BOFH Favorite Authors - Steven Brust

I wonder why Vlad doesn't play poker? I think it's because Loish bluffs.

Note: There has been a new and exciting development. A Dragaera Mailing List. This is sweet, because Steven (aka Steve, aka Mr. Brust, aka Don't Draw to an Inside Straight) frequents it. Now, I realize that only a geek would be excited about this. What a shock, you found me out.

July 10, 2002: I've created a Steven Brust FAQ in response to questions that seem to keep coming up.

Cover Art: Stephen Hickman
Cover Design: Carol Russo

Dragon

I really enjoyed this novel, and the lack of transitions at the beginning of the chapters from what is happening to what was happening, or vise-versa or whatever, didn't bother me. In fact, it struck me as reminiscent of Taltos how the same thing was done, only with the components of the spell used at the end.

Interesting Things We Learned

• Pathfinder and Spellbreaker are somehow linked together and involved with Godslayer.
• Vlad is willing to go through great personal discomfort when someone pisses him off. It's one of the reasons I like him.
• Most Dragaerans have no idea how useful Loiosh really is.
• Psychics are a different kind of 'magic' from sorcery and witchcraft.
• Barritt used a Great Weapon

Cover Art: Stephen Hickman
Cover Design: Carol Russo Design

Issola

WARNING: Spoilers Included!

The book is good for a number of reasons. it is the classical Vlad book, in that it has quick witty conversation and interesting plots. It also provides a lot of detail (that I suspect hadn't been thought of before) on the universe in which it exists.

I thought the handling of Savn at the beginning of the book was less well done than I expected from Brust. He was treated as a plot device that was worn out, and he wanted to get away from as soon as possible. Given some of the published reports on how Brust felt about Athyra and that we have a second book with him as a major component (Orca) this is probably true. Still, when I'm reading I don't want to be thinking, "Wow, he just threw away a plot device he was tired of."

I enjoyed what I believe to be Brust's poke at all his fans, when Vlad asks Lady Teldra if she's Mario. It amused me.

I also think Lady Teldra as Godslayer could be amusing. (This is in spite of the fact that her death was tragic, and not in any way amusing). I imagine the scene something like this:

...silently behind him and slid Godslayer between his ribs.
Godslayer: Pardon me, Master Soul, but I was wondering if you could accompany me.
Victim: Who, in the name of Verra's extra knuckle are you?!?!
Godslayer: I apologize if I startled you, but I just happened into this body you've got, and noticed you might be more comfortable elsewhere.
Victim: Umm...well, ok, you seem pleasant enough.

There was also a definite shift in Vlad's tone. In the previous novels I had gotten the feeling that Vlad was sarcastic as an attempt at humor, and I might add, damn good at it. In Issola it really seemed like it was more sarcasm used as a method to obliquely express frustration and doubts. It definitely seemed far less light hearted.

Typos

There was only one place that something really jumped out at me. That was the mistake where at the top of the page (p. 156) Loiosh says 'I am cute' . The problem is that it's not italicized, like the rest of Loiosh's coversations. This threw me for a moment because the characters in the rest of the book didn't seem stunned by Loiosh's sudden vocalization. Then I realized it was a typsetting mistake. :)

Update: Looking back at it, I realized that it might actually be typeset correctly. The problem is that as the first sentence of the page, you don't realize the difference in italics because you don't have text on either side to compare to. Not much you can do about that.

Continuity Mistakes

• Sethra says it's hard to kill the holder of a Great Weapon and Vlad says it's happened once before. Actually, Vlad knows of twice. Once when Morollan was killed, and the second when Barrit was killed. This second one is more oblique, but we know he was assasinated, and we know he had a Great Weapon. Some have asserted Pathfind wasn't really a GW until Aliera gets it, but Morollan implies Barrit had it and used it as such when he says that he accomplished things he shouldn't have been able to.

Interesting Things Learned

• Iceflame - Sethra
• Pathfinder - Aliera
• Blackwand - Morollan
• Godslayer - Vlad
• Unnamed - Zungaron
• Garlic & Onions - Valabars

What's Next

I'm guessing I'm going to join the latter group.

I think the next Vlad book (not to be confused with the next book on Draegera) is going to be a step back. I think it will cover the period of time between Phoenix and Athyra and will include whatever the incident is that cost Vlad part of a finger. If I were to make a guess on title (assuming we stick with house names) I would guess Dzur. He alludes to the fact that he lost the finger while trying to evade a wizard who was trying to eviscerate him, and he lost it to a sword. Since it seems that Dzur are often warrior/wizards (i.e. Tazenda and Gregsomething, the former captain of the Lavodes) that they are the likely subjects.

Given the fact that there isn't even a rumor that Brust has even started a new Vlad novel, so I'm guessing at even the title, you would be a fool to think I had a clue.

Who is Mario?

I think it's the Demon. Why?

1. He appears after the Interregnum (sp) out of nowhere and kills his way to the top of the organization. [Jhereg: 23]
2. His name. We now know that a demon is a being that can be controlled by another. I hypothesize that the other he considers himself controlled by, and the reason he chose the name, is Aliera.
3. His true name is unknown. [Jhereg: 23]
4. He's young. [Jhereg: 23]
5. He implies he could get ahold of Mario. This is reminiscent of some of the conversations where Vlad doesn't do work, but has a friend that does.

[1] I don't address him as Steve because I know him, but because he has expressed that as a preference to Mr. Brust, or Sir, or Paarfi's Love Slave.