khaavren himself, who started The Phoenix Guards by stumbling into a set of fast friends, but who starts this one alone. He alone remained in the Phoenix Guards, he alone has found neither friend nor spouse nor obsession to replace them, and he has tempered his original enthusiasm with almost a melancholy devotion to his duty.

Even when the circumstances bring him back together with his old friends, his duties hold them apart. Khaavren's job is to carry out the will of an Emperor whose decisions are increasingly worsening the situation instead of improving it. Although he's also influential enough, in his own way, to push for better courses of actions when he can.

This is also funny on a number of levels. For one, the assassination attempts against Khaavren. It's a continual source of frustration to the powers that want him dead, and an amusing experience for the reader, who can see how little Khaavren expects any of them, yet how perfectly the situations work out in his favor. I also thought it was fun how he meets Daro, and what attracts him to her (she gets fired).

All in all, this book covers an interesting period of history in the Dragaeran Empire, one referenced a number of times in the Vlad books, but would stand alone just fine. I rate this book Recommended.

See my reviews and more at https://offtheshelfreviews.wordpress....

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The style has grown on me, and I found myself loving this one by the end. And it adds a lot to the backstory of the Taltos books!

[Psychophant · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brust continues the Three Musketeers pastiche in this book, a sequel that absolutely requires that you read the preceding book in the series.

A bit like the book it was modeled after, Twenty years after, it is moodier and darker than its predecessor. However in my opinion Brust does not give enough "play time" to the characters we (readers) like, while spending too much time on the less likeable ones. That makes parts of the book a bit heavy going, and its size and its overblown language does not help. There are still moments of witty repartee and adventure, intrigue and emotion, but padded with the daily routine of secondary characters and guidebook descriptions. Maybe the main character's life has become dull, but there is no need to wallow so much in the dull parts.

The book also presents some characters from the Taltos series in a different light, and what is presented here influences how they are presented in later Taltos books. Somehow I find this vision of poweful characters more believable.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the follow up to the Pheonix Guards. It is an equally strong story in its own right but would lack emotional impact for readers who did not start the story at the begining. The series continues it's high heroisim and light plot with warmth humor and a genuine feeling of freindship amoung the "cast."

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved The Phoenix Guards and Five Hundred Years After. I just was endlessly pleased with the ridiculous way they all spoke, and the way the "historian" constantly apologized for the story. One of my favorites of Steven Brust's, and I like them all.

[DeAnna Knippling · Rating 5 out of 5]

A reread. One of my favorite books ever.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have read some of the Vlad Taltos novels (probably even just the first would suffice), this novel detailing the events leading up to and immediately following Adron's Disaster is as thrilling as you might have expected it to be. If The Phoenix Guards was lacking in some way, it was that it was maybe a bit difficult to relate it to the larger narrative in any way other than that it introduced and developed some of the players who would go on to have significant roles. Their previous development pays off in spades here where the famous names you might be aware of are bestowed with such humanity that the infamous disaster is actually emotionally affecting. This is indeed a satisfying read.

~~

If I have a small complaint. In the previous volume, Tazendra was established as the fiercest warrior and most competent sorcerer of the foursome. If she was not as cunning or comprehending or devious as her companions, she was never portrayed as simple. She would occasionally say something a bit naive, but there was always within it a grain of truth that her friends respected and more than once were impressed by.

In this volume, it seems that people rarely have time to listen to her (with one notable and significant exception) and that she doesn't just put her foot, but her whole leg in her mouth more than once. In the five hundred years between these books, I don't expect her to have suddenly become a great intellectual, but at least in the description she seems to have regressed. I found myself becoming annoyed with Pel for how he'd mock her and with Khaavren for how he'd dismiss her. Aerich to his credit does give her her due in a key moment. I don't remember all the details of the following books, and I can only hope they show more respect in them.

~~

In closing, I feel the need to again address the tone of these books as I notice that it is a bit controversial. I think the interview with the authors says it for me:

"Brust: All right, then, for whom do you write?
Paarfi: I beg your pardon?
Brust: Do you have an audience in mind when you write? Are you writing to someone, or just to please yourself, or what?
Paarfi (looking interested for the first time): Ah. I see. I write for those who love to read. Brust: Well, of course, but—
Paarfi: I believe you have failed to comprehend what I have said. I do not mean that I write for those who simply like a good tale well told, or for those who use the novel in order to explore what your critics are pleased to call “the human condition,” or for those who treat a story as a distraction from the cares of the day, but, rather, I write for those who take joy in seeing words well-placed upon the page."

You might just not like the way Paarfi writes regardless and that's OK, everybody doesn't have to like everything. But these books are not written just to tell an exciting story. The craft of the writing is more front and center than in any other work I can think of. You might still not like it, and that's OK. But if you do like it, this is a feast you will always remember.

[Richard Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love this series, this being the second book of several.

There is so much to enjoy. It is a wonderful fantasy novel, but also something of a parody (or homage) that mixes genuine affection for the source material with humor, poking fun at the original. The language is amazing, the authorial intrusions hilarious, the characters great fun, and the story engrossing; it all seems to work well together.

If you're a fan of the Three Musketeers, so much pays off in this fantasy variant. It's so fun to see how the character of Aramis, Athos, Porthos, and D'Artagnan are expressed in this fantasy setting. But I doubt you have to know the sequels or even the original novel to entirely enjoy Steven Brust's take on them.

Khaavren is the main character, the stand-in for D'Artagnan. He is larger than life, energetic, honorable, and loyal. Serving as the head of the king's guard, he's at the center of the story, but all his friends from 500 years before (though it was only 20 years in the original D'Artagnan romance) have rejoined him for this adventure, including some of their lackeys, and all of them have fun scenes. As always, the action is quick, the dialogue witty, and the plot just twisty enough to not be simple.

I laughed out loud many times, but it's not just funny; despite the humor, this is a real fantasy (if such a thing exists!) with real stakes. And it's it's a genuine pleasure.

Recommended.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to be honest: I don’t know why I love these books as much as I do. I think the extra effort the author put into the dialog, and making it consistently use the same melodious tone and inflection was well worth it. I don’t think I have seen another “modern” author do it as well or to the same extent. And it might not be for you.

The story follows after The Phoenix Guards — five hundred years after to be precise — and follows Khaavren in his duties as an officer of the Emperor’s guards. His adventures and misadventures follow, and make quite the tale.

At the same time, we learn about the series of events leading up to Adron’s disaster and the Interregnum. It’s fascinating to see the difference in sorcery between these books and the Vlad Taltos books: things that are commonplace in Vlad’s time, like mind to mind conversation and teleporting, just aren’t a thing in these books. There are a lot more politics and intrigue as well.

If you liked The Phoenix Guard, I think it’s safe to say you’ll like this book too. If you were put off by the flowery language and characters in the first book, this one will follow closely in the other’s footsteps.

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book that I know I read, but somehow the only thing I remember clearly is the closing scene of the book (though some other parts felt familiar). Not sure if it is just the time that has passed since I read it, or if I just didn't understand it as well when I first read it; it is notably a different sort of work than its predecessor The Phoenix Guards, a bit slower, more focused on politics, intrigue, and economics and slightly less on swashbuckling action. But equally importantly I've been (re)reading a lot of the Dragaera books lately and have a better appreciation of how the fit together, and the importance of characters and events that are perhaps mentioned in passing.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

There may be admirable things going on here, as far as emulating Dumas (and specifically Twenty Years After). Since I wasn't here for that, I found this "okay." One might reasonably ask why I read it, since The Phoenix Guards should have prepared me for that - fair enough. But that book stands on its own better than this one.

[Lisa Tollefson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Third time reading this one and still excellent. There's nothing I don't like about it, and the little author interviewer the end is such fun, Brust interviewing Paarfi.

I like Dumas, and so I smile at Paarfi's long windedness, which Brust manages to make perfectly serious while at the same time tongue in cheek. He really is quite brilliant. And all the while building characters who become so real I feel as if I have actually met them and know some quite intimately.

[Lois Baron · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't have enough patience for the dialogue, which I understand is a parody of Alexandre Dumas. I don't really care about real-life history, let alone fictional history. It took me months to finish this book--literally, months!--because the story didn't make me feel urgent to find out what was going to happen. I love the Taltos books, but I tend to skim the history in those too.

I liked the four main characters, but oy! what a long book!

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it was so-so, not nearly as good as the first one. The prose didn’t sparkle the way the first did, and felt repetitive in its use of certain tics. The plot plodded along, took pages and pages to get to the point and then finished all of a sudden. Not sure I’ll read more.
ETA: I see from reading other reviews that this book exists basically to provide backstory for the Vlad Taltos books. What a bore.

[devon marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woooooooo boy what a whopper. We get our friends back for the plot leading up to, and including, Adron’s Disaster (in which a certain Jhereg gets out blame-free even though he arguably is half to blame) and the start of the Interregnum. Whomp whomp. A good story, though, and yep, that flowery language is back. Brust is cackling away, I’m sure.

[Karly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The enormity of this story coupled with the personal and very human focus on the characters quite possibly makes this my favorite of Brust’s works. While it builds toward what we’ve all known is the inevitable Disaster, it does so in a character-driven way that personalizes this “history” and makes the work so compelling.

[Susie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A swashbuckling, clever, witty sequel to the Phoenix Guards, which I read recently as well, this book delights with the dialogue and memorable characters, especially the merry band of Khaavren, Tazendra, Pel, and Aerich. The Orb spins atop the Emperor’s head and changes color, depending upon his mood - really captivating imagery. I will not write anything to spoil the plot…