Everything is worth examining

Book Review:  Athyra by Steven Brust

More than two years have passed between the events of Phoenix and Vlad's arrival in a farming community far from the city.  He's still in hiding from the Jhereg and he's lost a finger somewhere along the way.  His arrival is quickly followed by the mysterious death of a local -- a local who years before had helped Vlad sneak into a certain nearby Athyran necromancer's castle.  Coincidence?  Vlad thinks not.  He determines to take out Loraan, once and for all.  That is, if the villagers don't take him out first.  It seems too big of a coincidence to them, that one of their own dies of no obvious causes, days after an Easterner is seen in town.

The sixth book in the Vlad Taltos series is . . . different.  It's narrated by a young Teckla named Savn.  After a chance meeting on the road, Savn becomes fascinated with Vlad.  He chooses to spend time with the Easterner, despite the cold looks the other villagers give him.  And for the first time in his life, he questions things he had always assumed to be true.  

It's interesting to see Vlad from someone else's perspective but it sets a much slower pace for the story.  Savn is young and thoughtful.  He's intrigued by Vlad and troubled by Vlad's past as an assassin.  He's likeable but lacks Vlad's charisma.

Loiosh is also mostly silent this time around, although we are treated to the thoughts of his mate, Rocza -- for me this was one of the most interesting parts of the story.  Again, we're given a different perspective of Vlad.  To Loiosh, Vlad is a parent -- to Rocza, Vlad is the Provider.  She doesn't mind doing things for him, most of the time, but she's mainly in it for the treats -- and Loiosh.

Not as much world-building this time although we do learn that there is blue sky above the strange overcast of the Empire.  And the overcast is apparently poisonous -- both Rocza and Loiosh hold their breath until they are well above or below it.  

I'm waiting for the next book, Orca, to come in from interlibrary loan.  Although I missed Vlad's narration this time, I'm anxious to see what happens with Savn.  And I'd love to see what's happening with Cawti, Noish-pa, Kragar, and others.

The bridge between worlds hangs on lyre strings

Book Review:  Olympus Bound by Jordanna Max Brodsky

Six months have passed since Selene and her friends thwarted Saturn's ritual on the Statue of Liberty.  Believing it best for him, she allowed Theo to believe she died in the effort.  She mourns his absence and the deaths of her siblings while remaining focused on finding Saturn and ending his threat once and for all.

Theo mourns Selene desperately.  He researches ancient rituals in the hopes of resurrecting her.  They will meet again and it will be painful for both of them; he feels betrayed and she realizes that she didn't do him any favors.  As with the other two books, however, there's a larger story in play.  Saturn has Zeus and he's planning to sacrifice him.  Selene and the remaining gods gather at Mount Olympus for the first time in centuries. 

This is an outstanding trilogy.  Brodsky merges religion, mythology, ancient mysteries, and science into an insightful and compelling storyline.  Her characters are layered and utterly believable.  We meet Athena in this book and I loved the story Brodsky created for her.

I admit that I thought it was best for Theo and Selene to part in the second book.  He's a mortal and she's a goddess -- even if she wasn't carrying millennia of baggage, age will come between them sooner rather than later.  Ruth seemed a better fit for Theo and Flint (aka Hephaestus) seemed a better fit for Selene.  Love is not logical, however.  Brodsky has convinced me that Theo and Selene belong together.  I highly recommend this trilogy.

Some prayers may be better left unanswered

Book Review:  Phoenix by Steven Brust 

                                                                                                                          

When Vlad finds himself ambushed in South Adrilankha, he offers up a prayer to the Demon-Goddess Vera.  She answers.  As it turns out, she wants him to assassinate someone for her.  Vlad's been considering getting out of the business but how does one refuse a goddess?

The assassination begins a war between the Empire and the sleepy outlying nation of Greenaere.  The Empire begins drafting humans and Teckla into its army, which adds to the growing uprising within the Empire.  Cawti is arrested twice.  To save Cawti's life, Vlad goes against his House.

I love this series.  I love the characters, the world-building, the fast-paced plots. 

Cawti has changed dramatically since we first met her, but so has Vlad.  He finally acknowledges that while he may have hated all dragaerans to begin with, most of his close friends are of that race.  He's genuinely friendly to the Orca sailing him from Adrilankha to Greenaere (regular beatings by Orca youth during his childhood inspired, or at least deeply contributed to his early hatred of dragaerans).  He's come a long way but where will he go next?

While Teckla showed us the beginnings of a rift between Vlad and Cawti; Phoenix shows the deepening of that rift.  Their relationship struggles are sparingly told and heartbreakingly real.  They love each other but it's not enough, at least in this book. What will she do with South Adrilankha?  Can they find their way back to each other?


The world-building in this series continues to be exceptional.  Each book reveals or hints at something new.  This time we discover that there are different types of stones which block sorcery and psionic communication -- I wonder what Morrolan and Aliera will do with that information.  We also learn that there are legends of strange lands beyond the sea, perhaps even beneath it.  And while Noish-pa refers to dragaerans as elves, Vlad finds himself referred to as a dwarf by the dragaerans on Greenaere.

We don't learn as much about the House of Phoenix as we have about other Houses in other books -- after all, there is only one living member and she's the Empress of the Empire.   We learn more about her though, and how she regards her role in the scheme of things.

Found again. What's a girl to do?

Book Review:  Vanished by Karen Olson

Tina Adler's been found again.  She's been living quietly off the grid in Charleston, South Carolina, painting watercolors for a local gallery.  The Feds are no longer looking for her but Tony deMarco is -- he may have gotten his money back but he still wants her taken out.  Fearing she's been recognized, she does a little internet sleuthing and discovers that her love interest, Zeke Chapman, may be in danger.  She and his friend Spencer travel to Paris to try and figure out what's going on.

Eh.  I'm losing interest in the series.  It's more of the same -- Tina has found a new place along the ocean to lie low and a new art gallery to pay her cash for her landscapes.  She gives in to the temptation to go online, the bad guys start chasing her again, and there are brief scenes with her and Zeke.  There are too many easy getaways and vague situations -- I'm still unclear on what exactly happened with Zeke and Adrianna.  What's he doing for her and what's he doing for the FBI?  Adrianna's going after Tina because she can't get her hands on Zeke but Tina overheard her (or her minions) grilling Zeke?  What?

Tina clearly has a thirst for hacking, a target on her head, and a desire to be with FBI agent Zeke Chapman.  At this point, four books in, I don't know why she doesn't work for the Feds -- she could hack to her heart's content, have some protection from deMarco, and cozy up with Zeke.  It's all well and good that she wants to be by the ocean, painting and bicycling, but surely something could be arranged.