15 May, 2004
Issola, Steven Brust (255 pp, HC, 2001)
Finally, done with the complete Vlad reread. Issola is a big one, too. I think that it probably marks as big a turning point in Vlad's life as the events of Phoenix (if not bigger). It begins with Vlad still on the run from the Jhereg, until Lady Teldra (Morollan's greeter) appears at his campsite and asks for his help. Vlad's friends Morollan and Aliera are missing, and by "missing," we mean "vanished off the face of the world, held prisoner by the god-like Jenoine." And, well, it's up to Vlad to rescue them. Poor Vlad just can't catch a break.
The story is structured very much like a play--most of it takes place in the same room, with various characters moving in and out, and lots of talking. This makes me look suspiciously at a particular exchange between Vlad and Teldra:
"Well," I said, "Teldra, you must have studied all the old songs and stories, and you must be better read in history than I am, and since I almost never attend the theater, you must attend more often than I do."
"Perhaps," she said.
"Well then? What does on typically do in a situation like this?"
[...]
"Usually," she said, "one calls for help of one's patron god, who then assigns one an impossible task in exchange for minimal aid, which aid turns out to be ironically fatal. Or else one discovers a powerful artifact of unknown properties, which, upon use, proves to take over one's soul, so that, after the rescue, one kills one's beloved."
"I see. Well, now you know why I almost never attend the theater."
Considering what happens later on, well.
When I previously read this book, I felt sad about what happens to Teldra. Reading it right after Dragon, however, gives me a different perspective. Given Vlad and Morollan's conversation with the Serioli in that book, and given what Sethra tells Vlad about the gods' use and manipulation of souls at the beginning of this one, I wonder: (Highlight to read spoiler)
Was Teldra a woman who, due to unfortunate circumstance, got turned into a sword? Or was she a sword who was, for a time, incarnated as a woman?
Personally, I really enjoyed this book, since it prominently featured my favorite Friends of Vlad (Morollan and Aliera), and not my least favorite (Cawti). One can't possibly have too much Morollan, sez I.
Anyway, I can't wait to find out what happens to Vlad next. Clearly, big things are in store for him. Poor guy.