Hi, Shara. I forgot to mention in my first post that I found your review via LibraryThing--I'd just gotten a box of books back from my sister and was changing the tags on them to reflect that they were back home. Because of my ambivalent feelings toward _Amberlight_, I looked for reviews and that led to your full review on LiveJournal. I actually created an account there just so I could respond! But that means I haven't read anything else you have written or know your tastes at all outside of your comments in that review.
The covers on the Vlad series by Brust actually represent the animal whose name is the title. There is a complex mythology underlying this in the series which is one of the fascinating components. DZUR is the most recent in the series. If you read it, you miss out on all the backstory. You have no idea who Vlad is, how he started out just getting his own personal revenge back on the dominant race, moved into relationships with both his own and the other race, developed a sense of identity with his own race and came into conflict with its oppression, developed a sense of conscience and appreciation of the "humanity" of the dominant race, and has to struggle with it all in the context of the culture--and all within the confines of corking good stories. This is NOT a man fantasy--it's a man who has to grow up. I LIKE Vlad. I appreciate the detailed and fascinating cultures Brust develops. Why do you think Emma Bull collaborates with him? (see FREEDOM & NECESSITY) He's one of the few male authors that I collect everything he writes. Terry Pratchett is another. He's more uneven, but wicked sense of humor. When he is on, he is on! Have you read his Tiffany Aching trio?
Meanwhile, I have pulled both JHEREG and DZUR off my bookshelf to reread. Always glad of an excuse to read JHEREG again, and I will try to look at it through a newcomer's eyes, and I've only read DZUR once, since it's the newest, so a review will be great. DZUR, by the way, is the 10th in the series. There is also a 5 volume related series, modeled after Dumas' Three Musketeers trilogy stylistically, which is great fun, but should not be read before this one, at least 4 books in.
So I take it JHEREG is the first in the series? I might give him a shot one day, but I don't know when. I've got a ton of stuff to read, including my first ever Emma Bull book (TERRITORY), so it might take a while. :) Thanks for the recommendation though. :)
Yes, JHEREG is the first in the series. I re-read DZUR yesterday, and while you could start there, there are so many allusions to the back story that you would miss a lot, as well as the motivation for the events. I haven't read TERRITORY yet; Emma seems to be going off into quite a different direction from her earlier fantasy. Have you read any of Sharon Lee/Steve Miller's Liaden series? They would seem to be a good match for your tastes.
Re: AmberlightronincatsMarch 10 2008, 01:00:34 UTC
The first three books have been bundled up into a trade paperback under the title PARTNERS IN NECESSITY. AGENT OF CHANGE, CONFLICT OF HONORS, and CARPE DIEM are the individual titles. Once you get into those, there are sequels and prequels also available.
The covers on the Vlad series by Brust actually represent the animal whose name is the title. There is a complex mythology underlying this in the series which is one of the fascinating components. DZUR is the most recent in the series. If you read it, you miss out on all the backstory. You have no idea who Vlad is, how he started out just getting his own personal revenge back on the dominant race, moved into relationships with both his own and the other race, developed a sense of identity with his own race and came into conflict with its oppression, developed a sense of conscience and appreciation of the "humanity" of the dominant race, and has to struggle with it all in the context of the culture--and all within the confines of corking good stories. This is NOT a man fantasy--it's a man who has to grow up. I LIKE Vlad. I appreciate the detailed and fascinating cultures Brust develops. Why do you think Emma Bull collaborates with him? (see FREEDOM & NECESSITY) He's one of the few male authors that I collect everything he writes. Terry Pratchett is another. He's more uneven, but wicked sense of humor. When he is on, he is on! Have you read his Tiffany Aching trio?
Meanwhile, I have pulled both JHEREG and DZUR off my bookshelf to reread. Always glad of an excuse to read JHEREG again, and I will try to look at it through a newcomer's eyes, and I've only read DZUR once, since it's the newest, so a review will be great. DZUR, by the way, is the 10th in the series. There is also a 5 volume related series, modeled after Dumas' Three Musketeers trilogy stylistically, which is great fun, but should not be read before this one, at least 4 books in.
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So I take it JHEREG is the first in the series? I might give him a shot one day, but I don't know when. I've got a ton of stuff to read, including my first ever Emma Bull book (TERRITORY), so it might take a while. :) Thanks for the recommendation though. :)
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