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Iorich (2010)

by Steven Brust(Favorite Author)

4.09 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0765312085 (ISBN13: 9780765312082)

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

Tor Books

series

Vlad Taltos

review 1: Vlad the assassin gets involved with politics and law--hilarity ensues.Vlad is many years into life on the run when this tale begins. His resources are limited, he's estranged from his family, and of course, being hunted by assassins. So, when he hears that a friend, one of the most powerful people in the empire, has been unjustly charged with a crime for which the penalty is death, he returns to the heart of the empire to help. Through a combination of determination, audacity, and nothing to lose, he can accomplish things that all of his powerful friends can't.I find the stories from this time in Vlad's life sad. He gets beat up a lot, and can't do much about it. He faces powers much greater than himself, and he loses a lot. When he prevails, it is not a hero's vict... moreory where all of his problems are fortuitously resolved by coincidence. Nor is it the hero martyr--where he struggles on to fight the good fight, sacrificing his own happiness because it's the Right Thing. Rather, his plans fall short, his victories are unsatisfying, and he walks away from a mostly thankless resolution and onto a life of continued struggle.I respect the honesty of it.
review 2: I'm beginning to wonder if there isn't a subject matter Brust can't tackle, which is startling and intimidating. He's set up a magnificent universe with the various characters (and their characteristics) of Dragaera, and more power to him for doing so. In this, we encounter the aspects of justice and retribution, and I have no idea why there's a creepy toothy wolf thing on the cover.It took me a bit to get into this one, actually, and I'm not totally sure why. I've never been overly fond of the Cawti subplot, and that figures heavily into this. I must say, Brust's writing style of pieces and reflections works for him as a writer--if there's something he forgot to tell you, Vlad has all the room in the world to say that he'll get there, or that he just doesn't want to talk about it.The interesting thing about this book, though, is that besides being a romp through the world of a retired assassin on the run, there are a lot of side notes on friendship and justice and what those actually are versus how we want them to be, or even how we think we think of them. And I love whenever Brust brings Empress Zerika in, because her political realm is fascinatingly laid bare.So I think my greatest hesitation with this was that I prefer Vlad when he's being Vlad, not Vlad when he's entangled with Cawti and all that she brings. But I still really enjoyed it, and read it pretty quickly, so if you've stayed with the series this far, I think you'll be okay. less

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Reviews (see all)

Enigmatique

I am not being severe with this book because I'm comparing it to other books generally; I am comparing it only to Steven Brust's other books in this series. There are a lot of them, and this is one is below average.Reasons: while Steven always has convoluted plots, this one has more gratuitous twists and turns than his too-often descriptions of his physical setting, the Imperial Palace. I was also bored with repeated descriptions of the main character's efforts to avoid assassination attempts and of what he ate. Can you say 'padded'? I knew you could. Combine all this with what feels like deliberately vague clues over and over, and you have a book that should have been half this one's size.On a positive note, the book is loaded with snappy repartee. That's Steven's strength and it pulls the reader along. All in all, though, I'd recommend others in this series well before this one.

Bobby

This is one of those Vlad books one reads just to watch. The storyline is opaque; the fun is in watching Vlad step through it and in his interactions with his broad cast of friends and family, from Cawti to Zerika, from Sethra to Krager. It's a chance to see what's been happening with each of them, too, while Vlad has been (and remains) on the run, even as he's pulled back to Adrilahkha to save a friend who doesn't want to be saved.Not my favorite Vlad of them all, by any means, but an enjoyable read.

sajib

This entire series is so damn confusing with the timeline. But I still love it ;)

nook7363

the only problem with these books is they go by so fast

mesoll

the only problem with these books is they go by so fast

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