Rating: 
Summary: Too much book, not enough story
Review: There just isn't enough happening in this book to justify its page count. It's a pleasure to listen to these characters (Paarfi included) talk piffle, but it's not enough of a pleasure to fill out 560 pages. I spent the book waiting for something unexpected, dazzling, or complicated to happen; it never did.The amusement value of the writing itself is the only thing keeping my rating from being lower.
Rating: 
Summary: To state the matter in its simplest form...
Review: This is really the fourth volume in a series that started with 'The Phoenix Guards.' This are alleged histories (or historical romances) penned by Paarfi of Roundwood, who has an imaginative approach to the events surrounding the cataclysm of Adron's disaster, when the Orb was lost, and it's recovery and the return of the Phoenix heir. What sets these novels apart from the other series Brust set in the world of Vlad Taltos' is the different styles of the narrators. Taltos' is not really a teller of tales. His style was (actually will be) matter of fact, pithy, and the stories relied on their unusual plots and interesting characters more than their prose. Paarfi however writes in a style that combines courtly with tongue in check. He frequently uses paragraphs that are single sentences of close to 100 words. Brust pulls this off beautifully, but, unless you are a fan of twisted language (like me), it can be a bit off-putting to the reader lately arrived on the scene. For me, just reading Paarfi's ornate sentences is a pleasure all on it's own. Don't get me wrong. There may be several thousand extra words and continuous displays of oblique irony, but the plot is as busy as can be. The Lord of Castle Black places all of the players on the stage and sets them to their tasks. Zerika returns from the Paths of the Dead with the orb, Morrolan re-establishes his family estates. Piro, Kytraan, Ibronka, and Roaana join forces with their older predecessors Khaavren, Tazendra, Pel and Aerich. And all are arrayed against the pretenter Kana. Behind everything, Sethra Lavode, the sorceress, weaves her plans. Soon the 9th (or, maybe, 10th) battle of Dzur Mountain will take place and we will discover, to our delight, that more volumes are planned. Thus, something dramatic happens with regularity. Our heroes banter and go to battle with both swords and frying pans. Even the villains of the piece are worthy. Those who have come to love Steven Brust's curious world where elves are the common folk and us humans are Easterners, and viewed with suspicion. I'm not sure if it's absolutely necessary to start out by reading the Taltos books (Jhereg, etc.), but starting with The Phoenix Guards might be the best plan. It's available in paperback and will either win you over or convince you to read elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: To state the matter in its simplest form...
Review: This is really the fourth volume in a series that started with 'The Phoenix Guards.' This are alleged histories (or historical romances) penned by Paarfi of Roundwood, who has an imaginative approach to the events surrounding the cataclysm of Adron's disaster, when the Orb was lost, and it's recovery and the return of the Phoenix heir. What sets these novels apart from the other series Brust set in the world of Vlad Taltos' is the different styles of the narrators. Taltos' is not really a teller of tales. His style was (actually will be) matter of fact, pithy, and the stories relied on their unusual plots and interesting characters more than their prose. Paarfi however writes in a style that combines courtly with tongue in check. He frequently uses paragraphs that are single sentences of close to 100 words. Brust pulls this off beautifully, but, unless you are a fan of twisted language (like me), it can be a bit off-putting to the reader lately arrived on the scene. For me, just reading Paarfi's ornate sentences is a pleasure all on it's own. Don't get me wrong. There may be several thousand extra words and continuous displays of oblique irony, but the plot is as busy as can be. The Lord of Castle Black places all of the players on the stage and sets them to their tasks. Zerika returns from the Paths of the Dead with the orb, Morrolan re-establishes his family estates. Piro, Kytraan, Ibronka, and Roaana join forces with their older predecessors Khaavren, Tazendra, Pel and Aerich. And all are arrayed against the pretenter Kana. Behind everything, Sethra Lavode, the sorceress, weaves her plans. Soon the 9th (or, maybe, 10th) battle of Dzur Mountain will take place and we will discover, to our delight, that more volumes are planned. Thus, something dramatic happens with regularity. Our heroes banter and go to battle with both swords and frying pans. Even the villains of the piece are worthy. Those who have come to love Steven Brust's curious world where elves are the common folk and us humans are Easterners, and viewed with suspicion. I'm not sure if it's absolutely necessary to start out by reading the Taltos books (Jhereg, etc.), but starting with The Phoenix Guards might be the best plan. It's available in paperback and will either win you over or convince you to read elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: How Paarfi escaped villification by another historian
Review: Without Significantly Advancing the Story. While Paarfi's style is a bit off-putting, removing it would turn this book into a pamphlet. I will say that his chapter titles alone are worth reading the book. The Dragaerans (apparently the result of certain genetic manipulations involving certain animal species in ancient times) are fasciniting. I have worked out that a tiassa is a cat of some sort and a chreotha is a spider and a yendi is a snake but some of the others are more creative. This book offers little with regard to the origins, but introduces and revives many of the characters who have become old favorites.
| 
