I didn't expect this book to go where it went. Seriously. Wow.It takes place as the latest, chronologically, with Vlad in the wilds in exile, but it just goes to show, you never know where you'll wind up. Do you think he's going home? hahahahaha wow.As fantasy, we get to join in a war between gods, but as science fiction, I've just been titillated more about the deep SFal past in this book than all the rest, combined. I mean, there's tons of reveals here and none of them are enough to satisfy me...

The ninth book of the Vlad Taltos series. If you, like me, have made it this far, you know what to expect and Brust serves it up. Vlad is hiding out from the Jhereg mainly and everybody else incidentally. So he is surprised when Lady Teldra, the servant of the Dragonlord Morrolan appears in his campsite one night.Always willing to hear out the people that seek him out, Vlad learns from her that Morrolan and Aliera are missing. Vlad may talk a good line about being a cold and calculating assassin...

Issola is the 9th volume in Steven Brust's "Vlad Taltos" series, and it advances the main story arc rather than filling in backstory as Dragon did.The book starts not too long after Orca ends, when Lady Teldra surprises Vlad in his hidden forest camp to tell him Morrolan and Aliera have gone missing.All the books revolve around a significant event, but Issola is where "it gets real." I would call it "The Empire Strikes Back" of the series so far. Very appropriate as we got a heaping helping of w...

REREAD (SEPT 2014)Not much to add to the below. The scaling issue remains a major problem, but it's partially made up for by getting to know Lady Teldra better.-----------(Original review Aug 2006)Overall 3/5Story 3/5 Re-Readability 4/5Characters 4/5 One of bits of coolness about Brust’s Vlad tales is the extensive and intriguing backstory that he weaves in and out of the tales (often, it seems, more by hints than fully-developed concepts). The problem with that is, sooner or later, you have to

What is Spellbreaker and what is it's destiny?Morrolan and Aliera are kidnapped, Vlad is sent to murder Verra and a battle with old enemies of the Gods brews. It's a fun romp. I wasn't expecting much else and I enjoyed what was there. I'm not too keen on how so many things are left unexplained, for example, who was the dragon during the battle by the lake? It was nice getting to know Lady Teldra better, I wonder what her transformation will bring in later books.3/5 - Good fun.

I find that I've already marked this book as read, when in fact I have not. I must have been thinking of Athyra....At any rate, I found this volume to be Brust at his very best. I read the book in the course of two days, completely clearing my schedule to ravenously consume it.The Vlad stories are among his finest, simply because Vlad and his pet jhereg Loiosh are such wonderful smartasses, and the pinch of sarcastic humor is exactly the seasoning a story of high magic and dark sorcery requires....

This was a pleasant read, and Vlad’s narration is amusing, as always. I enjoyed Vlad's odd partnership with Lady Teldra.But the story was just not my cup of tea. It’s too abstract: an incomprehensible metaphysical contest involving the Great Weapons and the gods and the Jenoine, who are described as “a vastly powerful race of extradimensional creatures”.There has always been a lot of magic in this series, too much for my taste, but usually Vlad keeps everything grounded enough for me with that b...

You learn a lot about two characters, and a bit about how to make Klava.

After last volume's flashback to younger days, we're back to the present and Teldra, Morrolan e'Drien's assistant/majordomo, tracks down Vlad to ask for his help. Both Morrolan and Aliera are missing and she fears the implications since only a really powerful being could be able to capture them and prevent them from escaping.Vlad, having returned young Savn to his family and traveling alone again, accedes to go with Teldra to Dzur Mountain, Sethra Lavode's dwelling, and decide on a course of act...

This one was nearly perfect. Can't wait for the next one.

Great! Still a lot of talking but at least we weren't jumping around in time too much. Fun developments

3.5 stars.“I miss the days when I used to be nostalgic.” ~Vlad TaltosI’ve been slightly disappointed with the last few novels in Steven Brust’s VLAD TALTOS series, but with Issola, book 9, Brust returns to what I liked about the earlier books. While I admired Brust’s willingness to experiment with his world, his characters, and especially the narrative structure of his novels, I think he’s best when the overall plot is moving forward and Vlad is using his assassin skills to solve mysteries and h...

More Vlad!This is an unusual Vlad book in how, well, usual it is. That is, there's nothing weird going on structurally or plot-wise; it's a fairly straightforward quest story. There's an ancient evil (well, sort of), our hero sets off on a quest to do something about it (well, sort of), and there's a massive battle of good vs evil at the end (well, sort of).We do get Vlad as his usual wisecracking, reluctant-hero self, we get the detailed exploration of a field/topic (in this case politeness), w...

In trying to remember what I had and hadn't read in this series, I ended up re-reading Issola. I'm not usually terribly enthused by the epic powerful heroes having epic powerful battles that shake the earth and shape history, striving against the gods, and that sort of Very Important Thing. But when you have Vlad Taltos in the middle of things, the king of Getting By, Day to Day, and Where's My Coffee/Klava, it brings a different flavor to things.I cried at the ending, again.Oh yeah. There's a *...

I've always wondered about Lady Teldra and I was happy to finally get some answers. About the only thing I want to say about this is that it was the first time I have honestly believed a romantic relationship in the series. Not that it was a romance by any means, but Vlad and Cawti always seemed more convenient than real. This time I believed the attraction and was very much rooting for it the entire book.

Lady Teldra - and the issola quality of courtesy, as considered by Vlad and discussed with Lady Teldra- totally make this book.

Taking such a long break since book 8 makes it easy to start forgetting details of the 17 Dragaeran Houses... but this book was still great, especially where it ended...

And here's where it hits me that I don't know if I missed something, to blame Verra, or to narrow my eyes at Brust. I just know that when Vlad took off from the City, he wore a black phoenix stone. Here, he has something that seems to be a black one and gold one together. Since they're not so easy to come by, it just seems weird.Then again, he has a little box here to keep them in that nullifies their effects, so I tend to go with, "This addition will be explained in a novel someday." I guess it...

Vlad has lost almost everything. Living in the wilderness to avoid the price on his head, he's shocked when Lady Teldra finds him. And the message she bears is even worse. Morrolan and Aliera have disappeared without a trace, which implies culprits beyond anything Vlad has faced before, as the two had been well-defended against normal attack. Now Vlad once again finds himself in well over his head, making things worse . . .One thing I really like about these books is how well the various powers

I've said it before, but humor me while I repeat myself: I like long series, and the best long series are the ones in which the author is not afraid to throw a wrench in the works, to push his (or her) characters out of their rut and in unexpected directions.Steven Brust has done this once already in his Vlad Taltos series... Issola is the ninth book and Vlad is still dealing with the massive shift in his circumstances from book #5, Phoenix. I can't give too much info without spoiling surprises

Vlad Taltos is still on the run from his former criminal organization, when his friend Teldra finds him. As the house Issola major domo who serves the Dragonloard Morrolan, Vlad is surprised to see her in the woods, not to mention that she found him when he's been on the run. When she tells him that Morrolan simply disappeared, and needs his help, he risks his old associates finding him to help.After some initial investigation, he and Teldra find themselves transported to a strange world, follow...

This is the ninth book in the Vlad Taltos high fantasy series. If you are considering trying the series, I highly recommend it, but would suggest beginning at the usual starting point, "Jhereg." The central character in the series is Vlad Taltos, a young human assassin in a society dominated by far longer-lived Dragaerans. Most of the books are narrated by Vlad in a dryly witty fashion that I find considerably entertaining. Most of the books have a fun tone, despite varying amounts of destructio...

A rather lore-heavy entry into the ongoing saga of Vlad Taltos.I've seen other reviewers knock Issola for straying too far from the noirish roots of the series and while I see where they are coming from, I disagree. The appeal of the Vlad Taltos novels for me has always been that they so rarely tread the same ground twice, and especially from Teckla onward, each new entry has always presented something similar yet different. And while each novel appears as a mostly self-contained story, each sit...

5/5 because I loved every page and still feel a little like crying.It's hard to tell what makes a story touch a readers heart. But I can tell Brust once and for all convinced me of his mastery in writing. The protagonist? Actually developing, slowly and steadily, but onward, with flaws, weaknesses, moods and changes. I wondered often if Brust is projecting himself most of the time, but either he's an excellent creator or I'd love to be friends with him.The stories are unique, each in it's own ri...

What an excellent installment to the series. As always, Vlad is a charming and entertaining narrator, without being too overwrought or eye-rolling. I think my partner has now "read" about 50% of the book due to me reading every couple of lines out loud in delight. What was intriguing about this book was how little action there was--and how much I didn't care. The interweaving of the plot and the interactions of the characters were more than enough to keep me firmly engaged. And the ending snappe...

Action, adventure, witty dialogue, epic battles, why did I ever take a break from reading these books? Vlad Taltos is one of my favorite characters and his interactions with everyone he encounters are making him the stuff of legend in his world. A title he never sought and probably doesn't want unless it will get him a peaceful meal and some klava at Valabar's, which probably isn't possible given the price still on his head.Returning to this series after a couple of decades is what going home sh...

Another so-so entry into the Vlad Taltos series. We get to see characters that we are familiar with and I was glad to get back to stories that involve them. However, the story for this particular book was very slow moving and somewhat tedious. Then, to wrap everything up, we get a very rushed action scene in which Vlad does very little and not a whole lot is really concluded. We don't get to see what Morrolan or Aliera say when (view spoiler)[Teldra dies and then becomes a great weapon. I would

Sorry to say, but I've found this series to become steadily less enjoyable, and to me, this was the worst yet. Way too much time spent in expository discussions and way too abstract in its concepts. The action was minimal - sit around somewhere and talk, go somewhere else and talk. Go back to the first place and talk yet again. Throw in an occasional action scene left purposefully vague and confusing, then talk again. Vlad's sarcasm is just not enough to carry the story, and other than Teldra, t...

I have read most of this series three or four times, but I think I’d only read Issola once before this reread. I remembered the major points and that’s about it. This reread, though, taught me I’d done myself a great disservice, because I absolutely loved this story. Not only has Vlad gotten himself into some ridiculously serious trouble, AGAIN, but it’s got the adventure and humor of his original stories. And the ending is both beautiful and heartbreaking. This is a turning point in the series

Again, the technicalities of the Jenoine as a species were a little bit mind boggling for my medicated brain, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one! I really, really like Lady Teldra, and while I’m impressed with how her soul has transformed into a great weapon, I’m also really sad that she’s died. Sethra does mention something to Vlad about “When Lady Teldra wakes up” though, so I’m hoping Vlad will be able to communicate with her. I’m also hoping that this new formidable weapon allows Vlad to come...