Rating: 
Summary: Brust gives us an outside view of Vlad Taltos
Review: This is the most complex exercise in writing of all the Vlad Taltos books.Instead of Vlad's own wisecracking, hard-boiled, street-smart voice, this book is writtenfrom the point of view of one of the alien Dragaerans. But this Dragaeran is a simple kid, and a humble Teckla peasant - a very sympathetic character. The Dragaeran, Savn, turns out to be a very necessary help to Vlad, and saves his life in a twisted ending, forcing Vlad to see him as a peer and a friend, making Vlad re-evaluate some of the nastier aspects of his own personality. Like all the other Vlad books, this one is loaded with action and mystery,with, ultimately, a more mature Vlad emerging as a result of the blood debt.Very satisfying
Rating: 
Summary: The worst novel of the Vlad books (don't bother).
Review: This novel was so bad it made me ill to my stomach by the end.Vlad's character and capabilities as portrayed in this book are totally at odds with everything that happens in all the previous books (even some of the less than stellar ones). Vlad seems practically incompetent some of the time. It was very sad. It had no place in the rest of the Vlad universe, and nothing of any real significance happens. Don't buy this book. I certainly wasted me money on it. It gets a one star rating only because I can't give it zero stars. Don't give up hope though, all the other novels were worth reading, and some of them (Jhereg and Yendi) are some of the best stories in Fantasy.
Rating: 
Summary: a bit odd...
Review: This wasn't bad, but it was something of a disappointment compared to the previous books in the series. I really didn't care for the switch to third-person narration, and Vlad isn't really the main character--at no point do you ever actually get inside his head. It's not a bad book, but for this series, I think it's something of a letdown.
Rating:
Summary: Vlad finally grows as a character
Review: When the (seventeen?) books of the Vlad Taltos series are done, Athyra will likely rank as the keystone, the turning point in Vlad's development. Events in previous books have made his way of life untenable, and Vlad finds in Athyra that he *must* change, or die. The tone is much darker than in previous novels, the danger more real, the moral weight of every character's actions more pronounced. This may be what puts some people off it -- it's certainly more bitter than the light-hearted stuff that preceded it. But that's *good*; Vlad matures, fleshes out, gains dimension. Vlad is a person first, a witch/assassin second, and Athyra showcases Brust's hard-earned characterization skills.
Rating:
Summary: Drags badly...
Review: While the Vlad books aren't great literature by a long shot, they are usually lively and complex. However, here Brust decides to get psychological and does it very badly. Either Vlad or Brust needs a major course of anti-depressants and perhaps an intro to abnormal psych. *sigh* Just goes to prove Brust is just another sword&dagger fantasist. The other books are still good reading, though, except for Orca.
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