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Product Description
Review
"Dzur gives us Vlad Taltos at his best."
--Cinescope
"Fresh, snappy, and terribly likeable…Dzur shows you what heroic fantasy can be."
--Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing
“Steven Brust may well be America’s best fantasy writer.”
--Tad Williams
Book Description
Long ago, one of the gods fashioned an artifact called the silver tiassa. To Devera the Wanderer, it was a pretty toy to play with. To Vlad Taltos, it was a handy prop for a con he was running. To the Empire, it was a tool to be used against their greatest enemies--the Jenoine. To the Jhereg, it was a trap to kill Vlad.
The silver tiassa, however, had its own agenda.
Tiassa will cover more than ten years in Vlad's life--and, to the delight of longtime fans, will bring him together with Khaavren, from The Phoenix Guards and its sequels. Who may be Vlad's new best friend--or his most terrible enemy.
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Most helpful customer reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Convolutions,
By E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME) (TOP 10 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Tiassa (Hardcover)
In case you care, I am usually pretty good at following complex, tangled-up narratives. But Steven Brust's latest Vlad Taltos fantasy, "Tiassa" had me scrambling back to the book's beginning multiple times. It has some deeply fascinating moments, solid action and some deliciously warped humor, but the narrative often feels like we're lost in a maze.Several years in the past, Vlad became involved in a peculiar plot that involved spell-marked coins, a mysterious highwayman known as the Blue Fox, and a silver tiassa with sapphire eyes. And in the present, a reported threat of a Jenoine invasion causes the Empire to desperately seek the tiassa, believing that the gods-forged "device" can save them. At first it seems to be in Vlad's possession -- and he's on the lam from the Jhereg, and nearly unfindable. But Cawti soon discovers that the entire threat is a devious plan of the Jhereg to kill her estranged husband. And soon Khaavren is hot on Vlad's trail... The biggest problem with "Tiassa" is simple: it's all over the place. The narrative flips from first to third-person, the settings jump around, and even the time period shifts unexpectedly. So it's pretty easy to get completely lost just by something as simple as "When are we? Who is in the room? What's going on?" Brust's style even changes from one part to another -- at first we're treated to Vlad Taltos' snarky lean style, but later there are chunks of narrative that are more old-timey and serious. And there are some that have little to do with the overall story at all. It's not BAD, but it's often confusing -- it's like a string of intertwined short stories got squished together into a single story. However, those styles are also the saving grace of this book -- Brust has the rare knack for evoking a complex, intricate world, with all sorts of weird characters and subtle plots. And while the plot takes a few reads to fully understand, it's complex and full of weird twists and odd magic, as well as some answers to long-standing questions. That is what makes it a worthwhile addition to the series. But when you pick up a Vlad Taltos book, you sort of expect... Vlad Taltos. He makes some cameos in this book, and much of the plot revolves around him but most of the time we're following Cawti, Khaavren or one of the supporting characters. They're all vibrant, engaging characters, but the book feels somehow hollow from the lack of Vlad's snarky wit and the absence of Loiosh. "Tiassa" is a confusing muddle of a story with a backbone of intriguing plot -- and only Steven Brust's elaborate worldbuilding and strong writing keep it from being totally befuddling.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
3.6 out of 5 stars (44 customer reviews) 29 of 33 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not the best by far, but not a total waste...,
By John S. Dean "John" - Published on Amazon.com
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I've loved the series since I bought the just published "Jhereg" ages ago. I've done the ups and downs as we rode the roller coaster as the morality changed after Brust's own personal experiences with killings. So I guess this shouldn't be too much of a shocker, but it is a bit of a disappointment...We spent years with the buildup of spellbreaker, and finally the great weapon is created... and then.... I keep waiting for more about the *after*, because I've been so curious. But this one again jumps in time, forwards, backwards, forwards... Pre marriage, post marriage. And while the parts written from Vlad's point of view are as enjoyable as ever, as others have mentioned, there's not a lot of that... We get to learn a little more about Devera, but beyond that, there just didn't seem that much here that moved the story forward at all, nor did it really fill in any big questions anywhere else. I'm beginning to feel like I did mid way through the sword of truth series, where things just stalled so horribly and we had to wade through the morass in fear we might miss the couple good pages in a book... I'm NOT saying that this is at that point, but it's certainly nearing it... Steven Brust is one of the four or five authors I ever recommend to others, but I'm getting to the point now where I feel I need to specify certain books so that people don't get the wrong impression. I'd rather have them learn about the author from the incomparable Jhereg than thinking this is the epitome of his writing... So let's hope that we get back on track with the engaging stories again, because when he's hot, no other author compares... 20 of 22 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A love-letter to Brust fans,
By Joshua W Epp - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Tiassa (Hardcover)
Tiassa, Brust's thirteenth novel, is one of the most ambitious to date. It incorporates a myriad of writing styles from his past Dragaera works; the typical Vlad first-person, the third-person character-per-chapter narrative used in Brokedown Palace, and as much of the book focuses on Khaavren and his family, a bit more of Paarfi. This book is by no means a stylistic exercise, however; it has a focal point that stays very focused on the plot, and the way the story is presented actually gives a new way of looking at things. It was especially interesting to see, during the course of an investigation, the way Khaavren and a number of those in his employ measured Vlad's worth with a sense of begrudging respect, or the way Norathar and Cawti feel towards one another/the Empire, how idiotic Piro's 'benevolent highwayman' schtick appears in Vlad's world, etc.I've seen other reviewers claim that this book does nothing to further the story, a criticism I honestly would've lodged against Iorich, which, while a decent read, did little to advance the overall plot or provide opportunity for character growth. Tiassa not only sheds some light on some things that have been alluded to in past books (Devera, the Issola bard, the box he talks to) but also drops some HUGE hints toward the future of the series, one in particular stated almost outright by a certain Imperial official. If I have to levy a criticism against it, it would be that it is definitely not the best place to jump into the series (though arguably that has been true for several books at this point) and it does heavily incorporate characters (and the ridiculously, hilariously overwrought writing style) of the Khaavren romances, which I adore, but could be confusing even to long-time readers if they've never strayed outside of the main Vlad series. Chronologically, it's all over the place; it jumps from events happening just after Yendi to around the same time as Dragon to slightly before (or after) Iorich. Its a great book for long-time fans of Brust, and definitely one of the best in the series, both in terms of story and general writing. Not to be missed. 18 of 21 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Spectacular,
By Shawn P. Cooke - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Tiassa (Hardcover)
Okay, well that was just a Taltos fanboy's dream.Fair warning, I've liked pretty much every book in this series, even Jhegaala, which was too convoluted and ponderous for me to get much of a buzz from. But this makes up for it fifteen times over. We get tantalizing hints at longstanding questions, not to mention the reappearance of fan-favorite characters... and a certain fan-favorite narrator. This is not a good entry point into this series. It was written for people who have read both the last twelve Taltos novels as well as the five Phoenix Guards books. Anyone else might well be lost. But read them. You're in for a treat. |
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