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quihi's review against another edition
Had to return it to the library, but I hope to finish it later.
spoookykid's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bookkeeperdragon's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
accidentallyinspace's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
3 light, fluffy noir novellas that could have been half as long with perhaps a little more actual content. I like the world and the setup, but the characters are fairly one dimensional and there are only like two settings. At least for the first two novels, Vlad basically just pops back and forth between his office and Castle Black, sometimes multiple times a day, until enough things happen that he solves the thing.
The third novel, Teckla, I thought was going to break the cycle of fluff - it seemed set up to say something, both about the nature of resistance and offer real character development for Vlad - and then sort of chickens out at the very end. No spoilers, but I wish Brust had had the guts to end things differently.
The third novel, Teckla, I thought was going to break the cycle of fluff - it seemed set up to say something, both about the nature of resistance and offer real character development for Vlad - and then sort of chickens out at the very end. No spoilers, but I wish Brust had had the guts to end things differently.
andycunn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.0
stormblessed4's review against another edition
Meh book, wrong time. I may or may not get back to it.
glimnore's review against another edition
5.0
Review of Book One: Jhereg.
Disclaimer: I am not a man for spoilers, but if certain things MUST be said and by MUST, I do not mean Snape kills Dumbledore MUST, I mean a brief overview of what is going on in a world created by the author that completely and utterly immerses it's readers.
This series possesses one such a world. There is a rather steep learning curve starting off at the first book of this omnibus volume: Jhereg. (Omnibus: a volume of reprinted works of a single author or of works related in interest or theme-> Just in case someone doesn't know what that means.)
Introduction: Welcome to the lands of Dragaera, a world ruled primarily by a total of seventeen (Yes 17) ruling houses that each are represented by an animal and a main theme. In this land there are biologically immortal elf-like beings known as Dragaerans, magical humans known as Serioli, and simple real-world like humans known as Easterners.
Furthermore, there are three main forms of magic that exist within conjunction to these races. There is Sorcery, instant-cast magic drawn from an item known as the 'imperial orb' that is often in possession of the ruler of the Dragaeran kingdom and ALMOST exclusively available to Dragaerans, Witch-craft-> Ritualistic magic that is very much psionic in nature and used primarily by Easterners, and finally Morganti -> Magic created by the Serioli that possesses the powers to eat and destroy souls.
As you can see, its a pretty complex world. It gets even more convoluted than that, and the fact that it is such a vast realm might just deter many readers away from such a collection of works. But to people who crave a fantasy so deep and profound that it would practically rock the vicissitudes of their souls, well then the Vlad Taltos Series IS FOR YOU!
Now let us get to the review shall we?
"The books were created to be read in any order, but that didn't work as well as I planned. Chronologically they are written as such.....however this omnibus volume is what many of the readers and fans have suggested to be the best way to proceed into the realm...."
This review is primarily for the first book of this volume: JHEREG.
Characters: (3/5)
I am personal stickler for characters, I feel as if no matter how droll and vicious the prose of some writing is, if they have memorable persona, identities, and characters, then I will definitely stick with it. (To some degree). The only problem with this first book of the Vlad Taltos Series is that the only character I like is Vlad Taltos himself. (SHOCKER!) In second comes his small dragon-like companion Loiosh the Jhereg. And third comes his accomplice Kragar. And in that specific order is also my intrigue of those characters and my personal favor of them. In my opinion, these characters have depth that push them far into the 3-dimensional character description whilst the other characters you will meet stay in the realm of 2D.
Furthermore as vastly researched as the main antagonist of the story is, he remains a complete stranger to the reader in terms of ideology and personality. Perhaps this was done on purpose by the author, Steven Brust, who wanted to mimic the impersonality of the life of an Assassin. Or perhaps I'm just reading too much into it...
Plot: (5/5)
The Plot is a thing of beauty, possessing both esoteric and exoteric interpretations and understandings that strike both the curiosity of superficial and deep readers. I see some re-read value here, but I am well known not to give many books a second read over. Unless they command me to do such. Whilst the main plot wont strike the reader's ego as much as it should, the side plots and stories of the other characters will hold your interest almost immediately.
Prose: (5/5)
Now the prose is a thing of interest. Steven Brust approaches his writing from the first-person point of view of the novels main character: Vlad, a wise-cracking and slightly cynical but talented assassin whose narrative of the world around him and the inner workings of his mind are conveyed to the readers both efficiently as well as effectively. It's an easy read, in terms of language that can simultaneously chalk up vivid imagery within the reader's mind that moves and sounds like a film!
Pacing: (4/5)
The novel starts out just at the right pace for an assassin story; not overly fast but at the same time not slow like a snail. And Brust keeps this nice and easy pace for quite some time until the VERY end of the novel, where I can't help but feel that some things were....rushed. Nonetheless, I did enjoy the run.
World: (5/5)
The world is.....damn....like...Tolkien...maybe better...still kinda shocked how vast it is.
Totals! 3+5+5+4+5 = 22! 22/5 = 4.4 which I must rate to 4 stars because of rounding. But hey! this is just the first book in the volume!
In my opinion atm; This series is a treasure. Maybe it will get better, maybe it will get worse. Till I finish the volume, we'll all find out.
“The attempt to combine wisdom and power has only rarely been successful and then only for a short while” -Einstein-
-Lyf-
UPDATE
Review of Book 2 - Yhendi
Disclaimer: I got to streamline this book review so I can get onto the third! Lol. Please forgive me!
Now Yhendi of the Vlad Taltos series actually occurs a few years before book One in this omnibus collection. Take note of that because it will legitimately affect one's outlook towards the series.
Characters: (3/5)-> Same as the first book. Vlad and Loish were very 3D, Kragar became 2D, and everyone else stayed the same. Though I did start to like Cawti much more!
Plot: (4/5) Alright this was very much like a James Bond meets American Gangster kind of novel set in a fantasy setting. Sort of intense and very convoluted but after rereading certain explanations several times over I thought it did quite well.
Prose: (5/5) Right on the mark. Nuff said.
Pacing: (4.5/5) Yeah I have to give this one a half star extra. The only thin that got me was the last 10 pages. but not a substantial amount of the book. This happens here and this happens here and it sorta hits you a little that your favorite characters die so fast lol. SPOILER!
World: (5/5) Something scares me. That this world might just be too big for me to completely handle!
Totals: 3+4+4.5+5+5=22.5! Which: 22.5/5 Equals: a 4.5.
I'll round it to 5.
UPDATE! AGAIN! - Book 3 Review - TECKLA
Let's streamline this a little bit shall we? I wish to rant afterwards.
Characters: (3/5) - Vlad remained the most changed as usual.
Prose: (5/5) - It got better, wait, is that even possible? Yes it is.
Pacing: (5/5) - Spot on.
Plot: (5/5) - It hit me pretty hard.
World: (5/5) - SO FREAKING EPIC.
Total!
3+5+5+5+5 = 23/5 = 4.6 Rounded to 5!
*PERSONAL RANT TIME:
Alright, this book, well this omnibus volume which apparently is the first three adventures of the legendary character known as Vlad Taltos hit me pretty hard. I mean, when I started the first novel, a serious personal matter popped up in my life and I guess I either had trouble reading the novel or I completely immersed myself in the fantasy.
Ironically enough, the first book in the story got me immersed, the second made me angry and jealous at the relationship between Vlad and his wife Cawti, and the third novel bit into me emotionally and reminded me that life isn't perfect at all.
The ultimate moral of the story: Life is happy, life isn't grand, it's up and it's down, its a terrifying rollercoaster ride and it sucks to have to deal with it when you're alone. But it has to be dealt with, whether or not you are with someone or you're single. And even when you are together with someone, sometimes the rollercoaster only gets scarrier, the twists and turns appear to be a lot worse than what they really are and every now and then you wonder how it would be if you were alone.
And when you are alone, you wish you weren't.
Life's like that sometimes, and this volume definitely reminded me about that. No, after finishing this book, my life didn't end up all magically perfect again, but I don't think I'd want it that way to begin with. Fairy-tale endings are for fairy-tales. Without them, we wouldn't have anything to strive for.
The novel just reminded me to continue on.
*END OF RANT*
Ultimate total: (Rounded star ratings for each of the novel!)
Jhereg: 4
Yhendi: 5
Teckla: 5
Total: 14/3 = 4.67
I'll have to round that to 5.
The series is definitely something I'd like to read more into. Thank god there's like 10 other books out and it is expected to span 19 books total.
Thanks for reading along, and have a great day!
-Lyf-
Disclaimer: I am not a man for spoilers, but if certain things MUST be said and by MUST, I do not mean Snape kills Dumbledore MUST, I mean a brief overview of what is going on in a world created by the author that completely and utterly immerses it's readers.
This series possesses one such a world. There is a rather steep learning curve starting off at the first book of this omnibus volume: Jhereg. (Omnibus: a volume of reprinted works of a single author or of works related in interest or theme-> Just in case someone doesn't know what that means.)
Introduction: Welcome to the lands of Dragaera, a world ruled primarily by a total of seventeen (Yes 17) ruling houses that each are represented by an animal and a main theme. In this land there are biologically immortal elf-like beings known as Dragaerans, magical humans known as Serioli, and simple real-world like humans known as Easterners.
Furthermore, there are three main forms of magic that exist within conjunction to these races. There is Sorcery, instant-cast magic drawn from an item known as the 'imperial orb' that is often in possession of the ruler of the Dragaeran kingdom and ALMOST exclusively available to Dragaerans, Witch-craft-> Ritualistic magic that is very much psionic in nature and used primarily by Easterners, and finally Morganti -> Magic created by the Serioli that possesses the powers to eat and destroy souls.
As you can see, its a pretty complex world. It gets even more convoluted than that, and the fact that it is such a vast realm might just deter many readers away from such a collection of works. But to people who crave a fantasy so deep and profound that it would practically rock the vicissitudes of their souls, well then the Vlad Taltos Series IS FOR YOU!
Now let us get to the review shall we?
"The books were created to be read in any order, but that didn't work as well as I planned. Chronologically they are written as such.....however this omnibus volume is what many of the readers and fans have suggested to be the best way to proceed into the realm...."
This review is primarily for the first book of this volume: JHEREG.
Characters: (3/5)
I am personal stickler for characters, I feel as if no matter how droll and vicious the prose of some writing is, if they have memorable persona, identities, and characters, then I will definitely stick with it. (To some degree). The only problem with this first book of the Vlad Taltos Series is that the only character I like is Vlad Taltos himself. (SHOCKER!) In second comes his small dragon-like companion Loiosh the Jhereg. And third comes his accomplice Kragar. And in that specific order is also my intrigue of those characters and my personal favor of them. In my opinion, these characters have depth that push them far into the 3-dimensional character description whilst the other characters you will meet stay in the realm of 2D.
Furthermore as vastly researched as the main antagonist of the story is, he remains a complete stranger to the reader in terms of ideology and personality. Perhaps this was done on purpose by the author, Steven Brust, who wanted to mimic the impersonality of the life of an Assassin. Or perhaps I'm just reading too much into it...
Plot: (5/5)
The Plot is a thing of beauty, possessing both esoteric and exoteric interpretations and understandings that strike both the curiosity of superficial and deep readers. I see some re-read value here, but I am well known not to give many books a second read over. Unless they command me to do such. Whilst the main plot wont strike the reader's ego as much as it should, the side plots and stories of the other characters will hold your interest almost immediately.
Prose: (5/5)
Now the prose is a thing of interest. Steven Brust approaches his writing from the first-person point of view of the novels main character: Vlad, a wise-cracking and slightly cynical but talented assassin whose narrative of the world around him and the inner workings of his mind are conveyed to the readers both efficiently as well as effectively. It's an easy read, in terms of language that can simultaneously chalk up vivid imagery within the reader's mind that moves and sounds like a film!
Pacing: (4/5)
The novel starts out just at the right pace for an assassin story; not overly fast but at the same time not slow like a snail. And Brust keeps this nice and easy pace for quite some time until the VERY end of the novel, where I can't help but feel that some things were....rushed. Nonetheless, I did enjoy the run.
World: (5/5)
The world is.....damn....like...Tolkien...maybe better...still kinda shocked how vast it is.
Totals! 3+5+5+4+5 = 22! 22/5 = 4.4 which I must rate to 4 stars because of rounding. But hey! this is just the first book in the volume!
In my opinion atm; This series is a treasure. Maybe it will get better, maybe it will get worse. Till I finish the volume, we'll all find out.
“The attempt to combine wisdom and power has only rarely been successful and then only for a short while” -Einstein-
-Lyf-
UPDATE
Review of Book 2 - Yhendi
Disclaimer: I got to streamline this book review so I can get onto the third! Lol. Please forgive me!
Now Yhendi of the Vlad Taltos series actually occurs a few years before book One in this omnibus collection. Take note of that because it will legitimately affect one's outlook towards the series.
Characters: (3/5)-> Same as the first book. Vlad and Loish were very 3D, Kragar became 2D, and everyone else stayed the same. Though I did start to like Cawti much more!
Plot: (4/5) Alright this was very much like a James Bond meets American Gangster kind of novel set in a fantasy setting. Sort of intense and very convoluted but after rereading certain explanations several times over I thought it did quite well.
Prose: (5/5) Right on the mark. Nuff said.
Pacing: (4.5/5) Yeah I have to give this one a half star extra. The only thin that got me was the last 10 pages. but not a substantial amount of the book. This happens here and this happens here and it sorta hits you a little that your favorite characters die so fast lol. SPOILER!
World: (5/5) Something scares me. That this world might just be too big for me to completely handle!
Totals: 3+4+4.5+5+5=22.5! Which: 22.5/5 Equals: a 4.5.
I'll round it to 5.
UPDATE! AGAIN! - Book 3 Review - TECKLA
Let's streamline this a little bit shall we? I wish to rant afterwards.
Characters: (3/5) - Vlad remained the most changed as usual.
Prose: (5/5) - It got better, wait, is that even possible? Yes it is.
Pacing: (5/5) - Spot on.
Plot: (5/5) - It hit me pretty hard.
World: (5/5) - SO FREAKING EPIC.
Total!
3+5+5+5+5 = 23/5 = 4.6 Rounded to 5!
*PERSONAL RANT TIME:
Alright, this book, well this omnibus volume which apparently is the first three adventures of the legendary character known as Vlad Taltos hit me pretty hard. I mean, when I started the first novel, a serious personal matter popped up in my life and I guess I either had trouble reading the novel or I completely immersed myself in the fantasy.
Ironically enough, the first book in the story got me immersed, the second made me angry and jealous at the relationship between Vlad and his wife Cawti, and the third novel bit into me emotionally and reminded me that life isn't perfect at all.
The ultimate moral of the story: Life is happy, life isn't grand, it's up and it's down, its a terrifying rollercoaster ride and it sucks to have to deal with it when you're alone. But it has to be dealt with, whether or not you are with someone or you're single. And even when you are together with someone, sometimes the rollercoaster only gets scarrier, the twists and turns appear to be a lot worse than what they really are and every now and then you wonder how it would be if you were alone.
And when you are alone, you wish you weren't.
Life's like that sometimes, and this volume definitely reminded me about that. No, after finishing this book, my life didn't end up all magically perfect again, but I don't think I'd want it that way to begin with. Fairy-tale endings are for fairy-tales. Without them, we wouldn't have anything to strive for.
The novel just reminded me to continue on.
*END OF RANT*
Ultimate total: (Rounded star ratings for each of the novel!)
Jhereg: 4
Yhendi: 5
Teckla: 5
Total: 14/3 = 4.67
I'll have to round that to 5.
The series is definitely something I'd like to read more into. Thank god there's like 10 other books out and it is expected to span 19 books total.
Thanks for reading along, and have a great day!
-Lyf-
tmarthal's review against another edition
2.0
Can't seem to recommend it. It had promise, but left the reader out of sorts. Never got to the epic moments it promised. Mundane assassin fantasy.