Customer Reviews

Issola (Vlad Taltos)

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Every time I give up hope and decide that Stephen Brust has decided to stick to making music and drop out of the writing business he produces another delightful tale. "Issola," next in the Vlad Taltos series, is classic Brust, funny, imaginative and captivating. It is easy to run out of superlatives with this series, which is consistently good fantasy. This latest effort is certainly one of his finest.

After a very bad run in with House Jhereg (his adopted clan) Vlad Taltos decides his best policy is to stay out of Adrilankha, maybe forever. While camping out in the woods with Loiosh his wisecracking familiar he receives a visit from Lady Teldra, one of Lord Morrolan's attendants. Vlad is more than a bit surprised since no one knows where he is, and he is supposed to be invisible. Teldra reassures him, and tells him that he is needed to help find Lord Morrolan and Aliera, close friends of Vlad. Off they go to Sethra Lavode's home (she's the world's oldest vampire) on Dzur Mountain.

Vlad and Teldra manage to track down Morrolan and Aliera, only to be captured themselves. The villains of the piece are the Jenoine, an ancient race who have no love for anyone else, god or mortal. Vlad and Teldra discover that the Jenoine plan to tap a huge source of Amorphia to get rid of the more irritating parts of the scenery, like Vlad, Loiosh, Teldra, and, possible, even a good chunk of the universe. A complicated chess game starts with Vlad feeling very much like a pawn as gods, demons, Dragaerans, the Jenoine, and a few more impossibilities wrestle for the fate of his world.

Vlad's frustration mounts as he deals with folk and superfolk who are legendary and who have little interest in having to explain everything to a mere Easterner. Vlad's continuous patter of sharp comments and sarcastic remarks, provide much entertainment to the reader (and to Loiosh), but they hide a deep anxiety about the outcome. He finds himself with a vital role in a struggle but one that is not clearly defined. The drama plays out with surprises for all involved, especially Vlad, who finds that he has a new role in the workings of the Dragaerans.

Brust, who always creates intriguing characters, outdoes himself in "Issola." He provides the reader with additional insights into Morrolan, Aliera, Sethra Lavode, the Necromancer, and Verra the Demon Goddess. Teldra, previously just a bit player, is a work of art. Nor can one fault the narrative, which has Brust's usual clarity and flow. Needless to say the new reader might be better off with an earlier volume in the series, but Brust spends just enough time on history to provide the reader with enough to go on. Naturally, the faithful will be delighted. As will anyone else who is looking for what will probably be considered one of the year's best fantasies.

I thought that the first few books of this series were truly excellent, must read types of books. The series then sort of tapered off a bit, and I think Athyra, although a still a good book, was a bit of a low point. This book is a triumph, and show that Brust has not lost his feel for this setting.

Fans of Brust should buy this book without hesitation. However, I've never really found rave reviews to be that helpful, so here's what I thought was wrong with the book.

1) It was a bit too much of Vlad standing around while his super-powerful friends did things. I found myself wishing that he was a bit more involved.

2) This is of course just a personal preference, but I'm starting to think that it's time for Vlad to resolve his conflict with the Jhereg and move on. He's clearly in transition from assassin to something else, but several books have come and gone without his coming any closer to a resolution.

But these are relatively minor things. It was really a great book, and I look forward to more like it in the future.

After eagerly anticipating Issola since I first heard it mentioned in the trades, I think I can now confidently state that Brust has firmly taken his place beside Zelazny in terms of scope and depth -- perhaps surpassed him;in terms of pure characterization, Issola takes Vlad Taltos places where Corwin of Amber never trod.

We have seen Vlad develop an adult moral conscience throughout the series, exploring the psychological nuances of such a punishing profession. In this snippet of the greater Dragearan Cycle, Vlad comes face to face with his faith in Verra, his loyalty to his friends, and the idea that the Dragearans he despises are genetic kin to Easterners. The development of the character of Teldra (a torchbearer from his earlier books) into three or more dimensions brings additional complexity to Issola. Her ultimate disposition and her influence on Vlad help answer questions of both plot and character. While the sarcastic wordplay with his faithful lizard companion come a lyron hair to over the top, Brust never allows a cheap gag to interfere with the basic humanity of the Vlad/Loish relationship.

Kudos for the continuing attention to detail -- the klava discussions were priceless. Kudos also for the possibility of Sethra resurrecting the Lavodes (Vlad Lavode?). The scenes with Verra were excellently done and the metaphysical rammifications of a goddess who is also a person were exceptional. And an especial thanks that Brust did not jump into the Vlad-hunting Jhereg assasins, the Cawti relationship, or a premature cross-over with the Phoenix Guards series. This book left me with a good, just-Brusted feeling without worrying about where Vlad will go next. There is still plenty of story out there.

Vlad Taltos can't see why this is his problem. If two of the most powerful magicians in the world get kidnapped and they can't find their way out of the problem, what could he possibly do? The powers that be don't agree, however, and Vlad, along with the beautiful Lady Teldra (protocol expert) are off to find who can mess with people even the gods fear.

Who is messing is the Jenoine, a strange group of entities that may be more powerful than the gods themselves (at least the Jenoine seem to think so), but who act in ways that can't always be explained or understood. Vlad is soon up to his eyeballs in dealing with the Jenoine, trying to decide whether to take their assignment in assassinating his patron god (he is an assassin, after all), and generally saving the universe.

What makes ISSOLA superior to the usual save the world from evil is Vlad. His tongue-in-cheek observations of the world (helped by a running dialogue with his pet familiar--great device) show useful insights into his world, our world, and are a lot of fun as well.

The Jenoine are an interesting group of characters who seem to live in a Platonic world (where each thing is the one ideal thing of that type). Their actions are not entirely explicable by human reasonings, yet they seem to have their own reasons.

ISSOLA is a truly enjoyable read.

Issola picks up in the present time, unlike Dragon which takes place near the beginning of the series. Vlad is still on the run from the Jhereg as he has been happening in the last couple novels (Athyra and Orca). It all starts out normal and then he gets a bombshell from Teldra, who has somehow tracked him down. Morrolan and Aliera have vanished without a single trace. It picks up from there into a really weird story. This one is in Vlad's person again, finally and is one of the most far-fetched out of the series. It's more like Taltos than any other. It includes the Jenoine as well as the Lords of Judgement, or gods, from Taltos. If you liked Athyra or Orca, this isn't what you'd expect. There's no wandering or Vlad trying to find himself in this one. You got more comedy in this one like in Yendi, but one of this its few flaws is that it answers too little of what people have been wondering about and adds a whole bunch of new things that make you go "What the?" All in all, this book gives you a helping of all the good stuff in the series. If you like Vlad, you'll like this.

With this book, Brust takes the Taltos series in yet another direction. Since I don't want to give the plot away, I'll say only that this is a more high-powered book than those that preceded it. No longer is Vlad dealing with crime investigations and political problems; here, he operates on a cosmic scale, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. It's an unexpected turn to the series, but perhaps it shouldn't be -- there's been plenty of foreshadowing and hinting throughout the series, and all of that had to come to some kind of fruition sooner or later. And, hey, it works: this is a fun book, and one that is certain to be of interest to fans of earlier Vlad books. The only question now is, where does Brust go from here? (And the answer, no doubt, is: wherever he wants.)

Make no mistakes, this is clearly a pivotal installment. By the end of chapter two, no less than six (more, depending on what you would consider major) of the series major mysteries are unambiguously revealed, neatly setting up a whole new set of quandries, and the ending represents a definite (and surprising, even to those of us who read a certain short story) transition for Vlad's mysterious device, Spellbreaker.

It's a very short novel, but it packs one hell of a punch. Don't pass this one over if you have any interest in the series, what so ever. Just don't make it your first book unless you want a significant fraction of the series spoiled.

I think the best Vlad book is Dragon. But for some reason when I find myself drawn to rereading a Vlad novel, I usually end up choosing this one. Probably because it is not really a Vlad novel.

Sure, it is told from the point of view of our favorite severely emotionally handicapped assassin. And it has all the typical biting and caustic exchanges between Vlad and his only friends. But that is only the form of the book. The heart of the book is the genuine goodness of the title character.

She consciously redeems Vlad the same way that during the entire series he unwillingly redeems himself through his actions and his loyalty. He is a man who feels too much, and tries therefore to feel nothing. But she allows herself to feel everything, because she really believes the world is worth feeling.

I'm assuming here that the reader has read most or all of the novels that lead up to this one. If not, this is not the place to start from. Start with "Jhereg", or possibly "Taltos". But do get around to reading this one. I think it is worth it.

This is the ninth book in the continuing series of Vladimir Taltos adventures by Steven Brust. Taltos is all of the following: a sometime assassin, mobster, witch, philosopher, swordsman, noble, and detective who lives a stranger-in-a-strange-land scenario as what we would consider a normal human in a nation of 6.5 or 7-foot tall humanoids (Draegerans) who often have numerous magical abilities. The other books, other than "Taltos" are named for the houses of the 16 noble classes and one peasant class in the society Taltos lives in. The books(in chronological order, not publishing order) are:

Taltos 4.5* -- very funny, well-paced, good resolution of the three plotlines

Yendi 4* -- complex and satisfying for a short book, humorous

Jhereg 5* -- the first and best of the bunch, gives useful background and is the real starting point of the series

Teckla 2* -- maudlin and introspective without much context or reason for the tone

Phoenix 4* -- picks up the pace after Teckla, but not quite as light-hearted as the earlier books

Dragon 4* -- published 8th, returns to form of witty banter, smart introspection and twisty plotting of earlier books

Athyra 1* -- meandering and depressing; only book not told from Vlad Taltos' point of view, actionless and largely themeless

Orca 4* -- better plotting and pacing for this Athyra follow-up, plus intricate mob-financing issues explored by Taltos in unmasking Orca-house mob syndicate

Therefore, Issola is not the place to start. The story in Issola is relatively simple (at the start) -- Taltos' friends (and benefactors) have been captured by the Jenoine, semi-mythical creators of the world. His task is to rescue them; then he learns of the plots and counterplots that the Jenoine have hatched in their desire to seize control of the world from the gods (who had previously been their servants).

Issola features a number of the tell-tale signs of the Taltos series that are welcome comforts for the converted: Vlad's humorous introspections, snappy dialogue, intriguing plotline and the sardonic world view Brust puts forth. This volume contains a lot of extended philosophical meandering (mild negative) but also interesting background information regarding the creation of the "world," the myths of the gods, the genesis of the humans and Draegerans, and the history of Morrolan, the noble wizard who is one of Taltos' main benefactors. Most satisfying is the interplay between Taltos and Lady Teldra -- Morrolan's chamberlain who is a recurring and unexplored character in the rest of the series. Most shocking are the events near the end that change the landscape of the series for the future.

Recommended for fans, recommended for non-fans after they get some of the background from previous books.

ISSOLA is very readable, with the simple first-person narration of Vlad keeping things moving, and familiar characters in fine form

Lady Teldra is a good choice as a new character, as her mannerisms are quite distinct from most of the individuals we've seen in the past. The revelations about her flow naturally, although I felt Vlad's banter with her Kirk teasing Spock; substitute "courtesy" for "logic" and you get the idea.

Unfortunately, the plot is not exactly a roller coaster ride. Since ATHYRA, Brust has been narrowing the focus of his stories. The action for much of the book is confined to a few extradimensional prisons and rooms in Dzur mountain, with the protagonists spending much of their time discussing the plot and rescuing each other, with mixed success. The feel of this section reminded me of the stodgy second and third Merlin books in Zelazny's second chronicles of Amber. Not a good sign.

The book's greatest appeal will be to long-term fans of the series, as Brust does not stint on revelations about the nature of his world, especially elements that have hitherto been enigmatic. Unfortuantely, most of these parts are mainly presented through conversation rather than demonstration, but Brust does write entertaining conversations, and having Sethra and the demon goddess Verra along keeps it from getting boring.

I'd recommend ISSOLA to Vlad fans for the extra glimpses it gives of Vlad's world and his ever-evolving character. But it's a shame that Brust has still not recaptured the magic of the first three books in the series, the way the PHOENIX GUARDS did.
I think Vlad's own rootlessness is the problem: Adrilanka and in particular the region that Vlad lived and loved in was a character in its own right, and with Vlad in exile, the rich sense of place the books used to have has gone. Perhaps it's time for him to return home... so I guess there's hope after all.