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53 of 55 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Two good entries in the series, November 11, 2003
This volume contains the first and fifth books (chronological order in the series, not publishing date) 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 books, other than "Taltos" are named for the houses of the 16 noble classes and one peasant class in the society Taltos lives in. Here are the books in chronological order, not publishing order, with the books in the "Taltos" compendium in CAPS:TALTOS 4.5* -- Brust's funniest of the series, loaded with deadpan humor. This is a simple tale that establishes the beginnings of Taltos' relationships with many of the recurring characters of the other books. In regular paperback form it's 180 pages and you can read it in a few hours. Well-paced, good resolution of the three plotlines Yendi 4* -- complex and satisfying for a short book, humorous Jhereg 5* -- the first-published 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 and re-establishes some of Taltos' business arrangements (he's an assassin and a small-time mob capo), has a complex and twisting plotline and has more of the humor of the first three books. Nonetheless, it still has some of the pall from the Teckla woven throughout the story. 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' first-person 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 Issola 4* -- Newest entry is a philosophical stemwinder about the history of Vlad-world and the purposes of the g*ds. Therefore, Issola is not the place to start but it is a solid addition to the series if you've read some of the others. Overall the Taltos 2-in-1 is a good place to start, but you should think about getting it with the Jhereg 3-in-1 compendium (Jhereg, Yendi & Teckla) because the five stories together have a continuous narrative arc and Phoenix will make much less sense if you haven't read the three Jhereg-compendium novels.
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by Steven Brust
by Steven Brust
by Steven Brust
by Steven Brust
by Steven Brust
