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Brokedown Palace (Dragaera)
by
Steven Brust (Goodreads Author)
Back in print after a decade, a stand-alone fantasy in the world of Steven Brust's bestselling "Vlad Taltos" novels. Once upon a time...far to the East of the Dragaeran Empire, four brothers ruled in Fenario: King Laszlo, a good man — though perhaps a little mad; Prince Andor, a clever man — though perhaps a little shallow; Prince Vilmos, a strong man — though perhaps a li...more
Paperback, 269 pages
Published
January 15th 1987
by Ace
(first published 1985)
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Possibly my favorite Brust novel, it's a curious little work set in the same world as the Vlad Taltos series, albeit with no obvious connection other than geography. This takes place in Fenario, a small kingdom in the East. King Lazslo has three brothers and the crumbling palace of the title, and the book revolves, as these so often do, around the future of the kingdom. Where it differs from most palace intrigue novels is that there is no villain. None of the brothers is inflamed with hatred aga...more
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Apparently the title of the book was inspired by a song of the same name by The Grateful Dead, other than that, there isn't much of a link.
As fantasy stories go, it started off promisingly with a Note on Fenarian Pronunciation, which is a copy of Hungarian phonetics. I was expecting to almost pick up a new language like many of us picked up Elvish when we gobbled up the trilogy of The Lord of the Rings. But Steven Brust is no Tolkien, and the world he wrought in Brokedown Palace is no Middle Ea...more
As fantasy stories go, it started off promisingly with a Note on Fenarian Pronunciation, which is a copy of Hungarian phonetics. I was expecting to almost pick up a new language like many of us picked up Elvish when we gobbled up the trilogy of The Lord of the Rings. But Steven Brust is no Tolkien, and the world he wrought in Brokedown Palace is no Middle Ea...more
Damn, damn and dammit. This book was over way too soon. Started it yesterday and finished it this morning. I even went so far as to make myself get up and get a new cup of coffee at the end of each chapter. I think this is my favorite book of the year! Whimsical, magical, heartbreaking and joyful I am sitting her contemplating picking the book up again and re-reading it.
I fell in love with each of the characters, I fell in love with the palace, both old and new, I fell in love with the land its...more
I fell in love with each of the characters, I fell in love with the palace, both old and new, I fell in love with the land its...more
Prior to my planned re-reading of the Vlad Taltos series and reading of the Khaavren romances next year, I thought I'd get my feet wet with a book that has sat on my shelves unread for nearly twenty years. What a strange little book. It's like a fairy tale through the lens of Dragaeran mythology. Knowing Brust's political leanings, it's hard not to see this as sort of a Marxist fable, but the pieces don't line up just right, so perhaps I'm missing something and the Hungarian (and Greatful Dead!)...more
Nov 04, 2009
Jon
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Jon by:
Beyond Reality November 2009 Fantasy Selection
Synopsis
: A stand-alone fantasy set in the world of Steven Brust's bestselling "Vlad Taltos" novels. Once upon a time . . . far to the East of the Dragaeran Empire, four brothers ruled in Fenario: King Laszlo, a good man — though perhaps a little mad; Prince Andor, a clever man — though perhaps a little shallow; Prince Vilmos, a strong man — though perhaps a little stupid; and Prince Miklos, the youngest brother, perhaps a little — no, a lot-stubborn. Once upon a time . . . there were four brot...more
I found this very powerful. The movie was good too, but the book was better.
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Short Summation
This is the tale of four brothers, the oldest of whom is the King of Fenario, and they are in the last days of their crumbling 400-year-old castle. The king refuses to acknowledge that it’s crumbling, even as stairwells and walls collapse. The others struggle in one way or another to back him up, make him see truth, or do what they can to keep the walls from collapsing another day. And the whole time, something is growing in the youngest prince’s room. Something that is special....more
This is the tale of four brothers, the oldest of whom is the King of Fenario, and they are in the last days of their crumbling 400-year-old castle. The king refuses to acknowledge that it’s crumbling, even as stairwells and walls collapse. The others struggle in one way or another to back him up, make him see truth, or do what they can to keep the walls from collapsing another day. And the whole time, something is growing in the youngest prince’s room. Something that is special....more
This was the first book by Steven Brust that I read, and it's still one of my favorites. I loved the disjointed, almost dreamy style of the narrative, and loved the characters and the way they interacted with each other, mostly based on how they regarded the old castle. I really enjoy stories where the characters come into conflict not because they are "bad" or "evil," but because they simply have different motivations, motivations that aren't necessarily in themselves wrong or misguided.
Brokedown Palace combines my two favorite things about Brust's writing (other than Dumas pastiche) - Hungarian fables and Dragaera. The only reason it took me so long to get to it was that I was under the totally mistaken impression that it must be somehow related to the Claire Danes/Kate Beckinsdale movie of the same name.
It's an odd little book, and raises more questions than it answers in terms of the Dragaera mythos, but it's definitely worth reading.
It's an odd little book, and raises more questions than it answers in terms of the Dragaera mythos, but it's definitely worth reading.
I'm not sure how to rate this book because I came away from it quite confused about what actually happened. I feel like a lot of it went over my head, so it'd be interesting to read a wikipedia article (or something similar) written by someone who actually understood it. For example, who is Miklos' daughter supposed to be? Minor point, I know, but presumably there's some allusion I'm missing there...
Brokedown Palace was my first exposure to Steven Brust. I don't know that it was necessarily the best place to start (some story elements weren't really explained; I can only assume they were covered in previous books), but the story itself was very interesting. I'm definitely interested in exploring his Vlad Taltos books.
One thing I really enjoy is Steven Brust's ability to write novels in the same fantasy world that have completely different tones and writing styles, depending on the subject. His Vlad books are noir, his Khaavren series echoes Dumas so well I half-suspect that Brust is actually possessed by the Frenchman's ghost. Brokedown Palace is written like an old-school fairy tale, with interludes of other fairy-tale stories often thrown in between chapters. I had trouble getting into the story, put it do...more
Jan 29, 2010
Booknerd Fraser
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
badhobbits-books
This was a bit more leisurely than I had expected. In other words, it took a while for things to get started. And really, they didn't "start" until the end. The story is not world-shatteringly epic, though are definately some hero's journey epic themes. I kept thinking about all the "old ways" in our own society that perhaps we should abandon.
And I did like the little folktales between the chapter.
And I did like the little folktales between the chapter.
Stephen Brust is possible one of my favorite writers. Period. This book was one of his quirkiest books I've ever read, which I loved about it. Worth reading to all who want to know.
This book has actually been one of my favorites from Brust, and its hard for me to like all his books because his writing is so unique; but I must say this one is my favorite so far.
Well, it seems like it will be amusing but it wasn't for me. It's a long slog and then it ends and you think well what did I slog for not enough payoff. I never developed enough sympathy with the characters to care.
I was so disappointed in this book and it was so horrible I could barely finish it. Now that I got to the end, I wish I hadn't wasted my time! It is written in a way that seems to be trying to hard to be "deep" or "thoughtful," but only shows the contemplative side of the characters that do rarely anything but dwell on silly and absurd thoughts. Seriously all the characters were like this. Also, I am a fantasy fan, but the plot was so ridiculous that it went into the dumb category for me almost...more
Definitely not as good as the rest of his work. Too small story, too much like a fairy tale. Looks like a demo version of his other Dragarea work.
Rarely is there a book that I quit on in the middle because it is so boring, ill-written, or whatever. This is one. A great shame since I've always liked Steven Brust.
Nearly halfway into it, I kept wanting there to be an interesting story. I guess it must have started further on because I couldn't find one to the point I read.
Nearly halfway into it, I kept wanting there to be an interesting story. I guess it must have started further on because I couldn't find one to the point I read.
Apr 18, 2012
Anne K.
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
speculative-fiction-fantasy
A great stand alone book taking place in the world of Taltos. You maybe don't need to read any of the other books that take place in this world to read this one but it definitely fleshes it out.
I really liked this, which is evidenced in my reading it straight through and not putting it down until I was finished. I especially loved the dynamics of the brothers. Siblings, I myself have four, can have such complicated relationships. I also liked the sense you got of this crumbling decaying castle...more
I really liked this, which is evidenced in my reading it straight through and not putting it down until I was finished. I especially loved the dynamics of the brothers. Siblings, I myself have four, can have such complicated relationships. I also liked the sense you got of this crumbling decaying castle...more
Story line was a little slow. Different style than many books out there. I liked the little folk lore interludes.
I really enjoyed this story. I have a fondness for mythology in modern fantasy and this one delivered.
It's been a loooong time. I can't remember if I ever finished reading this book. But I enjoyed what I read.
A very different kind of story... written in a folk style with many asides. I definitely enjoyed it!
So odd, there really were to many perspectives and really hard to finish.
A great faerie tale! Highly recommended to Dead Heads out there.
Fun and comfortable fantasy, written so the reader may slip in with ease, demanding little, but subtly offering a rich experience. Brust hits a home run with this clever little stand-alone novel.
Very readable, but Miklos is no Vlad.
Disappointing after the Vlad Taltos series.
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Steven Karl Zoltán Brust (born November 23, 1955) is an American fantasy and science fiction author of Hungarian descent. He was a member of the writers' group The Scribblies, which included Emma Bull, Pamela Dean, Will Shetterly, Nate Bucklin, Kara Dalkey, and Patricia Wrede, and also belongs to the Pre-Joycean Fellowship.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/steven...
(Photo by David Dyer-Bennet)
More about Steven Brust...
http://us.macmillan.com/author/steven...
(Photo by David Dyer-Bennet)
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19 nov. 03:52