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Dzur is Brust's long-awaited followup to Issola in the Vlad Taltos series. It's an interesting mix of new material and old standbys of the Vlad series. In terms of series revelations and introductions, I counted at least five or six events of a similar stature to the Lesser Revelation of Orca. And it's worth noting that the Greater Revelation of that novel is not directly revealed but gets enough in-jokes that it becomes tiresome. In terms of actual plot movement, however, the book is a light one. Although the book is somewhat heavy on new characters, they don't advance the plot a great deal, and in many ways the book more closely resembles the early Vlad novels than the more recent ones. Forced by circumstances to confront the Jhereg (both the Right and Left Hand thereof), Vlad finds himself resorting to older methods and haunting his older territories. In that respect the book was more familiar and somewhat more disappointing. I felt it could easily have taken place earlier in the life of the character and the series, and were it not for the Greater Spoiler of Issola, should have. There's a certain episodic quality since little of long-range import was resolved. It's hard to say whether this piece of the series is disappointing or just surprising. That's going to depend on how the new elements in the series are used in future novels. This is definitely a wait-and-see-before-judging book. It was, however, a fun read for a longstanding fan of the series. The problem is that Dzur both tastes great and is less filling, and only one of those things is a compliment. |
Steven Brust
Brust is a prolific and masterful author with an impressive talent. His books are extremely variable -- not in quality, but in the experience. He has written everything from formulaic action-adventure to folktales to an extended pastische of the Three Musketeers. Perhaps the most startling (and delightful) thing to his readers is the manner in which each story takes on its own unique voice; narrators are recognizable instantly by their manner of speaking, and they are deliciously unreliable, frequently liars, and never quite trustworthy.... but always enjoyable to listen to.
Brust has a weblog at www.dreamcafe.com, and participates occasionally in the main mailing list on dragaerea.info.
Some of his fan sites include Cracks and Shards (devoted to noticing the details the don't quite match).
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Dzur
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More new work from Steven Brust
Following the meltdown of Steven Brust's weblog (along with everything
else on the server, such as the Dragaera mailing list), he's started up
a livejournal. Interesting notes: he's got a Firefly novel and a new Vlad novel (post-Dzur) in the works, plus a poker murder mystery.
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This one's from BookSlut, and it's got some interesting tidbits in it, but nothing of major import.
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Yesterday I climbed into my hot tub with a bar of dark chocolate, some cashews, and a bottle of cheap champagne (Korbel). I discovered to my horror and disgust that I have somehow aquired enough of a taste for champagne that I can no longer afford it; the Korbel just didn't cut it. But what the hell. The occasion was the completion of the first draft of Dzur. Now, on to revisions.Dzur is, or will be, the latest in Brust's Vlad Taltos series. UPDATE: The author has stated that he thinks the book is scheduled for Spring 2006. That sounds about right. Looking forward to it! |
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It's now current through the end of Sethra Lavode.
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It's not exactly the most serious interview I've ever seen, but it's funny.
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The Book of Jhereg
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