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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great addition,
By
This review is from: Iorich (Hardcover)
There are a few things about this book that amaze me. First, Steven Brust is one of the few authors I read in high school 20 years ago that I still actively pursue; second, that this is the 12th book in a series and I still get very excited when a new book comes out and I finish it with regret, knowing I will have to wait an indefinite amount of time for the next one to be released. As the 12th book in this series and the 17th set in this reality, it contributes much to the storylines of both our hero, Vlad Taltos, and the Dragaeran world.This book was a page-turner. Once I picked it up I just could not put it down. I believe this story can stand on its own, and I know people who have started this series at almost any place. Some recommend starting at the beginning, but then you can either read them chronologically or in order of publication. I have gone back and reread them both ways and prefer the order in which they were published. Vlad Taltos is a human living in a world of Dragaerans. The Dragaerans are a society ruled by houses and a cycle. There are 17 houses, and each takes a turn ruling the empire, depending on where a house is in the cycle. They have more or less power. This book goes more into that dynamic of house position than some of the others. Each house has dominant characteristics and predominant occupations. The order of the cycle is: Phoenix, Dragon, Lyorn, Tiassa, Hawk, Dzur, Issola, Tsalmoth, Vallista, Jhreg, Iorich, Chreotha, Yendi, Orca, Teckla, Jhegaala, Athyra, and then returns to Phoenix. Most houses you are born into, a few will sell titles, or can be earned. Vlad first bought a title in the Jhereg and moved up. The Jhereg are a mixed clan, and are known to be the criminal element in this world. Later Vlad earned an imperial title with estates and such. But back to the specifics of Iorich. Vlad is on the run from the Jhereg and has been for a number of years now. During his journeys he finds out one of his friends is in serious trouble. So he returns to the capitol of the empire, Dragaeran City, to help an old friend out. However when he arrives it becomes clear he might have to choose between helping out his friend and helping the Empress (and though not a friend, is at least an acquaintance, and her majesty.) This only complicates Vlad's life - more when Aliera does not seem to want to defend herself for the same reasons of not hurting the Empress or the empire. Vlad, a former assassin and Jhereg boss once again, returns to help out a friend even with risk to his own life and limb and with threats against his family. The Jhereg at the bottom of the cycle and the Orca are trying to squeeze the Empress. This book has it all - intrigue, politics, problems to be solved and, though not as much as other Vlad adventures, some violence. Brust is truly a wordsmith. I find it a delight to read his prose. He approaches each book in a unique and new way, yet remaining loyal to what has gone before. The writing is a pleasure to read, the story flows, and even though Vlad has all the faults one could expect to be truly human, you cannot but find yourself cheering for him and racing to find out how he will unravel this problem and then come up with a solution to it. Brust is one of my all-time favourite authors and this book contributes nicely to his canon of work. The twelve books in this series are: Jhereg (1983), Yendi (1984),Teckla (1987), Taltos (1988), Phoenix (1990), Athyra (1993), Orca (1996),Dragon (1998), Issola (2001), Dzur (2007), Jhegaala (2008) and now Iorich (2010). Interestingly, all except one are named after Houses; Taltos which originally had a working title of Easterner is named after our hero. Brust is planning on writing one book named after each of the remaining houses in the cycle. The other books set in this world are: The Phoenix Guard, 500 Years After and The Viscount of Adrilankha told in three parts as The Paths of the Dead, The Lord of Castle Black and Sethra Lavode. These other books are of much greater length. (First Published in Imprint 2010-02-05.) Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.1 out of 5 stars (34 customer reviews) 35 of 37 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Exquisitely painted by the numbers,
By Dylan Alexander - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Iorich (Hardcover)
In concept, Iorich is the perfect Vlad Taltos book for someone like me with a legal/military/libertarian background. It's tacked around the philosophy and activities of the House of Iorich, that faction of the Dragaeran Empire concerned with justice and usually employed as lawyers, judges, and prison guards. The seed of the plot is caused by the massacre of civilians during a counter-insurgency campaign/rebellion being put down by the empire. And the primary motivation of the bad guys is an attempt to outlaw or heavily regulate mind-altering drugs to earn profits selling them on the blackmarket.Unfortunately, beyond the setting there's little here we haven't seen before, so I can't give it five stars. There are no important new characters, yet less interaction with the old favorites than you might expect. The actual operation of the plot is the usual slightly implausible motives and actions of shadowy factions that Vlad stumbles around for most of the book before unravelling it in a flash, followed by a quick planning session with supporting friends and (literal) execution that wraps everything up neatly at the end. It's nothing you haven't seen before, and while it's just as much fun as it was the last five times, it's not more. I will give special appreciation to the chapter intros, which here consist of depositions, memos, and minutes of an investigation into the civilian massacre. Almost all of them are interesting, a few are amusing, and one (Aliera's) is hilarious. Brust also continues to impress in how he's handled the huge Plot Device of Invincibility introduced at the end of Issola to avoid making Vlad boringly immune to real danger or difficulty. I'd like to say that the events of this book and the especially the state of play at the end sets us up for a big change of story arc or at least gut punching development ala Phoenix or Issola, but we've been suckered by that before. I do have hope the next book will continue the chronological arc forward; the recent pattern is two steps forward, one step jumping back. Jhegaala was the most recent flashback, and Iorich only gave us a few hints at what happened the last four years since Dzur, so I think we'll get one more forward push of the story line before Brust jumps back to cover the Dzur-Iorich interval. 16 of 18 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Boilerplate Vlad,
By K-Bob - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Iorich (Hardcover)
I'm a diehard Brust fan, in awe of what he can accomplish when he takes his time and works through a number of drafts to perfect a masterpiece of investigation, action, and lively wit. "Iorich" isn't one of those works, however. This latest installment reads like it was swiftly and sloppily cobbled together from pieces of Brust's previous novels -- much as happened all too frequently with the late Robert B. Parker (one of Brust's acknowledged influences), who likewise swung from excellence to mere self-plagiarism.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Damning with faint praise,
By Sardan - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Iorich (Hardcover)
First let me make this clear: if you're a fan of Vlad, you'll like this book. It always fun to return to Vlad's world and hear him interacting with Loiosh and his old friends.But.... While this book is better than Jhegaala, it simply isn't at the level of the earlier works of the series. The stakes don't seem very high for Vlad, there's little action and nearly no magic and much of the book is him grasping for clues that seem barely significant even after they're revealed. Instead of "holy cow, THAT's what they were hiding!?" it's more like "err, that's all?" The end of the book clearly sets up the next volume and the stakes will be much higher for Vlad. Let's hope that reignites the series. Brust needs to give these excellent characters more to do! Iorich is like a family reunion with relatives that you truly love to spend time with but leaving the reunion with no interesting anecdotes. A pleasant time but not memorable. |
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