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2009-11 BROKEDOWN PALACE Other books by Steven Brust
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I didn't like Cowboy Feng's Space Bar and Grille, but otherwise I've liked every other one of his books that I've read & think that's most of them. I have the entire Vlad Taltos series & I've read the first few several times. The Kharaven (sp?) Romances are excellent as well as all his stand alone books; The Gypsy & To Reign in Hell are two I can think of off hand.
My two favorites by Brust are The Phoenix Guards and Five Hundred Years After. I've read Cowboy Feng's and thought it was okay, but not remarkable. Just way, way, way out there. :)
I have read all but the latest Vlad books. They are always enjoyable. I read the first pre breaking "dumas" books. Very good
Excellent choices, Laurel. 'The Phoenix Guards' & '500 years after' are the first two of the Khaavren Romances.
1. The Phoenix Guards (1991)
2. Five Hundred Years After (1994)
3. The Paths of the Dead (2002) aka The Paths of Deceit
4. The Lord of Castle Black (2003)
5. Sethra Lavode (2004)
I was a little disappointed in the last because I was really hoping to learn more than I did about Sethra. She's an intriguing character.
I've only read Freedom and Necessity with Emma Bull and The Sun, the Moon, & the Stars and both were a long time ago.
Jim, The Sun, the Moon, & the Stars was/is part of the Terri Windling Fairy Tale series. A little different from these other titles I'm guessing.
As I stated in a different thread, I've not read any Brust but keep hearing good things and have been picking up his books at used book stores when I've seen them. Now I have a few more titles to look for!
I recently found Dragon at the Dollar General for $1.25 and picked it up. Looks like it's pretty far into the Vlad series though, so I guess I need to start with Jherag. Interestingly, that title makes me think of a race of creatures in Steven Erikson's series.
I loved the Khaavren romances, and the series that followed. The Dumas style just tickles my fancy and makes me laugh. Plus, the longer life span of the characters makes it interesting. I liked the Vlad Taltos series as well. One of my favorite authors.
I do recommend, for any newcomers, to read at least the first 3 or 4 Vlad Taltos books before reading the Khaavren books. Yes, the Khaavren books are set before the Taltos books, but as with many prequels, you'll get much more out them if you've read the books they are the prequel to.And Jim - agreed about Sethra: she is a fascinating character, and I hoped for much, much more info in the eponymous book.
For fans of the series: check out the Cracks and Shards website, a (Steven Brust approved) fan site with an amazing wealth of information about the series. Spoilers are marked, but still, be careful if you haven't read any of the series yet.
Another FYI for the Vlad books, If you read the books in Published order the timeline bounces around. So actions in the previous book might not of happened yet.
It's only the first 3 or 4 books that do that in the Vlad series, isn't it, Ken? I know I changed the order for a re-read since I read them in published order first. I did the same thing with Modesitt's Recluse series. I think the first read is best in published order, but not after that.
Will one of you post the reading order for the Vlad series? Maybe publication order and then story timeline order? I was so grateful when that was shared for our Miles books--my poor brain didn't have to try to figure it out, LOL!Thanks!
Here is the Published order# Jhereg (1983)
# Yendi (1984)
# Teckla (1987)
# Taltos (1988)
# Phoenix (1990)
# Athyra (1993)
# Orca (1996)
# Dragon (1998)
# Issola (2001)
# Dzur (2006)
# Jhegaala (2008)
# Iorich (Scheduled for January 2010)
I personally would read them in Published order the first time because you will be spoiled if you read them in order of the internal chronology
The following is a Chrological list
* Taltos
* Dragon
* Yendi
* Jhereg
* Teckla
* Phoenix
* Jhegaala
* Athyra
* Orca
* Issola
* Dzur
* Iorich
I definitely recommend publication order the first time. I plan to re-read them according to internal chronology once all the books are out though. (It gets even more complicated if you add the Khaavren books, which take place long before Taltos. AND the first book of the main series - "Jhereg" - contains the resolution for what I think will be the main plot line of the series. Steven Brust is a genius :))
I agree with Stefan. Read in publication order the first time. He develops the world that way & the mystery is much better.Thanks for posting the order, Ken. There is a bigger difference than I recalled. I'll check when I get home, but for most series I print out the Fantastic Fiction list with a chronology as well & stick the paper(s) at the beginning of the series on the shelf because I can't remember them all. It makes my bookshelves rather messy, but when one of us wants to read a series, at least we have an idea.
I took a break reading the series after phoenix and when I started again I was confused. Went online a found out that Brust was not writing the books in a particular order.Whats even worse, Dragon takes place in 3 different times.
Reached page 80 of Jhereg and so far so good. His writing style reminds me of Eddings, lots of dialect which I am pleased with. He leaves questions in our minds and proceeds with the story like he’s never mentioned it. ie He mentioned the reputation of Mario. I had to reread three paragraphs because I kept wondering what got him that reputation? Do him and Vlad get along? So on and so on. The interaction between Aliera, Sethra and Morrolan, that was fun and leaves me with the question, what exactly is their relationship. QUESTION. He mentions Aliera, Sethra and Morrolan carrying something or has something at their sides. Are they animals or weapons? Sorry if the question seems vague, I cannot recall the names he referred to when mentioning them.
Banter Banter Banter, another thing I love. I like the sarcasm whip being cracked between Vlad, Kragar and Loiosh. What I wouldn’t give to have a dragon perched on my shoulder offering advice, keeping me from getting killed and humbling me from time to time. I have read a few assassin type books and so far Vlad proves to be the most analytical assassin out there. You read many of them relying on poisons, quick hunts, quick kills etc. Brust seems to take the stereotypical assassin, flip him/her 180 degrees and offers us a new sort.
What I hope: Does one of the books center or at the very least go into detail about how him and Cawti actually meet. I am sure that’s an interesting story, to say the least. Do we ever hear the full story regarding the Dragon-Jhereg war? Is there another series this branches into?
Something else my mind keeps wandering back to... When not teleported somewhere, what is their mode of transportation? Are there hover crafts, horse, cars, is teleporting their only source? Just curious, helps me see the world he has created.
What Aliera, Sethra and Morrolan have at their sides: "Great Weapons". What they are will be explained later on, but the main point is that they're extremely powerful and dangerous weapons (usually swords). Yes, as far as I remember you'll get more details about Cawti, how Vlad and her met, and well, all sorts of details about their relationship.
Teleporting or not: when not teleporting, I think horses, horse carts, ships and so on would be the main means of transportation. Definitely no hover craft :)
Brust really throws you into the world and the story without explaining everything in great detail, so usually if you don't understand something immediately, it's best to keep going - it will become clear later on. The series is also told out of order (e.g. the first book is NOT the start of the story according to internal chronology) so some things will be filled in later on, as you read more about Vlad's past.
Thanks for the answers. Bummer about the hover crafts :(I don't like romance novels but I will freely admit I love romance in a story. I have been saying it a lot lately but Lynn Flewelling twines them both (plot and romance) perfectly for me. So I am excited to read about Cawti and Vlad.
Here's a short story from Brust that some may be interested in and there ARE hover crafts... kinda :)
http://dreamcafe.com/firefly.html
Enjoy!
Couldn't be more delighted with this series. I didn't realize how small the books were though.Anyway, I am a last page first reader and I just glanced at the end of book five (re: Cawti and Vlad). Makes me a little sad.
http://silversaff.deviantart.com/art/...http://www.casualvillain.com/gallery/...
Fan art of Vlad.
An excerpt from Taltos
I guess she’s decided to make me feel at home, because as she stood there the room brightened. That was when I saw, on the floor in front of me, face up, the lifeless body of Quion. His throat had been cut and the red of blood was almost invisible against the black carpet.
“Welcome” she said in a voice that rolled from her tongue, as smooth as glass and as soft as satin “I am Sethra.”
No shit.
Taltos, the book of firsts, has been my favorite so far. Brust gives us a wealth of information regarding Vlad’s formative years and shows us how the relationship between Morrolan, Serthra, Aliera and himself is solidified. Which I was very much interested in.
I am also enjoying the question, for the good of yourself or the good of the whole? Considering that personal responsibility is something I feel many people lack and I feel rather strongly about. I would probably have to say that to live for myself is the life I want. Then I think if we all live as such, I would have not been able to vote in that last election. But was it the women making a stand or the right people situated in the right places? Still fun to debate with myself.
Thanks, Pamela. I really like the 2d one. I agree about the lack of personal responsibility. Drives me nuts.
Agreed. The second has a more authentic depiction of Loiosh and Spellbreaker is present. Not to mention he seems more... manly.That was really all I found though. If anyone comes across more, please post. I enjoy it.
Personal responsibility.. I may just have to start another thread on this.
Jo Walton's next re-reading project on tor.com appears to be the Dragaeran books! The introductory post just went up:http://www.tor.com/index.php?option=c...
If anyone's curious about the series, that post sums up its strengths pretty effectively without major spoilers.
I really don't have the time to re-read these books AGAIN but I so want to right now!
Stefan wrote: "Jo Walton's next re-reading project on tor.com appears to be the Dragaeran books! "May be this should be our next "series" after the Miles books.
I would definitely like that! I'm thinking that, sine our current series is SF, we should make the next one fantasy... although we could take nominations for both again, and then let the votes decide. The Miles Vorkosigan books are scheduled until June 2010, so we still have a way to go with that one... unless we want to start a second (fantasy) series to run concurrently.
Stefan wrote: "unless we want to start a second (fantasy) series to run concurrently. "Yikes, no! I can't keep up now and I'm not reading all the BOTMs... but that's just me. :-)
I've read Jhereg andAgyar . The ending of Agyar made me sit up and say wow, I wound up going back through the book and re-evaluating the events. I read Jhereg several years ago and I remember not being very impressed but I might give it another try one day.
Just wanted to let anyone who is interested in the Vlad Taltos series know that my review of Iorich (the forthcoming next book in the series) has just been published over at FanLit (http://www.fantasyliterature.com).
Beyond Reality
Books mentioned in this topic
Cowboy Feng's Space Bar and Grille (other topics)To Reign in Hell (other topics)
The Gypsy (other topics)
The Phoenix Guards (other topics)
Five Hundred Years After (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Steven Brust (other topics)Lynn Flewelling (other topics)
Jo Walton (other topics)
(including me, because I didn't get the chance to read Brokedown Palace, but I've got a whole shelf full of his books here... )
So... what else have you read by Steven Brust?