Sunday 26 November 2017

FANTASY REVIEW: Vlad Taltos 15: Vallista - Steven Brust

Release Date: 01/11/17
Publisher:  Tor/Forge

SYNOPSIS:

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... Full of swordplay, peril, and swashbuckling flair, Vallista is a treat for longtime fans of this popular fantasy series, a deep dive into the mysteries of Dragaera and all within it.


REVIEW:

OK, I'm going to be honest here, I had a hell of a time getting into this book. However before you turn off my review and refuse to buy the book, let me explain why. This is a book that is the 15th in the series and without having read the previous others, I've lost not only a lot of back story but the ability to see how the character has developed over those events in order to keep a bond formed with him.

Thats not to say that I didn't appreciate the writing style, the characters or the overall plot but it meant that I had quite a bit of trouble getting into the story. For me, it is well written, I liked the way that the author twists events and also manages to give you a story thats hard to put down but overall please start at book one. Something I wish I'd done and will do shortly in order to get the fuller picture.

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