Books By Brust

Created 21 March 1995. Modified 20 Apr 2024

Books

In Dragaera

Vlad Taltos

In publishing order:
  1. Jhereg
  2. Yendi
  3. Teckla
  4. Taltos
  5. Phoenix
  6. Athyra
  7. Orca
  8. Dragon
  9. Issola
  10. Dzur
  11. Jhegaala
  12. Iorich
  13. Tiassa
  14. Hawk
  15. Vallista
  16. Tsalmoth
  17. Lyorn. Discussion. Song inspirations.
In chronological order:
  1. Taltos
  2. Dragon
  3. Yendi
  4. Dragon
  5. Tsalmoth
  6. Jhereg
  7. Teckla
  8. Phoenix
  9. Jhegaala
  10. Athyra
  11. Orca
  12. Issola
  13. Dzur
  14. Iorich
  15. Tiassa?
  16. Vallista
  17. Hawk
  18. Lyorn
Note that the chronological order is an approximation; some of the books have multipart timelines, Dragon in particular.

Theoretically there are to be nineteen of the things. One for each House, Taltos, and the last book, possibly called The Final Contract. Of course he has to live long enough to write all of them. I must say, Brust just might be able to pull off writing that many books about one character. Being a stylistic shapeshifter doesn't hurt.

By Paarfi

modeled after The Three Musketeers
  1. The Phoenix Guards
  2. Five Hundred Years After
  3. The Viscount of Adrilankha which has been split into a trilogy:
    1. The Paths of the Dead
    2. The Lord of Castle Black
    3. Sethra Lavode
    Sethra Lavode used to be The Enchantress of Dzur Mountain; it was changed to something easier for fear that the people who sell books *to* bookstores would short-shrift it.

Other

Not in Dragaera


Notes

Random

>1. We know that metal attracts magic, which is why
>there isn't anyone wearing heavy armor, etc.  Why does
>everyone use swords and we rarely hear any mention of
>wooden weapons?

Steel is more effective, and that amount of steel is a reasonable gamble.

>2. In _Dragon_ we see the first use of bows or
>crossbows, and Vlad has no idea what they are.  Is
>there some honor thing that we don't understand that
>allows them to be used in warfare, but not on the
>streets?

The Dragaeran culture originated in a tropical rain forest, where bows are
no effective.  They are very slow to accept change.         

>3. Is the game of S'yang stones based on a real game
>and do you have rules for it?

Nope.            

Jhereg

There is also a graphical novel based on Jhereg. It is not very good. There are various flaws involving mispellings, misdrawings, mis-attribution of Vlad's deity, etc. I don't remember specific problems (I think Barlan was Vlad's deity instead of Verra, and possibly not spelled Barlan), but I believe I've heard that Brust regrets allowing it. But it does exist, although I don't recommend it.

Yendi and Monty Python:

>/And the _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_ reference, in _Yendi_ I
>/think.

Talking about the Sorceress in Green, Vlad is told that "she'll turn you
into a newt."  "I'll get better," he says.  In MPatHG, a bunch of
villagers are accusing a woman of being a witch, and one of them says,
"She turned me into a newt."  The knight looks at him, and he says, "I
got better."

Teckla

Steve Simmons comments.

Orca

We get a link with the Khaavren novels -- mention of his Special Unit Group at Dzur Mountain.

Dragon

I'm not sure where to place the book chronologically. Most of the action happens shortly after Taltos, but the narration occurs after Yendi.

>Sethra's comments about the defender starting the war were interesting. 

These were taken straight from Clausewitz:  _On War_, book six, chapter 
five.

And I've said this about one scene:

>>And there was the irony of a quasi-dwarf telling an elf that a human was one
>>of the Old Ones.  Although *that* raises a question: are the Serioli
>>indigenes, or more experiments of the Jenoine?

Issola

Review

Another review Reference is made to Verra being barred from Fenario, as in Brokedown Palace.

'Morrolan' and his Eastern name both mean "Dark Star", Brust says. And it's a Grateful Dead reference. Also.
"tragya" is "We're in deep shit" and "legalabb" is "at least", I'm told.

Five Hundred Years After

>In FHYA when Adron first went to the city in order to get to the palace,
>the Lord Mayor sent word to the Emperor in order to know if Adron should
>be allowed when.  When relaying this information to the Emporer,
>Khaavren says that the request is from the Lord Mayor of Adrilankha
>(FHYA 75-76).
>
>We feel an error has been made in this.

Yep.  My boo-boo.

The Paths of the Dead

Brust insists that Orlaan is not meant to be related in any way to Loraan and the similarity of the names is completely a coincidence. He's pretty insistent, in the face of fans going "we respectfully disagree".

Pel not being in the Dramatis Personae is a simple mistake, along with the misprint of the Cracks and Shards URL.

Brokedown Palace

The names on the map are Hungarian translations of Grateful Dead song titles. "Fenario" isn't even a translation.

Cawti is said ex cathedra (Brust said so somewhere, although it fits vaguely with Devera's comments) to be Miklos's daughter. Verra being barred from Fenario is mentioned in Issola.

There's analysis of the books as Marxist allegory and speculation about Verra's role.


Give me ideas!
phoenix@ugcs.caltech.edu

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