Customer Reviews

Issola

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

How can I recommend Steven Brust enough? One of the best writers of all time, and definitely underappreciated. Newcomers would be well advised to start at the beginning of the series; but for those already familiar with his work, Issola is one of the best.

In the same vein as Orca, we have another Taltos talks tale. However this is much superior in that things actually happen and there is a major event at the end of the book.

Vlad, Aliera, Morrolan, Sethra Lavode, the Goddess Verra, and Lady Teldra spend much of the book either in a cell, or at castle Black talking amongst themselves on how to escape, and after escaping, how to defeat the Jenoin who have battled the Dragaerans for ages and are making a major offensive to gain a link to the raw power of sorcery.

I fully expect the next Vlad adventure to be Vlad having a meal and talking for the whole book about his food. Despite all the talking though, it is a superior entry in the series. Much new is revealed and we get to see a major battle at the end as well as some further characterization of all the major players.

Vlad's journey is becoming a long one, and a slower paced one than at the start. It is still a worthwhile journey though.

I have read all of the books in this series and I really enjoy them. Issola is a good example of what attracted me. Vlad is narrating the story again which i seem to enjoy more than the others. I have to agree with other reviewers in the observation that this might not be a good "stand-alone" book, you need to have some of the background of the previous books. If you like a good, wise-cracking, first person fantasy novel, this series is hard to beat.

"Jhereg" and "Yendi" were great. The series slowed down a little bit after that. Around "Athyra" we hit the nadir. It picked up a bit, with occasional great moments like the end of "Orca," but we're not back on stride, yet, by a long shot.

What's wrong with this book? Well, it only had enough story content for about half of its pages. Though I like science fiction also, I found the "sci-fi" traveling to other dimensions to fight the super-powered alien race a lot less satisfying than the "fantasy" of Draegaera and its politics. There are just too many fascinating subplots already present in these books to need to start a romp through alien worlds.

It's not all disappointing. Lady Teldra is great fun. Vlad's mouth is back. We get a lot more snippets of history and background.

As for my improved rating because of the ending...because of Godslayer, you think? Not at all; anyone who didn't see that coming for several books hasn't been paying attention.

It's because Vlad is back in Adrilankha and perhaps all will be right again very soon.

After Athyra and Orca, which I found to be somewhat unfocused (and I didn't care as much for the non-Vlad-Taltos narration), I am pleased to see that Brust still has what it takes. Issola is an interesting, if short, plot, and while in hindsight the ending could have been predicted, there is an interesting surprise at the end. Well done.

This is the ninth book in the continuing series of Vladimir Taltos adventures by Steven Brust. Taltos is all of the following: a sometime assassin, mobster, witch, philosopher, swordsman, noble, and detective who lives a stranger-in-a-strange-land scenario as what we would consider a normal human in a nation of 6.5 or 7-foot tall humanoids (Draegerans) who often have numerous magical abilities. The other books, other than "Taltos" are named for the houses of the 16 noble classes and one peasant class in the society Taltos lives in. The books(in chronological order, not publishing order) are:

Taltos 4.5* -- very funny, well-paced, good resolution of the three plotlines

Yendi 4* -- complex and satisfying for a short book, humorous

Jhereg 5* -- the first and best of the bunch, gives useful background and is the real starting point of the series

Teckla 2* -- maudlin and introspective without much context or reason for the tone

Phoenix 4* -- picks up the pace after Teckla, but not quite as light-hearted as the earlier books

Dragon 4* -- published 8th, returns to form of witty banter, smart introspection and twisty plotting of earlier books

Athyra 1* -- meandering and depressing; only book not told from Vlad Taltos' point of view, actionless and largely themeless

Orca 4* -- better plotting and pacing for this Athyra follow-up, plus intricate mob-financing issues explored by Taltos in unmasking Orca-house mob syndicate

Therefore, Issola is not the place to start. The story in Issola is relatively simple (at the start) -- Taltos' friends (and benefactors) have been captured by the Jenoine, semi-mythical creators of the world. His task is to rescue them; then he learns of the plots and counterplots that the Jenoine have hatched in their desire to seize control of the world from the gods (who had previously been their servants).

Issola features a number of the tell-tale signs of the Taltos series that are welcome comforts for the converted: Vlad's humorous introspections, snappy dialogue, intriguing plotline and the sardonic world view Brust puts forth. This volume contains a lot of extended philosophical meandering (mild negative) but also interesting background information regarding the creation of the "world," the myths of the gods, the genesis of the humans and Draegerans, and the history of Morrolan, the noble wizard who is one of Taltos' main benefactors. Most satisfying is the interplay between Taltos and Lady Teldra -- Morrolan's chamberlain who is a recurring and unexplored character in the rest of the series. Most shocking are the events near the end that change the landscape of the series for the future.

Recommended for fans, recommended for non-fans after they get some of the background from previous books.

It's good to see Brust expanding on our favorite (ex)assassin once again. After a few slower books that seemed to mirror the main character's apathy, we are treated to a triumphant return. I am anxious to see what new adventures await our intrepid hero; the new influence in the life of Lord Taltos should yield some interesting conflicts and resolutions. (We may even be treated to a reintroduction of some beloved characters of earlier books.) This book will be truly pivotal to the series. Bravo, Maestro Brust.

First, I should confess that I've read all of the books in this series and I've pretty much enjoyed all of them. I mention this because I think that this book will appeal to long time fans of the series more than someone picking it up cold. That said the book has a very interesting story and reveals new aspects of Vlad's powers and "destiny". As I compare this book to the earlier ones in the series, this book focuses much less on the physical action that Vlad engaged in when working for the Jhereg as an assassin. There are some really interesting philosophical discussions between Vlad and other characters. I particularly enjoyed the ongoing discussin of manners and courtesy throughout the story. If you've been reading the other books in the story - don't even hesitate - you have to read this one. If you're looking to try a new author, definitely do not start with this one (the 10th in the series). I'd definitely start with Jhereg (the first published) or Taltos (the first chronologically)

Issola is possibly the best book to advance the storyline of Vlad Taltos yet. Through these pages we finaly catch a glimpse of what awaits our wise-cracking hero in the future. Brust takes the time to introduce us to a character that we haven't had the chance to know previously.

The plot remains the same, Vlad is thrown into some outrageous situation, that the reader cannot understand until the final chapters when the Deus ex Machina save the day.

It's the Deus ex Machina that are different, and leave the lasting impact this time. And after so many books in this series, we are left wondering what changes will be effected in our intrepid hero.

The best one yet. I reccomend you read the other books in the series before Issola, that way it has the best impact.

ISSOLA is very readable, with the simple first-person narration of Vlad keeping things moving, and familiar characters in fine form

Lady Teldra is a good choice as a new character, as her mannerisms are quite distinct from most of the individuals we've seen in the past. The revelations about her flow naturally, although I felt Vlad's banter with her Kirk teasing Spock; substitute "courtesy" for "logic" and you get the idea.

Unfortunately, the plot is not exactly a roller coaster ride. Since ATHYRA, Brust has been narrowing the focus of his stories. The action for much of the book is confined to a few extradimensional prisons and rooms in Dzur mountain, with the protagonists spending much of their time discussing the plot and rescuing each other, with mixed success. The feel of this section reminded me of the stodgy second and third Merlin books in Zelazny's second chronicles of Amber. Not a good sign.

The book's greatest appeal will be to long-term fans of the series, as Brust does not stint on revelations about the nature of his world, especially elements that have hitherto been enigmatic. Unfortuantely, most of these parts are mainly presented through conversation rather than demonstration, but Brust does write entertaining conversations, and having Sethra and the demon goddess Verra along keeps it from getting boring.

I'd recommend ISSOLA to Vlad fans for the extra glimpses it gives of Vlad's world and his ever-evolving character. But it's a shame that Brust has still not recaptured the magic of the first three books in the series, the way the PHOENIX GUARDS did.
I think Vlad's own rootlessness is the problem: Adrilanka and in particular the region that Vlad lived and loved in was a character in its own right, and with Vlad in exile, the rich sense of place the books used to have has gone. Perhaps it's time for him to return home... so I guess there's hope after all.