Taltos

Rating:
Summary: This book should be read first of the Vlad Taltos books.
Review: This is probably the thinnest of the Vlad novels, you finish it even faster than you do most Brust books. In this one, we get to know how Vlad first met his Dragon friends and how he started his career. The plot is basically that Vlad is recruited (in a rather unusual way) by Sethra and Morrolan to steal a staff that contains Aliera's soul. Then he must travel to the Paths of the Dead to get the soul out of the staff. I like this book because it's funny and fast-paced (and my favourite character Sethra is in it, too) but there's a lot of looking back on his childhood and such, and one gets a little tired of that after a while. It is one of the most entertaining Vlad books; Brust has such an elegant style, I admire him.

Rating:
Summary: An enjoyable read.
Review: This is the fourth book in the series (after JHEREG, YENDI, and TECKLA). So far, I've found this series to be thoroughly enjoyable, but nothing to really rave about. They stand out because of their uniqueness. Yes, it's different, but it's pretty straightforward. I'm not saying that the books aren't good, they most definitely are, but they're not up to the caliber of Martin or Jordan or Goodkind. This book is more of the same.

This time, we get to look in on probably the earliest of Vlad's adventures. The first three books had references to him walking the Paths of the Dead. Well, this book chronicles that adventure. As usual, Mr. Brust fills the book with excellent dialog. Also as usual, Vlad's wisecracking gets him in trouble. We see Vlad meeting, for the first time, Morrolan, Sethra Lavode, and Aliera. We get to meet them before Vlad was friends with them. Pretty interesting.

If you're a Brust fan, you'll like this book. If you're a fantasy fan, this is a very different book: different in pace, in characters, and in storytelling. If you want to get into it, though, I'd suggest starting with the first book in the series as it provides a significant amount of background that's pretty important.

Rating:
Summary: An enjoyable read.
Review: This is the fourth book in the series (after JHEREG, YENDI, and TECKLA). So far, I've found this series to be thoroughly enjoyable, but nothing to really rave about. They stand out because of their uniqueness. Yes, it's different, but it's pretty straightforward. I'm not saying that the books aren't good, they most definitely are, but they're not up to the caliber of Martin or Jordan or Goodkind. This book is more of the same.

This time, we get to look in on probably the earliest of Vlad's adventures. The first three books had references to him walking the Paths of the Dead. Well, this book chronicles that adventure. As usual, Mr. Brust fills the book with excellent dialog. Also as usual, Vlad's wisecracking gets him in trouble. We see Vlad meeting, for the first time, Morrolan, Sethra Lavode, and Aliera. We get to meet them before Vlad was friends with them. Pretty interesting.

If you're a Brust fan, you'll like this book. If you're a fantasy fan, this is a very different book: different in pace, in characters, and in storytelling. If you want to get into it, though, I'd suggest starting with the first book in the series as it provides a significant amount of background that's pretty important.

Rating:
Summary: Assassin Flair...
Review: Vlad Taltos is an assassin of the House of the Jhereg. He is also a human, in a land where humans are looked down on by the powerful Dragaerans. Luckily for him, he's a witch, complete with a witty, flying familiar named Loiosh.

In Taltos, chronologically first in this series, Vlad is rather indirectly approached by the Dragaeran Morrolan of the House of the Dragon. Morrolan needs Vlad to walk the Paths of the Dead, from whence no Dragaeran can return. But the rules don't apply to Vlad--he hopes. He isn't Dragaeran, he's an Easterner. A human. Still...is that just a technicality? Vlad is to retrieve the soul of a Dragaeran, but will the gods allow him to? The price they ask may be too great for him to pay. As he walks through the land of the dead, his task seems to grow steadily more difficult, until only his greatest magic has any chance of saving the day...maybe at the cost of his own life...

This story far surpasses any tale of assassins I've read yet, with a twist of magic and humor, and the skillfully created Dragaerans adding spice to an already fantastic book. I highly recommend reading it.