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Vlad Taltos #7
Orca
With the help of his two jhereg, sorceror and former assassin-for-hire Vlad Taltos takes on the corrupt House of the Orca as he sets out to uncover a huge financial scandal
290 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 1996
About the author
Steven Brust
94 books2,240 followersSteven Karl Zoltán Brust (born November 23, 1955) is an American fantasy and science fiction author of Hungarian descent. He was a member of the writers' group The Scribblies, which included Emma Bull, Pamela Dean, Will Shetterly, Nate Bucklin, Kara Dalkey, and Patricia Wrede, and also belongs to the Pre-Joycean Fellowship.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/steven...
(Photo by David Dyer-Bennet)
http://us.macmillan.com/author/steven...
(Photo by David Dyer-Bennet)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 127 reviews
February 9, 2017
This is a solid Sword and Sorcery read, with just enough action to keep things interesting, but it's mostly about unravelling a ponzi scheme and a land swindle orchestrated by the Orca.
Vlad is just being Vlad, paying his debts. If it turns out that he bites off way more than he can chew, then blame it on his character.
If it actually makes him seem like a meddling busybody of an ex-assassin that's racking up the hate of every single empire in the land, then so be it. It's his nature. Or at least, it's the nature of this landless wanderer who seems to think he must atone for something, even if to my eyes he needn't atone for anything.
I keep reading these not because there's an overarching goal or something he must aim for any longer. His friends miss him and at least one can reach him, not including his dragons, so all in all, it's still all about healing his new friend who lost his mind in the previous book.
Interesting? Yes.
Worthwhile? Yes.
Does it still feel like just a meandering path to some unknowable future? Yes.
I don't know how I feel about that, but the character is strong enough, and the actual novel was still interesting, so I don't really see a reason to stop.
But. I still want more. I still remember truly grand things happening and stylistic wonders and brilliant plot. This didn't match my memories, but I can't say it was bad.
Vlad is just being Vlad, paying his debts. If it turns out that he bites off way more than he can chew, then blame it on his character.
If it actually makes him seem like a meddling busybody of an ex-assassin that's racking up the hate of every single empire in the land, then so be it. It's his nature. Or at least, it's the nature of this landless wanderer who seems to think he must atone for something, even if to my eyes he needn't atone for anything.
I keep reading these not because there's an overarching goal or something he must aim for any longer. His friends miss him and at least one can reach him, not including his dragons, so all in all, it's still all about healing his new friend who lost his mind in the previous book.
Interesting? Yes.
Worthwhile? Yes.
Does it still feel like just a meandering path to some unknowable future? Yes.
I don't know how I feel about that, but the character is strong enough, and the actual novel was still interesting, so I don't really see a reason to stop.
But. I still want more. I still remember truly grand things happening and stylistic wonders and brilliant plot. This didn't match my memories, but I can't say it was bad.
May 13, 2024
Brust continues to impress with the seventh installment of the Vald Taltos series, and, like the previous book, once again gives us a new narrator, this time Kiera, the Jhereg thief we met in previous installments. For what ever reason, Kiera befriended a very young Vald and helped get him into the Jhereg ranks.
Orca takes place about a year after Athyra, with Vald still wandering around, laying low, but now with Savn in tow. Savn's killing of his lord (well, the lord was actually undead, but so be it) traumatized him, leaving him basically a walking zombie. Vald finds an old 'hedge-witch' who he hopes can heal/cure him, and as payment, she wants to ensure she will not be evicted from her home. Why fear this? Apparently, someone came around and notified her that the land is being sold.
Well, Keira narrates this tale from the start, finding Vald and the old hedge-witch. They both try to find out who owns the land and that quickly becomes a Sisyphean task, like a game of shell corporations and banks. Brust seems mighty prescient with this one, just about foreshadowing the 2007/8 financial meltdown! Vald and Keira must put on their detective hats to sort out what the hell is going on, and it seems like every rock they turn over hides something ugly...
It still feels a bit odd to have Vald represented through someone else's eyes, but kinda cool as well. I would not call this a caper novel, although it has a similar feel to it. Brust manages to flesh out Vald a bit more here and reading about him going undercover was a riot. Oh, and Brust drops a major bombshell at the end, one I did not see coming at all! 4 intriguing stars!!
Orca takes place about a year after Athyra, with Vald still wandering around, laying low, but now with Savn in tow. Savn's killing of his lord (well, the lord was actually undead, but so be it) traumatized him, leaving him basically a walking zombie. Vald finds an old 'hedge-witch' who he hopes can heal/cure him, and as payment, she wants to ensure she will not be evicted from her home. Why fear this? Apparently, someone came around and notified her that the land is being sold.
Well, Keira narrates this tale from the start, finding Vald and the old hedge-witch. They both try to find out who owns the land and that quickly becomes a Sisyphean task, like a game of shell corporations and banks. Brust seems mighty prescient with this one, just about foreshadowing the 2007/8 financial meltdown! Vald and Keira must put on their detective hats to sort out what the hell is going on, and it seems like every rock they turn over hides something ugly...
It still feels a bit odd to have Vald represented through someone else's eyes, but kinda cool as well. I would not call this a caper novel, although it has a similar feel to it. Brust manages to flesh out Vald a bit more here and reading about him going undercover was a riot. Oh, and Brust drops a major bombshell at the end, one I did not see coming at all! 4 intriguing stars!!
March 17, 2021
Orca is the book that took the Vlad Taltos series right to the top of my favorites list. The mystery Kiera and Vlad solve is so deliciously complex and satisfying. Steven Brust really put on his Athyra hat when he wrote Orca. Kiera is finally a main character, and she does not disappoint. Such a bombshell at the end! It was obvious Brust was building up to something in this area, but I did NOT see that one coming.
Highly recommended to anyone who has finished Athyra. Brust's writing has improved with each book, each one leaving me excited to continue the series.
Highly recommended to anyone who has finished Athyra. Brust's writing has improved with each book, each one leaving me excited to continue the series.
August 17, 2024
Orca is the seventh installment of Vlad Taltos series. I think I am growing on liking the series. This series has some compelling elements, I am not sure why, perhaps because the witty dialogues of Vlad, the interesting settings in the story but don’t outshine the plots. The challenges of which Vlad has encountered that aren’t solved by powerful artifacts or Vlad’s witchcraft or psychic abilities. He need to figure out what was happening all the time, and facing assassinations and conspiracies; it means that mostly he was overpowered in the dire circumstances. It is good to see how Vlad solved the mysteries and outwitted his enemies. Moreover, Steven Brust not only build up the tensions of conflict s in the story, also he inserts some serious subjects about politic corruptions, how banks work on interests etc and mix them together with the ancient histories of the empire.
The story of Orca is Vlad was trying to help recuperate Savn from the illness. He want to the Northport , there he found a Orca lady and asked her help; for the exchange, she wanted Vlad found out a solution of keeping her property the blue cottage from evicted by the government. Therefore, Vlad hired an assistance whose name is Kiera. Together they knew the truth of the case is not that simple. It was involved many people in the town and the empire was trying to cover the fact of the swindle by the banks. In the end, you may find out Vlad’s assistance was in disguise, her identity is much intimidating than it appears to be.
Overall, Orca id a good story with enough information and the interactions with each main characters. The investigation is intriguing to read, it also is involved in empire’s long histories with Jheregs. This book reveals more dark facts of banks, bankers and the empire. Maybe Orca is the well structured book in Vlad Taltos series so far.
The story of Orca is Vlad was trying to help recuperate Savn from the illness. He want to the Northport , there he found a Orca lady and asked her help; for the exchange, she wanted Vlad found out a solution of keeping her property the blue cottage from evicted by the government. Therefore, Vlad hired an assistance whose name is Kiera. Together they knew the truth of the case is not that simple. It was involved many people in the town and the empire was trying to cover the fact of the swindle by the banks. In the end, you may find out Vlad’s assistance was in disguise, her identity is much intimidating than it appears to be.
Overall, Orca id a good story with enough information and the interactions with each main characters. The investigation is intriguing to read, it also is involved in empire’s long histories with Jheregs. This book reveals more dark facts of banks, bankers and the empire. Maybe Orca is the well structured book in Vlad Taltos series so far.
January 29, 2018
I've read this more than a few times, and I never remember the details of the plot beyond 1) it's a mystery and 2) Vlad's trying to find a cure for Savn. I think the extraordinary revelations of the ending blow the rest of it out of my memory. This time, reading it as an audiobook, I enjoyed the fact that they got a female narrator to read Kiera's sections. It added a lot to the story, though I still think this is one of the weaker ones (and have already forgotten much of it AGAIN).
The narrative conceit of Vlad and Kiera telling each other what they've done (and then Kiera recounting it all to Cawti later) is clever, but has a distancing effect that I think does the story a disservice. However, reading it a second time (or however many times this was) is a lot of fun, what with picking up on the clues that lead to the eventual revelation that . Another problem is that the mystery Vlad and Kiera get mixed up in isn't terribly compelling; we have a lot of people in power doing venal and corrupt things, and in the end, there's no evidence that anything is going to change because it's the Empire behind it all. So I felt Brust's storytelling gift for making me interested in reading about pretty much anything was all that kept me engaged.
The second revelation is more problematic, and more powerful:
Issola is up next, and that's one of my favorites.
The narrative conceit of Vlad and Kiera telling each other what they've done (and then Kiera recounting it all to Cawti later) is clever, but has a distancing effect that I think does the story a disservice. However, reading it a second time (or however many times this was) is a lot of fun, what with picking up on the clues that lead to the eventual revelation that . Another problem is that the mystery Vlad and Kiera get mixed up in isn't terribly compelling; we have a lot of people in power doing venal and corrupt things, and in the end, there's no evidence that anything is going to change because it's the Empire behind it all. So I felt Brust's storytelling gift for making me interested in reading about pretty much anything was all that kept me engaged.
The second revelation is more problematic, and more powerful:
Issola is up next, and that's one of my favorites.
August 9, 2013
Brust continued here to try new ways of continuing his series. The twist here was that instead of actually going about the act of being a criminal, Vlad was in the roll of the hard boiled PI solving the crime. Just like in many other crime novel, he was dealing with: a mysterious death (of course), official corruption, seedy criminals and the cops. In addition to that, where the last book was in the POV of a young Teckla, this one split the POV duties between Vlad and his good friend Kiera the Thief.
I remember that the first time I read this book, I thought part of the way thru that this was going to be the book where our hero, Vlad, finally gets all romantic with Kiera. I also remember being less than enthused about the book because it lacked the action that I'd come to associate with the Taltos books. I liked it a lot more this time around. I guess I just appreciate Brust's writing and style more now than I did then. It's not that Vlad didn't get to toss a couple of knives at various people, or swing his sword about here and there, it's that this book was more Vlad Taltos, Private Eye than it was, Vlad Taltos, wine connoisseur and assassin. Nothing wrong with that.
I remember that the first time I read this book, I thought part of the way thru that this was going to be the book where our hero, Vlad, finally gets all romantic with Kiera. I also remember being less than enthused about the book because it lacked the action that I'd come to associate with the Taltos books. I liked it a lot more this time around. I guess I just appreciate Brust's writing and style more now than I did then. It's not that Vlad didn't get to toss a couple of knives at various people, or swing his sword about here and there, it's that this book was more Vlad Taltos, Private Eye than it was, Vlad Taltos, wine connoisseur and assassin. Nothing wrong with that.
June 7, 2022
Book 7 in the Vlad Taltos series. Another re-read.
The author changed his writing style again. This time the tale is narrated both by Kiera the Thief in first-person, (I always liked that character), and Vlad, also in first-person, relating events to Kiera. Sprinkled among these two narratives are entertaining Interludes that consist of a conversation between Kiera and Vlad's ex-wife, Cawti.
Vlad has now been on the run from the Jhereg Organization for more than three years. Aside from his attempt to outrun the Jhereg assassins, his primary goal is to obtain healing for Savn, the little Teckla boy from the last book, Athyra. To his credit, Savn's health is paramount. He's also been doing a lot of soul searching which is all to the good.
At the core of the story is quite the mystery; Vlad and Kiera become involved and attempt to solve it. Good book, although the mystery was somewhat convoluted. It was mainly the characters and their personal development that gave this one the full four stars.
The author changed his writing style again. This time the tale is narrated both by Kiera the Thief in first-person, (I always liked that character), and Vlad, also in first-person, relating events to Kiera. Sprinkled among these two narratives are entertaining Interludes that consist of a conversation between Kiera and Vlad's ex-wife, Cawti.
Vlad has now been on the run from the Jhereg Organization for more than three years. Aside from his attempt to outrun the Jhereg assassins, his primary goal is to obtain healing for Savn, the little Teckla boy from the last book, Athyra. To his credit, Savn's health is paramount. He's also been doing a lot of soul searching which is all to the good.
At the core of the story is quite the mystery; Vlad and Kiera become involved and attempt to solve it. Good book, although the mystery was somewhat convoluted. It was mainly the characters and their personal development that gave this one the full four stars.
October 22, 2020
Well, in typical Vlad fashion, he’s managed to stumble into yet another snarled up mess of a mystery that needs to be solved if he has any hope of obtaining the help he needs healing the psychic/head injury that Savn obtained while saving his life in the last book. I liked the switch in storytelling viewpoint every other chapter to Kiera - the reader gets a more in-depth look at her character, and we learn that Kiera is actually an alter ego (which is why I’ve used the spoiler button for this review). It was also nice to see the little in-between snippets of conversation between Kiera and Cawti as Kiera was giving her what updates she could on Vlad. To be honest, the only thing keeping the storyline going in this book was the vibrancy of the main characters, because the mystery/plot was an absolute snore-fest. I probably could have skipped the whole unimportant middle section to the end just to find out the important bits: that Kiera = Sethra, Savn is making signs of recovery, and apparently Cawti has had Vlad’s baby while he��s been away in hiding. I would honestly be surprised to discover anything from the middle section popping up in the rest of the series, but I guess we’ll see.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 5, 2024
Ein Orca-Unternehmer ist gestorben und nun droht das Haus einer alten Dame von den Erben verkauft zu werden. Nicht gerade ein typischer Fall für Vlad Taltos, aber dennoch muss er sich der Sache unbedingt annehmen. Doch bereits nach kurzer Zeit wird klar: Was zunächst wie ein einfaches Problem wirken mag, ist eigentlich wesentlich komplizierter...
Die Vlad Taltos-Reihe ist geradezu faszinierend. Einerseits hat Vlad als Ich-Erzähler einen ungewöhnlich authentischen Erzählstil. Er erzählt die Geschichte stilistisch tatsächlich so, als würde er live vor dem Leser stehen und seine Geschichte in einem Monolog an einem Lagerfeuer erzählen. Immer wieder schweift er kurz ab, vergisst scheinbar, wo er gerade in seiner Erzählung war, und nimmt Dinge vorweg, die in einem traditionellen Buch der Spannung wegen nicht vorweggenommen würden. Obwohl dieser Erzählstil zunächst etwas ungewohnt ist, ist er mir doch recht schnell sehr ans Herz gewachsen, und seine trockene, ironische Art bringt mich immer wieder zum Schmunzeln.
Andererseits probiert Brust immer wieder verschiedene Genres innerhalb der Reihe aus. Mal ist ein Buch ein Krimi (wie dieses Buch), mal ein Thriller und mal ein klassisches High Fantasy-Buch. Darüber hinaus wechselt er hier sogar den Erzählstil. Statt nur eines Ich-Erzählers gibt es direkt zwei, die sich gegenseitig ergänzen und jeweils ihre ganz eigene Stimme haben. Diese Erzählweise nutzt Brust perfekt dazu, Spannung aufzubauen und durch die Informationen der unterschiedlichen Erzähler ein kompliziertes Puzzle zusammenzusetzen.
Neben Vlad, der auch hier wie immer fantastisch ist, bekommt auch Kiera endlich mehr wohlverdiente Screentime – zum Glück. Kieras Teile des Buchs lesen sich genauso gut wie Vlads und geben Kiera deutlich mehr Charakter als zuvor. So sehr ich Vlad mag, ist es doch schön, die Welt und die Ereignisse der Bücher auch ein wenig mehr durch die Augen anderer Charaktere zu sehen.
Orcaist ein weiterer fantastischer Eintrag in der Vlad Taltos-Reihe. Ich würde ja behaupten, er gefällt mir bisher am besten, aber es ist einfach unheimlich schwierig, die Bücher miteinander zu vergleichen, da sie alle so unterschiedlich sind. Auf ihre eigene Art haben mir Taltos und Issola, das ich kurz darauf gelesen habe, ebenso gut gefallen. Es ist extrem schade, dass die Reihe wohl nie fertig ins Deutsche übersetzt werden wird. Die Übersetzungen der ersten sechs Bücher waren fantastisch und bei ihnen ging nichts von Vlads Humor und Charakter verloren. Sie sind dem Original meines Erachtens nach ebenbürtig.
Die Vlad Taltos-Reihe ist geradezu faszinierend. Einerseits hat Vlad als Ich-Erzähler einen ungewöhnlich authentischen Erzählstil. Er erzählt die Geschichte stilistisch tatsächlich so, als würde er live vor dem Leser stehen und seine Geschichte in einem Monolog an einem Lagerfeuer erzählen. Immer wieder schweift er kurz ab, vergisst scheinbar, wo er gerade in seiner Erzählung war, und nimmt Dinge vorweg, die in einem traditionellen Buch der Spannung wegen nicht vorweggenommen würden. Obwohl dieser Erzählstil zunächst etwas ungewohnt ist, ist er mir doch recht schnell sehr ans Herz gewachsen, und seine trockene, ironische Art bringt mich immer wieder zum Schmunzeln.
Andererseits probiert Brust immer wieder verschiedene Genres innerhalb der Reihe aus. Mal ist ein Buch ein Krimi (wie dieses Buch), mal ein Thriller und mal ein klassisches High Fantasy-Buch. Darüber hinaus wechselt er hier sogar den Erzählstil. Statt nur eines Ich-Erzählers gibt es direkt zwei, die sich gegenseitig ergänzen und jeweils ihre ganz eigene Stimme haben. Diese Erzählweise nutzt Brust perfekt dazu, Spannung aufzubauen und durch die Informationen der unterschiedlichen Erzähler ein kompliziertes Puzzle zusammenzusetzen.
Neben Vlad, der auch hier wie immer fantastisch ist, bekommt auch Kiera endlich mehr wohlverdiente Screentime – zum Glück. Kieras Teile des Buchs lesen sich genauso gut wie Vlads und geben Kiera deutlich mehr Charakter als zuvor. So sehr ich Vlad mag, ist es doch schön, die Welt und die Ereignisse der Bücher auch ein wenig mehr durch die Augen anderer Charaktere zu sehen.
Orcaist ein weiterer fantastischer Eintrag in der Vlad Taltos-Reihe. Ich würde ja behaupten, er gefällt mir bisher am besten, aber es ist einfach unheimlich schwierig, die Bücher miteinander zu vergleichen, da sie alle so unterschiedlich sind. Auf ihre eigene Art haben mir Taltos und Issola, das ich kurz darauf gelesen habe, ebenso gut gefallen. Es ist extrem schade, dass die Reihe wohl nie fertig ins Deutsche übersetzt werden wird. Die Übersetzungen der ersten sechs Bücher waren fantastisch und bei ihnen ging nichts von Vlads Humor und Charakter verloren. Sie sind dem Original meines Erachtens nach ebenbürtig.
May 7, 2012
The banking crisis hits Vlad's Empire. Complications ensue.
I can't really decide how much I like this one. Three stars or four, three stars or four.....hmmmmm.
Steven Brust does something different with each and every book, which I find quite interesting. Sometimes he tells the tale in a straightforward first person POV, sometimes third person, sometimes with shifting third person POVs, sometimes shifting first person POVs, sometimes jumping back and forward through time, sometimes with interspersed commentary of various types. And each book focuses on the attributes of a different House, providing an over-riding theme of sorts for that book amidst all the action and intrigue.
Sometimes I like all this playing around with style and theme...and sometimes I think it doesn't quite work. I'm not sure about this time around. Orca is told in two different first person POVs, and most of the time one of the characters is speaking directly to a second character to relate his/her portion of the story. And then there are sections where the second character is telling a third character things that the first character has done and said to her, including lies that each character has told to yet other people. Talk about convolutions upon convolutions of the unreliable narrator theme. Interesting, but distracting.
One thing, for certain, is that Brust is a very intelligent writer. Despite the fact that at this point in the series I'm beginning to feel the presence of a few inconsistencies here and there, it's obvious that this guy puts a lot of thought and skill into what he writes. However, given all the action and plot convolutions that inevitably crop up, I suspect that many people don't give much thought to the "deeper" stuff that's going on here. And I'm not sure about this supposed "deeper" stuff myself. Hmmmm, I think I'm talking myself into a reread in the not too distant future....
I can't really decide how much I like this one. Three stars or four, three stars or four.....hmmmmm.
Steven Brust does something different with each and every book, which I find quite interesting. Sometimes he tells the tale in a straightforward first person POV, sometimes third person, sometimes with shifting third person POVs, sometimes shifting first person POVs, sometimes jumping back and forward through time, sometimes with interspersed commentary of various types. And each book focuses on the attributes of a different House, providing an over-riding theme of sorts for that book amidst all the action and intrigue.
Sometimes I like all this playing around with style and theme...and sometimes I think it doesn't quite work. I'm not sure about this time around. Orca is told in two different first person POVs, and most of the time one of the characters is speaking directly to a second character to relate his/her portion of the story. And then there are sections where the second character is telling a third character things that the first character has done and said to her, including lies that each character has told to yet other people. Talk about convolutions upon convolutions of the unreliable narrator theme. Interesting, but distracting.
One thing, for certain, is that Brust is a very intelligent writer. Despite the fact that at this point in the series I'm beginning to feel the presence of a few inconsistencies here and there, it's obvious that this guy puts a lot of thought and skill into what he writes. However, given all the action and plot convolutions that inevitably crop up, I suspect that many people don't give much thought to the "deeper" stuff that's going on here. And I'm not sure about this supposed "deeper" stuff myself. Hmmmm, I think I'm talking myself into a reread in the not too distant future....
May 3, 2016
This was a GREAT addition to the series. I loved the way the story was told. Alternating between both MC's was an interesting choice. It's very cool getting yet another perspective towards Vlad. I adore this series.
July 13, 2022
I struggled with this one. There was more intrigue than action. I prefer swordplay over skulking about trying to solve puzzling situations. Another thing that made the book drag is Vlad and Kiera switch off narration and it's sometimes hard to. Tell when one or the other is telling the tale. Anyway. . .
Vlad once again finds himself and his mind damaged ward Savn near civilization. Vlad is seeking healers who might aid Savn's recovery. He's found one old woman (who's name I won't even try to type) but she's having trouble with the bank. They come to an agreement, she will do whatever she can for Savn if Vlad can resolve the issue with her property. Of course this sends Vlad spiraling into vast webs of intrigue far beyond what he thought was happening.
Like all of Brust's books this one was worth reading it just wasn't one of his best.
Vlad once again finds himself and his mind damaged ward Savn near civilization. Vlad is seeking healers who might aid Savn's recovery. He's found one old woman (who's name I won't even try to type) but she's having trouble with the bank. They come to an agreement, she will do whatever she can for Savn if Vlad can resolve the issue with her property. Of course this sends Vlad spiraling into vast webs of intrigue far beyond what he thought was happening.
Like all of Brust's books this one was worth reading it just wasn't one of his best.
August 1, 2020
Sadly not one of the best Vlad Taltos books. A vaguely incoherent tale about a banking crisis in a fantasy-land. Long on exposition and short on action or indeed story. A bit of a twist but you need to be a follower of the series to even care in the slightest.
Fun dialogue and the writing is as good as Mr. Brust normally does, so still a 3.
Fun dialogue and the writing is as good as Mr. Brust normally does, so still a 3.
December 14, 2023
Brust is back to his typical excellence with this one. It's mainly 1st person through the eyes of Kiera the thief, with a few chapters thrown in from Vlad's POV.
As often happens, it starts out with something relatively minor and ends up placing Vlad (and Kiera in this case) in the middle of a huge flustercuck.
As often happens, it starts out with something relatively minor and ends up placing Vlad (and Kiera in this case) in the middle of a huge flustercuck.
January 23, 2022
I'd give an extra five stars for the final plot twist alone!
July 31, 2023
A bit of a shaggy dog (named Buddy) story where the shaggy dog turns out to be a lecture about the implicature of state power and predatory finance in late capitalism.
July 9, 2023
More like a mystery that previous books. And best ending so far, most interesting reveal(s)!
September 5, 2018
Enjoyed this one much more than the previous couple. It's a fun story that feels like the first few Vlad stories, and the reveals at the end!! Wow. So good.
July 9, 2017
A lot of talking but from an interesting perspective. Fun twist at the end. On to the next.
August 12, 2024
By publication order, which appears to be the standard reading order, this is the seventh book in the Vlad Taltos fantasy series. I've very much liked every one of the first seven books. I appreciate the way the series plays with variations, rather than repeating the same formula. For instance, the first five books are narrated by Vlad Taltos, the central figure in the series, a young human assassin in a society run by far longer-lived Dragaerans. Book six, however, switches away from Vlad's perspective, and we see him through another character's eyes. In "Orca" the narration changes again, alternating between two first-person accounts.
Spoilers ahead for more specific comments....
Four out of five financially-fraught stars.
Update, 8/7/2024: Re-read. Just as good, maybe better, the second time.
About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).
Spoilers ahead for more specific comments....
Four out of five financially-fraught stars.
Update, 8/7/2024: Re-read. Just as good, maybe better, the second time.
About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).
March 20, 2015
2.5
Orca is the seventh book in Steven Brust’s VLAD TALTOS series. It’d be best to stop here if you haven’t read the previous books. We don’t want to spoil anything, do we?
Okay, so you should recall that Vlad Taltos, everyone’s favorite Jhereg assassin, is wanted by his organization because he betrayed them in order to save his wife from the executioner’s ax (or whatever implement the executioners in Dragaera use). Vlad has given up his territory and is on the run. In the last book, Athyra, he met a boy named Savn who helped him defeat a necromancer. Because Savn used a Morganti weapon to kill the bad guy, Savn is now witless, and he’s been that way for a year. Feeling responsible for Savn’s condition, Vlad finds a woman who may be able to heal him. In return, Vlad will try to find and stop the person who is trying to get the ... Read More: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
Orca is the seventh book in Steven Brust’s VLAD TALTOS series. It’d be best to stop here if you haven’t read the previous books. We don’t want to spoil anything, do we?
Okay, so you should recall that Vlad Taltos, everyone’s favorite Jhereg assassin, is wanted by his organization because he betrayed them in order to save his wife from the executioner’s ax (or whatever implement the executioners in Dragaera use). Vlad has given up his territory and is on the run. In the last book, Athyra, he met a boy named Savn who helped him defeat a necromancer. Because Savn used a Morganti weapon to kill the bad guy, Savn is now witless, and he’s been that way for a year. Feeling responsible for Savn’s condition, Vlad finds a woman who may be able to heal him. In return, Vlad will try to find and stop the person who is trying to get the ... Read More: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
March 27, 2021
3.5/5: lots of laughs, reveals, casually wielded wisdoms and knives, but too much exposition. Worth noting that this is a very mature novel in that it is a great sampling of political and economic theories as well as an intro to neurological health, but ultimately this is a Vlad whodunnit caper with Kiera and a few surprises that wouldn’t make sense without the incredible world building Mr. Brust has managed by and through this point in the Vlad series. Eerily enough, as a final thought and an aside on this novel: we all know Fyres was the Trump of Dragaera, right? (Arguable that Fyres was minus the white supremacy and pedophilia.)
February 7, 2017
New revelations, more confusion, no idea what's going on, let alone what's happening next. In other words... fun!
March 26, 2011
This book follows on the heels of Athyra and is a pretty competent forensic accounting conspiracy mystery. Yes, that's right. We spend the whole book following the money, which is an interesting digression for Vlad. This kind of story is a hard one to pull off, and I thought he did a good job. It also has some of the most compelling bits of character development for Vlad as he tries to do right by farmer boy whose life he invaded in Athyra.
November 11, 2016
Not as good as the previous ones. Not sure what I didn't like about it. But I know what I did like. That ending
August 25, 2019
If you liked the earlier books than maybe you will like this more than Athyra. Because this book is sort of like the earlier books plot wise. There is a mystery and Vlad has to solve it.
January 19, 2018
There are so many good things about the Vlad Taltos series that, in total, the whole series should get 5 stars. But I find I have problems with individual books in the series, problems that would probably be solved by a careful and continuous reread, I admit. Maybe one day... *sigh*
One of the things I love about this series (and that I've mentioned in previous reviews) is that Steven Brust does not rely on a formula. Though Vlad is his main character and the early books are told in a tight first person, Brust likes to to mix it up. In Orca the story is narrated by Vlad's friend Kiera; in a framing (and interlude) device she is telling Vlad's estranged wife, Cawti, what he has been up to. So the entire thing is told in Kiera's voice except where she is relating things Vlad has told her himself, which ends up being a narration once removed. Following so far? Good, because Kiera freely admits she is leaving things out and that her retelling of Vlad's story is not entirely accurate... so the narrative is unreliable. This is helpful to remember when the story itself becomes confusing.
Brust writes each book in the style of the House represented: The members of the House of Orca are noted for being sailors and merchants, businessmen (and women) with a head for convoluted schemes. (Not as bad as the House of Yendi, who like convoluted schemes for their own sake, Orcas' schemes are all about making money.) The story here is about the fallout when a powerful Orca merchant unexpectedly dies of an accident (yeah, right) leaving his businesses in financial chaos. Vlad becomes involved as payment to a healer who is treating Savn (see Athyra, book 6); her home is in danger of foreclosure from the fallout of the dead Orca's business. The investigation should be straightforward - find out who owns the land so he can pay it off. Instead, he unearths a conspiracy that goes all the way up to the highest levels of the Empire.
My problem with this book is that I had trouble following the money. The schemes run deep, the players are many, and at times I had to trust that it was all making sense to Brust even if it didn't make sense to me. It also did not help that whenever Vlad or Kiera figured out a piece of the puzzle, he or she would not come right out and explain it, it was always "work through it and see if you figure it out, too!" Which left me feeling dumb... should I have worked through it and figured it out? Well, no, because they always have more information than the reader. Oh, and remember that unreliable narrator thing? Kiera is deliberately leaving stuff out.
The final chapter fills in some of those gaps... this is the part that Kiera did not tell Cawti. Which involves an "Aha!" revelation that recasts not only the book, but the entire series up to that point. So that thing I said at the beginning of this review about a careful reread of the entire series? Yeah, that would be fun with this new information. And the final line of a short epilogue adds another wrinkle that will affect what happens in the next books... once Vlad discovers what it is.
Oh, except the next book, Dragon, Book 8 in the series, is a flashback to the beginning of Vlad's story. The joys and sorrows of this series? Steven Brust keeps you guessing. Which is a wonderful thing.
One of the things I love about this series (and that I've mentioned in previous reviews) is that Steven Brust does not rely on a formula. Though Vlad is his main character and the early books are told in a tight first person, Brust likes to to mix it up. In Orca the story is narrated by Vlad's friend Kiera; in a framing (and interlude) device she is telling Vlad's estranged wife, Cawti, what he has been up to. So the entire thing is told in Kiera's voice except where she is relating things Vlad has told her himself, which ends up being a narration once removed. Following so far? Good, because Kiera freely admits she is leaving things out and that her retelling of Vlad's story is not entirely accurate... so the narrative is unreliable. This is helpful to remember when the story itself becomes confusing.
Brust writes each book in the style of the House represented: The members of the House of Orca are noted for being sailors and merchants, businessmen (and women) with a head for convoluted schemes. (Not as bad as the House of Yendi, who like convoluted schemes for their own sake, Orcas' schemes are all about making money.) The story here is about the fallout when a powerful Orca merchant unexpectedly dies of an accident (yeah, right) leaving his businesses in financial chaos. Vlad becomes involved as payment to a healer who is treating Savn (see Athyra, book 6); her home is in danger of foreclosure from the fallout of the dead Orca's business. The investigation should be straightforward - find out who owns the land so he can pay it off. Instead, he unearths a conspiracy that goes all the way up to the highest levels of the Empire.
My problem with this book is that I had trouble following the money. The schemes run deep, the players are many, and at times I had to trust that it was all making sense to Brust even if it didn't make sense to me. It also did not help that whenever Vlad or Kiera figured out a piece of the puzzle, he or she would not come right out and explain it, it was always "work through it and see if you figure it out, too!" Which left me feeling dumb... should I have worked through it and figured it out? Well, no, because they always have more information than the reader. Oh, and remember that unreliable narrator thing? Kiera is deliberately leaving stuff out.
The final chapter fills in some of those gaps... this is the part that Kiera did not tell Cawti. Which involves an "Aha!" revelation that recasts not only the book, but the entire series up to that point. So that thing I said at the beginning of this review about a careful reread of the entire series? Yeah, that would be fun with this new information. And the final line of a short epilogue adds another wrinkle that will affect what happens in the next books... once Vlad discovers what it is.
Oh, except the next book, Dragon, Book 8 in the series, is a flashback to the beginning of Vlad's story. The joys and sorrows of this series? Steven Brust keeps you guessing. Which is a wonderful thing.
April 18, 2018
Still on the run from the Jhereg, Vlad seeks help for Savn. It's been a year since the events of Athyra and Savn has been mostly catatonic since he saved Vlad's life by using a Morganti weapon to kill his own lord. On the outskirts of Northport, a Tsalmoth hedge wizard (whose name Vlad can't pronounce) agrees to help, no questions asked, but asks that Vlad help her in return. She's being evicted from the home she shared with her husband and she wants to stay.
Who actually holds the deed to the land is much more difficult to determine than it should be. Vlad pulls in Kiera the Thief to help. The land appears to be connected to a prominent financier who recently died under suspicious circumstances. With the paperwork Kiera lifts from his home, they determine that Fyres was a master con artist -- he appeared to be wealthy but his companies were shells -- so many loans were involved from various banks and Houses that the inevitable defaults will have serious consequences for the Empire.
The seventh book in the series brings us back into the twisted political intrigue of the Dragaeran Empire. I wasn't all that invested in figuring out the connections between Fyres, the banks, the tenants, etc -- I knew Vlad would eventually spell it out for us -- so I just enjoyed watching him and Kiera in action. We see a lot more of Kiera this time -- she's present throughout the entire story and narrates most of it. It was interesting seeing Vlad through her perspective, "Sometimes I forget just how devious he is and how good he is at improvising, and his skill at calculating odds and pulling off improbable gambits. Sometimes he thinks he's better at these than he actually is, and it is likely to get him killed one of these days."
We not only see Vlad through Kiera's perspective, but we also see something of her relationship with Cawti. They remain in contact and through this we learn that Cawti misses Vlad but still believes they can't be together. And Kiera knows things about each of them that she chooses not to share, some things because they aren't ready to share them with each other, but some things for her own reasons. Although we learn a lot about Kiera in this book, including her reason for watching over Vlad, her motivations remain mostly mysterious.
Scenes to look forward to: Vlad tries to disguise himself as a Dragaeran, which involves shaving his mustache, wearing a wig, and swaggering in ridiculously high platform boots. Big reveals about Kiera and Cawti.
Who actually holds the deed to the land is much more difficult to determine than it should be. Vlad pulls in Kiera the Thief to help. The land appears to be connected to a prominent financier who recently died under suspicious circumstances. With the paperwork Kiera lifts from his home, they determine that Fyres was a master con artist -- he appeared to be wealthy but his companies were shells -- so many loans were involved from various banks and Houses that the inevitable defaults will have serious consequences for the Empire.
The seventh book in the series brings us back into the twisted political intrigue of the Dragaeran Empire. I wasn't all that invested in figuring out the connections between Fyres, the banks, the tenants, etc -- I knew Vlad would eventually spell it out for us -- so I just enjoyed watching him and Kiera in action. We see a lot more of Kiera this time -- she's present throughout the entire story and narrates most of it. It was interesting seeing Vlad through her perspective, "Sometimes I forget just how devious he is and how good he is at improvising, and his skill at calculating odds and pulling off improbable gambits. Sometimes he thinks he's better at these than he actually is, and it is likely to get him killed one of these days."
We not only see Vlad through Kiera's perspective, but we also see something of her relationship with Cawti. They remain in contact and through this we learn that Cawti misses Vlad but still believes they can't be together. And Kiera knows things about each of them that she chooses not to share, some things because they aren't ready to share them with each other, but some things for her own reasons. Although we learn a lot about Kiera in this book, including her reason for watching over Vlad, her motivations remain mostly mysterious.
Scenes to look forward to: Vlad tries to disguise himself as a Dragaeran, which involves shaving his mustache, wearing a wig, and swaggering in ridiculously high platform boots. Big reveals about Kiera and Cawti.
December 31, 2023
“Orca” is as close as Brust comes to a direct sequel: the book takes place almost a year after “Athyra”, in a different setting, with mostly different characters, and with no direct connection to the events of its predecessor, but the action in “Orca” flows out of what happened in “Athyra”. Specifically, it arises from Vlad’s determination to find a cure for Savn’s condition, a determination that has now brought him to the outskirts of Northport. Northport, he explains to Kiera, who narrates, except for some intervals in which Vlad tells her what he’s been doing, is the largest city in the Empire that doesn’t have a university, and so the best place to look for a hedge-wizard who could perhaps heal Savn without being too curious about Vlad and the reasons why he’s on the run. The hedge-wizard he finds, known as Mother because her real name is unpronounceable, is willing to try to heal Savn if Vlad will stop her from being kicked off her land. Some investigation — Kiera becomes involved when Vlad asks her to help him by doing some thieving — reveals that the land in question is part of a giant financial fraud in the House of the Orca. (The Orca started out as sailors and shipbuilders and then added banking to their remit: presumably originally so they could finance their voyages, but now they simply make up the financial class of the Empire.) Vlad and Kiera then spend most of the book investigating the scandal, the ramifications of which are large enough to pull in both the Jhereg and the Empire. This lets Brust fall back into a familiar groove, with Kiera taking the place that would once have been filled by Kragar. In many ways “Orca” reminds me the most of “Yendi”, with a twisty plot leading to a fairly happy ending, all things considered: a fun read, but one that is more about allowing the reader to gain comfort with their new surroundings than advancing the series (aside from closing out Savn’s plot thread when he finally begins to recover). Excepting, of course, the bombshell revelation that lands at the very end, which makes the reader see a lot of what happened in the previous books with new eyes. (Well, there are two big revelations, but one of them is more focused on the future than the past.) In a way, “Orca” is less impressive than “Athyra”: it’s just Brust doing some more of what he’s always done. But when he does it this well, why complain?
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December 6, 2020Orca takes place about a year after the events of Athyra. Vlad has been wandering around, avoiding the Jhereg, and trying to find someone to help poor Savn recover from the effects of his battle with Loraan. Vlad ends up in Northside, seeking the aid of a sorceress who has had some success with people who have had magical brain injuries. She's a rather gruff old woman who is being evicted from her lifetime home, and Vlad makes a bargain with her to help her stay on her land if she will cure Savn.
In his investigation, Vlad stumbles upon a far larger problem - an Orca named Fyre has been murdered, but the representatives of the Empire sent to investigate are involved in a cover-up, as it turns out that his shady business dealings, if brought to light, could cause the collapse of multipe banks and several Houses within the Empire. Vlad enlists the aid of his old friend, Kiera the thief, to steal some papers from Fyre's estate (in both senses of the word) so that he can begin to figure out what's really going on, and Kiera's curiousity keeps getting her more deeply involved as the plot thickens.
So, it becomes apparent as the story progresses that Kiera is far more than a simple thief, albeit a highly skilled one, working for the Jhereg. She displays a lot more knowledge about the clandestine operations of the Empire than seem likely. So, I began to suspect that she's actually an intelligence operative, working very covertly for the Empress. Then, there was one odd event that just didn't fit properly - a jigsaw piece out of place. Kiera thinks that she sees Devera walk past the front door of an inn. Devera is - or will be - Aliera's daughter, who has appeared in the Halls of Judgement and in dreams to Vlad several times. I wondered how in the world Kiera would know about Devera, let alone recognize her.
In his investigation, Vlad stumbles upon a far larger problem - an Orca named Fyre has been murdered, but the representatives of the Empire sent to investigate are involved in a cover-up, as it turns out that his shady business dealings, if brought to light, could cause the collapse of multipe banks and several Houses within the Empire. Vlad enlists the aid of his old friend, Kiera the thief, to steal some papers from Fyre's estate (in both senses of the word) so that he can begin to figure out what's really going on, and Kiera's curiousity keeps getting her more deeply involved as the plot thickens.
So, it becomes apparent as the story progresses that Kiera is far more than a simple thief, albeit a highly skilled one, working for the Jhereg. She displays a lot more knowledge about the clandestine operations of the Empire than seem likely. So, I began to suspect that she's actually an intelligence operative, working very covertly for the Empress. Then, there was one odd event that just didn't fit properly - a jigsaw piece out of place. Kiera thinks that she sees Devera walk past the front door of an inn. Devera is - or will be - Aliera's daughter, who has appeared in the Halls of Judgement and in dreams to Vlad several times. I wondered how in the world Kiera would know about Devera, let alone recognize her.
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