Reading roundup: Extreme Dragaera edition
I was going to wait until I finished Athyra, Orca, and Jhereg reread, but it so happened that this has already maxed out the length of a single LJ post, so it's a good thing I didn't wait.
10. Steven Brust, Five Hundred Years After -- OK, I'm so glad I decided not to skip it but actually made them get off their butts and look for my hold, because this might actually be my favorite of the Dragaera books, in terms of an individual volume. I still like the Vlad Taltos series more than the Khaavren Romances, but this book! Spoilers! Just so satisfying. I think, for one, it's a much better written book than The Phoenix Guards, and I suspect it's because TPG was written on a lark, to amuse Brust, without really expecting to publish it, while I assume 500YA was actually written to be published. It's tighter and tenser and the pacing is kind of great, considering a) it's written "by" Paarfi, who goes into long asides about why he is choosing to tell the story a certain way and b) we actually know what happens (Adron's Disaster) and who lives and who doesn't, more or less (or, at least, the fates of Khaavren, Adron, Aliera, Sethra, Mario at a minimum). And yet, there were times I couldn't put it down, which was never the case with TPG.
I have a lot of favorite things about this book, but the favoritemost of them is Adron. I don't even know at this point whom I like better, Adron or Morrolan. (Suffice it to say that I find it really easy to fall for the Dragonlords. Brust basically took a whole set of characteristics that are bound to push my buttons in the best possible way -- pride and competence and arrogance and military prowess and fierce family loyalty -- and made them characteristic of this particular house. That's just not fair! Not that I'm complaining.) Anyway, OK, I probably still like Morrolan more because he's, you know, alive, and there's more to be read about him, and also he has a sense of humour, and perspective (for a Dragonlord, anyway :P), but Adron! From, "As everyone knows, I never dabble" to "Don't tell them that I meant well" (however (un)justified his interpretation of his own actions may be, and Paarfi doesn't seem inclined to be charitable), I just loved Adron a whole lot. The description of his anger (compared to the smelter and in other cases), his interaction with Tortaalik and Aerich, and, of course, the final moments, his comportment when he realizes what happened to his spell, his determination to try to protect the Orb and Aliera and save Khaavren and his friends, everything, basically! Adron is hubris personified, pretty much, and I have a huge kink for characters like that provided certain other requirements are met, and Adron pushes very similar buttons to Feanor, another great favorite of mine, except he seems to be a better friend and family man (which is, admittedly, not that hard).
On a lighter note, I enjoyed the way each time Khaavren walks up to him Adron expects he is coming to arrest him -- and the third time it happens, in the middle of the climactic battle, that is finally actually the case. Also, heh and hmm about Adron' hair thinning on top. That's such a random and therefore amusing detail, rather at odds with his godlike everything else. Also, unmitigated hee at Adron choosing to back out of his promised appearance under the threat of poetry -- and well-played Pel, of course!
In conclusion: "Adron e'Kieron, who had devoted more than four hundred years of his life to the study of this illegal and dangerous science -- devoted those years to studying in the same fashion he did everything: with the enthusiasm of a Tiassa, the courage of a Dzur, the subtlety of a Yendi, the freocity of a Dragon, and the thoroughness of a Lyorn." ♥!
I liked the look this book provided at the other Dragonlords, too. The interaction between Aliera and Sethra was priceless, two badass nerds periodically threatening to duel each other. When I'd asked for Dragaera on that OTP meme, etrangere listed Sethra/Aliera as her F/F OTP and I said I'd never considered it... but that's because I hadn't yet read 500YA at the time. I can totally see it now! And Sethra baiting Aliera for fun while also feeling rather mentorly towards her is pretty hilatrious. (Their sort of bickering is something that very frequently gets me to ship m/m couples, but it's not something I've ever seen between two women before.)
I found it interesting that Aliera is implied to be breathtakingly, mind-stealingly beautiful here -- previously competent Jurabin becomes a bit of a drooling idiot after seeing her once, Tortaalik can barely control his reaction, and Mario is rooted to the ground upon seeing her and is happy to wait for capture if it means he can look at her a bit longer, and even Khaavren is distracted by her beauty at their first meeting. Anyway, so, Aliera is super hot. The reason I find this interesting is that while Vlad does mention, in Taltos, when he first sees her, that Aliera was good-looking and "I think a Dragaeran would have found her very attractive" -- but Vlad himself is unaffected, and I never really got that impression from the Vlad books -- which is perfect, because the different standards of beauty among Dragaerans and Easterners is one of those great worldbuilding details I love about this series, which Vlad alludes to quite frequently, and it's neat to have a clear but mostly tacit example of it between the two series.
I also liked a lot everything we saw of Rollondar e'Drien (Morrolan's father and current Warlord), from the fact that he married the woman who defeated him in battle, to the scene where he dispatches a messenger to his wife on the eve of what he knows will be a terrible slaughter, to his command in the battle against Adron. And I liked Molric, his son, especially this: "Molric e'Drien, Adron's loyal chainman, lay bleeding from several wounds pinned beneath his fallen horse, proud that his father was triumphant, ashamed that he had not fought better for his commander; he would never meet his brother." I basically want to read happy domestic AU fic in which Rollondar, his unnamed but badass wife, Molric, ickle!Morrolan, Adron and Aliera are off being a happy Dragonlord family together. Which would probably involve killing things/people in large numbers, but still. Aww. :/ (Also, I was trying to figure out the relative ages of Aliera and Morrolan, and looks like they're about of an age, since Aliera is ~500 at the time of her disembodiment and start of the Interregnum to the beginning of the Vlad books is also about 500 years. Per here)
But, OK, there were people other than Dragonlords in this book, and they were marginally important, I guess. I was surprised to see how different older-and-wiser Khaavren was from the young man we met in TPG. I think I liked the young Khaavren better, though it's not that I dislike the older one; puppyishly enthusiastic and slightly star-struck Khaavren is simply a good deal more fun. Aerich and Pel had not changed much at all, and I liked Tazendra even more in this book, especially in the scene with Sethra Lavode, when Sethra says "There has never been a stupid sorcerer who has lived past his five hundredth year" and Tazendra proves that for all that she was baffled by Khaavren and Aerich Sherlock Holmesing over the corpse of the Orca assassin, she can do the deductive thing as well if she stops to think about it in the right way. Oh, and I really liked the scene where Aerich sends Tazendra to Khaavren (in Adron's presence), telling her not to tell him any of their concerns, counting on her inadvertently doing so anyway, and Sethra understands what he is doing and is amused by it. And then Tazendra being all movie!Hagrid-like ("I was not supposed to mention that, either.")
I have to say, although I don't think Aerich has changed, I liked him more in this book, mostly because of his interaction with Adron, which is quite priceless. It's too long to reproduce, but I also enjoyed the description, in extended metaphor, of Adron attacking his meal while Aerich "treated these same dishes as if each were an honored guest." And this, of course: "If one insults one's sovereign, one may be a fool who expects no response, or a martyr who expects to be arrested, or a rebel who expects to resist. I know Your Highness is not a fool; I doubt Your Highness is a martyr." And:
"Has Your Highness considered," said Aerich slowly, "that your efforts to prevent catastrophe may bring it about? For fate, as Your highness knows, cannot be denied?"
"Fate cannot be denied, but what has ever been accomplished, that is worth the accomplishment, except in spite of or against fate? The struggle is always worthwhile, if the end be worthwhile and the means honorable; foreknowledge of defeat is not sufficient reason to withdraw from the contest. Nevertheless, what you say is true; it may be that the noblest act is to have this power and not use it."
I also liked the detail that, even though Aerich specifically refused to capitalize on the time he spent with Adron to trick his sentries into admitting the four friends later, the sentries were momentarily distracted by seeing him anyway, which gave Khaavren and co the advantage, and Aerich was saddened by this.
I liked Daro, too, especially her insistence on wearing Lyorn colors because the whole house-color-coordination thing is silly. (I also think it's interesting that Khaavren was smitten by her but still could not look past the colors of her dress, so conditioned this lot are to the House divisions).
Oh, and although I'm still fairly indifferent to Sethra -- except that she is hilarious with Aliera -- I did like the glimpse of how democratic the Lavodes are. (And that the regular army doesn't trust them for it, understandably: "Have you instructions?" Rollondar: "Will you follow them?" Roila Lavode: "If it suits us.")
I had guessed that Greycat was Garland, which suspicion of mine was confirmed when Paarfi said "Greycat has not and will not appear anywhere in these pages under another guise", but I had *not* guessed that Grita was his daughter (I had completely forgotten he was a Tsalmoth). I do wonder who her Dzur mother was...
I thought this book did a very good job of showing Tortaalik sinking into decay from the young emperor eager to do well in TPG, and his ineptitude and petty tyranny were quite believable because they were not over-the-top except in small and relatively benign ways like the wardrobe changes and everything taking place per schedule, and stuff like, "[h]e was attempting to make himself angry, then sad, then happy, in order to make the Orb, which rotated above his head, change colors. He was, as usual, achieving only indifferent success", but clearly added up to someone who should no longer be in charge. And yet, it was difficult to hate Tortaalik outright, especially after the touching scene between him and Khaavren ("Sire, only the fates know the final outcome of the battle, but surely there is glory in knowing one has not surrendered, and surely there is comfort in knowing one is not alone." "Yes," he said, "That is a kind of glory, and that is surely a comfort." And it did an equally good job of showing Noima as both petty yet justified in her concerns -- although, of course, unlike in real history of ~this period, the fact that she's a woman is not automatically limiting, it's more that she's the Consort and I suppose that takes up all her time?
Speaking of that: the Dragaeran society in the Vlad Books has quite a lot of gender equality, but it's never jumped out at me as much as it did in the Khaavren books, because repression of women is even more expected in the more "historical" setting (reinforced by the style) of this era. Of course, there's the omnipresent thing where guards, soldiers, battle sorcerers, and various high-ranking officials and miliatry commanders are female as a matter of course. I also really enjoyed the fact that Daro not only ministers to Khaavren's wounds but also dispatches two people who try to kill him. And this conversation between them exemplified it for me: "Yes, we shall make boys as pretty as their mother." "And girls as brave as their father." Also, I'm less amused by the Brust and Paarfi conversation at the end, but one thing I really do like is that Paarfi is outraged that Brust had replaced the gender-unspecified pronoun with "he" in his 'translation'. This is all the neater because the gender equality underlines the very restrictive division of social classes, with the Teckla being comic relief at best and divisions of both noble titles and different houses, with the most drastic example being the half-breeds like Grita who are automatically condemned to the lowest classes.
Much less prominent, of course, but I also found to be neat the little love triangle mentioned in passing involving the Baroness of Clover (who likes the Count of three-by-the-Sea and later sleeps with him), Baroness of Newhouse (who likes the Baroness of Clover), and the Count of Three-by-the-Sea (who sleeps with Clover but is revealed to be more interested in Newhouse).
I'd never really paused to think of the Cycle turning very much, but this book brought up some very interesting near-paradoxes. Like, even though Khaavren and others suspect the Cycle is about to turn -- and would, in fact, like it to turn -- their duty is clearly to protect the decaying Emperor ignoring the possibility of the Cycle turning, and only if they do not succeed and the Cycle turns despite their best efforts, then the man they've been opposing becomes their liege. It's a wonder all these people don't go insane. Or maybe that's the explanation.
As I mentioned, the pacing really worked for me, even though I don't really know why. Even though I knew what was happening at the end, it was really neat to see just how things got there. There were a couple of really great places where stuff I knew going into the book beautifully foreshadowed what was about to happen. I think my favorite one of those is the end of Mario's conversation with the sorceress when she asks him what color he wants his fog and he tells her grey. This was especially neat because I'm re-reading Taltos in parallel and I only recently went through the part where Vlad was mentioning Mario Greymist and whether or not his nickname derives from how many people he sent to the Greymist falls. I was never particularly interested in Mario from what little we see of him in the Vlad books, but naive and lovestruck hotshot Mario in 500YA is pretty adorable and also pretty funny. Which is kind of a weird thing to say about an assassin, but there you go.
I also found it interesting that Adron's Disaster was the result not only of Adron's rage and choosing to deploy an elder sorcery spell but also Mario's assassination of Tortaalik -- both of which were ostensibly undertaken to avenge the insult to/imprisonment of Aliera. I wonder how Aliera -- if she realizes this, and I bet she does -- feels about that... Also, the way Adron's Disaster is the result of Adron being the Emperor from whom his elder sorcery spell attempts to wrest power, in a sort of infinite loop, is just damn cool.
One of the things I think Brust does well that most fantasy writers don't even attempt is describing social... movement? I really liked all the messy set-up with the army and the drought and the taxes and everything driving up prices, and the culmination of it all in the Five Hour Uprising. Some of my favorite quotes in the book come from that section: "We have even heard it suggested that Adron himself deliberately worked for this end [the Uprising] -- Adron, be it understood, who had only the vaguest notion that there even was sucha thing as a populace." "There are some historians who, even to-day, lay the blame at the feet of the short-lived leaders; yet according to all the evidence, these leaders, as amazed as anyone, were catapulted to the top of the Uprising as it progressed, because, like Plumtree, they expressed themselves in public a little better than their compatriots; or, like Tibrock, they had been expressing themselves in writing and were thus in the public eye; or, like Hithaguard, they made one or two suggestions that were well-received by their fellows and thus were called upon to make more." "As their fear grew, so did the degree to which they listened to the least rumor which offered a hope, ore a hero, or, failing these, at least a culprit." This is one case where Paarfi writing about history as a historian comes in very handy.
Speaking of Paarfi's writing, the unreliable narrator thing was quite clear in this case, though I'm not sure what exactly it's pointing to. It's perfectly clear that Paarfi fanboys Sethra Lavode very hard. Aerich too, I think, but that might be just the way everyone is with Aerich. On the other hand, he seems to have something against Aliera (or the e'Kierons in general?) ("as great a shame to us as Adron's Disaster is -- or ought to be -- to the proud e'Kieron line of the House of the Dragon") and e'Driens: "but of all the facets of the Disaster, none captures the horror so well as the consideration of those in the floating castles of the e'Drien line of the House of the Dragon. The reader, then, is invited to think of those proud Dragonlords, masters of their peculiar (although, perhaps, decandent) sorcery, who, upon realizing that, inexplicably, the Orb had vanished from awareness, then realized that sorcery had abruptly become useless, and then that they were falling." Gee, Paarfi, way to sound sympathetic! Though he does not not, it seems, have anything against Rollondar or Molric specifically... I guess he just doesn't like Morrolan? I dunno, he just seems to be taking potshots at them, which is odd considering that this manuscript was writted during a Dragon reign (Norathar's), when I'm guessing Aliera or Morrolan is Warlord.
Random stuff/quotes:
I don't think I noticed before that the Dragaeran day is 30 hours long.
"Redwreath and Goldstar Have Traveled to Deathgate" XD (R&G Are Dead, of course. I wonder who Khaavren's contemporary Stoppard is...)
I did enjoy the dean snarking in the intro (I wonder what D.B. stands for?): "As for art and craft, Three Broken Strings was derided for possessing neither, notably by [one person] and the three noble souls who kindly contributed their opinions, without giving themselves the credit of affixing their names, to Literary Considerations."
And I guess Paarfi/Brust snarking, too? (I wonder who Lord F-- is supposed to be): "He had previously been employed by the notorious publisher, Lord F--, in the task of meeting with authors and answering any questions they may have of His Lordship concerning publication schedules and payments."
"Pel [...] at the time of which we write, is doing nothing more than sleeping soundly. The reader ought to appreciate this moment, for it is rare indeed that we will have the opportunity to come upon our Yendi when he is not doing three, four, or five things at once."
"Chapter the Twenty-second, Which Treats of How Pel Treats Investigation, How Mica Treats Srahi to Dinner, How His Majesty Treats with His Advisers, And How the Physicker Treats Wounds."
I was also interested to see that Greycat's pitch for the Jhereg was quite similar to the matter that's in contention in Iorich (outlawing drugs to make their sale much more lucrative for the Jhereg). So, I guess that's been brewing for a while?
11. Steven Brust, Paths of the Dead (book 1 of Viscount of Adrilankha) -- OK, yeah, that's more like the Paarfi books I remember, that is to say, not that exciting. :P I did enjoy it, just nowhere near as much as 500YA, but that's OK. And it did have things to recommend it, i.e.: Spoilers from here on!
Naturally, my favorite thing about the book was wee!Morrolan. Being named by the mysterious coachman and going with "Morrolan" because he couldn't pronounce that first version of "dark star" the coachman had said (not that I blame him, it being "Sotetcsilleg", only with accents and umlauts). Not knowing he was a Dragaeran/elf because nobody told him because everybody thought he knew. Being considered Blackchapel's "pet demon", which I find oddly adorable. Getting all flustered at seeing Arra wrapped in a towel (and she enjoying teasing him like that). All that there was of him in the book was adorable -- I just wish there'd been more. And I do really want to know more about who raised him and what his childhood was like, but I wonder if we ever will... And yet completely calmly claiming that Verra is his soul-mate without being bothered by it being presumptuous.
I also was quite impressed by the coachman's explanation of "Dark Star": "Because in the land of Faerie all the stars are dark [the Enclouding, presumably], but you will be the darkest. You will give light, but few will know it. Your rod will be black [Blackwand, of course], your home will be darkness [Castle Black], but you will shine."
I also found quite touching the conversation between Morrolan and Arra after the village is attacked: "Concentrate on those [feelings for Verra]." "It is difficult, Arra. I feel little now except anger." I find it rather touching because Morrolan, a Dragonlord though he doesn't know it, is trying to be rational and holding himself tightly in check, and people holding themselves in check is kind of a kink of mine, and one of the reasons I like Morrolan so much in the first place. The most touching part of the book for me, though, was probably this exchange between Teldra and Morrolan: "'Star that never falls [the meaning of Rollondar's name],' repeated Morrolan. 'Well, and did he fall?' || Teldra said, 'I would think, looking at you, my lord, that he did not.' || Morrolan nodded."
I found it neat that Morrolan commented on Teldra's beauty when he first saw her. This suggests that the differing Dragaeran and Easterner standards of beauty are hardwired, since, growing up in the East, Morrolan would've been exposed to the Eastern standards, but I guess, intrinsically, it's the Dragaeran form that twigs him as lovely. And it was nice to see Teldra and her first meeting and interaction with Morrolan, and also her being such an Issola -- regretful, for example, that they had to kill some Easterners to get horses rather than talking, while neither Morrolan nor Arra are overly perturbed.
I also wonder about this comment of Paarfi's: "We confess that Morrolan is capable of exaggeration, prevarication, disinegnuouness, and making something up out of whole cloth." Huh, what? As I mentioned, I got the feeling that Paarfi didn't much like Morrolan in 500YA, just from the comments about the e'Drien line and their floating castles, but I wonder what that's all about. Paarfi didn't get invited to the party at Castle Black? :P Paarfi's obvious disdain towards witchcraft was also quite annoying in this book, considering it wasn't like there was much working sorcery left. And, speaking of the unreliable narrator thing, I found it interesting that Paarfi openly says Tazendra is in the books to be read "ironically" (i.e. so the reader would feel superior to her), while Sethra Lavode and Aerich are there to be admired. I guess mostly that's because Tazendra is Porthos, but I do wonder why Paarfi, in-universe, feels so comfortable mocking one of the Lavodes, even if *spoiler for subsequent book*.
Oh, and note to self: Morrolan's eyes *are* dark. I thought they were described as grey somewhere in fanmaterial, but that appears to not be true. I always imagined him as dark-eyed myself, so that's good. Also, "Morrolan" and "Rollondar" come from Silatan (the difference between 'rolan' and 'rollon', which presumably mean "star" in both cases kind of bugs me...). I would also really like to know more about Drien, who "had the ability to bring disparate forces together, and to forge powerful combinations. He did this in battle, and in politics, and in the subtle social weavings where small things can have great effects" -- and apparently also changed genders, though I've not been able to find this in the actual text yet, just on Lyorn records.
But, ultimately, the majority of the book did not have Morrolan in it, and I felt like rushing through it to get to Morrolan. Which, I'm not entirely rational about him, granted, but it means the action wasn't adequately keeping my attention, either.
OK, people other than Morrolan: I found it interesting to see the heroes of the previous two books, although Khaavren's state made me rather sad, of course. Aerich is unchanging as ever -- though I did find the letter he wrote to Pel but never sent quite touching -- and Tazendra hasn't changed much either (though I was amused to discover that she apparently drinks sparkly sweet wine for preference, hee). But the real oldschool standout for me in this book was Pel, for whom it totally makes sense to be aligned with the side consolidating power (i.e. on the opposite side of Our Heroes), and especially his internal dialogue as he's riding along: "while I am not of a disposition to be ordinarily moved by the suffering of people I don't know -- indeed, I have always found it easy to maintain equilibirum in the face of others' misfortunes -- still. [...] But then, that is why we were engaged in rebuilding the Empire. Or, at least, that is a good reason to do so, even if it is not my own reason, which has far more to do with my desire to hold an important post within it. [...] Perhaps I shall even be mentioned in history, which would be amusing. [...] I hope it won't be necessary to kill too many innocent people." I also really liked Khaavren's conversation with the pyrologist: "Instead of asking what you could do, you ought to have been asking what needs to be done" (which is a distinction dear to my heart). Oh, and as for Mica, I was sorry to hear that he no longer had his original barstool, but having it be made into a prosthetic for his lost leg did feel very fitting.
Oh, and as for Sethra, Paarfi is still fanboying her way too much for me to really like her, but I did find it interesting that she is seriously downplaying her role in preserving the orb, in conversation with the Sorceress in Green and Sethra the Younger.
Of the new characters, Kytraan (Uttrik's son) was my favorite. He is so uncomplicated, with his exclamations of "Impossible!" and a mind that clearly seldom strays far from the thoughts of impressing girls ("Girls like heroes", and the oddly touching detail of not being a morning person ("The Dragonlord moaned softly, sipped his klava, and closed his eyes. Then he opened them, cleared his throat, and solemnly announced, 'Good morning.'"). This is actually one of the things I love best about Dragonlords, I think. The Dzurlords can be argued to have hidden depths, as, say, Sethra's conversation with Tazendra in 500YA demonstrates. The Dragonlords, on the other hand, have hidden shallows, I think. We have all these variously accomplished people, brilliant military commanders, sorcerers, witches, painters, but underneath all that they're pretty much all id. It's cute!
I really liked Ibronka and Roaana, specifically as a pair. Oh, and the resourceful Clari, of course. They are amusing young ladies on their own, too, but I really like them as a buddy pair, and as counterpoint to Piro and Kytraan. I love the fact that Ibronka's first thought, upon hearing of Roanna, is "if this girl is worth fighting over I must meet her." and that she admits later she thought she would dislike her (as competition, presumably) but they quickly become friends. I especially like the similarities and contrasts in the conversations between Ibronka and Roaana and Kytraan and Piro:
I: "Though I wonder why the presence of pretty boys does not have the same effect as the presence of pretty girls. [i.e. causing fights] They are, after all, equally in demand."
R: Oh, it does, sometimes. But consider--
I: Well?
R: While it would be pleasant to fight over a boy, would you have any interest in a boy who would enjoy being fought over?
I: Do you know, I had not considered it in that light.
R: Nor had I, until just now.
I: I should imagine boys wouldn't be interested in a girl who enjoys being fought over, either.
K: You see, if there is an army, there must necessarily be spectators to watch it.
P: And then?
K: Well, some of them will certainly be girls.
P: That is true. And we can watch to see which of the girls are the bravest, and pick them to have conversations with.
K: Well, there is some justice in what you say, only I had thought of it more in the sense of the reverse.
P: How, pick the least brave?
K: No, no. I had referred to permitting them to see us being brave so they could choose to have conversations with us.
P: I see, I see. Yes, that would be a fine thing as well.
Speaking of Piro... I don't have much to say about him. I found young Khaavren more interesting in Phoenix Guards. I don't have anything against Piro, but he doesn't have much to capture my interest, either, which makes it rather frustrating that the history is largely centered on him.
Oh, also, I was rather amused by the scene where Piro and Kytraan meet Tazendra and, upon noticing how good looking Tazendra still is "these observations left Piro with a certain confusion, for the lady before him was without question an attractive woman, and Piro could hardly be insensitive to this; yet he was also acutely aware that she was a friend of his father, and looking at her the way a man looks at a desirable woman made him uncomfortable. It is only fair to add that Tazendra, for her part, had no trace whatsoever of this confusion." Come to think of it, I kind of ship Tazendra/Kytraan a little bit. I'm sure she could teach him a lot of things! And she is rather far from the kind of girl he appears to have as his type, which makes it all the more amusing for me to consider. (Also, Piro apparently considering hitting on Sethra, who looks like a girl of two or three hundred, was pretty funny, too.)
As for Zerika, she seemed like a pleasant young lady, trying hard, but didn't really do much for me until well into the Paths of the Dead chapter. I started to respect her a fair deal more when she thinks how she could run the Paths of Judgement better than the gods do and she did win me over when she faced the Lords of Judgement. Dunno if that was done intentionally (but well done in either case!) it really did feel like her experience on the Paths of the Dead had tempered her into a much more formidable person, which is, of course, as it should have been.
I also liked Lar well enough, and had guessed him to be the Teckla who'd been cooking for the brigands disposed of by Orlaan. Oh and I had guessed that Zerika was Zivra, too. Oh, and randomly, I kind of liked Wadre, the rather non-threatening highwayman leader.
One of my favorite things about this book is the effects of Adron's Disaster and vanishes sorcery on the remnants of the Empire, continuing to be felt so acutely three hundred years down the line. I was much less interested in Kana's machinations and Grita/Orlaan's revenge, but that might be because those threads did not contain any interesting characters (except Pel, occasionally).
It was also interesting to see in this book, from a Dragaeran nobleman's POV, essntially, a little bit of discussion on Easterners and Teckla. Not really discussion, but interesting little allusions, from "as ignorant as an Easterner" (used by both Teckla and nobility as a fixed phrase) to the various characters' opinions on Easterners. I like that it's already foreshadowed that Zerika has no prejudice against Easterners -- but the rest of our heroes do (Piro, and especially Tazendra, who says, "it is well known that they are filthy, ignorant, clumsy"), and the Tecklas' opinion is "if there were no Easterners, you and I should have no one over whom to feel superior, and feeling superior to someone is, I believe, as necessary as breathing and eating."
Random things: I enjoyed the introduction, by Emma Bull, written in character, especially the way she relates the contemporaries' fondness for Paarfi's historical fiction in terms that would work for readers of fantasy, too. Especially this note about nostalgia: "Our world is fast-paced and obsessed with efficiency over grace. Teleportation flicks us from our door to our friends' without a chance for a happy survey of the landscape inbetween. Psychic communication robs us of the tactile pleasure of pen and paper and the leisure to select the perfect phrase before we send our message to its intended recipient."
Paarfi's preface implies he does not consider Adron a military genius... But Rollondar (the Warlord) seemed to think so, and I would think he would know better, as an actual military commander?
Verra says Zerika is not the only Phoenix -- there are two, but they are both female. So... do we ever learn who the second one is? (ETA: Ah, yes, we do. That's neat!)
Also, LOL at the mention, in passing, of a legal battle that lasted 700 years.
Quotes:
"Priestesses of the Demon Goddess are immortal, elfs are long-lived, and coachmen-- [...] We are eternal." (Miska)
What Khaavren and Daro taught Piro, as recited by him: "To seek understanding before taking action, yet to trust my instincts when action is called for. Never to avoid danger from fear, never to seek out danger for its own sake. Never to conform to fashion from fear of eccentricity, never to be eccentric from fear of conformity. [...] To never strike without cause, and, when there is cause, to strike for the heart. To respect, love, and obey those whom the gods have made my masters, for their sake when deserved, for my sake should my masters be unworthy, and for the sake of duty at all times."
"[Mora] immediately spurred her horse, yet the horse had hardly moved when Wadre moved his arm in an indication that she was not to advance beyond him, wherefore she drew rein, her sword, and the conclusion that the time was not yet quite at hand to charge." Zeugma <3!
I also loved the confusing discussion about the north side of Adrilankha.
So... at this point I actually ran out of room in an LJ post, and so Lord of Castle Black and Sethra Lavode write-ups are here, in a separate post.
12. Steven Brust, Taltos (reread) -- ahh, so this is my perfect Taltos book, (Spoilers!) all Vlad and Morrolan, first impressions, the stand-off on the stairs at Dzur Mountain, being action buddies in the fight with Loraan, slogging through the Paths of the Dead, then coming to a kind of solidarity in having to deal with Aliera, and, of course, Vlad coming up with a way to allow Morrolan to return with them after he was the one that got him to come to the Paths of the Dead in the first place. I also really liked the different ways in which Aliera and Vlad refused to leave Morrolan behind. Aliera makes what Vlad refers to as a pointless gesture -- simply refuses to go if they both can't leave; Vlad, on the other hand, is willing to risk his life -- he wouldn't have the strength to leave if his spell failed or the blood didn't work -- but for an actual chance of success, rather than merely out of principle. I respect that.
One of the reasons I enjoy rereading the Vlad Taltos books, which I almost never do with most books, is that there's always random stuff I don't remember that, depending on what else I've just read in the series stands out and makes me wonder. Like:
- There's the discrepancy between Morrolan saying he was with Zerika's friends in the battle with bandits in Paths of the Dead, when it's clear from that book he hadn't even met any of them yet by this point. Some interesting speculation here on the Dragaera Wiki.
- What's up with Morrolan saying Sethra was a Dzurlord, when everyone assumes she's a Dragon? (The speculation above ties that in, too, but I find it a bit of a stretch.)
- I need to read Yendi and Dragon, I guess, next and see if it helps me understand/remember why Baritt was so sharp with Morrolan in the Paths of the Dead ("No, I merely do research here." "Research?" "I suppose you wouldn't be familiar with the concept"). And his interaction with Aliera, later on.
- Morrolan introduces himself to Aliera as "the eldest son of your father's youngest sister", which is interesting, since he is Rollondar's youngest son, quite clearly, and there is no way Aliera would not know this. So what's up with that? Eldest (as in, only) surviving, maybe? Trying to assert some authority with Aliera because he knows he'll have a hard time convincing her of anything? Just, odd. (I guess one can always fall back on the "Vlad doesn't remember it correctly" explanation, but that's no fun.)
- The revelation (or at least claim) that Aliera tried to talk Adron out of trying to force the Cycle to change in his favor.
- This was the first time I actually understood why Kieron seemed to recognize Vlad, or at least why Aliera thought so. And the conversation between Aliera and Kieron, more or less.
- Morrolan looking at the stars ("I'd forgotten what they were like."), after I'd just read about him discovering the Enclouding upon entering Dragaera.
Unfortunately, still don't actually know if Morrolan is straight-haired or curly-haired: "his hair was very dark, straight, and long enough to cover his ears." [Tlt 22] vs "His hair was black and shoulder-length and curly and just a bit neglected." [Tlt 23] I can totally see Morrolan neglecting to get a haircut in a timely fashion because he's got better things to do.
Vlad-Morrolan goodness:
"What shocked me even more, however, was the sight of Lord Morrolan, wizard and witch, duke of the House of the Dragon, licking honey off his fingers. It's a shame Dragaerans don't have facial hair, because he ought to have had a black goatee to get honey in." (Um.)
"I was pleased that Morrolan liked Fenarian peach brandy, but a little disappointed that he already knew about it, and even called it by its Fenarian name."
"I had the feeling that the next time he shrugged I was going to put a knife in his back. I suppose by that time he was feeling equally fond of me." [...] "Morrolan and I looked at each other. He shrugged and I almost belted him."
"Morrolan started to say something and I said, 'Drop dead, asshole. You may think this multiple duel business is some sort of cute game, but I don't care to be tested. They wanted to kill me, They didn't manage. That's the end of it.'"
"I'd now seen Morrolan wet, embarrassed, and startled. If I could just see him frightened, my life would be complete."
"Morrolan suggested that Aliera sit down and rest her legs. Aliera said, 'Shut up.' || I saw that Morrolan's patience was wearing thin. So was mine, for that matter. We bit our lips at the same moment, caught each other's eyes, and smiled a little."
"Morrolan said, 'Is there any way in which you can help us?' He sounded almost like he was begging, which in other circumstances I would have enjoyed." (Um. XD)
(And at the end there? Morrolan was totally inviting Vlad to a double date with Aliera and Sethra. Just sayin'. XD)
15. Steven Brust, Yendi (reread) -- OK, maybe reading Yendi while much of the rest of the canon is fresh in my mind is not such a great idea, because this book is SO full of contradictions, and I keep wondering which may have been intentional ones vs author goofs/things SKZB changed his mind on later.Spoilers!
1) Fentor is a Tsalmoth for some reason, and also way more obseqious than Fentor in LoCB, showing Vlad more deference than that Fentor shows Morrolan, which seems unlikely.
2) A big one -- Aliera's return from Paths of the Dead. On the one hand, Vlad makes allusion to descending Deathgate Falls (because he was the only one who could return). On the other hand, he talks about Aliera's return (in the middle of a field) in a way that clearly shows he doesn't think he had anything to do with it. As far as subject matter goes, OK, this seems as likely a subject as any for Verra-tampering. But given that this is how Vlad, Morrolan, Sethra, and Aliera met, and he spends a fair bit of time hanging out with them nowadays, how could the discrepancy not be noticed? Unless Verra tampered with Aliera and Morrolan's minds, too?
3) Norrathar asks about revivification in pre-Interregnum context, while the Paarfi books reveal that revivification was a post-Interregnum invention.
4) Since when does Vlad not like brandy?
I think that reading Yendi right on the heels of the Paarfi books made me feel like the Vlad/Cawti relationship was even more abrupt. And it is abrupt... I guess I could see it, though, at least on Vlad's side -- he is so lonely, surrounded by Dragaerans who nevertheless don't really feel like people to him, and don't regard him as such, and, moreover, being in a situation from which he sees no likely exit but death. I can even buy his breakdown in Castle Black. I do like the touch of Loiosh telling Cawti what Vlad wouldn't say, and the seeds of Vlad and Cawti's divorce already being planted in Yendi, because she considers the Easterners of South Adrilankha her people but Vlad is only looking out for himself and those few he cares about. That was nicely done. Also, still love the fact that she proposed to him and the only reason he didn't make a smartass comment is that Loiosh stopped him.
One of the reasons I decided to reread this book was for the conversation about Sethra the Younger, which goes:
Morrolan: "Aliera is opposed to Sethra the Younger's conquering the East until the Empire is stable. Sethra the Younger thinks that will make it stable, and our own Sethra [...] fells, as I do, that since Sethra -- the other one -- wants to do it, why not? What harm is there? They'll throw us out again in a few hundred or a thousand years. That was why kieron the Conqueror left them there in the first place -- so we'd have someone to fight and wouldn't tear ourselves apart."
And, I dunno... Morrolan was annoyed by Sethra's view of Easterners as prey in LoCB, but quite a bit of time has passed. I can see Morrolan still feeling protective of the people of Blackhapel but not really giving a fig about other random Easterners. I could also see both Sethra and Morrolan just baiting Aliera in that scene, because Sethra clearly enjoyed it in the past and Morrolan is not above it either (he baited Zerika, even, on first meeting). And as for talking about it in front of Vlad, I suspect they think he doesn't care about random Easterners in the East since he doesn't seem to identify with the ones in South Adrilankha. (Aliera probably thinks of him as a Dragaeran, anyway.)
Other quotes:
"But Morrolan wanted me for something, and he found such a unique way of hiring me that I was filled with admiration. I expressed my admiration in such glowing terms that he nearly took my head off with Blackwand, the infantry battalion disguised as a Morganti sword."
"Walking through the filth in the streets [of the Easterners' ghetto] made me want to retch, but I hid it. Anyway, we all know Easterners are filthy, right? Look at how they live. Never mind that they can't use sorcery to keep their neighborhoods clean the way Dragaerans do. If they want to use sorcery, they can become citizens of the Empire by moving into the country and becoming Teckla, or buying titles in the Jhereg. Don't want to be serfs? They're stubborn, too, aren't they? Don't have the money to buy titles? Of course not! Who'd give them a good job, seeing how filthy they are?"
I know I read somewhere that Yendi is SKZB's least favorite Vlad book, and it does feel... slumpy between Jhereg and Taltos, my two favorites. And it's confusing and inconsistent in frustrating ways. But I did still enjoy it on reread.
**
Having completed the young Morrolan retrospective, let me speak generally for a bit. I've been trying to formulate for myself why I have such an enduring crush on this character which is apt to flare up into a full-blown obsession periodically.
Part of the attraction is definitely the Proud Warrior Race Guy* thing that the entire House of the Dragon has going on. Part of it is definitely the fact that I generally go for characters who are super-competent at things, especially if it's multiple things at once -- and Morrolan, of course, is an accomplished military commander, wizard, and (at least quite decent) witch all at once. Part of it is his apparent lack of ambition -- not only does he not want to be Dragon Heir (nobody does), but he doesn't even seem to terribly care for social accollades (though he accepts things like his Dukedom gratefully) or even sorcerous accomplishments/fame -- he is driven by natural curiosity and/or a sense of duty, which is neat. Speaking of natural curiosity, I do love the fact that he is a huge nerd, basically, albeit a particularly badass one. I love that he is definitely not humble but also not really arrogant, either: he has an accurate assessment of his skills and abilities (maybe even with a tendency to underestimate himself, when young), and he is perfectly willing to admit his weaknesses and learn from whoever will teach him. (I'm going to guess that this is an artefact of his village orphan upbringing.) He certainly has his pride, and it's prickly enough, but he seems rather aware of his own flaws and accepting of them with good humour. He is pretty easy-going for a Dragon, and for a Dragaeran in general, actually, and he is one of the few who both makes and effort and is relatively successful at keeping his temper in check when roused, though he clearly has to work for it (like when he tries to meditate after the attack on Blackchapel or when he is preparing to go after Tri'nagore).
But I do think there's more to it than that, and I think that extra part -- that gives my fascination with Morrolan extra oomph -- is that he is a bicultural outsider, essentially, and from a narrative that pays a lot of attention to cultural conflict even when it's ostensibly about other things.
Somebody, in my massive search, had referred to Morrolan as the world's most epic ugly duckling story (paraphrasing), and while I don't think it's quite that, because I don't get the sense he was ever disparaged, I do definitely feel that Morrolan is somebody who is straddling two cultures, had his perception of who he is shifted abruptly in that sense, has retained things from the culture he grew up with and uses them to his advantage (witchcraft, anyway, we don't know about anything else) and has excelled in the skills that his "new" culture admires as well (sorcery and war). And, of course, it's all further confounded and made more interesting by the fact that, while he thought of himself as an Easterner, nobody else thought of him as a member of the in-group in the East, so that must have been interesting in its own right.
Come to think of it, some of the reasons I find Morrolan fascinating are also the reasons I find Duv Galeni fascinating. There are differences, of course: Galeni was a child of privilege, and then came the Solstice Massacre and everything changed, and not only did he live through and participate in a guerrila war that his side lost, he then moved to a planet where he was a foreigner and was always going to be under suspcion, and worked he way up there. Morrolan, on the other hand, started his life as a foreigner, though he didn't realize it apparently (and I do wonder what his childhood was like; it must have been pleasant enough, since when we meet him he is of a quite pleasant disposition and quite trusting), found a niche for himself, then had the revelation and readjustment of moving to the Empire, where he was sort of a long-lost prince but had to do a lot of heavy lifting to consolidate his position, and finally rose very high, embracing the various aspects of his new identity while not letting go of (parts of) the former.
There is a lot more tension in Galeni's arc, of course, but I do think they ping me similarly in a number of important respects. (Come to think of it, beyond the bi-cultural bit, too, Galeni and Morrolan both straddle the military and ~academia, too. Hm.
*I looked it up on TV tropes to make sure Dragera was there, and that led me to the link for Proud Merchant Race Guy, which, as soon as I saw it, I said to myself, "Oh, like Komarr?" -- and, sure enough, Komarr is like the 4th example down. There's also Proud Scholar Race Guy, with Minbari -- the first thing that occurred to me -- as an example, although, good point, TV Tropes person, that this is probably skewed perception because the Minbari we mainly see are all religious caste, but there are others. Anyway.
Also, shipping. I've seen some Morrolan/Teldra around, which I really don't see. He does compare her to a wife at one point, but, really, she only acts his wife in the absent-minded professor's with-it wife sense, taking care of things he would neglect because he is stuck in his ivory black tower, metaphorically or literally. The relationship, as well as being one of a loyal servant, seems to be a mentorship of sorts. We learn at some point in LoCB that Teldra was born during the Interregnum, which means she is younger than Morrolan, or, at most, the same age as he. But he defers to her. Of course, it makes sense since she is familiar with life in Dragaera, more or less, and he is not, but I still find it interesting. And the other women around Morrolan are mentor figures too, to an even greater degree, Arra, who is his mentor in witchcraft, Sethra, who is his mentor in sorcery. He is even prepared to learn from Sethra the Younger, whom he doesn't particularly like. I cannot see him in a relationship with any of them, either in the first years of their acquaintance or later.
Really, the only Paarfi-books-contemporary I could see logically shipped with Morrolan would be Zerika, if not for the fact that she already has a lover she is devoted to. Think about it, though! Although quite different in specifics, they have rather parallel histories, with both of them suddenly discovering a huge thing about their identities at about the same age and having to cope with it and learn on the job. (Granted, Zerika's adjustment is a lot greater, more sudden, and more impactful.) They are the only two Dragaerans who seem to have positive, or at least non-negative, views of Easterners, and I get the sense that Zerika's interest in them predated her acquaintance with Laszlo. Zerika was raised by Dragonlords while Morrolan is a Dragon who missed out on that entirely. Morrolan also, early on, at least, doesn't have the awe of her that everybody else has, which must be refreshing; he is the only person to tease her after she became Empress, and she is one of the few to tease him (e.g. about hogging all the best architects for Castle Black while she's rebuilding the Palace). I won't lie, part of the appeal of this purely hypothetical ship to me is also that it's a queen/male courtier kind of thing, which I seem to have a weakness for. But my own preferences aside, I get the distinct feeling that, like his father, the only relationship Morrolan could be interested in would be with a partner who -- I hate to use this word but I can't think of a better own, so -- "tops" him. In Rollondar's case it was his wife besting him in battle, but I could see bonds of duty suffice for Morrolan as well. (Yeah, I kind of started thinking about this ship after he volunteered to hold Zerika's stirrup once they sorted out whether and why he would be helping her.)
Alas, I don't think this ship can sail, even in my head, except in an AU with no Laszlo. And even then only if Zerika were to initiate it (possibly via a direct order, heh), because Morrolan c. LoCB/Sethra Lavode is way too preoccupied with sorcery to even think about making the first move. One gets the sense that if some brave and straightforward girl seduced him, Morrolan would find himself pleasantly surprised to be enjoying the experience more than he had expected, but meanwhile he would still be going over some sorcerous spells in the back of his mind. XP
And yet... Morrolan/Vlad in the Taltos books, especially Taltos, is one of those ships that I have a harder time not-seeing than seeing. Partly, to be sure, it's that it hits like ALL of my kinks: they nearly kill each other on first meeting, it's all bickering and one-upmanship from then on, in-between saving each other's lives in dramatic and (in Vlad's case) potentially self-sacrificing ways, and they are also powerful foils for each other, the Easterner raised among Dragaerans and the Dragon raised among Easterners. And also Vlad spends rather too much time thinking of Morrolan, honey, and licking in one sentence, and wants to hear Morrolan beg. Yeah... whatever, I didn't write this, Brust did. XD
Mostly, I think it's that Vlad's narration is a lot more sensual and a lot less prudish than Paarfi's. I don't know how much Morrolan actually changed in this respect, because one doesn't get the sense that he is like a step away from mentally undressing Vlad, but I do think I feel it more also because Vlad is one of the few people able to consistently get a rise out of Morrolan -- kind of a stronger version of some of the vibes that made me think of Morrolan/Zerika, incidentally. That, um, toppiness.
**
Random links from basically plugging in "Morrolan" and related search words into every search window I could find. (You think I'm kidding? I wish I were!)
1) From 2008 interview w/ Steven Brust, presented without comment: "If I were casting the movie, Johnny Depp would play Vlad, Val Kilmer would be Morrolan, and Robin Williams would be the voice of Loiosh."
2) Mini-comic with Vlad, Morrolan, and Loiosh (set around Dragon but non-spoilery) by barronblack. Chibi!Loiosh is the cutest thing ever, and what set me LOLing after smiling at the whole thing was reading the background noise text.
I couldn't resist and made a couple of icons:
3) Dragaera humour:
This one I've read before: Lightbulb, er, sword jokes, but they were worth a revisit. A number of these made me smile, but the Yendi one made me LOL. There's a reason there's only one of those -- it's perfection.
This one I haven't: Clap-clap jokes (like knock-knock jokes -- get it?). Some of the best ones are in the comments!
4) Not really fic, in that it doesn't use any characters, but does use, exhaustively, Paarfi's idiosyncratic style: What Dragaeran porn would read like in Paarfi-speak.
5) And now, fic:
Pomegranate Seeds. Aliera-POV, some lovely interaction between Aliera and Morrolan and a bit of f/f at the end, but mostly I read this as gen.
Witchcraft by dhaunea. My favorite Vlad/Morrolan that I was able to find. Not a coincidence that it's heavily Taltos based, and masterfully complements that novel. Pre-slash, but capturing most of what I love about this ship.
Paarfi/Morrolan, funny. Yeah, there was totally bound to be some Paarfi/Morrolan out there, given that clearly *something* is going on between those two from volume to volume, and it sounds fairly volatile. Nor is this the only Paarfi/Morrolan out there, merely my favorite one.
6) Dragaera character quiz. My result: Verra, followed by a 3-way tie between Devera, Noish-Pa, and Pel XD I'm not sure how I feel about being the Demon Goddess, but I am certainly happy to think of myself as a combination of Noish-Pa and Pel, whatever that would actually amount to...
You know what I've been thinking? That if it weren't that there's, like, half a dozen Dragaera fans on LJ all told, it would make for an awesome sorting community along the lines of westerosorting and kushielsorting. I mean, OK, 17 houses is kind of a high number, and it would probably need to wait until all the books were finished, because I personally don't have a very good grasp on many of the ones that haven't been covered yet, like Vallista, Tsalmoth, or Chreotha (at least there have been prominent Lyorn and Hawk characters). But if the 17 houses could be managed -- and here we have (or would have, at the end, presumably) -- houses with well defined group characteristics -- it would be awesome! The whole "game of thrones" concept is uniquely appropriate to the turning of the Cycle (even though, OK, it probably wouldn't be turning in order). And I was thinking that, of course, the game would have to be 17 or 34 weeks long, but one is too short and the other is too long (4 months vs 8 months), and then I remembered that the Dragaeran week is actually 5 days long, so if one were to use that, 34 weeks = 160 days, or just a little over 5 months, which would be a perfect legth for the game. Why, yes, I have given this purely hypothetical thing entirely too much though, but, admit it, it would rock!
10. Steven Brust, Five Hundred Years After -- OK, I'm so glad I decided not to skip it but actually made them get off their butts and look for my hold, because this might actually be my favorite of the Dragaera books, in terms of an individual volume. I still like the Vlad Taltos series more than the Khaavren Romances, but this book! Spoilers! Just so satisfying. I think, for one, it's a much better written book than The Phoenix Guards, and I suspect it's because TPG was written on a lark, to amuse Brust, without really expecting to publish it, while I assume 500YA was actually written to be published. It's tighter and tenser and the pacing is kind of great, considering a) it's written "by" Paarfi, who goes into long asides about why he is choosing to tell the story a certain way and b) we actually know what happens (Adron's Disaster) and who lives and who doesn't, more or less (or, at least, the fates of Khaavren, Adron, Aliera, Sethra, Mario at a minimum). And yet, there were times I couldn't put it down, which was never the case with TPG.
I have a lot of favorite things about this book, but the favoritemost of them is Adron. I don't even know at this point whom I like better, Adron or Morrolan. (Suffice it to say that I find it really easy to fall for the Dragonlords. Brust basically took a whole set of characteristics that are bound to push my buttons in the best possible way -- pride and competence and arrogance and military prowess and fierce family loyalty -- and made them characteristic of this particular house. That's just not fair! Not that I'm complaining.) Anyway, OK, I probably still like Morrolan more because he's, you know, alive, and there's more to be read about him, and also he has a sense of humour, and perspective (for a Dragonlord, anyway :P), but Adron! From, "As everyone knows, I never dabble" to "Don't tell them that I meant well" (however (un)justified his interpretation of his own actions may be, and Paarfi doesn't seem inclined to be charitable), I just loved Adron a whole lot. The description of his anger (compared to the smelter and in other cases), his interaction with Tortaalik and Aerich, and, of course, the final moments, his comportment when he realizes what happened to his spell, his determination to try to protect the Orb and Aliera and save Khaavren and his friends, everything, basically! Adron is hubris personified, pretty much, and I have a huge kink for characters like that provided certain other requirements are met, and Adron pushes very similar buttons to Feanor, another great favorite of mine, except he seems to be a better friend and family man (which is, admittedly, not that hard).
On a lighter note, I enjoyed the way each time Khaavren walks up to him Adron expects he is coming to arrest him -- and the third time it happens, in the middle of the climactic battle, that is finally actually the case. Also, heh and hmm about Adron' hair thinning on top. That's such a random and therefore amusing detail, rather at odds with his godlike everything else. Also, unmitigated hee at Adron choosing to back out of his promised appearance under the threat of poetry -- and well-played Pel, of course!
In conclusion: "Adron e'Kieron, who had devoted more than four hundred years of his life to the study of this illegal and dangerous science -- devoted those years to studying in the same fashion he did everything: with the enthusiasm of a Tiassa, the courage of a Dzur, the subtlety of a Yendi, the freocity of a Dragon, and the thoroughness of a Lyorn." ♥!
I liked the look this book provided at the other Dragonlords, too. The interaction between Aliera and Sethra was priceless, two badass nerds periodically threatening to duel each other. When I'd asked for Dragaera on that OTP meme, etrangere listed Sethra/Aliera as her F/F OTP and I said I'd never considered it... but that's because I hadn't yet read 500YA at the time. I can totally see it now! And Sethra baiting Aliera for fun while also feeling rather mentorly towards her is pretty hilatrious. (Their sort of bickering is something that very frequently gets me to ship m/m couples, but it's not something I've ever seen between two women before.)
I found it interesting that Aliera is implied to be breathtakingly, mind-stealingly beautiful here -- previously competent Jurabin becomes a bit of a drooling idiot after seeing her once, Tortaalik can barely control his reaction, and Mario is rooted to the ground upon seeing her and is happy to wait for capture if it means he can look at her a bit longer, and even Khaavren is distracted by her beauty at their first meeting. Anyway, so, Aliera is super hot. The reason I find this interesting is that while Vlad does mention, in Taltos, when he first sees her, that Aliera was good-looking and "I think a Dragaeran would have found her very attractive" -- but Vlad himself is unaffected, and I never really got that impression from the Vlad books -- which is perfect, because the different standards of beauty among Dragaerans and Easterners is one of those great worldbuilding details I love about this series, which Vlad alludes to quite frequently, and it's neat to have a clear but mostly tacit example of it between the two series.
I also liked a lot everything we saw of Rollondar e'Drien (Morrolan's father and current Warlord), from the fact that he married the woman who defeated him in battle, to the scene where he dispatches a messenger to his wife on the eve of what he knows will be a terrible slaughter, to his command in the battle against Adron. And I liked Molric, his son, especially this: "Molric e'Drien, Adron's loyal chainman, lay bleeding from several wounds pinned beneath his fallen horse, proud that his father was triumphant, ashamed that he had not fought better for his commander; he would never meet his brother." I basically want to read happy domestic AU fic in which Rollondar, his unnamed but badass wife, Molric, ickle!Morrolan, Adron and Aliera are off being a happy Dragonlord family together. Which would probably involve killing things/people in large numbers, but still. Aww. :/ (Also, I was trying to figure out the relative ages of Aliera and Morrolan, and looks like they're about of an age, since Aliera is ~500 at the time of her disembodiment and start of the Interregnum to the beginning of the Vlad books is also about 500 years. Per here)
But, OK, there were people other than Dragonlords in this book, and they were marginally important, I guess. I was surprised to see how different older-and-wiser Khaavren was from the young man we met in TPG. I think I liked the young Khaavren better, though it's not that I dislike the older one; puppyishly enthusiastic and slightly star-struck Khaavren is simply a good deal more fun. Aerich and Pel had not changed much at all, and I liked Tazendra even more in this book, especially in the scene with Sethra Lavode, when Sethra says "There has never been a stupid sorcerer who has lived past his five hundredth year" and Tazendra proves that for all that she was baffled by Khaavren and Aerich Sherlock Holmesing over the corpse of the Orca assassin, she can do the deductive thing as well if she stops to think about it in the right way. Oh, and I really liked the scene where Aerich sends Tazendra to Khaavren (in Adron's presence), telling her not to tell him any of their concerns, counting on her inadvertently doing so anyway, and Sethra understands what he is doing and is amused by it. And then Tazendra being all movie!Hagrid-like ("I was not supposed to mention that, either.")
I have to say, although I don't think Aerich has changed, I liked him more in this book, mostly because of his interaction with Adron, which is quite priceless. It's too long to reproduce, but I also enjoyed the description, in extended metaphor, of Adron attacking his meal while Aerich "treated these same dishes as if each were an honored guest." And this, of course: "If one insults one's sovereign, one may be a fool who expects no response, or a martyr who expects to be arrested, or a rebel who expects to resist. I know Your Highness is not a fool; I doubt Your Highness is a martyr." And:
"Has Your Highness considered," said Aerich slowly, "that your efforts to prevent catastrophe may bring it about? For fate, as Your highness knows, cannot be denied?"
"Fate cannot be denied, but what has ever been accomplished, that is worth the accomplishment, except in spite of or against fate? The struggle is always worthwhile, if the end be worthwhile and the means honorable; foreknowledge of defeat is not sufficient reason to withdraw from the contest. Nevertheless, what you say is true; it may be that the noblest act is to have this power and not use it."
I also liked the detail that, even though Aerich specifically refused to capitalize on the time he spent with Adron to trick his sentries into admitting the four friends later, the sentries were momentarily distracted by seeing him anyway, which gave Khaavren and co the advantage, and Aerich was saddened by this.
I liked Daro, too, especially her insistence on wearing Lyorn colors because the whole house-color-coordination thing is silly. (I also think it's interesting that Khaavren was smitten by her but still could not look past the colors of her dress, so conditioned this lot are to the House divisions).
Oh, and although I'm still fairly indifferent to Sethra -- except that she is hilarious with Aliera -- I did like the glimpse of how democratic the Lavodes are. (And that the regular army doesn't trust them for it, understandably: "Have you instructions?" Rollondar: "Will you follow them?" Roila Lavode: "If it suits us.")
I had guessed that Greycat was Garland, which suspicion of mine was confirmed when Paarfi said "Greycat has not and will not appear anywhere in these pages under another guise", but I had *not* guessed that Grita was his daughter (I had completely forgotten he was a Tsalmoth). I do wonder who her Dzur mother was...
I thought this book did a very good job of showing Tortaalik sinking into decay from the young emperor eager to do well in TPG, and his ineptitude and petty tyranny were quite believable because they were not over-the-top except in small and relatively benign ways like the wardrobe changes and everything taking place per schedule, and stuff like, "[h]e was attempting to make himself angry, then sad, then happy, in order to make the Orb, which rotated above his head, change colors. He was, as usual, achieving only indifferent success", but clearly added up to someone who should no longer be in charge. And yet, it was difficult to hate Tortaalik outright, especially after the touching scene between him and Khaavren ("Sire, only the fates know the final outcome of the battle, but surely there is glory in knowing one has not surrendered, and surely there is comfort in knowing one is not alone." "Yes," he said, "That is a kind of glory, and that is surely a comfort." And it did an equally good job of showing Noima as both petty yet justified in her concerns -- although, of course, unlike in real history of ~this period, the fact that she's a woman is not automatically limiting, it's more that she's the Consort and I suppose that takes up all her time?
Speaking of that: the Dragaeran society in the Vlad Books has quite a lot of gender equality, but it's never jumped out at me as much as it did in the Khaavren books, because repression of women is even more expected in the more "historical" setting (reinforced by the style) of this era. Of course, there's the omnipresent thing where guards, soldiers, battle sorcerers, and various high-ranking officials and miliatry commanders are female as a matter of course. I also really enjoyed the fact that Daro not only ministers to Khaavren's wounds but also dispatches two people who try to kill him. And this conversation between them exemplified it for me: "Yes, we shall make boys as pretty as their mother." "And girls as brave as their father." Also, I'm less amused by the Brust and Paarfi conversation at the end, but one thing I really do like is that Paarfi is outraged that Brust had replaced the gender-unspecified pronoun with "he" in his 'translation'. This is all the neater because the gender equality underlines the very restrictive division of social classes, with the Teckla being comic relief at best and divisions of both noble titles and different houses, with the most drastic example being the half-breeds like Grita who are automatically condemned to the lowest classes.
Much less prominent, of course, but I also found to be neat the little love triangle mentioned in passing involving the Baroness of Clover (who likes the Count of three-by-the-Sea and later sleeps with him), Baroness of Newhouse (who likes the Baroness of Clover), and the Count of Three-by-the-Sea (who sleeps with Clover but is revealed to be more interested in Newhouse).
I'd never really paused to think of the Cycle turning very much, but this book brought up some very interesting near-paradoxes. Like, even though Khaavren and others suspect the Cycle is about to turn -- and would, in fact, like it to turn -- their duty is clearly to protect the decaying Emperor ignoring the possibility of the Cycle turning, and only if they do not succeed and the Cycle turns despite their best efforts, then the man they've been opposing becomes their liege. It's a wonder all these people don't go insane. Or maybe that's the explanation.
As I mentioned, the pacing really worked for me, even though I don't really know why. Even though I knew what was happening at the end, it was really neat to see just how things got there. There were a couple of really great places where stuff I knew going into the book beautifully foreshadowed what was about to happen. I think my favorite one of those is the end of Mario's conversation with the sorceress when she asks him what color he wants his fog and he tells her grey. This was especially neat because I'm re-reading Taltos in parallel and I only recently went through the part where Vlad was mentioning Mario Greymist and whether or not his nickname derives from how many people he sent to the Greymist falls. I was never particularly interested in Mario from what little we see of him in the Vlad books, but naive and lovestruck hotshot Mario in 500YA is pretty adorable and also pretty funny. Which is kind of a weird thing to say about an assassin, but there you go.
I also found it interesting that Adron's Disaster was the result not only of Adron's rage and choosing to deploy an elder sorcery spell but also Mario's assassination of Tortaalik -- both of which were ostensibly undertaken to avenge the insult to/imprisonment of Aliera. I wonder how Aliera -- if she realizes this, and I bet she does -- feels about that... Also, the way Adron's Disaster is the result of Adron being the Emperor from whom his elder sorcery spell attempts to wrest power, in a sort of infinite loop, is just damn cool.
One of the things I think Brust does well that most fantasy writers don't even attempt is describing social... movement? I really liked all the messy set-up with the army and the drought and the taxes and everything driving up prices, and the culmination of it all in the Five Hour Uprising. Some of my favorite quotes in the book come from that section: "We have even heard it suggested that Adron himself deliberately worked for this end [the Uprising] -- Adron, be it understood, who had only the vaguest notion that there even was sucha thing as a populace." "There are some historians who, even to-day, lay the blame at the feet of the short-lived leaders; yet according to all the evidence, these leaders, as amazed as anyone, were catapulted to the top of the Uprising as it progressed, because, like Plumtree, they expressed themselves in public a little better than their compatriots; or, like Tibrock, they had been expressing themselves in writing and were thus in the public eye; or, like Hithaguard, they made one or two suggestions that were well-received by their fellows and thus were called upon to make more." "As their fear grew, so did the degree to which they listened to the least rumor which offered a hope, ore a hero, or, failing these, at least a culprit." This is one case where Paarfi writing about history as a historian comes in very handy.
Speaking of Paarfi's writing, the unreliable narrator thing was quite clear in this case, though I'm not sure what exactly it's pointing to. It's perfectly clear that Paarfi fanboys Sethra Lavode very hard. Aerich too, I think, but that might be just the way everyone is with Aerich. On the other hand, he seems to have something against Aliera (or the e'Kierons in general?) ("as great a shame to us as Adron's Disaster is -- or ought to be -- to the proud e'Kieron line of the House of the Dragon") and e'Driens: "but of all the facets of the Disaster, none captures the horror so well as the consideration of those in the floating castles of the e'Drien line of the House of the Dragon. The reader, then, is invited to think of those proud Dragonlords, masters of their peculiar (although, perhaps, decandent) sorcery, who, upon realizing that, inexplicably, the Orb had vanished from awareness, then realized that sorcery had abruptly become useless, and then that they were falling." Gee, Paarfi, way to sound sympathetic! Though he does not not, it seems, have anything against Rollondar or Molric specifically... I guess he just doesn't like Morrolan? I dunno, he just seems to be taking potshots at them, which is odd considering that this manuscript was writted during a Dragon reign (Norathar's), when I'm guessing Aliera or Morrolan is Warlord.
Random stuff/quotes:
I don't think I noticed before that the Dragaeran day is 30 hours long.
"Redwreath and Goldstar Have Traveled to Deathgate" XD (R&G Are Dead, of course. I wonder who Khaavren's contemporary Stoppard is...)
I did enjoy the dean snarking in the intro (I wonder what D.B. stands for?): "As for art and craft, Three Broken Strings was derided for possessing neither, notably by [one person] and the three noble souls who kindly contributed their opinions, without giving themselves the credit of affixing their names, to Literary Considerations."
And I guess Paarfi/Brust snarking, too? (I wonder who Lord F-- is supposed to be): "He had previously been employed by the notorious publisher, Lord F--, in the task of meeting with authors and answering any questions they may have of His Lordship concerning publication schedules and payments."
"Pel [...] at the time of which we write, is doing nothing more than sleeping soundly. The reader ought to appreciate this moment, for it is rare indeed that we will have the opportunity to come upon our Yendi when he is not doing three, four, or five things at once."
"Chapter the Twenty-second, Which Treats of How Pel Treats Investigation, How Mica Treats Srahi to Dinner, How His Majesty Treats with His Advisers, And How the Physicker Treats Wounds."
I was also interested to see that Greycat's pitch for the Jhereg was quite similar to the matter that's in contention in Iorich (outlawing drugs to make their sale much more lucrative for the Jhereg). So, I guess that's been brewing for a while?
11. Steven Brust, Paths of the Dead (book 1 of Viscount of Adrilankha) -- OK, yeah, that's more like the Paarfi books I remember, that is to say, not that exciting. :P I did enjoy it, just nowhere near as much as 500YA, but that's OK. And it did have things to recommend it, i.e.: Spoilers from here on!
Naturally, my favorite thing about the book was wee!Morrolan. Being named by the mysterious coachman and going with "Morrolan" because he couldn't pronounce that first version of "dark star" the coachman had said (not that I blame him, it being "Sotetcsilleg", only with accents and umlauts). Not knowing he was a Dragaeran/elf because nobody told him because everybody thought he knew. Being considered Blackchapel's "pet demon", which I find oddly adorable. Getting all flustered at seeing Arra wrapped in a towel (and she enjoying teasing him like that). All that there was of him in the book was adorable -- I just wish there'd been more. And I do really want to know more about who raised him and what his childhood was like, but I wonder if we ever will... And yet completely calmly claiming that Verra is his soul-mate without being bothered by it being presumptuous.
I also was quite impressed by the coachman's explanation of "Dark Star": "Because in the land of Faerie all the stars are dark [the Enclouding, presumably], but you will be the darkest. You will give light, but few will know it. Your rod will be black [Blackwand, of course], your home will be darkness [Castle Black], but you will shine."
I also found quite touching the conversation between Morrolan and Arra after the village is attacked: "Concentrate on those [feelings for Verra]." "It is difficult, Arra. I feel little now except anger." I find it rather touching because Morrolan, a Dragonlord though he doesn't know it, is trying to be rational and holding himself tightly in check, and people holding themselves in check is kind of a kink of mine, and one of the reasons I like Morrolan so much in the first place. The most touching part of the book for me, though, was probably this exchange between Teldra and Morrolan: "'Star that never falls [the meaning of Rollondar's name],' repeated Morrolan. 'Well, and did he fall?' || Teldra said, 'I would think, looking at you, my lord, that he did not.' || Morrolan nodded."
I found it neat that Morrolan commented on Teldra's beauty when he first saw her. This suggests that the differing Dragaeran and Easterner standards of beauty are hardwired, since, growing up in the East, Morrolan would've been exposed to the Eastern standards, but I guess, intrinsically, it's the Dragaeran form that twigs him as lovely. And it was nice to see Teldra and her first meeting and interaction with Morrolan, and also her being such an Issola -- regretful, for example, that they had to kill some Easterners to get horses rather than talking, while neither Morrolan nor Arra are overly perturbed.
I also wonder about this comment of Paarfi's: "We confess that Morrolan is capable of exaggeration, prevarication, disinegnuouness, and making something up out of whole cloth." Huh, what? As I mentioned, I got the feeling that Paarfi didn't much like Morrolan in 500YA, just from the comments about the e'Drien line and their floating castles, but I wonder what that's all about. Paarfi didn't get invited to the party at Castle Black? :P Paarfi's obvious disdain towards witchcraft was also quite annoying in this book, considering it wasn't like there was much working sorcery left. And, speaking of the unreliable narrator thing, I found it interesting that Paarfi openly says Tazendra is in the books to be read "ironically" (i.e. so the reader would feel superior to her), while Sethra Lavode and Aerich are there to be admired. I guess mostly that's because Tazendra is Porthos, but I do wonder why Paarfi, in-universe, feels so comfortable mocking one of the Lavodes, even if *spoiler for subsequent book*.
Oh, and note to self: Morrolan's eyes *are* dark. I thought they were described as grey somewhere in fanmaterial, but that appears to not be true. I always imagined him as dark-eyed myself, so that's good. Also, "Morrolan" and "Rollondar" come from Silatan (the difference between 'rolan' and 'rollon', which presumably mean "star" in both cases kind of bugs me...). I would also really like to know more about Drien, who "had the ability to bring disparate forces together, and to forge powerful combinations. He did this in battle, and in politics, and in the subtle social weavings where small things can have great effects" -- and apparently also changed genders, though I've not been able to find this in the actual text yet, just on Lyorn records.
But, ultimately, the majority of the book did not have Morrolan in it, and I felt like rushing through it to get to Morrolan. Which, I'm not entirely rational about him, granted, but it means the action wasn't adequately keeping my attention, either.
OK, people other than Morrolan: I found it interesting to see the heroes of the previous two books, although Khaavren's state made me rather sad, of course. Aerich is unchanging as ever -- though I did find the letter he wrote to Pel but never sent quite touching -- and Tazendra hasn't changed much either (though I was amused to discover that she apparently drinks sparkly sweet wine for preference, hee). But the real oldschool standout for me in this book was Pel, for whom it totally makes sense to be aligned with the side consolidating power (i.e. on the opposite side of Our Heroes), and especially his internal dialogue as he's riding along: "while I am not of a disposition to be ordinarily moved by the suffering of people I don't know -- indeed, I have always found it easy to maintain equilibirum in the face of others' misfortunes -- still. [...] But then, that is why we were engaged in rebuilding the Empire. Or, at least, that is a good reason to do so, even if it is not my own reason, which has far more to do with my desire to hold an important post within it. [...] Perhaps I shall even be mentioned in history, which would be amusing. [...] I hope it won't be necessary to kill too many innocent people." I also really liked Khaavren's conversation with the pyrologist: "Instead of asking what you could do, you ought to have been asking what needs to be done" (which is a distinction dear to my heart). Oh, and as for Mica, I was sorry to hear that he no longer had his original barstool, but having it be made into a prosthetic for his lost leg did feel very fitting.
Oh, and as for Sethra, Paarfi is still fanboying her way too much for me to really like her, but I did find it interesting that she is seriously downplaying her role in preserving the orb, in conversation with the Sorceress in Green and Sethra the Younger.
Of the new characters, Kytraan (Uttrik's son) was my favorite. He is so uncomplicated, with his exclamations of "Impossible!" and a mind that clearly seldom strays far from the thoughts of impressing girls ("Girls like heroes", and the oddly touching detail of not being a morning person ("The Dragonlord moaned softly, sipped his klava, and closed his eyes. Then he opened them, cleared his throat, and solemnly announced, 'Good morning.'"). This is actually one of the things I love best about Dragonlords, I think. The Dzurlords can be argued to have hidden depths, as, say, Sethra's conversation with Tazendra in 500YA demonstrates. The Dragonlords, on the other hand, have hidden shallows, I think. We have all these variously accomplished people, brilliant military commanders, sorcerers, witches, painters, but underneath all that they're pretty much all id. It's cute!
I really liked Ibronka and Roaana, specifically as a pair. Oh, and the resourceful Clari, of course. They are amusing young ladies on their own, too, but I really like them as a buddy pair, and as counterpoint to Piro and Kytraan. I love the fact that Ibronka's first thought, upon hearing of Roanna, is "if this girl is worth fighting over I must meet her." and that she admits later she thought she would dislike her (as competition, presumably) but they quickly become friends. I especially like the similarities and contrasts in the conversations between Ibronka and Roaana and Kytraan and Piro:
I: "Though I wonder why the presence of pretty boys does not have the same effect as the presence of pretty girls. [i.e. causing fights] They are, after all, equally in demand."
R: Oh, it does, sometimes. But consider--
I: Well?
R: While it would be pleasant to fight over a boy, would you have any interest in a boy who would enjoy being fought over?
I: Do you know, I had not considered it in that light.
R: Nor had I, until just now.
I: I should imagine boys wouldn't be interested in a girl who enjoys being fought over, either.
K: You see, if there is an army, there must necessarily be spectators to watch it.
P: And then?
K: Well, some of them will certainly be girls.
P: That is true. And we can watch to see which of the girls are the bravest, and pick them to have conversations with.
K: Well, there is some justice in what you say, only I had thought of it more in the sense of the reverse.
P: How, pick the least brave?
K: No, no. I had referred to permitting them to see us being brave so they could choose to have conversations with us.
P: I see, I see. Yes, that would be a fine thing as well.
Speaking of Piro... I don't have much to say about him. I found young Khaavren more interesting in Phoenix Guards. I don't have anything against Piro, but he doesn't have much to capture my interest, either, which makes it rather frustrating that the history is largely centered on him.
Oh, also, I was rather amused by the scene where Piro and Kytraan meet Tazendra and, upon noticing how good looking Tazendra still is "these observations left Piro with a certain confusion, for the lady before him was without question an attractive woman, and Piro could hardly be insensitive to this; yet he was also acutely aware that she was a friend of his father, and looking at her the way a man looks at a desirable woman made him uncomfortable. It is only fair to add that Tazendra, for her part, had no trace whatsoever of this confusion." Come to think of it, I kind of ship Tazendra/Kytraan a little bit. I'm sure she could teach him a lot of things! And she is rather far from the kind of girl he appears to have as his type, which makes it all the more amusing for me to consider. (Also, Piro apparently considering hitting on Sethra, who looks like a girl of two or three hundred, was pretty funny, too.)
As for Zerika, she seemed like a pleasant young lady, trying hard, but didn't really do much for me until well into the Paths of the Dead chapter. I started to respect her a fair deal more when she thinks how she could run the Paths of Judgement better than the gods do and she did win me over when she faced the Lords of Judgement. Dunno if that was done intentionally (but well done in either case!) it really did feel like her experience on the Paths of the Dead had tempered her into a much more formidable person, which is, of course, as it should have been.
I also liked Lar well enough, and had guessed him to be the Teckla who'd been cooking for the brigands disposed of by Orlaan. Oh and I had guessed that Zerika was Zivra, too. Oh, and randomly, I kind of liked Wadre, the rather non-threatening highwayman leader.
One of my favorite things about this book is the effects of Adron's Disaster and vanishes sorcery on the remnants of the Empire, continuing to be felt so acutely three hundred years down the line. I was much less interested in Kana's machinations and Grita/Orlaan's revenge, but that might be because those threads did not contain any interesting characters (except Pel, occasionally).
It was also interesting to see in this book, from a Dragaeran nobleman's POV, essntially, a little bit of discussion on Easterners and Teckla. Not really discussion, but interesting little allusions, from "as ignorant as an Easterner" (used by both Teckla and nobility as a fixed phrase) to the various characters' opinions on Easterners. I like that it's already foreshadowed that Zerika has no prejudice against Easterners -- but the rest of our heroes do (Piro, and especially Tazendra, who says, "it is well known that they are filthy, ignorant, clumsy"), and the Tecklas' opinion is "if there were no Easterners, you and I should have no one over whom to feel superior, and feeling superior to someone is, I believe, as necessary as breathing and eating."
Random things: I enjoyed the introduction, by Emma Bull, written in character, especially the way she relates the contemporaries' fondness for Paarfi's historical fiction in terms that would work for readers of fantasy, too. Especially this note about nostalgia: "Our world is fast-paced and obsessed with efficiency over grace. Teleportation flicks us from our door to our friends' without a chance for a happy survey of the landscape inbetween. Psychic communication robs us of the tactile pleasure of pen and paper and the leisure to select the perfect phrase before we send our message to its intended recipient."
Paarfi's preface implies he does not consider Adron a military genius... But Rollondar (the Warlord) seemed to think so, and I would think he would know better, as an actual military commander?
Verra says Zerika is not the only Phoenix -- there are two, but they are both female. So... do we ever learn who the second one is? (ETA: Ah, yes, we do. That's neat!)
Also, LOL at the mention, in passing, of a legal battle that lasted 700 years.
Quotes:
"Priestesses of the Demon Goddess are immortal, elfs are long-lived, and coachmen-- [...] We are eternal." (Miska)
What Khaavren and Daro taught Piro, as recited by him: "To seek understanding before taking action, yet to trust my instincts when action is called for. Never to avoid danger from fear, never to seek out danger for its own sake. Never to conform to fashion from fear of eccentricity, never to be eccentric from fear of conformity. [...] To never strike without cause, and, when there is cause, to strike for the heart. To respect, love, and obey those whom the gods have made my masters, for their sake when deserved, for my sake should my masters be unworthy, and for the sake of duty at all times."
"[Mora] immediately spurred her horse, yet the horse had hardly moved when Wadre moved his arm in an indication that she was not to advance beyond him, wherefore she drew rein, her sword, and the conclusion that the time was not yet quite at hand to charge." Zeugma <3!
I also loved the confusing discussion about the north side of Adrilankha.
So... at this point I actually ran out of room in an LJ post, and so Lord of Castle Black and Sethra Lavode write-ups are here, in a separate post.
12. Steven Brust, Taltos (reread) -- ahh, so this is my perfect Taltos book, (Spoilers!) all Vlad and Morrolan, first impressions, the stand-off on the stairs at Dzur Mountain, being action buddies in the fight with Loraan, slogging through the Paths of the Dead, then coming to a kind of solidarity in having to deal with Aliera, and, of course, Vlad coming up with a way to allow Morrolan to return with them after he was the one that got him to come to the Paths of the Dead in the first place. I also really liked the different ways in which Aliera and Vlad refused to leave Morrolan behind. Aliera makes what Vlad refers to as a pointless gesture -- simply refuses to go if they both can't leave; Vlad, on the other hand, is willing to risk his life -- he wouldn't have the strength to leave if his spell failed or the blood didn't work -- but for an actual chance of success, rather than merely out of principle. I respect that.
One of the reasons I enjoy rereading the Vlad Taltos books, which I almost never do with most books, is that there's always random stuff I don't remember that, depending on what else I've just read in the series stands out and makes me wonder. Like:
- There's the discrepancy between Morrolan saying he was with Zerika's friends in the battle with bandits in Paths of the Dead, when it's clear from that book he hadn't even met any of them yet by this point. Some interesting speculation here on the Dragaera Wiki.
- What's up with Morrolan saying Sethra was a Dzurlord, when everyone assumes she's a Dragon? (The speculation above ties that in, too, but I find it a bit of a stretch.)
- I need to read Yendi and Dragon, I guess, next and see if it helps me understand/remember why Baritt was so sharp with Morrolan in the Paths of the Dead ("No, I merely do research here." "Research?" "I suppose you wouldn't be familiar with the concept"). And his interaction with Aliera, later on.
- Morrolan introduces himself to Aliera as "the eldest son of your father's youngest sister", which is interesting, since he is Rollondar's youngest son, quite clearly, and there is no way Aliera would not know this. So what's up with that? Eldest (as in, only) surviving, maybe? Trying to assert some authority with Aliera because he knows he'll have a hard time convincing her of anything? Just, odd. (I guess one can always fall back on the "Vlad doesn't remember it correctly" explanation, but that's no fun.)
- The revelation (or at least claim) that Aliera tried to talk Adron out of trying to force the Cycle to change in his favor.
- This was the first time I actually understood why Kieron seemed to recognize Vlad, or at least why Aliera thought so. And the conversation between Aliera and Kieron, more or less.
- Morrolan looking at the stars ("I'd forgotten what they were like."), after I'd just read about him discovering the Enclouding upon entering Dragaera.
Unfortunately, still don't actually know if Morrolan is straight-haired or curly-haired: "his hair was very dark, straight, and long enough to cover his ears." [Tlt 22] vs "His hair was black and shoulder-length and curly and just a bit neglected." [Tlt 23] I can totally see Morrolan neglecting to get a haircut in a timely fashion because he's got better things to do.
Vlad-Morrolan goodness:
"What shocked me even more, however, was the sight of Lord Morrolan, wizard and witch, duke of the House of the Dragon, licking honey off his fingers. It's a shame Dragaerans don't have facial hair, because he ought to have had a black goatee to get honey in." (Um.)
"I was pleased that Morrolan liked Fenarian peach brandy, but a little disappointed that he already knew about it, and even called it by its Fenarian name."
"I had the feeling that the next time he shrugged I was going to put a knife in his back. I suppose by that time he was feeling equally fond of me." [...] "Morrolan and I looked at each other. He shrugged and I almost belted him."
"Morrolan started to say something and I said, 'Drop dead, asshole. You may think this multiple duel business is some sort of cute game, but I don't care to be tested. They wanted to kill me, They didn't manage. That's the end of it.'"
"I'd now seen Morrolan wet, embarrassed, and startled. If I could just see him frightened, my life would be complete."
"Morrolan suggested that Aliera sit down and rest her legs. Aliera said, 'Shut up.' || I saw that Morrolan's patience was wearing thin. So was mine, for that matter. We bit our lips at the same moment, caught each other's eyes, and smiled a little."
"Morrolan said, 'Is there any way in which you can help us?' He sounded almost like he was begging, which in other circumstances I would have enjoyed." (Um. XD)
(And at the end there? Morrolan was totally inviting Vlad to a double date with Aliera and Sethra. Just sayin'. XD)
15. Steven Brust, Yendi (reread) -- OK, maybe reading Yendi while much of the rest of the canon is fresh in my mind is not such a great idea, because this book is SO full of contradictions, and I keep wondering which may have been intentional ones vs author goofs/things SKZB changed his mind on later.Spoilers!
1) Fentor is a Tsalmoth for some reason, and also way more obseqious than Fentor in LoCB, showing Vlad more deference than that Fentor shows Morrolan, which seems unlikely.
2) A big one -- Aliera's return from Paths of the Dead. On the one hand, Vlad makes allusion to descending Deathgate Falls (because he was the only one who could return). On the other hand, he talks about Aliera's return (in the middle of a field) in a way that clearly shows he doesn't think he had anything to do with it. As far as subject matter goes, OK, this seems as likely a subject as any for Verra-tampering. But given that this is how Vlad, Morrolan, Sethra, and Aliera met, and he spends a fair bit of time hanging out with them nowadays, how could the discrepancy not be noticed? Unless Verra tampered with Aliera and Morrolan's minds, too?
3) Norrathar asks about revivification in pre-Interregnum context, while the Paarfi books reveal that revivification was a post-Interregnum invention.
4) Since when does Vlad not like brandy?
I think that reading Yendi right on the heels of the Paarfi books made me feel like the Vlad/Cawti relationship was even more abrupt. And it is abrupt... I guess I could see it, though, at least on Vlad's side -- he is so lonely, surrounded by Dragaerans who nevertheless don't really feel like people to him, and don't regard him as such, and, moreover, being in a situation from which he sees no likely exit but death. I can even buy his breakdown in Castle Black. I do like the touch of Loiosh telling Cawti what Vlad wouldn't say, and the seeds of Vlad and Cawti's divorce already being planted in Yendi, because she considers the Easterners of South Adrilankha her people but Vlad is only looking out for himself and those few he cares about. That was nicely done. Also, still love the fact that she proposed to him and the only reason he didn't make a smartass comment is that Loiosh stopped him.
One of the reasons I decided to reread this book was for the conversation about Sethra the Younger, which goes:
Morrolan: "Aliera is opposed to Sethra the Younger's conquering the East until the Empire is stable. Sethra the Younger thinks that will make it stable, and our own Sethra [...] fells, as I do, that since Sethra -- the other one -- wants to do it, why not? What harm is there? They'll throw us out again in a few hundred or a thousand years. That was why kieron the Conqueror left them there in the first place -- so we'd have someone to fight and wouldn't tear ourselves apart."
And, I dunno... Morrolan was annoyed by Sethra's view of Easterners as prey in LoCB, but quite a bit of time has passed. I can see Morrolan still feeling protective of the people of Blackhapel but not really giving a fig about other random Easterners. I could also see both Sethra and Morrolan just baiting Aliera in that scene, because Sethra clearly enjoyed it in the past and Morrolan is not above it either (he baited Zerika, even, on first meeting). And as for talking about it in front of Vlad, I suspect they think he doesn't care about random Easterners in the East since he doesn't seem to identify with the ones in South Adrilankha. (Aliera probably thinks of him as a Dragaeran, anyway.)
Other quotes:
"But Morrolan wanted me for something, and he found such a unique way of hiring me that I was filled with admiration. I expressed my admiration in such glowing terms that he nearly took my head off with Blackwand, the infantry battalion disguised as a Morganti sword."
"Walking through the filth in the streets [of the Easterners' ghetto] made me want to retch, but I hid it. Anyway, we all know Easterners are filthy, right? Look at how they live. Never mind that they can't use sorcery to keep their neighborhoods clean the way Dragaerans do. If they want to use sorcery, they can become citizens of the Empire by moving into the country and becoming Teckla, or buying titles in the Jhereg. Don't want to be serfs? They're stubborn, too, aren't they? Don't have the money to buy titles? Of course not! Who'd give them a good job, seeing how filthy they are?"
I know I read somewhere that Yendi is SKZB's least favorite Vlad book, and it does feel... slumpy between Jhereg and Taltos, my two favorites. And it's confusing and inconsistent in frustrating ways. But I did still enjoy it on reread.
**
Having completed the young Morrolan retrospective, let me speak generally for a bit. I've been trying to formulate for myself why I have such an enduring crush on this character which is apt to flare up into a full-blown obsession periodically.
Part of the attraction is definitely the Proud Warrior Race Guy* thing that the entire House of the Dragon has going on. Part of it is definitely the fact that I generally go for characters who are super-competent at things, especially if it's multiple things at once -- and Morrolan, of course, is an accomplished military commander, wizard, and (at least quite decent) witch all at once. Part of it is his apparent lack of ambition -- not only does he not want to be Dragon Heir (nobody does), but he doesn't even seem to terribly care for social accollades (though he accepts things like his Dukedom gratefully) or even sorcerous accomplishments/fame -- he is driven by natural curiosity and/or a sense of duty, which is neat. Speaking of natural curiosity, I do love the fact that he is a huge nerd, basically, albeit a particularly badass one. I love that he is definitely not humble but also not really arrogant, either: he has an accurate assessment of his skills and abilities (maybe even with a tendency to underestimate himself, when young), and he is perfectly willing to admit his weaknesses and learn from whoever will teach him. (I'm going to guess that this is an artefact of his village orphan upbringing.) He certainly has his pride, and it's prickly enough, but he seems rather aware of his own flaws and accepting of them with good humour. He is pretty easy-going for a Dragon, and for a Dragaeran in general, actually, and he is one of the few who both makes and effort and is relatively successful at keeping his temper in check when roused, though he clearly has to work for it (like when he tries to meditate after the attack on Blackchapel or when he is preparing to go after Tri'nagore).
But I do think there's more to it than that, and I think that extra part -- that gives my fascination with Morrolan extra oomph -- is that he is a bicultural outsider, essentially, and from a narrative that pays a lot of attention to cultural conflict even when it's ostensibly about other things.
Somebody, in my massive search, had referred to Morrolan as the world's most epic ugly duckling story (paraphrasing), and while I don't think it's quite that, because I don't get the sense he was ever disparaged, I do definitely feel that Morrolan is somebody who is straddling two cultures, had his perception of who he is shifted abruptly in that sense, has retained things from the culture he grew up with and uses them to his advantage (witchcraft, anyway, we don't know about anything else) and has excelled in the skills that his "new" culture admires as well (sorcery and war). And, of course, it's all further confounded and made more interesting by the fact that, while he thought of himself as an Easterner, nobody else thought of him as a member of the in-group in the East, so that must have been interesting in its own right.
Come to think of it, some of the reasons I find Morrolan fascinating are also the reasons I find Duv Galeni fascinating. There are differences, of course: Galeni was a child of privilege, and then came the Solstice Massacre and everything changed, and not only did he live through and participate in a guerrila war that his side lost, he then moved to a planet where he was a foreigner and was always going to be under suspcion, and worked he way up there. Morrolan, on the other hand, started his life as a foreigner, though he didn't realize it apparently (and I do wonder what his childhood was like; it must have been pleasant enough, since when we meet him he is of a quite pleasant disposition and quite trusting), found a niche for himself, then had the revelation and readjustment of moving to the Empire, where he was sort of a long-lost prince but had to do a lot of heavy lifting to consolidate his position, and finally rose very high, embracing the various aspects of his new identity while not letting go of (parts of) the former.
There is a lot more tension in Galeni's arc, of course, but I do think they ping me similarly in a number of important respects. (Come to think of it, beyond the bi-cultural bit, too, Galeni and Morrolan both straddle the military and ~academia, too. Hm.
*I looked it up on TV tropes to make sure Dragera was there, and that led me to the link for Proud Merchant Race Guy, which, as soon as I saw it, I said to myself, "Oh, like Komarr?" -- and, sure enough, Komarr is like the 4th example down. There's also Proud Scholar Race Guy, with Minbari -- the first thing that occurred to me -- as an example, although, good point, TV Tropes person, that this is probably skewed perception because the Minbari we mainly see are all religious caste, but there are others. Anyway.
Also, shipping. I've seen some Morrolan/Teldra around, which I really don't see. He does compare her to a wife at one point, but, really, she only acts his wife in the absent-minded professor's with-it wife sense, taking care of things he would neglect because he is stuck in his ivory black tower, metaphorically or literally. The relationship, as well as being one of a loyal servant, seems to be a mentorship of sorts. We learn at some point in LoCB that Teldra was born during the Interregnum, which means she is younger than Morrolan, or, at most, the same age as he. But he defers to her. Of course, it makes sense since she is familiar with life in Dragaera, more or less, and he is not, but I still find it interesting. And the other women around Morrolan are mentor figures too, to an even greater degree, Arra, who is his mentor in witchcraft, Sethra, who is his mentor in sorcery. He is even prepared to learn from Sethra the Younger, whom he doesn't particularly like. I cannot see him in a relationship with any of them, either in the first years of their acquaintance or later.
Really, the only Paarfi-books-contemporary I could see logically shipped with Morrolan would be Zerika, if not for the fact that she already has a lover she is devoted to. Think about it, though! Although quite different in specifics, they have rather parallel histories, with both of them suddenly discovering a huge thing about their identities at about the same age and having to cope with it and learn on the job. (Granted, Zerika's adjustment is a lot greater, more sudden, and more impactful.) They are the only two Dragaerans who seem to have positive, or at least non-negative, views of Easterners, and I get the sense that Zerika's interest in them predated her acquaintance with Laszlo. Zerika was raised by Dragonlords while Morrolan is a Dragon who missed out on that entirely. Morrolan also, early on, at least, doesn't have the awe of her that everybody else has, which must be refreshing; he is the only person to tease her after she became Empress, and she is one of the few to tease him (e.g. about hogging all the best architects for Castle Black while she's rebuilding the Palace). I won't lie, part of the appeal of this purely hypothetical ship to me is also that it's a queen/male courtier kind of thing, which I seem to have a weakness for. But my own preferences aside, I get the distinct feeling that, like his father, the only relationship Morrolan could be interested in would be with a partner who -- I hate to use this word but I can't think of a better own, so -- "tops" him. In Rollondar's case it was his wife besting him in battle, but I could see bonds of duty suffice for Morrolan as well. (Yeah, I kind of started thinking about this ship after he volunteered to hold Zerika's stirrup once they sorted out whether and why he would be helping her.)
Alas, I don't think this ship can sail, even in my head, except in an AU with no Laszlo. And even then only if Zerika were to initiate it (possibly via a direct order, heh), because Morrolan c. LoCB/Sethra Lavode is way too preoccupied with sorcery to even think about making the first move. One gets the sense that if some brave and straightforward girl seduced him, Morrolan would find himself pleasantly surprised to be enjoying the experience more than he had expected, but meanwhile he would still be going over some sorcerous spells in the back of his mind. XP
And yet... Morrolan/Vlad in the Taltos books, especially Taltos, is one of those ships that I have a harder time not-seeing than seeing. Partly, to be sure, it's that it hits like ALL of my kinks: they nearly kill each other on first meeting, it's all bickering and one-upmanship from then on, in-between saving each other's lives in dramatic and (in Vlad's case) potentially self-sacrificing ways, and they are also powerful foils for each other, the Easterner raised among Dragaerans and the Dragon raised among Easterners. And also Vlad spends rather too much time thinking of Morrolan, honey, and licking in one sentence, and wants to hear Morrolan beg. Yeah... whatever, I didn't write this, Brust did. XD
Mostly, I think it's that Vlad's narration is a lot more sensual and a lot less prudish than Paarfi's. I don't know how much Morrolan actually changed in this respect, because one doesn't get the sense that he is like a step away from mentally undressing Vlad, but I do think I feel it more also because Vlad is one of the few people able to consistently get a rise out of Morrolan -- kind of a stronger version of some of the vibes that made me think of Morrolan/Zerika, incidentally. That, um, toppiness.
**
Random links from basically plugging in "Morrolan" and related search words into every search window I could find. (You think I'm kidding? I wish I were!)
1) From 2008 interview w/ Steven Brust, presented without comment: "If I were casting the movie, Johnny Depp would play Vlad, Val Kilmer would be Morrolan, and Robin Williams would be the voice of Loiosh."
2) Mini-comic with Vlad, Morrolan, and Loiosh (set around Dragon but non-spoilery) by barronblack. Chibi!Loiosh is the cutest thing ever, and what set me LOLing after smiling at the whole thing was reading the background noise text.
I couldn't resist and made a couple of icons:
3) Dragaera humour:
This one I've read before: Lightbulb, er, sword jokes, but they were worth a revisit. A number of these made me smile, but the Yendi one made me LOL. There's a reason there's only one of those -- it's perfection.
This one I haven't: Clap-clap jokes (like knock-knock jokes -- get it?). Some of the best ones are in the comments!
4) Not really fic, in that it doesn't use any characters, but does use, exhaustively, Paarfi's idiosyncratic style: What Dragaeran porn would read like in Paarfi-speak.
5) And now, fic:
Pomegranate Seeds. Aliera-POV, some lovely interaction between Aliera and Morrolan and a bit of f/f at the end, but mostly I read this as gen.
Witchcraft by dhaunea. My favorite Vlad/Morrolan that I was able to find. Not a coincidence that it's heavily Taltos based, and masterfully complements that novel. Pre-slash, but capturing most of what I love about this ship.
Paarfi/Morrolan, funny. Yeah, there was totally bound to be some Paarfi/Morrolan out there, given that clearly *something* is going on between those two from volume to volume, and it sounds fairly volatile. Nor is this the only Paarfi/Morrolan out there, merely my favorite one.
6) Dragaera character quiz. My result: Verra, followed by a 3-way tie between Devera, Noish-Pa, and Pel XD I'm not sure how I feel about being the Demon Goddess, but I am certainly happy to think of myself as a combination of Noish-Pa and Pel, whatever that would actually amount to...
You know what I've been thinking? That if it weren't that there's, like, half a dozen Dragaera fans on LJ all told, it would make for an awesome sorting community along the lines of westerosorting and kushielsorting. I mean, OK, 17 houses is kind of a high number, and it would probably need to wait until all the books were finished, because I personally don't have a very good grasp on many of the ones that haven't been covered yet, like Vallista, Tsalmoth, or Chreotha (at least there have been prominent Lyorn and Hawk characters). But if the 17 houses could be managed -- and here we have (or would have, at the end, presumably) -- houses with well defined group characteristics -- it would be awesome! The whole "game of thrones" concept is uniquely appropriate to the turning of the Cycle (even though, OK, it probably wouldn't be turning in order). And I was thinking that, of course, the game would have to be 17 or 34 weeks long, but one is too short and the other is too long (4 months vs 8 months), and then I remembered that the Dragaeran week is actually 5 days long, so if one were to use that, 34 weeks = 160 days, or just a little over 5 months, which would be a perfect legth for the game. Why, yes, I have given this purely hypothetical thing entirely too much though, but, admit it, it would rock!