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Vlad Taltos #4
Taltos
Journey to the land of the dead. All expenses paid!
Not my idea of an ideal vacation, but this was work. After all, even an assassin has to earn a living.
The trouble is, everyone knows that a living human cannot walk the Paths of the Dead, and return, alive, to the land of men.
But being an Easterner is not exactly like being human, by Dragaeran standards anyway. Thus, the rule doesn't apply to me... I hope.
Not my idea of an ideal vacation, but this was work. After all, even an assassin has to earn a living.
The trouble is, everyone knows that a living human cannot walk the Paths of the Dead, and return, alive, to the land of men.
But being an Easterner is not exactly like being human, by Dragaeran standards anyway. Thus, the rule doesn't apply to me... I hope.
181 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
25 people are currently reading
1704 people want to read
About the author
Steven Brust
99 books2,302 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 203 reviews
December 16, 2016
3.5 stars
Another prequel, as we learn both how Vlad came to the be ruthless assassin that he is and how he got involved in/survived one of his old war stories. Brust must not have figured out yet how to move on after book 3, in which Vlad and his wife, Cawti, find themselves in conflict over a resistance movement.
A return to the past gives us the old Vladimir, who is cheerfully amoral and who only experiences twinges of conscience from time to time. The wise-cracking Loiosh (his familiar, a flying lizard) provides some comic relief, as do Vlad’s wry comments. I am sure that Brust must have been familiar with Harry Harrison’s Stainless Steel Rat series—he created another charismatic criminal in Vlad, though maybe not quite so conscience-free as Slippery Jim DiGriz. Giving Vlad magical talents was an inspired addition.
Because there are two stories involved, there is a fair bit of shifting back and forth between the two. This can be a bit confusing until you get into the rhythm of it. Once you are aware of what to expect, things go smoothly.
Series like this one foreshadow the snarky, smart-cracking main characters that I currently enjoy in urban fantasy. Vlad’s weakness (teleportation makes him nauseous) humanizes him a bit. He also builds a group of people around himself—perhaps not friends, but at least co-operative allies. Those are perhaps some of the reasons why Vlad’s stories appeal to me as much as they do. I can see Vlad as the predecessor of characters like Harry Dresden (The Dresden Files) and Atticus O'Sullivan (The Iron Druid).
Book 234 of my Science Fiction & Fantasy reading project.
Another prequel, as we learn both how Vlad came to the be ruthless assassin that he is and how he got involved in/survived one of his old war stories. Brust must not have figured out yet how to move on after book 3, in which Vlad and his wife, Cawti, find themselves in conflict over a resistance movement.
A return to the past gives us the old Vladimir, who is cheerfully amoral and who only experiences twinges of conscience from time to time. The wise-cracking Loiosh (his familiar, a flying lizard) provides some comic relief, as do Vlad’s wry comments. I am sure that Brust must have been familiar with Harry Harrison’s Stainless Steel Rat series—he created another charismatic criminal in Vlad, though maybe not quite so conscience-free as Slippery Jim DiGriz. Giving Vlad magical talents was an inspired addition.
Because there are two stories involved, there is a fair bit of shifting back and forth between the two. This can be a bit confusing until you get into the rhythm of it. Once you are aware of what to expect, things go smoothly.
Series like this one foreshadow the snarky, smart-cracking main characters that I currently enjoy in urban fantasy. Vlad’s weakness (teleportation makes him nauseous) humanizes him a bit. He also builds a group of people around himself—perhaps not friends, but at least co-operative allies. Those are perhaps some of the reasons why Vlad’s stories appeal to me as much as they do. I can see Vlad as the predecessor of characters like Harry Dresden (The Dresden Files) and Atticus O'Sullivan (The Iron Druid).
Book 234 of my Science Fiction & Fantasy reading project.
November 24, 2021
I now have a Booktube channel! Find me at: The Obsessive Bookseller
Intro: Vlad Taltos is a lot of fun. One of the most unique series I’ve ever read, it’s a great mix of high fantasy elements with an accessible urban fantasy writing style. Each book also has a fairly well-contained mystery, so it kind of reads like a detective novel. Overall, it’s a great hodge-podge of ideas that somehow all work together. The author claims you can read them in any order. I personally can’t stand that lack of organization, so a few of us over at Fantasy Buddy Reads are going the chronological route…
…and Taltos (technically book #4) is first in the lineup.
Ten years ago I read the first three (according to the publisher) Vlad Taltos novels and loved my experience with them. Taltos started out with a bang! Reminding me why I enjoyed the books so much. It had a lot of flashbacks, which were deftly woven into the story to enhance what was going on in the present-day sections. I loved reading about how Vlad came to be the quirky businessman he is. However that strong pacing and careful weaving started to fade near the middle of the book.
At one point in the story, I had to check in with my fellow buddy readers because I no longer knew what the heck the characters were trying to accomplish in the present-day sections. There were a lot of scenes where the author wasn’t clear in his description on what had happened, and the ambiguity made a few of us backtrack thinking we’d missed something. Nope. It was just vague.
As the story neared the end, the flashbacks were a constant interruption to the story (we’re talking every couple of pages) which effectively killed any momentum it had, eventually making me apathetic to the entire thing. I finished it. Barely. But had I not enjoyed the first half so much and had I not read and liked a few others in the series, I might have called it quits there. Yikes.
Series status: we’re moving on to Dragon (chronologically book #2) next, and I’m hoping it’s better.
Recommendations: while I’d almost always recommend the most organized route of reading (i.e. chronologically), I’d say the way the publishers have arranged it (with Jhereg as book #1) is a much stronger introduction to this series. With that route, I remember feeling a bit lost at the many people and events referenced that clearly had more solid backstories somewhere, but at them moment I think that’s preferable to the poor execution of the second half of Taltos. We’ll see if that opinion changes as we continue.
Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com
Other books you might like:
Intro: Vlad Taltos is a lot of fun. One of the most unique series I’ve ever read, it’s a great mix of high fantasy elements with an accessible urban fantasy writing style. Each book also has a fairly well-contained mystery, so it kind of reads like a detective novel. Overall, it’s a great hodge-podge of ideas that somehow all work together. The author claims you can read them in any order. I personally can’t stand that lack of organization, so a few of us over at Fantasy Buddy Reads are going the chronological route…
…and Taltos (technically book #4) is first in the lineup.
Ten years ago I read the first three (according to the publisher) Vlad Taltos novels and loved my experience with them. Taltos started out with a bang! Reminding me why I enjoyed the books so much. It had a lot of flashbacks, which were deftly woven into the story to enhance what was going on in the present-day sections. I loved reading about how Vlad came to be the quirky businessman he is. However that strong pacing and careful weaving started to fade near the middle of the book.
At one point in the story, I had to check in with my fellow buddy readers because I no longer knew what the heck the characters were trying to accomplish in the present-day sections. There were a lot of scenes where the author wasn’t clear in his description on what had happened, and the ambiguity made a few of us backtrack thinking we’d missed something. Nope. It was just vague.
As the story neared the end, the flashbacks were a constant interruption to the story (we’re talking every couple of pages) which effectively killed any momentum it had, eventually making me apathetic to the entire thing. I finished it. Barely. But had I not enjoyed the first half so much and had I not read and liked a few others in the series, I might have called it quits there. Yikes.
Series status: we’re moving on to Dragon (chronologically book #2) next, and I’m hoping it’s better.
Recommendations: while I’d almost always recommend the most organized route of reading (i.e. chronologically), I’d say the way the publishers have arranged it (with Jhereg as book #1) is a much stronger introduction to this series. With that route, I remember feeling a bit lost at the many people and events referenced that clearly had more solid backstories somewhere, but at them moment I think that’s preferable to the poor execution of the second half of Taltos. We’ll see if that opinion changes as we continue.
Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com
Other books you might like:
May 5, 2024
After the rather disappointing Teckla, Brust brings Vald back for another early adventure with style. Chronologically, Taltos constitutes the first installment of the series and fleshes out some events referred to in the original book Jhereg. Sound confusing? Well, the back and forth time lines as the series unfolds did not jar me, but Brust does provide the chronological order if you desire.
Anyway, Taltos starts with Vald still nurturing his fledgling underworld empire, and still taking side 'work' when available. At this point, Vald still does not have any 'big' friends, but that is about to change. Due to some clever manipulation, Vald meets Morrolan in his floating Black Castle, who cajoles him into stealing a staff from a sorcerer's keep. ("As an Easterner, you will not be detected by the keep's spells..."). Turns out the staff has the soul of Morrolan's cousin, but to free her and return her to living, they must venture into the lands of the dead...
All the things that I really enjoy in this series are here in spades. Vald, our snarky anti-hero making plans, learning things and basically putting on a show. We also get some more glimpses into the 'gods' of the world (and their lore), since they guard the dead.
Brust utilizes a different literary technique here as well, with each chapter starting with a brief depiction of Vald doing something (a spell?), then oscillating between the current adventure and his early life, from the boy at his dad's restaurant to his fledging life of crime, including his first 'work'. Hence, we finally get to see a young Vald making his way into the 'business' while also going on a great adventure. Fun stuff, and so happy to see a return to the cool, witty Vald rather than the morose character featured in Teckla. 4 groovy stars!
Anyway, Taltos starts with Vald still nurturing his fledgling underworld empire, and still taking side 'work' when available. At this point, Vald still does not have any 'big' friends, but that is about to change. Due to some clever manipulation, Vald meets Morrolan in his floating Black Castle, who cajoles him into stealing a staff from a sorcerer's keep. ("As an Easterner, you will not be detected by the keep's spells..."). Turns out the staff has the soul of Morrolan's cousin, but to free her and return her to living, they must venture into the lands of the dead...
All the things that I really enjoy in this series are here in spades. Vald, our snarky anti-hero making plans, learning things and basically putting on a show. We also get some more glimpses into the 'gods' of the world (and their lore), since they guard the dead.
Brust utilizes a different literary technique here as well, with each chapter starting with a brief depiction of Vald doing something (a spell?), then oscillating between the current adventure and his early life, from the boy at his dad's restaurant to his fledging life of crime, including his first 'work'. Hence, we finally get to see a young Vald making his way into the 'business' while also going on a great adventure. Fun stuff, and so happy to see a return to the cool, witty Vald rather than the morose character featured in Teckla. 4 groovy stars!
August 21, 2017
With Vallista coming out soon, and having finished listening to the Vorkosigan Saga from beginning to end, I decided listening to Brust's Vlad Taltos books would be a great idea. But I've read most of them multiple times, so...why not take advantage of this opportunity to read them in internal chronological order?
So my husband and I started with Taltos. (The earliest segment is actually the prologue to Jhereg, but we decided not to break down the books piecemeal.) It is the weirdest experience reading it out of order, so to speak, and I really can't recommend that new readers to the series do it this way. Brust is a master at keeping track of which of his characters knows what, when, and with this book, number 4 in publication order, he's jumping back in time to when Vlad doesn't know Morrolan or Sethra Lavode, and Aliera barely exists. And at least some of the fun is in knowing the kind of relationship they will have in the future--something you don't have if you start with this one.
Brust plays with time here, and I don't find it at all frustrating that the chapters begin with Vlad performing a ritual and then jump back in time to tell the body of the story. Those first sections relate to the rest of the story in ways that enhance Vlad and Morrolan's experience going to, and within, the Paths of the Dead, but that's not always obvious. In fact, it's not totally obvious until near the end, and then you have the pleasure of revisiting everything that's happened until that point. And it is very much a pleasure.
The narrator, Bernard Setaro Clark, is decent enough--better than decent, I guess, but not utterly fantastic. My lukewarm attitude may be because I have never in my life imagined Loiosh as sounding like Peter Lorre. And Kiera...I say her accent's Irish, Hallie (who would know better) says she thinks it's Welsh, but in either case it throws me every time. Still, he's a good reader, accents notwithstanding, and I'm not dreading the rest of the audiobooks. Next up is Dragon, which we're reading before Yendi despite the interludes happening after that book. A perfect chronological read-through is impossible, but with a writer like Steven Brust, that's probably to be expected.
So my husband and I started with Taltos. (The earliest segment is actually the prologue to Jhereg, but we decided not to break down the books piecemeal.) It is the weirdest experience reading it out of order, so to speak, and I really can't recommend that new readers to the series do it this way. Brust is a master at keeping track of which of his characters knows what, when, and with this book, number 4 in publication order, he's jumping back in time to when Vlad doesn't know Morrolan or Sethra Lavode, and Aliera barely exists. And at least some of the fun is in knowing the kind of relationship they will have in the future--something you don't have if you start with this one.
Brust plays with time here, and I don't find it at all frustrating that the chapters begin with Vlad performing a ritual and then jump back in time to tell the body of the story. Those first sections relate to the rest of the story in ways that enhance Vlad and Morrolan's experience going to, and within, the Paths of the Dead, but that's not always obvious. In fact, it's not totally obvious until near the end, and then you have the pleasure of revisiting everything that's happened until that point. And it is very much a pleasure.
The narrator, Bernard Setaro Clark, is decent enough--better than decent, I guess, but not utterly fantastic. My lukewarm attitude may be because I have never in my life imagined Loiosh as sounding like Peter Lorre. And Kiera...I say her accent's Irish, Hallie (who would know better) says she thinks it's Welsh, but in either case it throws me every time. Still, he's a good reader, accents notwithstanding, and I'm not dreading the rest of the audiobooks. Next up is Dragon, which we're reading before Yendi despite the interludes happening after that book. A perfect chronological read-through is impossible, but with a writer like Steven Brust, that's probably to be expected.
August 20, 2023
This book is playing with the timeline in interesting ways, I like it
July 29, 2015
This is actually a solid 3.5 stars.
What do you call a prequel of a prequel? We're heading into Vlad's personal past again, but this time only a few years after his days as a tavern owner.
The story is the most straightforward with the least digressions of any of Brust's novels I've read, except during the last third of the novel when I was forced to shift back and forth between current action and flashback regularly. Both sequences were interesting on their own, but something about reading them together seemed a little iffy. It wasn't wrong, per se, but it seemed kinda useless.
That's not to say I didn't entirely enjoy reading about his first assassinations or his first really big job, but frankly, I just wanted more of the main action which felt so much more important.
Not to give such plot secrets away, but my biggest enjoyment in the novel was learning how Vlad met and gained the trust and friendship of the inhabitants of Castle Black. Such recurring involvements were often dark and thoroughly interesting, like a cat playing with a dragon, and their evident trust and approval of Vlad had always appeared to be an inexplicable mystery in the first books.
Well, Now I Know The Rest Of The Story.
I'd like to say that this novel stands well on its own, and it does, for the most part, but in my mind, it falls way too neatly into the category of a flashback of a flashback.
It was okay.
The story might have had a better impact on me if it hadn't been cheapened by Vlad's past within the past.
The main action could have been made much better with a truly interesting climax that didn't merely serve as the purpose of putting the Dragon Lord in his favor. Making a new spell is fine and good, of course, but we're talking about the land of the gods here. We've got practically unlimited resources to go wild, here, and the only real conflict I got to enjoy was a mild sense of why these four characters wind up as friends.
I guess I feel a pretty large sense of wasted opportunity in the otherwise well-written continuing adventures of mr. assassin. I wanted to like it more, of course.
What do you call a prequel of a prequel? We're heading into Vlad's personal past again, but this time only a few years after his days as a tavern owner.
The story is the most straightforward with the least digressions of any of Brust's novels I've read, except during the last third of the novel when I was forced to shift back and forth between current action and flashback regularly. Both sequences were interesting on their own, but something about reading them together seemed a little iffy. It wasn't wrong, per se, but it seemed kinda useless.
That's not to say I didn't entirely enjoy reading about his first assassinations or his first really big job, but frankly, I just wanted more of the main action which felt so much more important.
Not to give such plot secrets away, but my biggest enjoyment in the novel was learning how Vlad met and gained the trust and friendship of the inhabitants of Castle Black. Such recurring involvements were often dark and thoroughly interesting, like a cat playing with a dragon, and their evident trust and approval of Vlad had always appeared to be an inexplicable mystery in the first books.
Well, Now I Know The Rest Of The Story.
I'd like to say that this novel stands well on its own, and it does, for the most part, but in my mind, it falls way too neatly into the category of a flashback of a flashback.
It was okay.
The story might have had a better impact on me if it hadn't been cheapened by Vlad's past within the past.
The main action could have been made much better with a truly interesting climax that didn't merely serve as the purpose of putting the Dragon Lord in his favor. Making a new spell is fine and good, of course, but we're talking about the land of the gods here. We've got practically unlimited resources to go wild, here, and the only real conflict I got to enjoy was a mild sense of why these four characters wind up as friends.
I guess I feel a pretty large sense of wasted opportunity in the otherwise well-written continuing adventures of mr. assassin. I wanted to like it more, of course.
July 28, 2022
Vlad Taltos series, a S&S Fantasy series with assassins, wizards, sorcery, magic creatures with telepathy ability etc. Various setting in a fantasy world for me is really a reading banquet, let my eyes widely open when I saw characters using magic to counterattack enemies, spying operations or protecting allies. No doubt, Taltos is a fast paced fantasy book with bunch of assassinations, telepathy and sorcery. It really feels like watching a video game that is set in a fantasy world. Actually, Steven Brust was a game designer, this is why his Vlad Taltos series full of action packed- non stopping plot twists. And in this world death isn't actually death, sometimes characters could be resurrected by completing the Paths of the dead, on the contrary, some assassins would prevent some dead bodies were revived to be alive again so that those assassins used a specific weapon to keep death from resurrection.
Each book introduced readers different cycle for ruling races, if you want to know the rule of the whole ruling races in Vlad Taltos, you need to read each book in the series.
Each book introduced readers different cycle for ruling races, if you want to know the rule of the whole ruling races in Vlad Taltos, you need to read each book in the series.
March 20, 2015
3.5. Excellent audio.
Taltos is the fourth novel in Steven Brust’s series about Vlad Taltos, a human crime boss in the fantasy world of Dragaera, where humans are short of stature and lifespan compared to the species that rule the world. Taltos is actually a prequel to the previous novels (Jhereg, Yendi, Teckla) in which Vlad tells us about an incident that happened years ago while he was solidifying his reputation as a new crime lord. One of his lackeys tried to cheat him, so Vlad went after him instead of letting the guy get away because he didn’t want to seem weak to his rivals. The man fled to Castle Black, an elusive floating castle owned by the Dragonlord Morrolan. Vlad followed. This is how he met some of the main characters who we already know from the previous novels, including Morrolan, the powerful sorceror... Read More: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
Taltos is the fourth novel in Steven Brust’s series about Vlad Taltos, a human crime boss in the fantasy world of Dragaera, where humans are short of stature and lifespan compared to the species that rule the world. Taltos is actually a prequel to the previous novels (Jhereg, Yendi, Teckla) in which Vlad tells us about an incident that happened years ago while he was solidifying his reputation as a new crime lord. One of his lackeys tried to cheat him, so Vlad went after him instead of letting the guy get away because he didn’t want to seem weak to his rivals. The man fled to Castle Black, an elusive floating castle owned by the Dragonlord Morrolan. Vlad followed. This is how he met some of the main characters who we already know from the previous novels, including Morrolan, the powerful sorceror... Read More: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
May 31, 2022
Book 4 in the Vlad Taltos series. Another re-read.
This book has a unique writing style. While the last book was written in linear fashion, this one is a tapestry of three different time lines woven together. This might sound like an obnoxious storytelling technique, but it was done very well. I didn't have any difficulty in following the various threads.
One of the timelines was Vlad's childhood and it really added a lot of depth to his character. We learned more about his father and grandfather that explained some things that weren't very clear before now. The second thread dealt with Current Events. He accepts a job that involves traveling to the Paths of the Dead. This was a cool thread, and the main storyline. It was so interesting to read about the first time he met several character-staples such as Kragar, Morrolan, Aliera, and Sethra Lavode, among others. And the last thread was a detailed performance of a spell by Vlad. The reason behind the spell, and its aim, aren't clear until everything ties together at the end.
I enjoyed the heck out of it!
This book has a unique writing style. While the last book was written in linear fashion, this one is a tapestry of three different time lines woven together. This might sound like an obnoxious storytelling technique, but it was done very well. I didn't have any difficulty in following the various threads.
One of the timelines was Vlad's childhood and it really added a lot of depth to his character. We learned more about his father and grandfather that explained some things that weren't very clear before now. The second thread dealt with Current Events. He accepts a job that involves traveling to the Paths of the Dead. This was a cool thread, and the main storyline. It was so interesting to read about the first time he met several character-staples such as Kragar, Morrolan, Aliera, and Sethra Lavode, among others. And the last thread was a detailed performance of a spell by Vlad. The reason behind the spell, and its aim, aren't clear until everything ties together at the end.
I enjoyed the heck out of it!
dnf
August 1, 2022I think I’m just going to skip this one and move onto Phoenix whenever I’m ready to give Vlad another go. Honestly I just don’t care about this prequel story.
January 20, 2024
This is the backstory: here's Vlad rising to power and meeting all his powerful allies; here's Vlad doing his first wet work and disappointing his father; here's Vlad learning witchcraft, casting cool spells and learning from his beloved Noish-pa (his grandfather); here's Vlad becoming the Vlad readers know and love.
And as backstories go, Taltos is perfectly satisfying, especially for me because I love Sethra Lavode, Morrolan, and Aliera, the Dragonlords who become all important to Vlad Taltos and his adventures in Adrilankha. This trio, together with Vlad, his loyal familiar Loiosh, and his wife Cawti are a crew of unparalleled bad asses, and it is absolutely criminal that we haven't seen a filmed version of their adventures yet (I am guessing we never will, which blows goats).
Still, we have our imaginations, and Steven Brust has a way of sparking mine into life whenever I dive into the head of Vlad. He always brings a smile to my face -- and even an occasional snort of laughter. His sharp wit, world weariness, annoyance at being underestimated (although half the time he just thinks he's been underestimated when he's been estimated just fine), and general swagger make him one of my favourite sci-fantasy characters, so this time I have decided to press on into the books I've not yet read, from Phoenix on, rather than taking a break and restarting for a fifth time. I owe it to myself, to Vlad, but mostly to Mr. Brust who always feels a bit like an unsung hero of my personal canon.
Love you, Steve. Thanks for Vlad and Loiosh, and all the rest of this richest of worlds.
And as backstories go, Taltos is perfectly satisfying, especially for me because I love Sethra Lavode, Morrolan, and Aliera, the Dragonlords who become all important to Vlad Taltos and his adventures in Adrilankha. This trio, together with Vlad, his loyal familiar Loiosh, and his wife Cawti are a crew of unparalleled bad asses, and it is absolutely criminal that we haven't seen a filmed version of their adventures yet (I am guessing we never will, which blows goats).
Still, we have our imaginations, and Steven Brust has a way of sparking mine into life whenever I dive into the head of Vlad. He always brings a smile to my face -- and even an occasional snort of laughter. His sharp wit, world weariness, annoyance at being underestimated (although half the time he just thinks he's been underestimated when he's been estimated just fine), and general swagger make him one of my favourite sci-fantasy characters, so this time I have decided to press on into the books I've not yet read, from Phoenix on, rather than taking a break and restarting for a fifth time. I owe it to myself, to Vlad, but mostly to Mr. Brust who always feels a bit like an unsung hero of my personal canon.
Love you, Steve. Thanks for Vlad and Loiosh, and all the rest of this richest of worlds.
September 27, 2020
It’s always odd to me, when I run into a series that at first I really seem to either outright dislike or am apathetic towards, and it suddenly takes a right turn. This 4th book in the Vlad Taltos series has done that. I enjoyed it a great deal more than the first three, and am now looking forwards to the rest of the series. I’ve gotten used to the timeline jumping about (publication order seems to have nothing at all to do with chronological order), and I’m actually interested in where the storyline is heading. I like the characters, and have a better grasp on the world the storyline takes place in (Dragaeran = Elven). Hopefully the rest of the series continues in this vein.
November 26, 2023
Pretty good origin story, really explaining the world and how Vlad became who he is. Also his deep connection with the Dragonlords of his world.
The jumping around in time is taking some time to get used to, and I think this should have been the first novel in the series. Or at least the first novel to be read.
The jumping around in time is taking some time to get used to, and I think this should have been the first novel in the series. Or at least the first novel to be read.
December 12, 2017
I absolutely love this series. Can't recommend enough. If you haven't read it, and are a fan of fantasy, do yourself a favor and start it!
March 28, 2018
I read this immediately after Jhereg since I didn't have book 2 available at the time, and it's chronologically the earliest book in the series. Unfortunately it was a much weaker book for a few reasons.
First, it's a prequel, which isn't always a bad thing, but it seems to exist only to explain how Vlad becomes friends with some of his cohorts from the first book, unless there were some other important revelations I missed by reading it out of order.
Second, there are two different prequel stories being told, from different parts of Vlad's life, and these are split up by switching back and forth between timelines every few paragraphs. I have seen this done well when split by chapters but this rapid shifting is pretty jarring, especially once I switched to the audiobook. And we're given snippets of a third timeline at the beginning of each chapter, which eventually reveal themselves to be part of the end of one of the main timelines, which was a nice touch but didn't really do much for the story either.
Third, the stories themselves are simply not that engrossing, and the two stories don't seem to have any reason to exist side-by-side. What we have here is essentially two unrelated prequel novellas that would be fine quick reads on their own but when combined into a novel, especially in the way they are squished together (I presume because he wanted to stick to his 17-chapter format), just didn't grab me at all; neither was very exciting.
2.5 stars, kindly rounded up to 3 only because I didn't actively dislike the book. Not sure I'd recommend other readers even bother with it, though. Maybe my opinion will change after I've read books 2 and 3.
First, it's a prequel, which isn't always a bad thing, but it seems to exist only to explain how Vlad becomes friends with some of his cohorts from the first book, unless there were some other important revelations I missed by reading it out of order.
Second, there are two different prequel stories being told, from different parts of Vlad's life, and these are split up by switching back and forth between timelines every few paragraphs. I have seen this done well when split by chapters but this rapid shifting is pretty jarring, especially once I switched to the audiobook. And we're given snippets of a third timeline at the beginning of each chapter, which eventually reveal themselves to be part of the end of one of the main timelines, which was a nice touch but didn't really do much for the story either.
Third, the stories themselves are simply not that engrossing, and the two stories don't seem to have any reason to exist side-by-side. What we have here is essentially two unrelated prequel novellas that would be fine quick reads on their own but when combined into a novel, especially in the way they are squished together (I presume because he wanted to stick to his 17-chapter format), just didn't grab me at all; neither was very exciting.
2.5 stars, kindly rounded up to 3 only because I didn't actively dislike the book. Not sure I'd recommend other readers even bother with it, though. Maybe my opinion will change after I've read books 2 and 3.
March 4, 2016
My favorite Vlad Taltos book so far. It was made much more interesting to go back and visit the start of Vlad's career after getting to know him in his full power in the first three books.
June 4, 2022
This one's a pretty good adventure telling a current tale intertwined with the past. Normally I'm not crazy about books that switch focal points repetitively but this was the same character and things were told at the "right" time.
The main story takes Vlad and the Dragonlord, Morrolan, from the city of Adrilankha to the Greymist Valleyand down Deathgate Falls into the Paths of the Dead on a rescue mission.
The other parts of the story detail some of Vlad's early adventures with the criminal underground and a small foreshadowing of a highly detailed bit of Witchcraft Vlad is trying to invent to save everyone's lives.
The main story takes Vlad and the Dragonlord, Morrolan, from the city of Adrilankha to the Greymist Valleyand down Deathgate Falls into the Paths of the Dead on a rescue mission.
The other parts of the story detail some of Vlad's early adventures with the criminal underground and a small foreshadowing of a highly detailed bit of Witchcraft Vlad is trying to invent to save everyone's lives.
August 6, 2017
Compared to the previous book, this one is awesome! It's the funniest so far, very witty and gives us a lot of insight on how the Vlad we know actually came to be. It's a solid 4 for me, would've been a 4.5, but the paragraphs at the beginning of every chapter were kinda annoying for me.
February 3, 2020
The one where Vlad meets Morrolan, Sethra, and Aliera.
Read
June 15, 2025Maybe the one of the first four that did the least for me but still very solid.
January 14, 2012
Taltos has three storylines each told by Vlad in first person. The first one, which appears in italics at the start of every chapter is Vlad casting a witchcraft spell. The second one is Vlad’s story of the way he met Morrolan and Sethra, and his adventures with Morrolan in the Land of the Dead. In the third one Vlad tells about his boyhood, growing up, and generally about his life as an enforcer and assassin until the second storyline starts.
In the second storyline Vlad has just recently started to lead his own small criminal organization. Thing have been going smoothly until one of his underlings decides to steal money and run. The underling runs to the Castle Black the home of Lord Morrolan e’Drien of the House of the Dragon. Vlad is dubious about his welcome there because he’s an Easterner (as humans as called in this world) and Morrolan is a high-born Dragaeran (the elfs of this world). Easterners are at best second class citizens and usually treated with contempt. However, Vlad get an audience and learns that his underling has fled to the Dzur Mountain which is the most notorious place in this world. Few have ever escaped from the clutches of the Dark Lady of the Dzur Mountain, the vampire Sethra Lavode. However, since Morrolan kindly offers to take Vlad there, he can’t really refuse.
Once there, Vlad finds out that Sethra and Morrolan really want to hire him to break in an almost unbreakable home of a wizard and steal one of his staffs. Against his better judgment Vlad agrees. He and Morrolan manage to escape just barely with the staff. The staff contains a soul and the only way to bring the soul back to life is to travel to the Hall of Judgment in the Lands of the Dead and to ask the gods to return it to life. The Land of the Dead are for Dragaerans only so there is a chance that Vlad would be able to return with the newly resurrected Dragaeran. Vlad isn’t too sure about that and demands that the only way he’d do it is if Morrolan goes with him. Against Vlad’s expectations, Morrolan agrees and the two start their journey.
The third storyline describes Vlad’s rough childhood with his father who owned a restaurant. The Dragaeran youths were always beating Vlad and still his father admired Dragaeran culture so much that he denied his own Easterner origins. Vlad had a closer relationship with his grandfather Noish-pa than his father. Noish-pa is also a witch and he taught Vlad his witchcraft and also encouraged him to get a familiar.
Vlad starts to fight against Dragaerans pretty early but I guess that’s just to be expected with the way they treated him. Also, he befriends Kiera the Thief very early and it takes over a decade before he runs into Morrolan and Sethra. This book also shows how he got his Spellbraker.
Brust has a sparse, light, and sarcastic style and he doesn’t really give out descriptions much. It’s probably why I enjoy reading him so much. I’m also delighted that the Dragaeran culture doesn’t treat men and women differently; women are guards and lords just as much as men are. However, this doesn’t mean that the culture is without problems – far from it.
This book might also make a good jumping in point because it really introduces for the first time Vlad’s past. The earlier three books don’t really go into Vlad’s past very much.
In the second storyline Vlad has just recently started to lead his own small criminal organization. Thing have been going smoothly until one of his underlings decides to steal money and run. The underling runs to the Castle Black the home of Lord Morrolan e’Drien of the House of the Dragon. Vlad is dubious about his welcome there because he’s an Easterner (as humans as called in this world) and Morrolan is a high-born Dragaeran (the elfs of this world). Easterners are at best second class citizens and usually treated with contempt. However, Vlad get an audience and learns that his underling has fled to the Dzur Mountain which is the most notorious place in this world. Few have ever escaped from the clutches of the Dark Lady of the Dzur Mountain, the vampire Sethra Lavode. However, since Morrolan kindly offers to take Vlad there, he can’t really refuse.
Once there, Vlad finds out that Sethra and Morrolan really want to hire him to break in an almost unbreakable home of a wizard and steal one of his staffs. Against his better judgment Vlad agrees. He and Morrolan manage to escape just barely with the staff. The staff contains a soul and the only way to bring the soul back to life is to travel to the Hall of Judgment in the Lands of the Dead and to ask the gods to return it to life. The Land of the Dead are for Dragaerans only so there is a chance that Vlad would be able to return with the newly resurrected Dragaeran. Vlad isn’t too sure about that and demands that the only way he’d do it is if Morrolan goes with him. Against Vlad’s expectations, Morrolan agrees and the two start their journey.
The third storyline describes Vlad’s rough childhood with his father who owned a restaurant. The Dragaeran youths were always beating Vlad and still his father admired Dragaeran culture so much that he denied his own Easterner origins. Vlad had a closer relationship with his grandfather Noish-pa than his father. Noish-pa is also a witch and he taught Vlad his witchcraft and also encouraged him to get a familiar.
Vlad starts to fight against Dragaerans pretty early but I guess that’s just to be expected with the way they treated him. Also, he befriends Kiera the Thief very early and it takes over a decade before he runs into Morrolan and Sethra. This book also shows how he got his Spellbraker.
Brust has a sparse, light, and sarcastic style and he doesn’t really give out descriptions much. It’s probably why I enjoy reading him so much. I’m also delighted that the Dragaeran culture doesn’t treat men and women differently; women are guards and lords just as much as men are. However, this doesn’t mean that the culture is without problems – far from it.
This book might also make a good jumping in point because it really introduces for the first time Vlad’s past. The earlier three books don’t really go into Vlad’s past very much.
January 31, 2021
4/5
https://delivreenlivres.home.blog/202...
Cette série n’était pas du tout dans l’ordre chronologique, ce quatrième tome, et dernier traduit d’ailleurs, est en fait le premier temporellement parlant. On découvre donc certains passages parmi les débuts de Vlad dans le Jhereg.
Il nous raconte plus précisément l’événement qui a forgé l’amitié entre Vlad et Morrolan, un de ses amis qu’on connait depuis le début. Une amitié d’ailleurs bien étrange tellement les personnages sont différents et ne devraient normalement pas évoluer dans les même cercles. Mais voila, un événement les réuni et les rapproche.
Dans l’ensemble ce tome était très agréable, Pour une fois ce n’est pas vraiment Vlad qui mène le jeu mais il se fait embarquer dans une intrigue qui ne le concernait pas vraiment au départ.
Voila ce qui s’y passe : un des sbires du jeune Vlad est parti avec la caisse. Evidemment celui ci ne peux pas le laisser faire si il veut garder sa réputation et ne pas sombrer, il se précipite donc à sa suite. Une fois le bonhomme retrouvé on lui révèle qu’en fait c’était un piège et qu’on a volontairement forcé l’homme à voler son maître pour faire venir Vlad sur place. En fait on pourrait dire qu’il se fait totalement avoir, parce qu’on l’a attiré la contre son gré. Mais Vlad étant fidèle à lui même, il ne leur en veut pas trop, et accepte la mission qu’on lui propose à ce moment la : à savoir aller dans le pays des morts Draconians pour récupérer une personne importante qui y est prisonnière …
Une intrigue plus simple que dans les tomes précédents, vu que pour une fois on n’a pas de gros retournement de situation ou de complexité scénaristique. L’intrigue est vraiment linéaire du début à la fin. C’est le seul point un peu en dessous dans ce tome, heureusement. Pour le reste la sauce prend toujours bien. J’ai lu ce tome d’une traite, et j’ai passé un bon moment.
J’aime toujours autant la façon dont l’auteur arrive à nous présenter sa situation en quelques mots, de façon concise et précise. Pas de perte de temps, pas d’envolées lyriques, et pourtant l’ambiance est bien la et est vraiment le point fort de cette série. Chaque tome est très court, mais délivre de façon claire ce qu’il veut nous montrer.
Après si je devais classer ce tome dans la série, il ne serait pas en première position, du fait de son intrigue un peu plus simple, mais je suis toujours autant adepte de la série en général !
https://delivreenlivres.home.blog/202...
Cette série n’était pas du tout dans l’ordre chronologique, ce quatrième tome, et dernier traduit d’ailleurs, est en fait le premier temporellement parlant. On découvre donc certains passages parmi les débuts de Vlad dans le Jhereg.
Il nous raconte plus précisément l’événement qui a forgé l’amitié entre Vlad et Morrolan, un de ses amis qu’on connait depuis le début. Une amitié d’ailleurs bien étrange tellement les personnages sont différents et ne devraient normalement pas évoluer dans les même cercles. Mais voila, un événement les réuni et les rapproche.
Dans l’ensemble ce tome était très agréable, Pour une fois ce n’est pas vraiment Vlad qui mène le jeu mais il se fait embarquer dans une intrigue qui ne le concernait pas vraiment au départ.
Voila ce qui s’y passe : un des sbires du jeune Vlad est parti avec la caisse. Evidemment celui ci ne peux pas le laisser faire si il veut garder sa réputation et ne pas sombrer, il se précipite donc à sa suite. Une fois le bonhomme retrouvé on lui révèle qu’en fait c’était un piège et qu’on a volontairement forcé l’homme à voler son maître pour faire venir Vlad sur place. En fait on pourrait dire qu’il se fait totalement avoir, parce qu’on l’a attiré la contre son gré. Mais Vlad étant fidèle à lui même, il ne leur en veut pas trop, et accepte la mission qu’on lui propose à ce moment la : à savoir aller dans le pays des morts Draconians pour récupérer une personne importante qui y est prisonnière …
Une intrigue plus simple que dans les tomes précédents, vu que pour une fois on n’a pas de gros retournement de situation ou de complexité scénaristique. L’intrigue est vraiment linéaire du début à la fin. C’est le seul point un peu en dessous dans ce tome, heureusement. Pour le reste la sauce prend toujours bien. J’ai lu ce tome d’une traite, et j’ai passé un bon moment.
J’aime toujours autant la façon dont l’auteur arrive à nous présenter sa situation en quelques mots, de façon concise et précise. Pas de perte de temps, pas d’envolées lyriques, et pourtant l’ambiance est bien la et est vraiment le point fort de cette série. Chaque tome est très court, mais délivre de façon claire ce qu’il veut nous montrer.
Après si je devais classer ce tome dans la série, il ne serait pas en première position, du fait de son intrigue un peu plus simple, mais je suis toujours autant adepte de la série en général !
October 10, 2009
Dans ce quatrième tome, Brust s'amuse à nouveau à remonter dans la vie de Vald tatlos, pour nous faire découvrir comment il est devenu l'ami de puissants (Morrolan, Sethra Lavode et Aliera), et ce avec un style incroyable qui me rappelle certaines des folies de Iain M Banks.
Oh, bien sûr, l'histoire peut parraître un peu simple : Vald Tatlos, qui débute dans le métier de parrain de la mafia, doit assassiner l'un de ses sbires qui est parti avec la caisse. Seulement, ce sbire est parti en un lieu réputé dangereux (ce qui ne suffit bien entendu pas à arrêter notre assassin), et emmènera Vlad sur les chemins des morts.
Je l'ai déja dit, et je le répète, ce roman est formidablement construit : les trois lignes de récit qu'on suit, toujours par les yeux de Vlad, pour converger dans la conclusion de ce récit, se répondent toutes trois fort bien, et m'ont maintenu en haleine tout au long d'une histoire qui aurait pu, sinon, être assez plate. Ce qui est d'ailleurs tout le problème de ce roman : utiliser les meilleurs outils de l'écriture au service d'un roman trop simple supporter la charge littéraire.
C'est un peu dommage, mais heureusement, la sauce prend quand même. Je veux écrire par là que, malgré la faiblesse narrative, j'ai quand même suivi les pas de Vlad à travers les chemins des morts avec une certaine délectation, même si ces chemins des morts se révèlent terriblement décevants, d'un point de vue du récit, j'entends.
Bref, ne le lisez que si vous appréciez les aventures de l'assassin oriental.
Oh, bien sûr, l'histoire peut parraître un peu simple : Vald Tatlos, qui débute dans le métier de parrain de la mafia, doit assassiner l'un de ses sbires qui est parti avec la caisse. Seulement, ce sbire est parti en un lieu réputé dangereux (ce qui ne suffit bien entendu pas à arrêter notre assassin), et emmènera Vlad sur les chemins des morts.
Je l'ai déja dit, et je le répète, ce roman est formidablement construit : les trois lignes de récit qu'on suit, toujours par les yeux de Vlad, pour converger dans la conclusion de ce récit, se répondent toutes trois fort bien, et m'ont maintenu en haleine tout au long d'une histoire qui aurait pu, sinon, être assez plate. Ce qui est d'ailleurs tout le problème de ce roman : utiliser les meilleurs outils de l'écriture au service d'un roman trop simple supporter la charge littéraire.
C'est un peu dommage, mais heureusement, la sauce prend quand même. Je veux écrire par là que, malgré la faiblesse narrative, j'ai quand même suivi les pas de Vlad à travers les chemins des morts avec une certaine délectation, même si ces chemins des morts se révèlent terriblement décevants, d'un point de vue du récit, j'entends.
Bref, ne le lisez que si vous appréciez les aventures de l'assassin oriental.
April 16, 2024
This past weekend I got to hear Steven Brust speak for the first time and I was really impressed by him. He brought an easy-going presence to his reading which was something that was rarer than I would have thought it would be. So I picked up one of his many books (which I was told by discerning bookseller could be read in any order; we'll see if she was right) and I must say I really enjoyed it.
The first-person narrative is a tricky narrative format. It's hard to do because often most first-person narrations sound the same, as if they are all the same person. There's only been a few times when I've read an example that was completely unique such as Kvothe/Kote in the Kingkiller trilogy or Wilkie Collins in Dan Simmon's Drood.
Taltos's voice was unique too in that I had fun being in his head.
This may not sound overly impressive but stay with me for a second. The first-person narrative is hard to do well because it increases the details that the reader must be told and it still has to be done in a way that makes sense for characters to figure out. It's hard to be in the mind of someone you can trust (Wilkie) and someone you thinks a jerk sometimes (Kvothe).
Brust accomplishes this is Taltos. Taltos doesn't know everything, or really a majority of anything. He's figuring it out as he goes along and he would be the first to say that he hasn't really figured out everything either. We are left with the same questions he had and that seems natural.
I had a blast reading Taltos and I'm really excited to read more of Steven Brust's work in the days to come.
The first-person narrative is a tricky narrative format. It's hard to do because often most first-person narrations sound the same, as if they are all the same person. There's only been a few times when I've read an example that was completely unique such as Kvothe/Kote in the Kingkiller trilogy or Wilkie Collins in Dan Simmon's Drood.
Taltos's voice was unique too in that I had fun being in his head.
This may not sound overly impressive but stay with me for a second. The first-person narrative is hard to do well because it increases the details that the reader must be told and it still has to be done in a way that makes sense for characters to figure out. It's hard to be in the mind of someone you can trust (Wilkie) and someone you thinks a jerk sometimes (Kvothe).
Brust accomplishes this is Taltos. Taltos doesn't know everything, or really a majority of anything. He's figuring it out as he goes along and he would be the first to say that he hasn't really figured out everything either. We are left with the same questions he had and that seems natural.
I had a blast reading Taltos and I'm really excited to read more of Steven Brust's work in the days to come.
July 11, 2023
Reading Tsalmoth, the latest book in this series (as of June 2023) sent me off on a re-read of the beginning of the series from the 1980s, because it's been so long since I touched base with these books, and there's so much I'd forgotten about this era of the narrative, when Vlad was still a happy crime boss who frequently got in over his head. Taltos remains my favorite of the entire series — the book that defines who he is and how he became that even more than the opening novel, and the one where he seals the deal on what becomes some of the most important relationships in his life.
Taltos feels even more like a classic fantasy than the rest of these books, in terms of exploring a strange but compelling alien world, and strange but compelling alien people. It travels more than most of these books, and takes in more unusual and beautifully described things. It's still where I'd advise new readers of this series to start, and still one of my favorite fantasy books.
Taltos feels even more like a classic fantasy than the rest of these books, in terms of exploring a strange but compelling alien world, and strange but compelling alien people. It travels more than most of these books, and takes in more unusual and beautifully described things. It's still where I'd advise new readers of this series to start, and still one of my favorite fantasy books.
September 23, 2013
I enjoyed this book, although probably not as much as I enjoyed the three previous ones (in publication order). The plot was a little thin, but that may partly have been because we already know from the previous novels that Vlad walks the Paths Of The Dead and comes out alive. The rest of the (pre-Paths) plot line sort of felt a bit contrived, as if Brust really just needed an excuse to get Vlad and Morrolan to the Paths Of The Dead so he could tell the story he wanted to tell.
Also, I felt like the action sequences weren't quite up to the high standard Brust had set with his three previous books. The details were a little skimpy at times, making the fight scenes seem rushed, which is quite the opposite from what I had come to expect out of this author.
I liked the three-stories-told-simultaneously format, though, especially the gradually doled-out portions of the ritual spell which winds up getting employed at the end of the story. This approach kept things interesting, and was a lot more engaging than having Vlad just bust out his witchcraft at the climax of the tale.
Also, I felt like the action sequences weren't quite up to the high standard Brust had set with his three previous books. The details were a little skimpy at times, making the fight scenes seem rushed, which is quite the opposite from what I had come to expect out of this author.
I liked the three-stories-told-simultaneously format, though, especially the gradually doled-out portions of the ritual spell which winds up getting employed at the end of the story. This approach kept things interesting, and was a lot more engaging than having Vlad just bust out his witchcraft at the climax of the tale.
August 22, 2012
And here I know you can see the cool cover that is terribly inaccurate. From Vlad's curly hair to its color, to his clean-shaven face to the dragon-thing-that-is-so-not-Loiosh on his arm. I would like the cover, if it weren't so terribly, terribly inaccurate.
Anyway. This is my favorite book of the series, as well as one of my favorite books ever. I realize, now, that a good portion of my feelings for it stem from knowing the rest of the series. A lot of that comes from reading the first three and knowing where Vlad's coming from.
Which is funny, when you consider that, chronologically, this is "first."
There's too much to say, here.
Basically, though, I hear so many say how these books aren't "well written." I suppose that's true---but if they were the most well written books on the block, they'd suck. They'd be completely untrue. And so they're perfect. This one especially. And that's really something.
Anyway. This is my favorite book of the series, as well as one of my favorite books ever. I realize, now, that a good portion of my feelings for it stem from knowing the rest of the series. A lot of that comes from reading the first three and knowing where Vlad's coming from.
Which is funny, when you consider that, chronologically, this is "first."
There's too much to say, here.
Basically, though, I hear so many say how these books aren't "well written." I suppose that's true---but if they were the most well written books on the block, they'd suck. They'd be completely untrue. And so they're perfect. This one especially. And that's really something.
August 6, 2020
For me the biggest problem with this book and the series is that they are not in order; I would not recommend reading this series in the numbered order listed on Goodreads. It's confusing to bounce backwards and forwards in time throughout the books. This book undermines what I thought I knew about the character backstory as it seemingly contradicts previous books. Being that I'm already discombobulated by the un-sequenced books, bouncing forward and backward in time throughout the book was disconcerting and confusing.
Still, this book, and the series overall, is fun and funny. I particularly liked the cat centaurs in this one.
Still, this book, and the series overall, is fun and funny. I particularly liked the cat centaurs in this one.
October 25, 2011
3.5 stars. I'm reading these in publication order, and this is my favorite of the series so far. It's a prequel to the first book and I enjoyed being introduced to familiar characters. We meet Vlad's unobtrusive partner Kragar for the first time, and learn how Vlad's unlikely friendships with Morrolan, Sethra and Aliera were forged. I didn't miss Vlad's wife Cawti one bit.
Brust's writing is amusing - I laughed out loud at least once while reading this. The plot is fun, and I liked way the book was structured with alternating timelines. These are such short books, though!
Brust's writing is amusing - I laughed out loud at least once while reading this. The plot is fun, and I liked way the book was structured with alternating timelines. These are such short books, though!
January 21, 2018
I didn't really like this one as much as the others, it's not that the story wasn't good, it's that this one was so jumpy. The time like was going between two main times, then a third at the beginning of each chapter. What really annoyed me was that at the end you saw the one time line was basically ending not to far it seemed from the other beginning. I think a more linear approach would have been better.
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