Steven Brust

1955-

Reviewed by Rob

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Steven Brust has been nominated for several awards, including a Nebula and several Locus Poll Awards. You can download one of Brust's novels for free at his website.
The Khaavren Romances: Two prequels and The Viscount of Adrilankha Trilogy — (1991-2004) Steven Brust calls the entire Khaavren Romances a trilogy with the two prequels being the first two books and the . . . um, trilogy, being one novel in three parts. Whatever. Publisher: The Dragaeran Empire is a hotbed of intrigue, sorcery, intrigue, swashbuckling adventure, and intrigue. For those who would be heroes, it is a delightful time to be alive—and an easy place to die. Khaavren of the House of Tiassa is a son of landless nobility, possessor of a good sword and “tolerably well acquainted with its use.” Along with three loyal friends, he enthusiastically seeks out danger and excitement. But in a realm renowned for repartee and betrayals, where power is as mutable as magic, a young man like Khaavren, newly come from the countryside, had best be wary. His life depends on it. And so does the future of Dragaera.When swordplay beckons, it's all for one—and one for....The Phoenix Guards.
The Phoenix Guards prequels — Publisher:	The Viscount of Adrilankha Trilogy
The Phoenix Guards: Very nice change of pace The brief review: I had a slight smile on my face the entire time I read this book. It is, as a reviewer of the Three Muskateers might have once said, "charming." To elaborate: Steven Brust is very well (some might say "over") educated and knows how to turn a phrase. The plot moves along briskly; the characters, while not fleshed out too thoroughly, do have distinct and effective personalities. I was, at first, a bit lost about the world's/realm's infrastructure of Houses and about the characteristics of each (and what animals the fantasy names correlate to). However, I've not read the Vlad Taltos series, which apparently sheds some light on those matters. This is not a book to be read at breakneck speed, as the dialogue must be savored and as there are plot details that could otherwise be missed. That said, even if one does commit to reading each excruciatingly polite phrase that the characters utter, there are still times when one wants to throttle them for not getting to the point. Brust plays this game nicely, but he perhaps goes to the well one too many times. Nevertheless, in two words, as the wonderfully pompous narrator might say, this is an amiable sabre-and-sorcery frolick, and I plan to check out Five Hundred Years After, the next book, very soon. —R.R. Five Hundred Years After: Brust is brilliant, and I don't use that word loosely If there were justice in the literary world, you'd think Steven Brust would have received more acclaim and notice than a certain Mr. J——-, also a TOR author, as Brust's writing is crisp and lively, his pacing excellent. As explained in an "interview" with the book's pompous narrator, Brust writes for those who love to read, i.e. those who enjoy a good vocabulary, good grammar, good phrasing, and (indeed) a good story. This is not some "page-turner" to be engulfed at one-sitting; if you did that with a box of Godiva chocolates, you'd become ill and lose the appreciation for each one. Just so with each of the book's chapters. The plot does slow a little too much in places—often due the musings of the intruding, over-erudite narrator—but there are worthy adages, tales and metaphors therein; don't miss them. This is a fine, fine work. The swashbuckling spirit of The Phoenix Guards remains intact, but partially cloaked by ominous portents. Do not miss these books if you enjoy a good tale (fantasy or otherwise). I look forward to reading the next one. —R.R.

The Vlad Taltos novels — (1983- ) These take place in the same universe as the The Khaavren Romances and have some overlapping characters. Nineteen novels are planned. Please note that the first three presented here are omnibus editions which contain novels 1-7.The Book of Jhereg contains Jhereg, Yendi, Teckla. The Book of Taltos contains Taltos and Phoenix. The Book of Athyra contains Athyra and Orca. Thus, Jhegaala is the eleventh novel. Publisher: Quick with both sword and wit, Vlad Taltos makes his way through the world of Dragaera as an assassin, aided by a small talent for magic and a lizard-like jhereg companion.

Steven Brust Vlad Taltos The Book of Jhereg, Taltos, Athyra, Dragon, Issola, Dzur, Jhegaala

Stand-alone novels:

To Reign in Hell — (1984) Publisher: The time is the Beginning. The place is Heaven. The story is the Revolt of the Angels-a war of magic, corruption and intrigue that could destroy the universe.

To Reign in Hell: Fantastic accomplishment

The accomplishments here are nothing short of spectacular. Imagine writing a book populated with some of the most well known characters in Western history: Yahweh, Jesus, Satan, Lucifer (yes, they are separate), and the archangels Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel. They all need unique personalities. If they're not, if they're retreads of biblical, Dante, Milton, or others, then the book fails.

Then imagine creating a reason for God to create the Cherubs, Seraph, Thrones, Dominions, Virtues, etc. Give all of them a purpose. Imagine creating Heaven, giving essence to creation itself — a Big Bang, in effect. Imagine giving reason for the Fall. Not just the reason given in The Revelation, but a rewriting, of sorts, and one that absolutely has to make sense.

This should seem impossible. Only the greatest writers in history have succeeded when touching this material. I'm not going to suggest that Steven Brust is one of the greatest writers in history, but I will emphatically state that he was unbelievably successful. And he did his homework. He dug deep into Christian mythology (I'm saying mythology because many characters come from Dante, Milton, or others, and were never seen in the Bible), and must have spent hours upon hours plotting this novel.

It helps if you do your homework too. Luckily, I own a book called THE DICTIONARY OF ANGELS. You probably don't, so I'll help out a bit. Regarding having distinct Satan and Lucifer characters: there is no biblical evidence that supports the two share identities. I won't go into the various proofs but if you have doubts, Wikipedia does a fine job explaining the difference between the two. Brust also does a terrific job with the character of Jesus and the relationship between father and son. You can read about the the complex theory behind Brust's work at this Wikipedia page.

It helps to have information about some of the angels mentioned in the Bible and in non-biblical sources: (Disclaimer: I am not Christian, and do not believe in either angels or demons. This list is composed to help those who don't have access to other materials reference some angels and demons from the book.)

Bath Kol: Never identified as a character, only in passing reference to a supposed relationship with either Kyriel or Sith. "An angel, often spoken of as female, whose name means "heavenly voice." The angel is said among the Syrians to have the voice heard by Cain asking "Where is thy brother, Abel?" after Cain murdered his brother. Bat Qol is also said to have visited the famous second-century A.D. rabbi Simion ben Yohai (the supposed of the Jewish mystical work the Zohar) while he was imprisoned. In the sense of Bat-Kol, the angel can represent the divine voice that announces the will of God."

Kyriel: One of the 28 angels governing the 28 mansions of the moon.

Sith: Angel of an hour (6 to 7 o'clock); a regent ruling a planet.

Leviathan: In the book, the Regent of the West. In the Enoch parables, Leviathan is the primitive female sea-dragon and monster of evil, associated with Behemoth (who is not referenced in this book).

Ariel: The name has many implications, but Shakespeare saw Ariel as a sprite, and to Milton Ariel is a rebel angel,