Rating: 
Summary: An Assassin's Life
Review: Simply one of the very best in this series. Smart, funny, thoughtful. Loved this and read it again immediately!!
Rating:
Summary: Must have for fans of Vlad!
Review: Simply one of the very best in this series. Smart, funny, thoughtful. Loved this and read it again immediately!!
Rating:
Summary: Well constructed - my personal favorite...
Review: The construction of _Dragon_ reminds me of Brust's time-jumping experiments of _Taltos_ but a half step better - which made it compelling and impossible for me to put down. I ended up reading this one sitting. The plot and action in the book was much more straightforward yet catching than that of _Athyra_ or _Orca_ which are different type of books altogether. I get the feeling that Brust tried to go back to his roots with this one.I know people feel pretty split on the issue, but I don't feel that this book is a good introduction to the Taltos series - it makes references to other Taltos novels frequently enough and in a way that loses the reader unless he knows what that story was about. Because of this, those who know nothing about other Vlad history or general Draegara vocabulary might find reading it a chore. For die-hard Brust fans, though, i think this book is a treasure. If i were to make a few criticisms about it, i'd agree that it seems like Vlad _and_ Loiosh seem to be more mature in thoughts and action than they should in the Vlad's chronology, especially compared to Jhereg, but i think that Brust has a right to do that if he wants - that particular inconsistency seems minute when considering the quality of the book. I feel, however, that Brust tried to make the various future histories of Vlad a bit too 'neat' in this book - he tries to explain too many relationshipa and connections from seemingly all of the other books in one short volume as opposed to saving some and stretching it out as he did in other "past" Vlad books. This may tie into my feeling of "too many references to other Vlad books" that I mentioned above. As an overall, however, I thought that the book was exciting and interesting to read. His jumping from various points in time might have been annoying if it was not well thought out, but its contribution to the atmosphere of the book helps define its mastery, in addition to the wit, humor, and genreal writing-style of Brust that, in my humble opinion, has never gone stale. Heh. Ever catch yourself imitating speech patterns or habits of characters you read? I've done that with Vlad. And, for the record, i say read the first four books first (Jhereg, Yendi, Techla, Taltos). Then the order of the rest isn't quite as important.
Rating: 
Summary: It's better to know neither too much nor too little.
Review: The more you know about the books and the world they take place in, the more sense this entry in the series will make to you - and I agree completely with everyone who has said that Vlad is a little too Vlad in this book, too familiar with characters still relatively new to him. For those who have been with the series a while, it's a treat to 'meet for the first time' the characters that appear in other books. In _Dragon's_ favor, the action and plot are lovely as always. As an armchair strategist I took a trainspotter's delight in the descriptions of battles and tactics. I was also happy to see Aliera and Morrolan again; I had missed them in the previous two books in the series. However, Brust makes the inexcusable mistake of granting himself wishes through his characters. Of course he does it in other books too (all authors probably do), but it's grossly apparent and disruptive in this one and in Orca's conversational interludes. No man is a hero to his valet, the old saying goes, and it's true here as well. In conclusion I'd recommend _Dragon_ only to readers already acquainted with Vlad and his ilk; newcomers would start best with _Jhereg_. Here's hoping there's another on the way... perhaps Tiassa, continuing from where Orca left?
Rating: 
Summary: Maybe I am not the right audience
Review: The prose is just terrible. Even though I feel like an english professor saying this I really do not like the language that is being used. This is the first book I have read by this author and it will the the last. The characters are interchangeable. They have no significant traits and the supposedly snappy replies and witty dialogues between the mostly smartass characters are very tiresome after the first 50 pages. Maybe this book was not written for someone like me and maybe the comparison isn't fair, but compared to George R. Martins books this is bad at best. If I have to say one good thing about the book I'd say that the plot is moving fast and the story in itself is quite entertaining.
Rating: 
Summary: Not the best Taltos book, but still a good one
Review: The thing about "Dragon" is that you really need to have read the other Vlad Taltos books to follow passages of it. In addition to this, the constant jump of chronology can also be a little disorienting. On the other hand, it's another solid entry into the Vlad series. It's not as great as "Jhereg," "Phoenix" or "Orca," but nor is it as sub-par the self-indulgant murky "Athyra." On the whole, "Dragon" is a good entry to the series, but definitely not the place to start. Fans wanting to know the unmatchable joy that is Vlad Taltos at his finest should buy "The Book of the Jhereg." (Most of Brust's other books are spectacular as well. Anyone interested in vampire fiction should read "Agyar" and anyone fascinated with the mind of an artist should read "The Sun, The Moon and The Stars." Also, someone HAS to bring "To Reign In Hell" back into print. It's been a long time since someone's written such an interesting book with heavy religious themes.)
Rating:
Summary: A nice reversion to a light tale
Review: The Vlad Taltios books run the gammut of styles. We've had intricate mysteries, frothy adventures, grim dramas, weird psychodramas, and even one book which essentially managed to make a plot out of the S&L crisis. I've been thoroughly pleased with all of the books, as I am with most of Brusts work, but I have noticed that the last few books in the series have been heavy going. It's no wonder, Vlad's life hasn't been an easy one for awhile. Be that as it may, I'm ver glad tat Brust decided to return to an earlier period in Vlad's life in order to give us a solid, but relatively light novel. Make no mistake, this is a good novel and it shouldn't be dismissed because it avoids the heavy philosophy and drama of the last couple of books. If anything, this is a relief. Even Shakespear would take an occasional break, during his tragedies, to provide a bit of comic relief. In terms of developing the overall story, a few plot points are introduced, and several more are resolved, but nothing as major or spectacular as the shocker at the end of Orca involving Keira (although one of the better throw-away lines in Dragon plays off that revelation). I'd almost say that you could skip this book if you prefer the hard stuff, but knowing how Brust likes to introduce stealth plots that don't become apparent for quite some time (for instance, a certain vial of blood mentioned in Taltos), I really wouldn't recommend that. All in all, a very fun book, though I do look forward to returning to the "present" choronology.
Rating:
Summary: An Assassin's Life
Review: This book is a book that gets you hooked and keeps you reading. It is the best book I have read so far. It is basically about an assassin that gets a grudge then joins an army to get revenge on that one person! He starts in a group of dragons that helps him adapt to a soldier's life. I hope I don't give to much of the book away but you should read this book. You will love it. I am suprised that this book isn't more popular...
Rating:
Summary: Strikingly different but still great
Review: This book is a classic. If you like the way Steven Brust writes you will enjoy it if not you'll hate it. Although the plot develops much slower than the others and is much harder to read, it is still a fabulous piece of literature. I recommend reading Dragon first followed by Jhereg, Taltos, and Yendi, this way you know what they're talking about in the rest. Overall great.
Rating:
Summary: Another book in the Vlad Series . . .
Review: This book is better than Athyra, Teckla, and Orca, and about equal to Phoenix. It falls behind Taltos, though, as that book falls behind Yendi and in turn Jhereg. Jhereg and Yendi remain the stars of this series, and the main reason I can see for this is that the author is trying for a more literary approach to some of the writing (not completely literary, just more so). Teckla & Phoenix, especially, involve a lot of things happening to Vlad that he is powerless to control (I'm not a fan of books that the characters are helpless in). Orca is mostly a gumshoe detective novel with Kiera the Thief (a character in the other Vlad books) as the sole viewpoint character throughout the novel; although she talks with Vlad in many places and that information is important, it is only a "Vlad" novel in a remote sense. It's really a Kiera novel (not that I mind Kiera). Athyra was just plain aweful. It's existence in the series is inexplicable. I've read Jhereg cover to cover eight times. I've read Athyra once and will never touch it again. Nothing that happens in it seems to matter, except on an abstract personal level, which is not what I view Vlad to be about (as set forth in the character concept present in the first two books, Jhereg and Yendi). Dragon itself concentrates, as advertised, on the battle at Barrit's Tomb. It answers a number of timeline questions that had arisen in the series. However, the long sequences of military life, and some of the stuff that happens, well, it just seemed a little contrived. It is better than Orca, though, which is a blessing.
| 
