Rating: 
Summary: A Real Let-down From Others In The Series
Review: This book took a turn in the series with Vlad trying to cure Savn(The Teckla boy) by doing a favor for a healer. He investigates a murder of an Orca called Fyres to save her land. It is good, but went really downhill from Phoenix, Teckla, Jhereg, and Yendi. Most of the time it is Kiera's point of view which, is all well and good, but sometimes in the story it goes back to Vlad's point of view. When you listen to Vlad again it gets a better but in some points it really excells when he's thinking about all that happened. My personal favorite parts are the interlude with Cawti and Kiera and the REALLY twisted ending where a secret is revealed. Overall, it's well written but it's a bit of a let-down from the other amazing books (especially Phoenix, which is the best book in the series, though not my favorite) But it does open the door for a pending reconsiliation between Vlad and Cawti. So one thing you can be sure of is: the next book, Issola, will have a 94% chance of being the next great cornerstone in the series, if not the book after that. It will be enjoyable for readers of Steven Brust, but not newcomers to Vlad Taltos. If you're going to first buy a Taltos book, buy Taltos, Yendi, and Jhereg first. You don't have to, it's just suggested. But if you don't, you'll be really confused about the others. Then after reading those three go to Dragon, Teckla, Phoenix, Athyra, and Orca in that order. These books are really enjoyable but it gets weaker in this one. But don't be discouraged, the next book WILL be good. In anycase, if you haven't read these books yet, I and anyone else whose read these, would advise you to do so as soon as possilble. I do not lie so take this seriously. Thank You for taking the time to read this!
Rating: 
Summary: On content, and how pleased I was with the book.
Review: This is the best one yet from Mr. Brust. it had the intrige that keep me reading for hrs. at a time. I look forward to reading more from him in the future.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Worth the Effort
Review: This is the first Taltos book that was a chore to read through. Brust experimented with a story-in-a-story technique (and didn't do that great a job, I'm afraid). Worse then that, there was no real reason to care about the story. The "surprises" were in the last 10 pages so save yourself some tedium and skip straight to the end. Then go get Issola and feel better.
Rating:
Summary: Following the Money Trail
Review: Vlad Taltos, if nothing else, is a man who remembers and repays his debts, even it that means killing everyone in sight and destroying the Empire in the process. This book follows directly after Athyra (though it is not really necessary to have read that book before trying this one), a book which introduced the character of Savn, a Teckla lad who manages to save Vlad's life. This book is about how Vlad tries to repay that action. Savn was left with a severe case of 'battle fatigue' at the end of the prior book, and Vlad finds a healer who might be able to help Savn, but the healer is facing eviction as her property is involved in a holding company bankruptcy. Vlad and Kiera the Thief, in tracing back the financial paperwork, come across an apparent murder of a very high-flying scam artist who has built a financial pyramid that is threatening to come apart like the proverbial house of cards, and in the process possibly leading the Empire into civil war and anarchy. The plot is convoluted and involves much of the House of Orca as the financial dealers of the Empire, with heavy involvement by the Jhereg and the Phoenix Guards, but there is little real action. Instead, we are treated to a rather tortured discourse on why moral compromise is sometimes necessary to preserve free trade, and a lesson in economics that might have been lifted right from an Economics 101 textbook. On the brighter side, this book sees a return to first person narration, by both Kiera and Vlad, as opposed to the third person voice of Athyra that so marred that book. Along with this first person style comes also Brust's typical ironic bursts of humor and sly satirical digs. Cawti, Vlad's estranged wife, is seen by indirection here, in letters from Kiera to her, and some of what she is feeling about her hunted husband comes through, and showing a possible indication of where this series might be headed in the future. There is revelation in the last ten pages of this book about the real identity of a certain personage, that will obviously be necessary to know about before reading later books in this set, but I thought this revelation was not really set up properly. There just weren't enough clues planted earlier to where this revelation didn't come as a shock, and at least at first I had real difficulties believing it. But I think, upon reflection, that this item can be worked into something very major in later books, and bodes well for the continuation of this set. Clearly a necessary book to read for continuity, with too little action and only a small amount of character rounding-out, but not the best of the series, which for my money is Teckla, the book where character and internal moral questions predominate. --- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)
Rating:
Summary: Mysteries Revealed
Review: Without going into detail, any fan of Vlad must read this book. Between Orca and the next few books it looks like we are starting to find out some of the mysteries that have been hinted at in previous installments in the series. Very cool and very unpredictable.
As far as Orca goes, Vlad and his faithful sidekick, Loiosh, continue wandering - just ahead of the Jhereg assassins out to get him and toward what appears to be a great destiny. They solve a mystery involving a deep conspiracy and encounter some covert operatives of the Draegaran government.
As always it's an excellent read. Brust has some of the best dialogue - fresh, crisp, wise cracking... and is the master of conveying emotion in the speech of his characters. The plot is in depth and challenging. Orca is better than most of its predecessors as a whole.
Obviously, however, you need to be familiar with the series to "get it."
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