Ace, Copyright 1996, Printed 1996, 290 pages.ISBN: 0-441-00196-3
Read: July 2010 (at age 32)
First time read
What to expect:
This is book 7 of a series in progress. I’d recommend reading at least Athyra (book 6), as this book directly follows it, and relies on prior events to make sense of the story. Ideally, you should read all 6 prior books, as the book is told in a tight first person with little explanation of the world or backstory in each book. A big portion of the fun in this series is exploring the world, and each book builds on the last in this regard.
From the back cover:
Have jhereg, will travel.
Granted, walking around with two jhereg on your swhoulders is not the best discuise for an ex-assassin wanted all over the Empire. But a young boy saved my life and now he needs my help. And Vlad Taltos always pays his debts. Even if it means uncovering a financial scandal big enough to bring down the House of the Orca, - and, if I’m lucky, the entire empire…
My reactions (and spoilers) after the break.
Good. The main characters in this book are Vlad and Keira the Thief, two of my favorite characters in Dragaera. There isn’t a lot of character development, but that isn’t always required, especially several books along in an episodic series such as this one. We have a pretty good idea who the characters are, and the whole book takes place over just a few weeks. It would be unexpected to have major character changes take place. We do find out a few interesting tidbits about both main characters, and they react appropriately to the situations presented, and I won’t ask for anything more. The supporting cast is very strong, as well. The minor characters generally seem nicely rounded, each with their own motivations.
Premise:
Good. I rarely know what to expect (other than a fun read) when I open a Steven Brust book. It usually ends up well, though. In this case, we have a trace-the-money type detective story. As I was reading, I thought that Mr. Brust was poking fun at the financial industry collapse, since there seemed to be decided parallels between it and the plot in the story, but as it was written several years prior to the collapse, I guess it’s more predictive than satirical. It works well.
Setting:
Excellent. Dragaera is a lot of fun. I’ve now read 13 books set in this world, and it’s not getting at all old yet. This has a lot to do with the author revealing only enough of the world to tell his story. You get the feeling that the whole world is fully developed and consistent, you just don’t know how it works. There are all kinds of things to wonder about that keep you coming back.
Plot:
Fair. There were a lot of twists and turns in the story, and I didn’t always follow the logical trails that the characters took. I think that’s better than having the point overly belabored, but it did detract from the experience a little.
Readability:
Excellent. This is a fast-paced read and, like most Brust books, there are delightful little turns of phrases, witticisms, and snark sprinkled liberally thoughout the writing.
Overall:
It was a fun read, even if I did trail a ways behind the characters as they navigated their way through the many twists and turns of the story. The style was a bit unusual, which is not unusual for a Steven Brust novel. In this book, there are first-person segments in the head of Kiera the Thief, and there are first-person-ish sections as Vlad is telling Kiera about what he did. In addition, there are brief discussions and letters between Kiera and Cawti, Vlad’s wife. It worked surprisingly well, but in a way, I’m missing being in Vlad’s head.
Rating: 4
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