Customer Reviews

The Lord of Castle Black (Viscount of Adrilankha, Book 2)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The full VofA series (Paths of the Dead, Lord of Castle Black, and Sethra Lavode) has now been published. So I am submitting a new review.

There is one thing you must know about this book: it is incomplete. If you buy this thinking it is one book of a trilogy, you will find it disappointing. Dozens of characters are brought in unintroduced and then left unresolved, and almost all of the plot threads are left hanging.

But ... if you get the whole VofA series and read it as though it is one novel, you will probably not mind any of this. Because all the flaws have to do with this book being nothing but the middle section of a single story. And if you actually get the full story by reading the other books, that works.

No one would read "The Two Towers" and attempt to treat it as a work in isolation from rest of The Lord Of The Rings. The same should be true of this book.

This part of the full novel deals mainly with the the reunion of the four guardsmen and the backstory of Morrolan (who comes off as much more complex than the inscrutable and testy warrior-wizard of the Vlad books).

Indeed, this is perhaps Paarfi's best one yet. The previous book, The Paths of the Dead, introduced the series, got us acquainted with the cast of characters, and pretty much stopped there. The Lord of Castle Black brings on the action and plot twists that many complained were lacking in the first book of the series. While I sympathize with these complaints, it must be kept in mind that Paths was merely the first act of this particular "play".

I have been a huge fan of Brust since To Reign in Hell, and find his Paarfi novels as good as any of the Vlad series. I enjoy the sheer wordplay involved in the descriptions of both scene and action, and find the dialogue to be laugh-out-loud funny in parts. The Lord of Castle Black is a veritable feast of amusing asides, gripping action, and wonderful dialogue-all hallmarks of The Phoenix Guards and Five Hundred Years After. I do not wish to give any of the plot away, so I will merely say that it performs satisfactory twists throughout, and the end of the book finds the Viscount and the rest of the remarkable cast in situations that have me eagerly awaiting the next installment.

I am sure that it would be a bit confusing to be thrown into the maelstrom of intrigues and power struggles contained in Lord without having read Paths. However, for those who wish to read a top-notch fantasy novelist at the top of his form, I can make no higher recommendation than The Lord of Castle Black.

As others have mentioned, this may be Book 2 of the Viscount trilogy, but it's actually book 4 of a series, and you DO need to read the previous 3 in order to appreciate this one.

I have noticed, as time goes by, that there is a pattern to opinions about the Khaavren series: those who started reading Steven Brust's Vlad Taltos series first, and bought one of the Khaavren books because it was by Brust, don't seem to appreciate the Khaavren books as much. Those of us, on the other hand, who started on Brust with this series, or with some of Brust's other fantasies entirely, seem to enjoy the Khaavren books more. I believe it's a question both of writing style, and of one's definition of action. Thus, if you really, really like the Vlad Taltos books, and you expect these to be similar, it may be that you will be less than enchanted with these.

I believe that those who have read a lot of older literature - Dumas, as many have mentioned, and definitely Shakespeare - will enjoy this book, and the Khaavren series, more than the Vlad Taltos fans will, on average. (Of course, every reader has a unique background and a unique perspective - don't let me stop you from reading!!) Certainly a background of the Three Musketeers (and not the movie, people!) helps one appreciate what's going on here - but a knowledge of, say, the battles in Shakespeare's Richard and Henry plays, does not come at all amiss. And a comfort level with the intricate language of Shakespeare, as well as the overwrought prose of Dumas, gives one the stamina to follow Paarfi's extensive perorations.

Let me also mention that there's a dash of Romeo and Juliet in here, with lovers from different houses and their disapproving families. Those who feel that there is not enough action in this book, apparently do not consider a good heartbreaking love story to be action. But it is! So is the evolution of the magic taking place - if moving hundreds of warriors via magic/mental powers, over hundreds of miles, which has never been done before in this world, is not action, then what is? There are no slow moments if one is interested in emotion and magic as well as in swords and battle; there is always something happening between people.

As with previous books in the series, if you do like it, it has an effect on you: you talk funny for days afterward, if not weeks! Hey, if you are planning on taking the GREs or GMATs, this series is a terrific vocabulary builder!! There will be nothing in the verbal section that you can't handle, if you enjoy and appreciate Paarfi!

In short - if you already like this series, this volume is a must; if you like Dumas and Shakespeare, you'll like this; if you like Vlad Taltos, then start in on this series in cautious, easy steps.

Maybe it's the problem that Paarfi describes in the Foreword, when he rants against the publisher for breaking his novel into three parts. Maybe it's the problem faced by any author in the second book of any trilogy: a bridge can only be so exciting. Or maybe it's because we know so much about how it will end; after all, it's Vlad Talos' workaday world. But whatever the reason, this is the weakest of the Dragaera books to date.

Now a weak Brust novel is head and shoulders above most fantasy writers' work. This is a lot of fun to read. But compared to the Machiavellian plot twists of Jhereg and Yendi, or the brilliant writing in The Phoenix Guards, well, this is just slightly pedestrian.

And that's for a Brust fan, familiar with previous (well, and subsequent) events. I think a reader new to Brust, or worse still, new to the Viscount Trilogy, would be completely bewildered. Who are all these people?

Especially compared to the most recent Vlad Taltos novel, Lord of Castle Black is a little weak. The Vlad Taltos series is very nearly as tightly linked as the Khaavren books, of which this is the fourth. In each of the Vlad Taltos books, by contrast, Brust has brought a startling new twist, a new and stunning revelation about the world or about his protagonist. Perhaps Vlad is inherently more interesting than any of the characters in the Khaavren series. Perhaps it's just that I can relate to a human (well, Easterner) better.

Still, as a setup for the third book this is a good read, and there is still a lot of ground to cover. Paarfi's writing is always good for a smile, and Mysteries continue to be Explained. Brust is far from the kind of self-indulgent piffle of, say, Robert Jordan. No, wait, that's too harsh. Brust is the polar opposite of Jordan. Whatever its limitations, it is very hard to put Lord of Castle Black down. Like all Brust books, it's a page turner and worth your time. Recommended.

This is really the fourth volume in a series that started with 'The Phoenix Guards.' This are alleged histories (or historical romances) penned by Paarfi of Roundwood, who has an imaginative approach to the events surrounding the cataclysm of Adron's disaster, when the Orb was lost, and it's recovery and the return of the Phoenix heir. What sets these novels apart from the other series Brust set in the world of Vlad Taltos' is the different styles of the narrators.

Taltos' is not really a teller of tales. His style was (actually will be) matter of fact, pithy, and the stories relied on their unusual plots and interesting characters more than their prose. Paarfi however writes in a style that combines courtly with tongue in check. He frequently uses paragraphs that are single sentences of close to 100 words. Brust pulls this off beautifully, but, unless you are a fan of twisted language (like me), it can be a bit off-putting to the reader lately arrived on the scene. For me, just reading Paarfi's ornate sentences is a pleasure all on it's own.

Don't get me wrong. There may be several thousand extra words and continuous displays of oblique irony, but the plot is as busy as can be. The Lord of Castle Black places all of the players on the stage and sets them to their tasks. Zerika returns from the Paths of the Dead with the orb, Morrolan re-establishes his family estates. Piro, Kytraan, Ibronka, and Roaana join forces with their older predecessors Khaavren, Tazendra, Pel and Aerich. And all are arrayed against the pretenter Kana. Behind everything, Sethra Lavode, the sorceress, weaves her plans. Soon the 9th (or, maybe, 10th) battle of Dzur Mountain will take place and we will discover, to our delight, that more volumes are planned.

Thus, something dramatic happens with regularity. Our heroes banter and go to battle with both swords and frying pans. Even the villains of the piece are worthy. Those who have come to love Steven Brust's curious world where elves are the common folk and us humans are Easterners, and viewed with suspicion. I'm not sure if it's absolutely necessary to start out by reading the Taltos books (Jhereg, etc.), but starting with The Phoenix Guards might be the best plan. It's available in paperback and will either win you over or convince you to read elsewhere.

I like this book. I am only halfway through, so this review may be a bit premature. But I am excited enough to want to write about it.

I found Paths Of The Dead to be, well, "without substance". Not necessarily boring, but not very interesting either. And the writing style didn't help, because it simply emphasized how little was happening.

But Lord Of Castle Black (at least, the first half) has more momentum. The main difference is the reuniting of the four heroes of Phoenix Guards and 500 Years. It is fun to see what time and experience has done to them.

Brust starts off with a short introduction to the book which strongly makes the point that these three books should be considered a single novel. If so, things start making more sense. Both Phoenix Guards and 500 Years started off slowly, then built up to more action, and finally ended with a big finale and some strong character growth. That might explain why Paths was so ... "eh", and why Lord is more fun.

The chapter where Morrolan visits Sethra to demand tribute from her as her liege lord is priceless, made more so because we know of their coming close relationship. Morrolan has no idea that he is talking to The Enchantress Of Dzur Mountain, and doesn't really realize what sort of a mistake he has made until ... well, read it for yourself.

This is not the book with which to start reading the series, but fans of PG and 5Y should find this more to their liking than Paths Of The Dead. (Paths Of The Dead is required reading to understand Lord Of Castle Black, however.)

Steven Brust's _The Lord of Castle Black_ is, I can now say, the second part of the longer work _The Viscount of Adrilankha_, rather than the second book in a trilogy. Why can I now say this? Because in the Preface, Paarfi (our historian narrator) informs us that "As for the entire question of splitting the book into several volumes, the author will not pretend to more knowledge than he has; if it is the custom of those who publish such works to make such mutilations, for whatever reason, then so be it. Nevertheless, it *is* a single work, and the suggestions that there may be some who possess only a part of it strikes the author as creating an intolerable situation for the reader." (The *reader*, note.)

Paarfi, in his inimitable style, goes on to explain at length why he abhors the idea of writing a summary of the previous volume; however, since his publishers haven't listened to him, well, here it is.

I've missed Paarfi.

I've also missed our friends, the protagonists of this series (I've spent enough time with them, over the four thick volumes to date, that I do think of them this way). When we left them at the end of _The Paths of the Dead_, Zerika had brought the Orb out of the Paths, but most of the characters were scattered. The titles of the two books comprising this volume summarize the general plot arc admirably: "In Which the Forces Are Brought Together That Lead Up to the Ninth (or Tenth) Battle of Dzur Mountain," and "In Which the Ninth (or Tenth) Battle of Dzur Mountain Is Fought, With Some Discussion of Its Results."

Battles of Dzur Mountain or no, the characters don't get lost in the shuffle. As the title of this volume suggests, we see a considerable amount of Morrolan's development in this volume, which seems largely consistent with what we know from the Vlad books (lest readers unfamiliar with the series think I'm accusing Brust of being prone to inconsistency--not in the least. It's *Paarfi* (and Vlad, for that matter) whose accuracy is often open to question.). I shall particularly treasure the chapter where he goes to Dzur Mountain seeking tribute; that neither Morrolan nor Sethra would have told Paarfi the details of this, makes it no less amusing.

Speaking of titular characters, unexpected developments are afoot for Piro, the Viscount of Adrilankha, and his friends; I look forward to seeing how these play out in the forthcoming final volume, _Sethra Lavode_. And there appear a number of characters from Khaavren books prior to _Paths_, or from the Vlad books, whose presences are certain to provoke much speculation. The four characters who began the series, Khaavren, Aerich, Tazendra, and Pel, are not neglected, as they all meet again for the first time in hundreds of years, with results that I shall leave it to you to read about. I must, however, note that I remain very fond of Tazendra and am always pleased when she gets a good moment; she has several in this volume.

[ Speaking of Khaavren, I am unable to resist quoting this bit of dialogue, which made me laugh out loud:

"They spoke of us."

"Did they?" said Khaavren. "I am not startled. I ought to have noticed the back of my neck itching. My mother always said that if the back of your neck itches, someone is speaking ill of you."

"Yes? I had not heard this. What if the back of your neck, rather than itching, hurts?"

"That means someone has stuck a knife into your neck."

(I've elided the name of the second speaker; it's probably not a spoiler, but I hesitated to say even as much about the plot as I have, so . . . ) ]

The story moves along smoothly, and even during the period where the forces are being brought together, it's quite clear where everyone is and what everyone is doing; for someone as spatially disoriented as I, that's saying something. And while we know that eventually the Empire is restored, we know so little *else* about Dragaeran history immediately after the Interregnum, that there's plenty of suspense as to how we're going to get there. There are hints dropped at the end of this volume that very different kinds of struggles may be at hand in volume three; I'm not sure what's in store, but I'm very eager to find out.

As a final note--the jacket copy quoted here ("Journeys! Intrigues! Sword Fights!" etc.) is perfect for the book. If it sounds at all interesting to you, you really want this book. Actually, you really want at least _Paths of the Dead_ first, but you do want this book immediately thereafter. Wonderful swashbuckling, character-centered fun and highly recommended.

[Adapted from a post at my book log, Outside of a Dog.]

Lord of Castle Black is the latest of Brust's Khaavren stories, specifically the second part of Viscount of Adrilankha. Brust does an amazing job of capturing the tone and feel of Alexandre Dumas' Three Musketeers stories, without the boring bits. Brust's writing is clearly improving from book to book. A very fun read, ending in what is becoming the typical Brust cliff hanger. If he follows the Dumas canon, there should be at least one more in the series.

For Brust fans who didn't like "Paths of the Dead" (allow me to scoff at the reviewer from Publisher's weekly), this book should redeam the series for you. The pace is much quicker and the action more prevelent. Paarifi uses surprising word economy, and while there are some intrusions, they are much less destracting than they were in "Paths of the Dead." All around, I'd put this book second in the seiries in terms of quality, after "Five Hundred Years After."

There just isn't enough happening in this book to justify its page count. It's a pleasure to listen to these characters (Paarfi included) talk piffle, but it's not enough of a pleasure to fill out 560 pages. I spent the book waiting for something unexpected, dazzling, or complicated to happen; it never did.

The amusement value of the writing itself is the only thing keeping my rating from being lower.