Vallista - The Library of the Uncommons

No cover — Steven Brust: Vallista (2017)

334 pages

English language

Published Aug. 5, 2017

ISBN:: 978-0-7653-2445-0
OCLC Number:: 1005844488

Vlad Taltos is an Easterner-an underprivileged human in an Empire of tall, powerful, long-lived Dragaerans. He made a career for himself in House Jhereg, the Dragaeran clan in charge of the Empire's organized crime. But the day came when the Jhereg wanted Vlad dead, and he's been on the run ever since. He has plenty of friends among the Dragaeran highborn, including an undead wizard and a god or two. But as long as the Jhereg have a price on his head, Vlad's life is...messy. Meanwhile, for years, Vlad's path has been repeatedly crossed by Devera, a small Dragaeran girl of indeterminate powers who turns up at the oddest moments in his life. Now Devera has appeared again-to lead Vlad into a mysterious, seemingly empty manor overlooking the Great Sea. Inside this structure are corridors that double back on themselves, rooms that look out over other worlds, and-just maybe-answers to …

Vlad Taltos is an Easterner-an underprivileged human in an Empire of tall, powerful, long-lived Dragaerans. He made a career for himself in House Jhereg, the Dragaeran clan in charge of the Empire's organized crime. But the day came when the Jhereg wanted Vlad dead, and he's been on the run ever since. He has plenty of friends among the Dragaeran highborn, including an undead wizard and a god or two. But as long as the Jhereg have a price on his head, Vlad's life is...messy. Meanwhile, for years, Vlad's path has been repeatedly crossed by Devera, a small Dragaeran girl of indeterminate powers who turns up at the oddest moments in his life. Now Devera has appeared again-to lead Vlad into a mysterious, seemingly empty manor overlooking the Great Sea. Inside this structure are corridors that double back on themselves, rooms that look out over other worlds, and-just maybe-answers to some of Vlad's long-asked questions about his world and his place in it. If only Devera can be persuaded to stop disappearing in the middle of his conversations with her.

1 edition

Michael Steeves reviewed Vallista by Steven Brust (Vlad Taltos, #15)

Review of 'Vallista' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

This might be one series that I end up just punting on, and then once (if...?) it's finished do a massive read starting from [b:The Book of Jhereg|590349|The Book of Jhereg (Vlad Taltos, #1-3)|Steven Brust|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388184635s/590349.jpg|3066290]. The problem with these large, multi-year series is that by the time the next book is out (and I have a chance to read it), I've all but forgotten almost all of the salient details, and I'm not at a point like I was in my youth where I could just block out a month to do a massive re-read.

Vallista continues the journey of Vlad Taltos, still on the run. When Devera appears and asks him to come to a strange house where past and present mix and mingle in weird ways, Vlad has to figure out what's going on. Along the way more details around the Powers That Be emerge, and more details …

This might be one series that I end up just punting on, and then once (if...?) it's finished do a massive read starting from [b:The Book of Jhereg|590349|The Book of Jhereg (Vlad Taltos, #1-3)|Steven Brust|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388184635s/590349.jpg|3066290]. The problem with these large, multi-year series is that by the time the next book is out (and I have a chance to read it), I've all but forgotten almost all of the salient details, and I'm not at a point like I was in my youth where I could just block out a month to do a massive re-read.

Vallista continues the journey of Vlad Taltos, still on the run. When Devera appears and asks him to come to a strange house where past and present mix and mingle in weird ways, Vlad has to figure out what's going on. Along the way more details around the Powers That Be emerge, and more details of the universe's existance are clarified.

It wasn't a bad book -- as my friend C. has said about these books in the past, many swashes were buckled, and a lot of snappy first person smartass dialog was uttered ("that's spelled T-A-L-T-O-S."), but at this point I'm reading these because I've always read these, and not to see what happens next.

Subjects

Vlad Taltos (Fictitious character)
Assassins
Magic
Fiction
Wizards
Dragons