Customer Reviews

Brokedown Palace

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

That is not a misspelling of dedication, the book is Deadicated to the members and lyric writers of the Grateful Dead in the mid-80's. All the "legends" are created from various Grateful Dead songs. For example, the boy trying to win the Princess meets the Demon Goddess in three guises, one twice his age, one twice his height, and one twice his weight. That's a reference to the song "I Need a Miracle". The wolf sleeping by the stream where the woodcutter's son finds the silver mine is a reference to the song "Cassidy". There is no Dead album called "Brokedown Palace" it's a song from the "American Beauty" album.

"River gonna take me, sing me sweet and sleepy..."

Brokedown Palace is not high fantasy. It is not the story of the Great and Noble (or the Simple and Humble) Overcoming Great Evil. It is, rather, about four brothers dealing with themselves and each other during some extraordinary events in their lives. But Brust integrates the magical and fantastic with the ordinary in surprising and unusual ways. The focus is always on the relationships of the characters, and Brust uses a brief, sketchy style to paint what is at heart a very complex portrait.

Set in the world of Brust's Vlad Taltos series - albeit in a completely different part - Brokedown Palace offers some tantalizing hints of how the pieces of these very different stories may fit together. I read Brokedown Palace before the Taltos books, and have found additional pleasure in re-reading it since then.

Steven Brust had outdone himself. Brokedown Palace is a book written in the style of a Hungarian folk tale, with all of the dark, gothic mystery, and none of the Disney-esque cuteness. This is not a children's fairy tale. The characters are complex, and the plot is both powerful and subtle. Devoted readers of Brust may notice the veiled references to the world of his Taltos series; the connection makes a fantastic book even more enjoyable.

I bought a new book and read it. It was "Brokedown Palace". My initial interest was because it had a really cool cover, the back was intriguing with a very encouraging quote from Tad Williams (author of the Memory, Sorry, Thorn trilogy) and a brief blurb about the characters.

The book was difficult to read at first as it was written very carefree. Almost as if intended to be read in discourse and not silently. After the introduction however, which was 1/3 of the book, it began to transition into a normal story. Included between chapters were interludes that didn't seem to make sense, but upon completing the book, you realize that everything is building into a climax of understanding on why the book is called "Brokedown Palace".

An odd book, yet very good I think. It's worthy of some discussion. It reminded me of "The Light Princess" by MacDonald for some reason. Perhaps because it seems to be speaking on a few levels.

This is my favorite Brust book (and I like Brust). This book clearly fits into the Vlad series, SOMEHOW, but also has a great deal to do with the album containing its namesake song... You can find nearly all (if not all) of the songs alluded to, and yes, it pretty much starts "on its hands and knees by the riverside".

Brokedown Palace fits into the Taltos tales, some how, some way. IT's from the other side of the coin, the mortal rather than faerie side, at least in some ways, and it's written in an offbeat, quietly friendly way that gives even the bad guy an almost benign feeling.

I think it's Brust's second best. (His best would be To Reign in Hell, no doubt.)

In the Kingdom of Fenario on the bank of the Faerie River, four brothers rule but compete for ultimate control. King Laszlo is considered a just and kind person, but most of his subjects especially his siblings think he is not all there mentally, which has led to his brothers usurping some of his power. Devious Prince Andor seems to care about only others who can further his ambitions; anyone else is meaningless and those who he allies with are disposable. Physically and emotionally Prince Vilmos is a strong person, but lacks intelligence and common sense. Finally the youngest obstinate Prince Miklos thinks his older brothers are too moronic to rule over the kingdom symbolized by the collapsed unusable West Wing.

Miklos has been gone for quite awhile and assumed dead, as the remaining trio squabble while others stalk the royals with plans to displace them. Threats come for all walks of life as a wizard, a dragon and a horde of jhereg prepare to dispose of the siblings with some seeing them as royal dessert. Victory seems assured to the adversaries because the three remaining brothers are Mad, Shallow, and Stupid, as they still fight one another instead of uniting against a common cause.

This is a delightful reprint of a mid 1980s fantasy that seems very apropos today due to the use of ironic symbolism like the crumbled West Wing and the personalities of the four brothers to lampoon know it all leadership. Readers will appreciate how the brothers have common enemies, but still cannot put aside their desires to be in charge, leaving them vulnerable to their adversaries. Steven Brust takes his audience to a broken down magical land set far to the east of his Taltos thrillers.

Harriet Klausner

Am I the only one who saw this book as an allegory for a communist uprising? The brothers are each a different social class struggling to either uphold the current regime (the palace being a symbol of the government of the kingdom) or to support the change that seems to be growing from the ruins of it.

In general I find allegorical stories to be boring and usually really obvious. The fact that many reviews of the book call it good without finding any allegorical meaning in it speaks to the quality of the writing and the seamlessness with which the story and the message are woven together. I can't help but wish I had been made to read this instead of Animal Farm back in High School.

Caveat: I interpreted the book as being about communism, but at its core it's about the struggle between new and old ideas (and telling a good tale).

Don't expect another Vlad novel, but enjoy the story and maybe exercise your brain a bit while trying to see what meanings you can pull out of it.

Well, perhaps this is more personal than you might anticipate, but this book hit me on a gut level. At various points it had me in tears, and I do NOT cry easily. I wouldn't necessarily expect that reaction from everyone (!), but this book was perfectly timed for me. As I recall, it centered around a royal family that was coming apart, and everyone refused to look at why. There was a weed growing in their house, cracking the floors and destroying the foundation, and nobody would look at it or do something about it. At that time, my family was mid-divorce, although it hadn't been announced yet, and this is how I felt about it. Something wrong that nobody is willing to confront, so it grows, and destroys the family. Same message in this book, which features a Zen Cow (as I recall). Brust is brilliant, his worlds are fully developed, his characters unique. The closest comparison I have for his work is Zelazny, but Zelazny never had the ability with dialogue that Brust always displays. Never miss a book by Brust, and hope he never gets trapped into one particular story line. Also not to be missed is his shared effort with Emma Bull, "Freedom and Necessity".

As with most of Brust's books, I've read this one over 20 times. Not because parts of it went over my head, but because I found it THAT intriguing and entertaining. Anyone familiar with his other Dragaeran novels will recognize the world in which this book is set. However, this isn't the Empire. Aside from Vlad himself, his ex-wife Cawti, and some of her associates, we've had little insight into the Fenarian(Easterner) side of the world.

The Fenarian King; Lazlo, rules from a palace that is crumbling around him. With an unwillingness to let go of the past, he blinds himself to the condition of the decaying structure, and sadly, his familial relationships with his brothers, particularly Miklos. With the family in disarray, Miklos leaves the palace and finds himself in the land of the Dragaerans. His time there teaches him much, yet upon his return he finds that nothing has changed, except himself. Armed with the power of Faerie, a Taltos horse, and a newfound confidence, he challenges his brother to accept that change is inevitable. In the end, they both learn that often, change happens by it's own volition.

I've talked to Steven Brust a few times via e-mail. While there is nothing within the story itself to indicate what time frame this takes place(whereas his other books set in this world do have reference points), I've learned that this story takes place one generation before the Taltos novels.

Of Mr. Brust, I can say this: He is a very personable, down to Earth man who appreciates his fans. His writing style, wit, and story depth have put him at the top of my "must read" list.