Loved the way each story is told with a different writing style. Vlad is such a great character. ( )

An omnibus volume featuring books four and five (by publication order) of Steven Brust's Vlad Taltos series, about an assassin/crime boss living in a fantasy realm where humans are considered second-class citizens by the elflike Dragaerans.

Taltos: Although this was the fourth book in the series to be published, it's set before any of the previous ones. And, really, it's not one story, but two stories somewhat oddly interleaved. One gives us the details of an adventure alluded to in earlier volumes, in which Vlad goes on a mission to bring a soul back from the dead. The other gives some backstory on Vlad's life and the early days of his assassin's career. The two are told in strict alternation, scene-by-scene, even though they're not very strongly connected to each other, and to be honest I'm not sure this structure entirely works. The result feels to me a little like Brust kind of smooshed two novellas together because neither of them had enough substance to carry a novel. You would think a journey to the land of the dead would seem pretty epic, or that the dark stuff in Vlad's past would have a lot of weight, but, despite that it all feels very light. Feather-light, really, compared to the nuanced political themes of the previous installment, Teckla. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing. As feather-light fantasy entertainment goes, it's entertaining enough, and I still enjoyed the world-building touches, as well as finding Vlad a fairly interesting and sometimes amusing character.

Phoenix: And now we're back to what we might call the series' present again. This one is set right after Teckla, plunging us back into the messy political situation that still prevailed at the end of that book, and following up on developments that happened in it. Which means that, like Teckla, it has a much more serious tone to it, and this one is definitely a proper novel. The plot, which involves Vlad being hired by a goddess to commit an assassination that turns out to have unforeseen consequences, was interesting, but for me, it's Vlad's character development that really shines here. Reading this immediately after Taltos nicely highlights the subtle yet significant changes Vlad has gone through over the course of his life, and he is very much continuing to change through this book. I found the place these changes take us in the end quite emotionally satisfying, even as it left me curious to see where life might take him next. This is easily my favorite of the series so far. ( )

Enjoyable, quick read.
Two books in the Vlad Taltos series, one from the earlier in his career, the other from further along.
It brings you to further understanding where this sorcerer/assassin/mobster/schemer comes from.
There's good world building and a light touch. ( )

Fun and interesting read. Vlad Taltos is an assassin and a witch, not to mention a smart ass. He accepts a contract to kill someone, only to discover he's damned if he does, and damned if he doesn't. What to do? First remember "There is no substitute for good manners except fast reflexes." ( )

Wise-cracking mobster/assassin/witch/sorceror journeys the Halls of the Dead and ticks off his wife while trading ironic quips with his mini dragon familiar(s). ( )