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#2 in 2013: Tiassa
Jan. 9th, 2013 10:29 pmThere are some things one comes to expect in a decent novel in Steven Brust's Vlad Talto series. witty conversations; snarky comments by Vlad's lizard partner Loiosh, interesting criminal capers, and possibly, well depicted combat.
In Tiassa, Brust has crafted a book that covers all of these bases in an enjoyable manner. The book is divided into three parts, all involving the disposition of a small artwork crafted by a god - a silver stature of the winged wolf known as a tiassa, which has the habit of moving from owner to owner. In the first story, set back when Vlad was a minor crime boss, a scam is conceived regarding traced coins and the statue. Naturally as anyone who's watched Leverage knows, the scam isn't what it first seems, and there's schemes within schemes afoot.
In the second strory, the Imperial household has to deal with a prospective invasion by the mysterious progenitors, the Jenoine. The invasion may be forestalled by the alleged powers of the tiassa statue, evidently in possession of Vlad Taltos, currently on the run from his former Jherig masters. But again, things are not as they seem...
The third story is "narrated" by Paarfi, the loquacious chronicler of the Khaavren Chronicles. It follows the investigation by Khaavren, the hero of The Phoenix Guards and Five Hundred Years Later, of the assault on one Count Vlad Taltos, which again comes to involve the possession of the silver Tiassa. In this case, the plots are not so much the focus of the story as Khaavren's solving of the mystery.
This novel is enhanced in my opinion by being divided into three stories. the shortness of the stories means that Brust is required to write his stories very tightly, and avoids the tiredness I sensed in some of his later Taltos books. The romantic style phrasing of the Paarfi section also contrasts nicely with the straightforward noirish manner of the first two sections, helping to keep the interest level up. for all that though, the events do not feel like they have great emotional depth- the plot is written almost dispassionately, even when it is narrated by Vlad.
In short, this is one of the better books in the series, though it hasn't hit the emotional heights of books like Issola. It's a nice, competently written and entertaining diversion until Brust either wants to do do an emotional climax to the Taltos series, or until he writes another Phoenix Guards sequel.
In Tiassa, Brust has crafted a book that covers all of these bases in an enjoyable manner. The book is divided into three parts, all involving the disposition of a small artwork crafted by a god - a silver stature of the winged wolf known as a tiassa, which has the habit of moving from owner to owner. In the first story, set back when Vlad was a minor crime boss, a scam is conceived regarding traced coins and the statue. Naturally as anyone who's watched Leverage knows, the scam isn't what it first seems, and there's schemes within schemes afoot.
In the second strory, the Imperial household has to deal with a prospective invasion by the mysterious progenitors, the Jenoine. The invasion may be forestalled by the alleged powers of the tiassa statue, evidently in possession of Vlad Taltos, currently on the run from his former Jherig masters. But again, things are not as they seem...
The third story is "narrated" by Paarfi, the loquacious chronicler of the Khaavren Chronicles. It follows the investigation by Khaavren, the hero of The Phoenix Guards and Five Hundred Years Later, of the assault on one Count Vlad Taltos, which again comes to involve the possession of the silver Tiassa. In this case, the plots are not so much the focus of the story as Khaavren's solving of the mystery.
This novel is enhanced in my opinion by being divided into three stories. the shortness of the stories means that Brust is required to write his stories very tightly, and avoids the tiredness I sensed in some of his later Taltos books. The romantic style phrasing of the Paarfi section also contrasts nicely with the straightforward noirish manner of the first two sections, helping to keep the interest level up. for all that though, the events do not feel like they have great emotional depth- the plot is written almost dispassionately, even when it is narrated by Vlad.
In short, this is one of the better books in the series, though it hasn't hit the emotional heights of books like Issola. It's a nice, competently written and entertaining diversion until Brust either wants to do do an emotional climax to the Taltos series, or until he writes another Phoenix Guards sequel.