The Vlad Taltos Series [Reading: Phoenix] (August 2024)

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

This is a Buddy Read for the Vlad Taltos series by Steven Brust starting October 4, 2021.

We're reading the whole series in this thread by chronological order:
1. Jhereg, prologue (1983)
2. Taltos (1988)
3. Dragon, main chapters (1998)
4. Yendi (1984)
5. Dragon, interludes (1998)
6. Tiassa, section 1 (2011)
7. Jhereg, main chapters (1983)
7.5. Tsalmoth (2023)
8. Teckla (1987)
9. Phoenix (1990)
10. Jhegaala (2008)
11. Athyra (1993)
12. Orca (1996)
13. Issola (2001)
14. Dzur (2006)
15. Tiassa, section 2 (2011)
16. Iorich (2010)
17. Tiassa, section 3 (2011)
18. Vallista (2017)
19. Hawk (2014)
and on from there by publication...

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Before Monday, read 1. Jhereg, prologue (1983) and we'll decide on pacing then. :)

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Oh... you're going full-chrono, even when it means for rough control... I might have to get a chapterized copy of Dragon, to make it easier to skip the Interludes... I'm pretty sure they're spread throughout the book... they ARE called Interludes, after all...

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Oh... you're going full-chrono, even when it means for rough control... I might have to get a chapterized copy of Dragon, to make it easier to skip the Interludes... I'm pretty sure they're spread ..."

I may have to do the same... :)

[Chris]

This might work for me. I have most of them in paperback, and sometimes it helps me when slumping to read an actual book with real pages.

Low pressure on a side read too, and a good break from denser works (like Malazan for Niki and some of the tomes I've been mired in)

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

I’m glad it sounds appealing. The physical reads help me a lot out of that feeling too. I want it to be low pressure and slow paced. It seems like every buddy read I’ve tried to participate in has me either way behind or way in front of the pace despite my best efforts. My favorite read I’ve ever done was with Scalzi’s Old Man’s War series where we read in tandem and it was a ton of fun. Hoping to recapture that here and maybe get involved more in the future.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Sometimes, the advantage to a smaller BR, is I can try and tailor my reading speed to the partners... I had some fun doing that in the YA/Last Minute clubs over the summer, with Siobhan and Charlie...

This series should definitely fit the bill...

Another recommendation, if you like this series, is the Eddie Lacrosse series by Alex Bledsoe... last year they were all on Audible Plus... they're an episodic fantasy series largely structured around the MC telling friends a story of his past exploits and how they link to some present event... I really wish he'd write more of them, there are only 4-5...

The Sword-Edged Blonde

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Sometimes, the advantage to a smaller BR, is I can try and tailor my reading speed to the partners... I had some fun doing that in the YA/Last Minute clubs over the summer, with Siobhan and Charlie..."

That looks fun - added. Thanks for the rec. :)

[Tammie]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Sometimes, the advantage to a smaller BR, is I can try and tailor my reading speed to the partners... I had some fun doing that in the YA/Last Minute clubs over the summer, with Siobhan and Charlie..."

I want to try the Eddie Lacrosse books too.

[Tammie]

Niki Hawkes wrote: "I’m glad it sounds appealing. The physical reads help me a lot out of that feeling too. I want it to be low pressure and slow paced. It seems like every buddy read I’ve tried to participate in has ..."

I agree that the best buddy reads are the ones when everyone is reading at pretty much the same pace. It definitely can be hard to do though.

[Tammie]

I'm going to have to make a spreadsheet or something to remind myself which volume these stories are in since the ebooks are combined into 2 and 3 book omnibuses.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

probably just need some time and a stack of post-it notes to tell you what order to read, just number them and have them sticking out of the books... biggest hassles are going to be the Interludes

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

I have omnibus versions too, although physical copies so the post it idea would totally work for me. A spreadsheet is a good idea though.

[Tammie]

If I had physical copies I would do the post it note thing.

[Tammie]

I just copied the list and typed in what volume they were located in. Tiassa, Iorich, Vallista, and Hawk are in separate volumes so those will be simpler.

1. Jhereg, prologue (1983) -The book of Jhereg
2. Taltos (1988) -The Book of Taltos
3. Dragon, main chapters (1998) -The Book of Dragon
4. Yendi (1984) -The Book of Jhereg
5. Dragon, interludes (1998) -The Book of Dragon
6. Tiassa, section 1 (2011)
7. Jhereg, main chapters (1983) -The Book of Jhereg
8. Teckla (1987) -The Book of Jhereg
9. Phoenix (1990) -The Book of Taltos
10. Jhegaala (2008) -The Book of Dzur
11. Athyra (1993) -The Book of Athyra
12. Orca (1996) -The Book of Athyra
13. Issola (2001) -The Book of Dragon
14. Dzur (2006) -The Book of Dzur
15. Tiassa, section 2 (2011)
16. Iorich (2010)
17. Tiassa, section 3 (2011)
18. Vallista (2017)
19. Hawk (2014)

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Thanks for organizing that!

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I did my reading homework for Monday... Jhereg Prologue: (view spoiler)[I remembered the first scene with the diner murder, and bits of the rest... should have remembered the binding ritual... such an important moment for Vlad... that and the balance between magic and sorcery/shamanism... gives Vlad a leg up in the world...

Also, that opening poem about the 17 Houses felt more meaningful, now that I appreciate all the Houses and book titles more... how much worldbuilding Brust had setup from the beginning, basically... (hide spoiler)]

[Tammie]

I finished the Jhereg Prologue too. I thought it was good and I'm interested in seeing where the story goes.

[Chris]

Read it just now. Good refresher to get started.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

When are we forging ahead with Taltos, and an amount of pages that'll take more than 15-30 minutes?

[Chris]

Prologue was great and the small obligation amount of pages was refreshing. Felt good to meet an actual reading goal.

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Just finished (view spoiler)[ this was a fantastic prologue for me. The first scene in the restaurant established some good character profile things: humble beginnings, hard working, self-preservation lol. Very engaging. I loved the scene with the wild Jhereg. I realized the author was reaching on purpose but it was a little extreme to learn how to get along with people and to up and sell the restaurant just to keep an egg from getting cracked. Buy a parcel to keep it in, really. It’s hysterical that the baby called him “momma.” (hide spoiler)] I find myself really excited to see what happens next. :)

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Timelord Iain wrote: "I did my reading homework for Monday... Jhereg Prologue: I remembered the first scene with the diner murder, and bits of the rest... should have remembered the binding ritual... such an important m..."

I marked the poem for future study - I love that it'll start making more sense with each book.

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Yeah let’s decide how fast we’d like to go. A couple of parings come to mind:

Read 2 chapters a day. So ch. 1-2 due by tomorrow.

Or have 3 chapters read by Wednesday?

The 2 chapters a day seems simpler, but if we do a little more every 2 days then that gives a free day in case other stuff comes up.

What do you think?

[Tammie]

Because I'm reading multiple things, I don't know if I'll be able to keep up with reading chapters every single day. I think at least 3 days at a time would work better for me.

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Tammie wrote: "Because I'm reading multiple things, I don't know if I'll be able to keep up with reading chapters every single day. I think at least 3 days at a time would work better for me."

I was nervous that 3 would be too slow to suggest because yall are typically faster than me haha. I'm totally okay with that suggestion. Perhaps 3 ch every 3 days? or fewer, like 2? Due by thursday?

[Tammie]

Haha, I'm not always very fast either. I would say 2 by Thursday.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I'm not the greatest at daily reading in small chunks... closest I think I came was the Super Powereds BRs, where we read a certain amount of chapters by every Tuesday and Friday, and even that fell apart at times and led to reading larger chunks less often...

I'd say, depending on chapter size (I don't remember if this series is longer chapters or shorter), that Niki and Chris could have 1 chapter a day or 2 chapters a day... Tammie could catch up in chunks twice a week, and I could catch up weekly?... maybe seeing chapter-based comments would get me to read early... and letting you guys read more often and me catch up in chunks makes it easier for me to pause because I know where everybody is...

Instead of me getting up and doing the reading at 4am, and waiting for you guys to comment all day :D (since I do so much of my reading at work 4am-noon...

I also don't always get much reading done on my days off lately, Tuesdays & Wednesdays...

Not to make this BR anymore complicated...

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

haha I see what you mean, Iain - we could all come up with those different strategies to still read the same stuff by the same date. For today's I read it this morning, but I could totally do the twice a week thing if time gets tight.

I like the two by Thursday. For me it gives one full day to make time for commenting/discussion (today) then two days to read two chapters (tue/wed), then discuss on thursday and start over again for a fri/sat read. Me likey. It gives lots of wiggle room.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Niki Hawkes wrote: "haha I see what you mean, Iain - we could all come up with those different strategies to still read the same stuff by the same date. For today's I read it this morning, but I could totally do the t..."

Doesn't help I wrote Niki twice instead of Tammie :D

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

WOW... OK... Brust put alot of thought into series structure, lol...

I never noticed, but internet just told me each book has 17 chapters, just like there are 17 Great Houses...

So 2 chapters every 3 days is about 4 chapters a week and 1 book a month... and the audiobooks are 6-9hrs long, so the chapters aren't big...

[Chris]

Tammie wrote: "Haha, I'm not always very fast either. I would say 2 by Thursday."

I'm good with this too. Work has been rough, and baseball playoffs are about to start.

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Chris wrote: "Tammie wrote: "Haha, I'm not always very fast either. I would say 2 by Thursday."

I'm good with this too. Work has been rough, and baseball playoffs are about to start."

Sorry to hear that. :/ I'm glad the schedule sounds like a good plan.

[Reed]

¢αи ι вє ραят σf тнιѕ ρℓєαѕє

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Absolutely! Welcome to the read :) we’ve read the prologue in Jhereg and now we are working on the first two chapters of Taltos to be discussed on Thursday.

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Here's a link to instructions on how to mark spoilers in your comments, if you haven't seen it yet: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Chris]

I've read the first two chapters of Taltos.

I like this pacing. I have read each of the three chapters to date in a single sitting for each. Didn't take me long, even while keeping up with baseball games.

This is great. Small bites that are satisfying bits. With three nights to cover two chapters, I'm using a night for each with one to spare in case I get busy.

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

It’s working so far for me too. It kind of feels like a treat to sit down with one a day. And it’s not a big deal if I have to binge it because I got busy.

Thoughts on ch. 1-2 (view spoiler)[Right away, I love the sardonic assistant haha. How he keeps showing up and just waiting to be noticed. It reminded me a bit of Practical Frost in Abercrombie’s works.

I appreciate how the author is trying to integrate the world building with Vlad’s experiences. Sitting at a bar discussing the fact that wine isn’t distinguished from brandy felt a little weird in the moment, but then he mentioned it later to contrast the two types of cultures. Smart.

I’m excited to read on - it’s really working for me so far. A ton of fun! (hide spoiler)]

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

On to ch 3-4 by Sunday.

[Chris]

Ch. 1-2 (view spoiler)[ Agreed on the wine/brandy and the way Brust is dropping these hints of the cultural differences (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Taltos, Chapter 1: crazy revisiting Vlad before (view spoiler)[he has all the knowledge/connections... the scale of things he's dealing with throughout the series really creeps up on you, especially with characters like Sethra Lavode... (hide spoiler)]

I really love Vlad, Loiosh (sp?), and Kreygar, which really is key to enjoying the series, considering how much of the series is discussion and banter between those characters...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Almost finished the first 2 characters... mostly listening in my car on the way home from work, so I don't over-read...

Cat: (view spoiler)[seems to clearly be the grandpa's bonded familiar, like Loiosh is for Vlad... not sure if I noticed this before, probably did... just a very minor detail... (hide spoiler)]

I think the audio does a great job with the banter... even the little stuff, like Loiosh's telepathic comments mid-conversations...

Kiera: (view spoiler)[this is a pretty spoilery important character, altho I had to do some googling to refresh when certain details are revealed... she's a POV character in Orca, so that's when, it looks like... (hide spoiler)]

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

I have a bunch of chores and family stuff going on today so I’ll report in tomorrow on 3-4 :)

[Tammie]

I'm all caught up and I have to say, I'm really enjoying the banter between the characters.

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Ch. 3-4 (view spoiler)[ the weaving of past and present throws me off occasionally, reading more like literary fiction. But I have to say it’s one of the most seamless ways I’ve ever seen for info dumps that don’t feel like info dumps. Just storytelling.

I laughed out loud at the money thing:
“10% of what?”
“Lots and lots.”
“I suppose that’s more than quite a bit.”

Lols
(hide spoiler)]

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Ch. 5&6 by Wednesday.

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Ch. 5-6 (view spoiler)[I love the "wizard for hire" aspect of this series so far. It's very dresden gone high fantasy.

The flashbacks are getting more interesting. I couldn't tell from the text - did he actually stab the kid in the alley through the heart? I think it said it just "nailed" him. (hide spoiler)]

[Tammie]

Niki Hawkes wrote: "Ch. 5-6..."

(view spoiler)[I was wondering the same thing about the stabbing in the heart. It seemed like it maybe didn't go in because he didn't push it in hard enough, but could have if he had wanted to?(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Tammie]

Chapter 5- I really enjoyed this part. It had me laughing. (view spoiler)["There is almost always a door or two for deliveries of those goods the wizards and sorcerers of the keep consider too demeaning to fetch for themselves. Trivial things such as food, drink, and assassins. These items are delivered by wagons to a special receiving area in the rear, where they are received, each in it's own way. Of course, the assassins aren't usually expected and, one hopes, not noticed. Theirs is a sad lot, to be sure, with no servant within who knows to announce them. Nor, in fact, are they able to announce themselves, being hidden in a cask marked "Greenhills Wine, '637." 😂 (hide spoiler)]

[Tammie]

Niki Hawkes wrote: "Ch. 3-4 ..."

(view spoiler)[The past and present thing throws me off sometimes too. But I agree it's a good way to weave the info dumps into the story. (hide spoiler)]