I went back and bought a Three Kingdoms opera doll yesterday, even though I only know the story through references in other things. It was too cool to pass up, and they only had two left (compared to seven on Monday) so I got there just in time!
I also found replacement copies of the first four Vlad Taltos novels, which I gave to a friend and then told her to pass along. Alas, this copy of JHEREG contains zero pressed leaves. Dammit, Past Me.
pickThe Vlad Taltos Musical Episode (aka LYORN) is the perfect blend of fun songs, theatrical shenanigans, heavy plot stuff that builds on everything that happened to Vlad in the previous books, criminal endeavours, and commentary on what it means to stand up to tyranny.
I LOVED IT SO DAMNED MUCH.
I want everyone who likes fantasy to read it, but it‘s the penultimate book in the series so I want y‘all to read some of the others first. Okay? Okay.
I always like to have a hot drink on hand when I start a new Vlad Taltos novel, what with Vlad‘s klava obsession. Someday I‘ll look up the actual klava recipe (surely other fans have worked it out), but for now, Vietnamese coffee will do.
And the book is a DELIGHT. It‘s the Vlad Taltos Musical Episode, complete with theatre jokes! But there‘s also lots of heavy plot stuff! And commentary on Things! And cool continuity bits!
I‘m a happy reader.
pickOoh, friends, I had SUCH a great time with Steven Brust's 16th Vlad Taltos novel. It's full of mysterious happenings, criminality, magic that's both down to earth and WEIRD, relationships that shine, and a ton of MOMENTS that enrich the wider series.
Basically, it's a Vlad book, and a durned good one at that.
This time around, I got a particular kick out of how Vlad‘s narration shifts with one of his friends in the room for the recitation. ⬇️
I‘m now in the homestretch with TSALMOTH; Ruby assisting. It‘s got me thinking about how the series plays with chronology, and how it‘s been ages since we last saw Vlad this young, and how much fun it is to watch him enjoy being in love, and tell stories, and tinker with his vocabulary. Brust almost always delivers a good plot, but his characters and their narrative voices are what keep me coming back.
This is me taking days upon days to read a tiny little book, even though I love it so far. Too many other demands on my time. I‘m now out in the country with Breezy, awaiting a snow storm (ugh), so maybe I‘ll finally manage to make some serious progress with it.
I finally started TSALMOTH this morning! I only had time over breakfast for the first chapter, but I‘m excited. This is Vlad at his most conversational, with a strong narrative voice and lots of cool little asides to go with the story at hand.
And yes, I screenshot the cover from LibraryThing to make for more interesting social media posts than the ARC cover allows.
This week‘s happy thing: I got an ARC of the next Vlad Taltos novel! Daisy‘s equally delighted (or she‘s just happy to have a tasty bone in front of her).
Now to decide whether I‘ll dive in in early March or wait until a smidge closer to its April release date…
📚 The Year of the Flood, The Yellow Wallpaper, Yendi
✍️ J.Y. Yang
📺 Yes Minister
🎤 Neil Young
🎶 You're My Best Friend (Queen), You Really Got Me (The Kinks), You've Really Got a Hold on Me (The Miracles), You're So Dark (Arctic Monkeys), You Know My Name (Chris Cornell), Your Song (Elton John)
#ManicMonday #LetterY @CBee
All I really wanna do with my Friday afternoon is read and drink beer, and you know what? That‘s all I have to do! I‘ve got zero other obligations! Whee!
Penny & Geo‘s mom left me some Michelob Ultra and I figured I should drink it to be polite. It‘ll never be my go-to, but it‘s better than I remembered. Good for a sunny afternoon‘s guzzle.
PHOENIX is shaping up to be one of the solid Vlad Taltos novels, too. I‘m excited to binge read it.
