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katieinca's review against another edition
2.0
There may be admirable things going on here, as far as emulating Dumas (and specifically [b:Twenty Years After|7184|Twenty Years After (The d'Artagnan Romances, #2)|Alexandre Dumas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1165607713l/7184._SY75_.jpg|666376]). Since I wasn't here for that, I found this "okay." One might reasonably ask why I read it, since [b:The Phoenix Guards|133460|The Phoenix Guards (Khaavren Romances, #1)|Steven Brust|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386920821l/133460._SY75_.jpg|128565] should have prepared me for that - fair enough. But that book stands on its own better than this one.
otakubookworm0's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
mrawdon's review
adventurous
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
darylnash's review against another edition
3.0
Gripping fictional history and backstory for the Vlad Taltos novels, but gods does Paarfi's voice grow tiresome.
devon_marie's review against another edition
4.0
Woooooooo boy what a whopper. We get our friends back for the plot leading up to, and including, Adron’s Disaster (in which a certain Jhereg gets out blame-free even though he arguably is half to blame) and the start of the Interregnum. Whomp whomp. A good story, though, and yep, that flowery language is back. Brust is cackling away, I’m sure.
jeffstevens's review against another edition
3.0
It was good to finally understand what caused Adron's disaster, and to understand more of Aliera's background. From a Brust-completionist perspective, it was definitely worth reading. Beyond that...it was fine. Good way to amuse myself.
cheezvshcrvst's review against another edition
4.0
Second reread.
Five Hundred Years After is as much a faithful adaptation, or reimagining, if you will, of 20 Years After, as its predecessor, The Phoenix Guards (see: 1/24/22 post), was of The Three Musketeers. That is to say: if you enjoyed reading the Musketeers novels, you can’t go wrong with the second installment of The Khaavren Romances. Swordplay, wit, and some genuinely wonderful writing abound in this delightful history of the (you’ll excuse this pun) arresting tale of Adron’s Disaster.
That’s right: here there be Dragons, and this time that means we finally get to find out what led to the destruction of the capital city of Dragaera and how the Orb managed to find its way to The Paths of the Dead! And that’s not the spoiler! (Nah, the spoiler is when I told you this is an adaptation of Dumas’ 20 Years After.)
FHYA is enjoyable & certainly merits repeat visits. (I mean, obviously, if you know by now that these Brust reviews have been my efforts to convince more of you to read his many exciting & often-hilarious works.) Paarfi, while no less glib, spends less time on the brooding of our aging hero Khaavren than, say, Dumas did on his aging hero D’Artagnan, and quickly (yes, I mean that) takes us right to & through the actions & conversations of consequence that culminate in the cataclysmic event that predates Vlad Taltos and begins to explain just how powerful sorcery has become by time we meet that unlikely hero. Now, I can’t help but feel the characterizations are a bit lacking, but that’s not to say that we care less about our former musketeers- uh, Guardsmen (& -woman.) Nah! This one is just more concerned with the plot being intrinsically tangled up with the story, though it never once feels forced or lacking. So, huge points for Brust managing to write an engaging and energized book from a very strong, if unconventional, narrator.
Aside: You don’t *need* to have read any of the Vlad novels, or really even The Phoenix Guards, though it would help you to place some of these characters and their personalities/motivations.
Five Hundred Years After is as much a faithful adaptation, or reimagining, if you will, of 20 Years After, as its predecessor, The Phoenix Guards (see: 1/24/22 post), was of The Three Musketeers. That is to say: if you enjoyed reading the Musketeers novels, you can’t go wrong with the second installment of The Khaavren Romances. Swordplay, wit, and some genuinely wonderful writing abound in this delightful history of the (you’ll excuse this pun) arresting tale of Adron’s Disaster.
That’s right: here there be Dragons, and this time that means we finally get to find out what led to the destruction of the capital city of Dragaera and how the Orb managed to find its way to The Paths of the Dead! And that’s not the spoiler! (Nah, the spoiler is when I told you this is an adaptation of Dumas’ 20 Years After.)
FHYA is enjoyable & certainly merits repeat visits. (I mean, obviously, if you know by now that these Brust reviews have been my efforts to convince more of you to read his many exciting & often-hilarious works.) Paarfi, while no less glib, spends less time on the brooding of our aging hero Khaavren than, say, Dumas did on his aging hero D’Artagnan, and quickly (yes, I mean that) takes us right to & through the actions & conversations of consequence that culminate in the cataclysmic event that predates Vlad Taltos and begins to explain just how powerful sorcery has become by time we meet that unlikely hero. Now, I can’t help but feel the characterizations are a bit lacking, but that’s not to say that we care less about our former musketeers- uh, Guardsmen (& -woman.) Nah! This one is just more concerned with the plot being intrinsically tangled up with the story, though it never once feels forced or lacking. So, huge points for Brust managing to write an engaging and energized book from a very strong, if unconventional, narrator.
Aside: You don’t *need* to have read any of the Vlad novels, or really even The Phoenix Guards, though it would help you to place some of these characters and their personalities/motivations.
popestig's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book as much as its predecessor.
The book is brimful with love for Dumas, D'Artagnan and the three musketeers and pays homage to "Twenty Years After" by Dumas without copying the plot. There's nary a cardinal in sight.
A good portion of the love is shown in the way Brust plays with the voice of the author, in this case personified in the historian Paarfi, a somewhat huffy and wordy historian who may be overstating his own terseness at some length. Brust's enthusiasm when he plays with the author's voice and with language makes this book, but the swashbuckling, intricate plotting and delightful asides ensures that this will become a book readers will come back to.
Much to her dismay I repeatedly read potions of the book out loud to my significantly better and frequently interrupted half, making concentration hard when binge-watching Danish historical comedy. By way of apology I will ensure family-sharing is enabled on my kindle.
irusu's review
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
phasedchirp's review
3.0
This was a hilarious, fun read. Brust does a great job of imitating Dumas' writing style without letting it get annoying, and it's fun to get backstory for the world of his Vlad Taltos novels.
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