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

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Niki Hawkes wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "Chris wrote: "Have we decided when to continue, with Tiassa?"

I'd like to. I think I need a break for the month though. I found myself with..."

I know the feeling... for me, part of it is "The Januarys"... sometimes, I think the best experience is to read new series at your own pace, and try to get people interested in Buddy Reads when you're doing a re-read of an old fave... then you can talk, even if you didn't just read the book, because comments remind you of the story (if you have a vague memory of details, at least)...

That's half the reason I've been jamming in the Wandering Inn thread so much... I'm glad it's been so popular this time around, compared to the first failed try a few years ago...

And similarly with Wayward Children (this being like my 3rd read-through)....

Also, it's why the Vagabond thread has worked so well for me... we've done a couple dozen BRs, I think (Space Team, Phule's Company, Threadbare, and several others)... but we also just talk about the books we're currently reading that the others have already read (Joe Ledger, Orphan X, Gray Man, Wandering Inn again, RS Belcher stuff, Peter Clines stuff, Laundry Files, etc)

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

Timelord Iain wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "Chris wrote: "Have we decided when to continue, with Tiassa?"

I'd like to. I think I need a break for the month though...."

That's such a good mix of strategies. And if you do a reread BR you don't have to stress because you can still open spoilers and engage. That's what holds me up more often than not - I'm too scared to open spoilers for the BRs I'm really loving until I'm dang near done with the book. It makes it seem like I'm not around, but I open GR and look every time a comment is posted (that's a bad habit for another day lol).

I am so bad at predicting when I'll be done reading something and ready for the next book. My evening are all so randomly different, I find it hard to plan. So I struggle even a week out when I know I've got something starting because then it feels like I need to rush. Which makes reading something to complete rather than enjoy.

Hopefully some of these changes will help me adapt better. Otherwise I think I just may not be cut out for BRs. But Wayward has been so much more fun because we've discussed it. Idk maybe with Audiofile out of the way I can go back to handling one a month. It's when I get multiple that I start getting in trouble...

[Tammie]

Starting up again in February sounds like a good idea. I have a LOT of books to read this month.

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

Tammie wrote: "Starting up again in February sounds like a good idea. I have a LOT of books to read this month."

I'm glad it'll work out for all of us. :)

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Niki Hawkes wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "Chris wrote: "Have we decided when to continue, with Tiassa?"

I'd like to. I think I need a break..."

Helps having BR buddies that can jump in whenever... me and Rachel seem to be pretty evenly fast readers...

Half the reason BRs have worked so well for me are all the time I have for reading... so I can jump around, and still deviate... when you only read a few books a month, BRs fill the plate fast... I wouldn't enjoy BRs as much, if they were all I did... I kinda went that route back in Year 1 of the competition... BR almost every day...

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

Timelord Iain wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "Chris wrote: "Have we decided when to continue, with Tiassa?"

I'd like to. I ..."

I remember that - my head would explode haha.

I agree! Having people ready to jump in whenever would be amazing. I need that sort of flexibility to flourish. Edit: reading much faster would help considerable. Probably not going to happen in my case.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Not sure what's going on with this BR... Niki's been MIA lately, except for mod duties... still hasn't read Where the Drowned Girls Go...

[Tammie]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Not sure what's going on with this BR... Niki's been MIA lately, except for mod duties... still hasn't read Where the Drowned Girls Go..."

Me either, but I'm not in a hurry and can wait to start whenever she is able to.

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

I finished where the drowned girls go but haven’t made time to comment. I didn’t want to pop in before I was finished and risk seeing spoilers for it. I worry about that on series I’m really loving. But then never went back and commented once it was safe lol.

I felt like I needed a break from this read, but am good to go now whenever’s convenient for y’all.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Alright... we were pretty good at using spoiler tags for the newest book, I think... or at least, I was...

This time around, I might just zoom through these BR re-reads, and comment as you guys comment... instead of waiting and delaying...

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

Timelord Iain wrote: "Alright... we were pretty good at using spoiler tags for the newest book, I think... or at least, I was...

This time around, I might just zoom through these BR re-reads, and comment as you guys co..."

I’m sure you were. It wasn’t meant as a criticism. I’m really weird about stuff like that. Everybody seemed to be having a lot of fun with it, so I didn’t want to bring in a rain cloud. I didn’t even want to know what it was about before diving in. As soon as I have a moment to type at my computer I’ll open spoilers and see what everyone thought. I liked it. :)

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Yea... it was a favorite of mine, for the series...

[Chris]

I'm good whenever for continuing

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

Timelord Iain wrote: "Yea... it was a favorite of mine, for the series..."

I loved the Goblin Market one best, but this one was top 3 :)

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

Thanks for being flexible with the read everyone. How about Wednesday for the bit? I can’t even remember what we’re on but I think it’s a few interludes next. Tiassa?

[Tammie]

Niki Hawkes wrote: "Thanks for being flexible with the read everyone. How about Wednesday for the bit? I can’t even remember what we’re on but I think it’s a few interludes next. Tiassa?"

Tiassa section 1 is next. Wednesday works for me.

[Chris]

Wednesday works

[Tammie]

I started reading Tiassa and right from the start, I'm loving the banter in this one. (view spoiler)[I loved this part in the prologue about the really big book: "It's not a book, Boss. It's a weapon. It lands on you and that's it." 😂 (hide spoiler)]

The list said to read section 1 of Tiassa. I wasn't sure the Prologue and The Silver Tiassa were part of that, but I read those anyway. Tag seems to happen not long after what we last read.

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

Tammie wrote: "I started reading Tiassa and right from the start, I'm loving the banter in this one. [spoilers removed]

The list said to read section 1 of Tiassa. I wasn't sure the Prologue and The Silver Tiass..."


Through the prologue-ch. 2

I liked that too (view spoiler)[ and the gag about it being “highway robbery”. This one is making me laugh more than the rest. I always feel like I’m one bit of information off from knowing exactly what’s going on. In this case it feels intentional. I really wish he’d just say what the scheme was lol. (hide spoiler)]

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

I finished Tiassa a couple of days ago - definitely near the top as the best snippet from him yet. How's everyone else doing? Are we feeling okay moving on to Jhereg soon?

[Tammie]

Niki Hawkes wrote: "I finished Tiassa a couple of days ago - definitely near the top as the best snippet from him yet. How's everyone else doing? Are we feeling okay moving on to Jhereg soon?"

I liked this the best so far. I'm good to move onto Jhereg whenever.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I've gotten swamped in my many many buddy reads... feels like all year, so far...

I'll catch up in time to continue, in the next day or 3, so feel free to schedule/continue...

[Chris]

Finished finished? Or just the first section?

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

Just the first section

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I think this is the newest story you guys have read… 2 decades after first published book?… improved author?…

[Tammie]

Timelord Iain wrote: "I think this is the newest story you guys have read… 2 decades after first published book?… improved author?…"

Yeah that's what I was thinking.

[Chris]

I started this morning, finally. Got through the Prologue and Silver Tiassa.

Don't hold up for me if you're ready to start Jhereg. I'll get there in a day or three. Also, I've read Jhereg before. I'll catch up....

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

The chunk goes fast... I enjoyed it, could have kept reading, if I didn't know I was supposed to stop...

Very much one of those stories where the MC plays cards close to vest to hide it from the reader...

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

He seems to do that a lot. I’m not sure how I feel about it. At least with this one he ended up explaining everything sufficiently.

Sounds good Chris. I think I’m only on the 2nd or 3rd chapter so far in Jhereg. Slow but steady lol.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Been doing my jhereg re-read… 2 things I’ve noticed…

1) Everyone is 7.5ft tall…

2) The mental gymnastics Brust likes reminds me of the Princess Bride…

“He knows… he knows I know… he knows I know he knows I know… so…”

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

Hahaha or that one friends episode

[Tammie]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Been doing my jhereg re-read… 2 things I’ve noticed…

1) Everyone is 7.5ft tall…

2) The mental gymnastics Brust likes reminds me of the Princess Bride…

“He knows… he knows I know… he knows I kno..."

😂

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

I finished today. I'm torn on whether or not the chronological order is the best way to go. This was one of the strongest yet, but I felt its impact so much more because of the history we've had with all the backstory (view spoiler)[ especially with Vlad being a soul-kin/brother - holy crap! (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Well, the rest of the series is mostly in chronological order, I think... except the pieces of Tiassa, and the one book mid-series that goes back and fills in a gap from a few books earlier...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Niki Hawkes wrote: "I finished today. I'm torn on whether or not the chronological order is the best way to go. This was one of the strongest yet, but I felt its impact so much more because of the history we've had wi..."

(view spoiler)[the soul-kin thing is definitely a big aspect of the series and Vlad & Sethra's relationship... there's just one more big reveal you need to get to to put everything into perspective... I think we need to make it to book 7 in the publication order to learn it in-story, tho :D (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Tammie]

I finally finished Jhereg. (view spoiler)[ I was completely surprised about the big reveal about Vlad. I feel like coming from the perspective of reading chronologically it did have way more impact than if I had known almost from the beginning. (hide spoiler)] That being said, I was constantly aware that this was the first book written because the writing didn't seem as mature as the later books, and the author seemed less comfortable with the characters. Kind of like watching the pilot for a TV show. There's a difference later on with the writing and characters.

One thing I continue to love about this series is the way the humor catches me unexpectedly. Like when I read this part: "His cousin Aliera however, was the shortest Dragaeran I have ever known; she could have been mistaken for a tall human. Bothered by this, it was her habit to wear gowns that were too long, and when make up the difference by levitating rather than walking. There have been those who made disparaging remarks about this. Aliera, however, was never one to hold a grudge. She almost always revivified them afterwards."

[Chris]

I was wondering if we wanted to start back up with this from last year.

There's a new entry in the Vlad series that slides right in close to where we left off:

Tiassa, section 1 (2011)
Tsalmoth (forthcoming, April 2023)
Jhereg, main chapters (1983)

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I definitely want to read the new entry... that chronological order thing we're doing, and where it fits, almost feels like cheating :D

Up to Tammie & Niki...

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

Sure, I think it would be fun to start back up again. :) Thoughts on when?

[Chris]

The new one comes out April 25. So we could set the date to start there with that one.

That will give people that need it (me) time to catch up. I still need to finish that first section of Tiassa.

And anyone new that wants to join would have time to catch us too.

[Chris]

I guess y'all got through Jhereg too. I guess we could just flip the order there and start Tsalmoth on 4/25 and move from it to Teckla.

Or did some of you read Teckla too?

BTW, the new one is up on NetGalley USA

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

Chris wrote: "I guess y'all got through Jhereg too. I guess we could just flip the order there and start Tsalmoth on 4/25 and move from it to Teckla.

Or did some of you read Teckla too?

BTW, the new one is up ..."

A date for the new one for sure. I did jump ahead and read Teckla but I could still comment and read on from there. It's fortuitous that the new one lines up so well.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I don't think there's much plot left to tell, at the end of the series... but the series is supposed to be 19 books... one for each of the 17 Great Houses, Taltos, and The Final Contract, iirc...

[Chris]

Sounds like a plan then...

Iain, I don't see an audiobook edition yet, but hopefully info on one will show by April. I believe the rest of the main series has audio.

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

Sounds good. Let me know when you'd like to work in the other books. :)

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Chris wrote: "Sounds like a plan then...

Iain, I don't see an audiobook edition yet, but hopefully info on one will show by April. I believe the rest of the main series has audio."

It does... yea... hopefully... he releases so slowly, it probably takes work to schedule audio... I might be late if there's no audio in April...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Niki Hawkes wrote: "Sounds good. Let me know when you'd like to work in the other books. :)"

Maybe we can treat this like you and Dave did the Bel Dam Apocrypha?

Even if it's not rigidly scheduled, we can just check in occasionally, and see if everyone is ready to continue, rather than letting the series BR die for a year at a time?... even if we take breaks for months...

[Chris]

Niki Hawkes wrote: "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)
6.5 Tsalmoth (April 25 2023)
7. Jhereg, main chapters (1983)
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.."

[Chris]

Hopefully we'll at least get a release date on audio. Then if need be we can move on and circle back around if need be.

Since Jhereg has been out there for 40 years, there's not a lot of need to worry about it spoiling anything in the new book. Heh..

Okay, Niki. Sounds like we'll play catch up for now and tentatively aim for Tsalmoth in late April.

So anyone new can start at the beginning and easily catch the group before we move forward.

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

Timelord Iain wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "Sounds good. Let me know when you'd like to work in the other books. :)"

Maybe we can treat this like you and Dave did the Bel Dam Apocrypha?

Even if it's not rigidly schedule..."

I like the casualness of the approach. I'll plan to shelve the rest of the series until April with the new one and allow everyone time to catch up. Then we'll incorporate the next ones as we feel inclined. :)