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Phoenix Steven Brust Books

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Phoenix Steven Brust Books

3.5 stars. Originally posted at Fantasy Literature.

Phoenix, the fifth novel in Steven Brust’s VLAD TALTOS series, is a turning point in Vlad’s story. By the end of this book, his life will have changed drastically. The story begins as Vlad is stuck in a situation that he might not be able to get out of alive. In desperation, he calls on Verra, his patron goddess, for help. She saves him (or so it appears), and in return she demands that he sail to the island kingdom of Greenaere and assassinate its king. Vlad can’t refuse, and so he goes. This sets off a series of events that eventually lead to a Teckla revolution in Adrilankha. During all the turmoil, both Vlad and his wife Cawti, a member of a rebel group, are captured and rescued more than once, and both have reason to believe they don’t have much longer to live. The usual crew is there to help, though, including Kragar (Vlad’s assistant), Loiosh and Rocza (his jhereg familiars), and Morrollan and Aliera (powerful Dragonlords). There are new faces, too, including a spacey drummer from Greenaere. In the end, Vlad pisses off all the wrong people…

The plot of Phoenix is fast moving and fairly exciting, though I didn’t think it always made perfect sense (such as how easy it was to get close to the king — twice —on that island). Adrilankha is a city on the brink of war and Vlad is highly engaged because not only does he suspect that his actions may have caused the conflict, but his wife is a key member of a group that’s fomenting revolution. Vlad realizes that if she’s arrested and executed as a traitor, it might be his fault. The couple was already having marital problems due to Cawti’s growing dislike for Dragaeran society and Vlad’s role in it. The events in this story may push them apart forever. These events also make Vlad step back and take a look at his life. Is this really who he wants to be? A Jhereg crime boss, an assassin, and the lackey of a demon goddess? We see him questioning everything he stands for. Vlad tends to be flippant and snarky, which makes him fun to listen to, but this inner turmoil gives him more depth.
All of the political mayhem gives Brust a chance to give us a little more information about how his world works (I admit that I’m still shaky on this and not sure that it all fits together very snugly). We learn more of its political history and how its caste society functions. We also learn, along with Vlad, a little more about how the magic works after Vlad makes some discoveries on the island he visits. (Until now, Vlad has known almost nothing about the world outside his own country.) Lastly, there are some revelations about a couple of Vlad’s acquaintances. Two of them are related in a surprising way.

So, at the end of Phoenix, things are different. Will this be good or bad for Vlad? Will this be good or bad for the series? I guess we’ll see…
Audible Studios’ version of Phoenix is 8 hours long and narrated by Bernard Setaro Clark. He’s got Vlad’s cocky voice down perfectly. I love these audio versions of VLAD TALTOS.


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Phoenix Steven Brust Books Reviews

Steven Brust as awesome as usually, this series will keep you on your seat.. It is awesome and have read a the series a few times.
Each time I get a new installment of the Vlad Taltos series, I can hardly wait to get started, anticipating a fast-paced, clever and completely irreverent ride through a world very like our own, and yet so different from anything we know. _Phoenix_ did not let me down; in fact, this may just be the best book thus far the in series.
Cornered and fighting for his life, Vlad half-heartedly calls upon his goddess, Verra, to save him. Much to his astonishment, she does, and in exchange for the rescue, asked him to perform a task for her. That singular task leads to catastrophe for the entire Empire, which in itself would be bad enough, but events revolving around the Teckla/Easterner revolution seem to have Vlad's life hanging by an unravelling thread. Brust skillfully reveals just enough of the plot to answer one question, while bringing several others to light.
He also allows us a more intimate view of Vlad's inner life, as Vlad more seriously begins to question his profession and its associated ethics. He realizes that he may not, in fact, loathe the Dragaerans as much as he thinks he does, largely because every time he's in trouble, he turns to two of his closest friends, Morrolan and Aliera. These two Dragonlords are such interesting characters, and are always there to back up their short-lived, human friend for reasons that have yet to be fully revealed, I think.
While all of this internal and external chaos is going on, Vlad must also cope with his marriage crashing down all around him, as he tries to save the woman he so desperately loves, but seems to have no use for him anymore. Fortunately, he has Loiosh and Rocza by his side for comfort, and we see a bit more of their respective personalities in this installment, as well as Vlad's Noish-pa, who is a delightful and welcome co-star in the story, rather than a brief cameo as he has been in the past.
It's my understanding that this was intended to be the last Taltos book, and the ending would indicate this as well; however, I am greatly relieved that there are many books after this one, as I would hate to see this series end. There are so many questions to answer, and so many hugely varied directions Brust could take the characters, that it would seem to stave off the boredom some authors have set in after a few books in the same universe. I sincerely hope he continues to produce the series for many years; I would miss his detailed descriptions of flavors, aromas, actions and feelings as he weaves his clever tales. I would miss the subtle (and often overt) cynicism through which Vlad experiences the world that so closely mirrors my own. I would hate not knowing "what happened" to these characters who have become virtual companions in my brain - no no, I'm honestly not insane or completely pathetic, I swear! Brust simply does such a good job of bringing them to life, that they occasionally pop into my head to comment on one thing or another.
[arching eyebrow]
Ok, I can hear you out there, saying "Ooooooh boy, this chick's totally lost it. She needs a big, hot steaming mug of reality, and fast." No really! They're just exceptionally vivid characters! I...hey...wait a minute! What're you doing with that funny white coat? I ... HEY! [struggle, struggle, struggle]
Alright, before these four large men haul me away, just let me say - read this book! Read the series! You won't be disappointed. -)
I'm not sure why Steven Brust doesn't have more acclaim. I stumbled upon this series and have loved it. It's hard to say which order to read the books in (I chose the timeline order from Wiki) and this has been my favorite one so far. I love traditional fantasy books with swords, wave-hands magic, and dragons, which Brust doesn't think is "cool" so doesn't write about it. I surprisingly loved his books. If you want to read something refreshing in the fantasy genre, try his books (maybe start with Jhereg). Vlad's familiar grows more hilarious with each book. In this book Vlad is taken from his comfortable world, which you as a reader have grown to know intimately through Vlad's eyes, into a new land which you discover along with Vlad. It's a departure from the typical lowborn hero finds magical sword and travels to 100 new lands to save the world.
3.5 stars. Originally posted at Fantasy Literature.

Phoenix, the fifth novel in Steven Brust’s VLAD TALTOS series, is a turning point in Vlad’s story. By the end of this book, his life will have changed drastically. The story begins as Vlad is stuck in a situation that he might not be able to get out of alive. In desperation, he calls on Verra, his patron goddess, for help. She saves him (or so it appears), and in return she demands that he sail to the island kingdom of Greenaere and assassinate its king. Vlad can’t refuse, and so he goes. This sets off a series of events that eventually lead to a Teckla revolution in Adrilankha. During all the turmoil, both Vlad and his wife Cawti, a member of a rebel group, are captured and rescued more than once, and both have reason to believe they don’t have much longer to live. The usual crew is there to help, though, including Kragar (Vlad’s assistant), Loiosh and Rocza (his jhereg familiars), and Morrollan and Aliera (powerful Dragonlords). There are new faces, too, including a spacey drummer from Greenaere. In the end, Vlad pisses off all the wrong people…

The plot of Phoenix is fast moving and fairly exciting, though I didn’t think it always made perfect sense (such as how easy it was to get close to the king — twice —on that island). Adrilankha is a city on the brink of war and Vlad is highly engaged because not only does he suspect that his actions may have caused the conflict, but his wife is a key member of a group that’s fomenting revolution. Vlad realizes that if she’s arrested and executed as a traitor, it might be his fault. The couple was already having marital problems due to Cawti’s growing dislike for Dragaeran society and Vlad’s role in it. The events in this story may push them apart forever. These events also make Vlad step back and take a look at his life. Is this really who he wants to be? A Jhereg crime boss, an assassin, and the lackey of a demon goddess? We see him questioning everything he stands for. Vlad tends to be flippant and snarky, which makes him fun to listen to, but this inner turmoil gives him more depth.
All of the political mayhem gives Brust a chance to give us a little more information about how his world works (I admit that I’m still shaky on this and not sure that it all fits together very snugly). We learn more of its political history and how its caste society functions. We also learn, along with Vlad, a little more about how the magic works after Vlad makes some discoveries on the island he visits. (Until now, Vlad has known almost nothing about the world outside his own country.) Lastly, there are some revelations about a couple of Vlad’s acquaintances. Two of them are related in a surprising way.

So, at the end of Phoenix, things are different. Will this be good or bad for Vlad? Will this be good or bad for the series? I guess we’ll see…
Audible Studios’ version of Phoenix is 8 hours long and narrated by Bernard Setaro Clark. He’s got Vlad’s cocky voice down perfectly. I love these audio versions of VLAD TALTOS.