Dzur [Mass Market Paperback]

 

 

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It is hard to believe that a series of books has kept my attention through 10 books. Yet that is exactly what Brust has done. Every time a new book comes out I go back and reread the entire series up to that point. I read the first ones back in the 80's in high school as they came out, and I thought that the Character of Vlad Taltos was the coolest. He is a member of House Jehreg and a sometime assassin. Vlad once read quickly becomes an immensely popular protagonist. I have introduced these books to numerous friends and all have loved him and the books.

Issola, in the book before Dzur Vlad, is wandering around the countryside with a price on his head, and lamenting about how his life got so turned upside down. Vlad in Dzur, gets to do what he likes best- he starts stirring things up and seeing where the pieces fall.

One of my favorite elements of this series is that you never know how Brust will start chapters off. Each book has had chapter headings in a new and unique way. In the one book it was quick wit "No matter how subtle the wizard a knife between the shoulder blades will seriously cramp his style." In another it is a list of cleaning and repairs to an outfit. In this one it is a recollection of a meal at Valabar's - a restaurant that makes appearances throughout the series. If Brust is able to create the meal described in these snippets he is not only a master wordsmith but must be close to a master chef.

Brust had Vlad come back to the capitol city because his estranged wife is in trouble. He rushes in where angels would fear to tread. He steps into the middle of a power struggle with organized crimes' two sides of the family. He fears getting friends killed or injured, but is more than willing to risk his own neck. However, as Vlad is getting older, he is also mellowing some and maturing.

Vlad realizes that he cannot do it himself. He challenges his patron Goddess to help as much as she can. He also enlists the help of some of those who have offered, but warns them not to take too many risks. Vlad is a little more subdued and subtle in this book compared to some of the earlier ones. However he is just as enjoyable as a character and the journey with him through the adventure in Dzur is as exciting and thrilling as the previous books.

Like the meal described at the beginning of the chapters, Brust's books need to be savored and enjoyed at the pace they come at us. Just as Vlad describes the meal step by step and makes comparisons between preparing a meal and preparing a hit, Brust leads us to discover more and more about Vlad as we go through the courses in this book.

Like each of the previous 9 books in this series, Jhereg (1983), Yendi (1984), Teckla (1987), Taltos (1988), Phoenix (1990), Athyra (1993), Orca (1996), Dragon (1998), Issola (2001), and I'm sure, the forthcoming Jhegaala (2008) this book is a great read. The series is planned to be a total of 19 books, making this one the middle point as far as volumes. It leaves a lot of questions unanswered and the readers salivating for the next volume.

(First Published in Imprint 2007-08-31 as "Series still captivates after 10 books.")

Now that Vlad's helped create and bond with his legendary weapon, the prophesized Godslayer, now Lady Teldra, he just HAS to stop at Valabar's. By rights, that's what the book should have been called. The Dzur title seems to bely the real focus of the book, which is Jhereg manouvering and Athyra-like wizardry. His solution falls flat with Cawti not seeming to care about his past and current sacrifices, his very powerful friends just keeping out of the picture, and some new allies introduced who appearently will do just about anything for thier new friend, even murder and die. I find it hard to believe that a Dzurlord with a Great Weapon, and a Levode to boot, would consider it a proper death to slaughter a dozen Left Hands without even an audience. Not nearly enough glory, honour, or witnesses.

C'mon, Vlad. After the epic battle of Gods you've just been through, not to mention aiding in the creation of a Great Weapon, this little problem should be a piece of cake. I'm disappointed. A change of pace and scale, surely, but Dzur-like?

I have no doubt Brust knows exactly what kethna tastes like in various forms of preparation, and I'm a gourmet cook myself, but I'm also a vegetarian... Allegory aside, I was hard pressed to wad through all the meal descriptions. Maybe Brust was hungry when he wrote it...

Like a fine brandy, this mangum of a book tasted woody, yet sweet. It treats of the journeys of the title character, Yavn, as he seeks his true love, Yendi, in the Paths of the Recently Deceased, hoping against hope that what was once will somewhere be again.

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