Phoenix [Paperback]

Steven Brust (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 10 pages
• Publisher: Ace; First Edition edition (November 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441662250
• ISBN-13: 978-0441662258
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #519,746 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and raised in a family of Hungarian labor organizers, Steven Brust worked as a musician and a computer programmer before coming to prominence as a writer in 1983 with Jhereg, the first of his novels about Vlad Taltos, a human professional assassin in a world dominated by long-lived, magically-empowered human-like "Dragaerans." Over the next several years, several more "Taltos" novels followed, interspersed with other work, including To Reign in Hell, a fantasy re-working of Milton's war in Heaven; The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars, a contemporary fantasy based on Hungarian folktales; and a science fiction novel, Cowboy Feng's Space Bar and Grille. The most recent "Taltos" novels are Dragon and Issola. In 1991, with The Phoenix Guards, Brust began another series, set a thousand years earlier than the Taltos books; its sequels are Five Hundred Years After and the three volumes of "The Viscount of Adrilankha": The Paths of the Dead, The Lord of Castle Black, and Sethra Lavode.While writing, Brust has continued to work as a musician, playing drums for the legendary band Cats Laughing and recording an album of his own work, A Rose for Iconoclastes. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada where he pursues an ongoing interest in stochastics.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Phoenix: Vlad Taltos Reborn?, June 11, 2000

By 

Joe White (Layton, Utah United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Phoenix (Paperback)

In Steven Brust's sixth novel of the Vlad Taltos series, our "hero" (Vlad Taltos) attempts to come to terms with his role as an assassin, his "racism" and his job as a crime-lord. Vlad begins to realize that, perhaps, what he does for a living is wrong. He then confronts his weaknesses head on. Add to this the fact that everyone in the book is trying to kill him and you are in for the ride of your life.

If you want to try something new and you are tired of all the J.R.R. Tolkien clones that make up epic fantasy today, give Steven Brust and the Vlad Taltos novels a shot. This is irreverent "epic" fantasy. And thank goodness for it.

Note: I would start with the first Vlad Taltos novel, Taltos, and continue with Dragon, Yendi, Jhereg, Teckla, Phoenix, Athyra and Orca. That wasn't the order they were written in but it's the order in which they take place.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the finest moments in fantasy writing to date, September 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Phoenix (Paperback)

Phoenix was originally intended to be the last volume of this series. Had Brust decided to stick with this decision (and I for one am glad that he did not), he could have retired from writing about Vlad with confidence and pride, because this is without doubt, hands down, no contest the best bloody book in the whole bloody series. The 5-star rating above is a gross understatement. From Vlad's stunning prison-break to the week-long battle through the streets of Adrilankha when the revolution finally breaks out for real, Phoenix never lets up. And neither does Vlad; he manages to bring down the wrath of almost everyone who could do him damage and then some. Also, the pain-wracked soul-searching he began in Teckla comes to a head as he realizes that the reasoning behind his racism, his vindictiveness, and perhaps his very life is deeply flawed. An utterly engrossing, thrilling read, this is perhaps Brust's best work to date.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The series really picks up here., August 24, 2000

By 

Christopher Ware (Fremont, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Phoenix (Paperback)

There's something about this book that puts it above the first four in the series. I don't know if it was the fact that Brust's writing became better (I didn't really notice anything different) or that Vlad becomes more of a dynamic character, but it was more enjoyable than the others.

We finally get to see Vlad doing some real soul searching about what he does for a living. We also see more of the agony he is experiencing due to the fact that his marriage is falling apart. This makes Vlad a much more three dimensional character and more enjoyable to read. I also liked the fact that, towards the end of the book, we get to know his grandfather a little better. I'd love to see him get a bigger part in a future book.

The adventure and suspense in this book have been turned up since the last one. I found myself unable to put the book down at night. I always wanted to see what happened next. As far as I'm concerned, this is the best book in the series so far.