-
Dragon
- Vlad Taltos, Book 8
- Narrated by: Bernard Setaro Clark
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
![Prime logo](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/G/01/Audible/Homestead/Prime_Logo_RGB.png)
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $17.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Great first listens
![The Housemaid Audiobook By Freida McFadden cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51+UxIo+YNL._SL240_.jpg)
![Listen for the Lie Audiobook By Amy Tintera cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51zllGBPiuL._SL240_.jpg)
![Project Hail Mary Audiobook By Andy Weir cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51b6fvQr1-L._SL240_.jpg)
![The Housemaid's Secret Audiobook By Freida McFadden cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51WR3i5EfIL._SL240_.jpg)
![Kingdom of Ash Audiobook By Sarah J. Maas cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51r5TOoIdRL._SL240_.jpg)
![Tower of Dawn Audiobook By Sarah J. Maas cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51JhJaNpMWL._SL240_.jpg)
![A Court of Thorns and Roses (Part 2 of 2) (Dramatized Adaptation) Audiobook By Sarah J. Maas cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51vJxchNsxL._SL240_.jpg)
![Verity Audiobook By Colleen Hoover cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/511i1nvprYL._SL240_.jpg)
![The Duke and I Audiobook By Julia Quinn cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51XnZ3udYnL._SL240_.jpg)
![The Nightingale Audiobook By Kristin Hannah cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51lJVAGTuNL._SL240_.jpg)
![Words of Radiance Audiobook By Brandon Sanderson cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51yEEt2q0vL._SL240_.jpg)
![The Way of Kings Audiobook By Brandon Sanderson cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51hAwcG3oNL._SL240_.jpg)
![An Offer from a Gentleman Audiobook By Julia Quinn cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51qhFc8LJqL._SL240_.jpg)
![The Final Empire Audiobook By Brandon Sanderson cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61rYqiz8yJL._SL240_.jpg)
![The Inmate Audiobook By Freida McFadden cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51ORE1dbOaL._SL240_.jpg)
![Fourth Wing (Part 1 of 2) (Dramatized Adaptation) Audiobook By Rebecca Yarros cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61i95pK0DoL._SL240_.jpg)
![The Idea of You Audiobook By Robinne Lee cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41-CB3k8DrL._SL240_.jpg)
![James Audiobook By Percival Everett cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31FeDPikCWL._SL240_.jpg)
![The Serpent and the Wings of Night Audiobook By Carissa Broadbent cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61VDeWSV8iL._SL240_.jpg)
![The Viscount Who Loved Me Audiobook By Julia Quinn cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/515SoOHheML._SL240_.jpg)
![The Perfect Son Audiobook By Freida McFadden cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/510Bt0n2r-L._SL240_.jpg)
![Break Me Audiobook By K. A. Tucker cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/512TJtt1MlL._SL240_.jpg)
![The Well of Ascension Audiobook By Brandon Sanderson cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61jTUT0xfCL._SL240_.jpg)
![We Are Legion (We Are Bob) Audiobook By Dennis E. Taylor cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51rt2pFIW7L._SL240_.jpg)
![Oathbringer Audiobook By Brandon Sanderson cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51fKpuTPMdL._SL240_.jpg)
![The Great Alone Audiobook By Kristin Hannah cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51NeDaxcJwL._SL240_.jpg)
![The Hero of Ages Audiobook By Brandon Sanderson cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/611IBQxExyL._SL240_.jpg)
![The Mountain Is You Audiobook By Brianna Wiest cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41jiySKmibL._SL240_.jpg)
![Dawnshard Audiobook By Brandon Sanderson cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51oUwcEc9UL._SL240_.jpg)
![Unfu*k Yourself Audiobook By Gary John Bishop cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51l9kZheEAL._SL240_.jpg)
Publisher's summary
In which Vlad Taltos finds himself, much to his surprise, at the fateful Battle of Baritt's Tomb.
Marching through mud just isn't as much fun as they say. After years of surviving in Adrilankha by practicing the trade I know best - killing people for a living - suddenly I'm in the last place any self-respecting assassin wants to be: the army. Worse, I'm right in the middle of a apocalyptic battle between two sorcerous armies, and everyone expects me to play a role they won't explain. All I've got between me and the worst kind of death is my wits. Oh, and a smart-mouthed winged lizard.
Related to this topic
-
Jhereg
- Vlad Taltos, Book 1
- By: Steven Brust
- Narrated by: Bernard Setaro Clark
- Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Vlad Taltos, a mobster and assassin in the magical metropolis of Adrilankha, is given the largest contract of his career, but the job is even more complicated than he expects.
-
-
Known Of For Decades, Audible Opens My Eyes...
- By Michael on 09-23-12
By: Steven Brust
-
The Thousand Names
- By: Django Wexler
- Narrated by: Richard Poe
- Length: 22 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With this stunning series opener, Django Wexler leaps to the upper echelon of today’s best fantasy authors. The Thousand Names opens his Shadow Campaigns series with a tale of bloody rebellion that will reshape an empire -- and a world. Captain Marcus d’Ivoire and Winter Ihernglass see their fortunes rise under the command of military genius Janus bet Vhalnich. But Janus’ obsession with the supernatural portends a dire fate for the realm.
-
-
90% battles and 10% character development
- By Kathleen on 11-15-14
By: Django Wexler
-
Winter's Rising
- Dystance, Book 1
- By: Mark Tufo
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From birth to death, The War is all the citizens of Dystance know. As children it is drilled into their heads that war is the purpose behind all existence. Winter doesn't agree. She's stumbled across remnants of life the way it was before The War began, and now she longs to be as free as her ancestors. With help from her best friend Cedar and the boy she is forbidden to love, Tallow. She believes she can do it. Winter can see a life beyond the Pickets, beyond the constant hunger and the threat of death, beyond the war machine.
-
-
Unbelievable, melodramatic romance.
- By Lynn A Blankenship on 03-28-19
By: Mark Tufo
-
Dungeon Deposed
- By: William D. Arand
- Narrated by: Andrea Parsneau
- Length: 13 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ryker only has one goal in his life right now: Turn a certain adventuring guild into a flaming wreck while dancing merrily through the smoldering ruins. All for the chance to get back at a handful of people. It isn’t as if they didn’t deserve it either. They had driven him from his home. Chased him physically from the very guild house itself. Simply because he wasn’t as strong as they expected him to be. As strong as he’d expected himself to be. He’d returned the next day and left with something he’d hidden away and told no one about when he found it in one of his few Dungeon Dives.
-
-
Dungeoneering 101, how to become a dungeon for fun
- By LITRPG Audiobook Reviews on 06-01-18
By: William D. Arand
-
The Misenchanted Sword
- By: Lawrence Watt-Evans
- Narrated by: J. Bruce McRell
- Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ethshar and the Northern Empire have been at war for hundreds of years. Hardly anyone alive remembers why, or over what. The tempest, turmoil, and war are endless, and the killing more endless still. The war has become not just a way of life, but an institution; no one dares to dream that it could end. Not even Valder of Kardoret, Ethsharitic Scout, trapped behind enemy lines.
-
-
One of the best Fantasy stories ever told
- By LITRPG Audiobook Reviews on 05-18-18
-
Warrior
- Doppleganger, Book 1
- By: Marie Brennan
- Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When a witch is born, a doppelganger is created. For the witch to master her powers, the twin must be killed. But what happens when the doppelganger survives? Mirage, a bounty hunter, lives by her wits and lethal fighting skills. She always gets her mark. But her new mission will take her into the shadowy world of witches, where her strength may not be a match against powerful magic. Miryo is a witch who has just failed her initiation test.
-
-
Narrator problem
- By Rebecca Koeppen on 06-20-19
By: Marie Brennan
-
Jhereg
- Vlad Taltos, Book 1
- By: Steven Brust
- Narrated by: Bernard Setaro Clark
- Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Vlad Taltos, a mobster and assassin in the magical metropolis of Adrilankha, is given the largest contract of his career, but the job is even more complicated than he expects.
-
-
Known Of For Decades, Audible Opens My Eyes...
- By Michael on 09-23-12
By: Steven Brust
-
The Thousand Names
- By: Django Wexler
- Narrated by: Richard Poe
- Length: 22 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With this stunning series opener, Django Wexler leaps to the upper echelon of today’s best fantasy authors. The Thousand Names opens his Shadow Campaigns series with a tale of bloody rebellion that will reshape an empire -- and a world. Captain Marcus d’Ivoire and Winter Ihernglass see their fortunes rise under the command of military genius Janus bet Vhalnich. But Janus’ obsession with the supernatural portends a dire fate for the realm.
-
-
90% battles and 10% character development
- By Kathleen on 11-15-14
By: Django Wexler
-
Winter's Rising
- Dystance, Book 1
- By: Mark Tufo
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From birth to death, The War is all the citizens of Dystance know. As children it is drilled into their heads that war is the purpose behind all existence. Winter doesn't agree. She's stumbled across remnants of life the way it was before The War began, and now she longs to be as free as her ancestors. With help from her best friend Cedar and the boy she is forbidden to love, Tallow. She believes she can do it. Winter can see a life beyond the Pickets, beyond the constant hunger and the threat of death, beyond the war machine.
-
-
Unbelievable, melodramatic romance.
- By Lynn A Blankenship on 03-28-19
By: Mark Tufo
-
Dungeon Deposed
- By: William D. Arand
- Narrated by: Andrea Parsneau
- Length: 13 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ryker only has one goal in his life right now: Turn a certain adventuring guild into a flaming wreck while dancing merrily through the smoldering ruins. All for the chance to get back at a handful of people. It isn’t as if they didn’t deserve it either. They had driven him from his home. Chased him physically from the very guild house itself. Simply because he wasn’t as strong as they expected him to be. As strong as he’d expected himself to be. He’d returned the next day and left with something he’d hidden away and told no one about when he found it in one of his few Dungeon Dives.
-
-
Dungeoneering 101, how to become a dungeon for fun
- By LITRPG Audiobook Reviews on 06-01-18
By: William D. Arand
-
The Misenchanted Sword
- By: Lawrence Watt-Evans
- Narrated by: J. Bruce McRell
- Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ethshar and the Northern Empire have been at war for hundreds of years. Hardly anyone alive remembers why, or over what. The tempest, turmoil, and war are endless, and the killing more endless still. The war has become not just a way of life, but an institution; no one dares to dream that it could end. Not even Valder of Kardoret, Ethsharitic Scout, trapped behind enemy lines.
-
-
One of the best Fantasy stories ever told
- By LITRPG Audiobook Reviews on 05-18-18
-
Warrior
- Doppleganger, Book 1
- By: Marie Brennan
- Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When a witch is born, a doppelganger is created. For the witch to master her powers, the twin must be killed. But what happens when the doppelganger survives? Mirage, a bounty hunter, lives by her wits and lethal fighting skills. She always gets her mark. But her new mission will take her into the shadowy world of witches, where her strength may not be a match against powerful magic. Miryo is a witch who has just failed her initiation test.
-
-
Narrator problem
- By Rebecca Koeppen on 06-20-19
By: Marie Brennan
-
Forsaken Kingdom
- The Last Prince Series, Book 1
- By: J. R. Rasmussen
- Narrated by: Paul Woodson
- Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
To save his people and the forbidden magic they're sworn to defend, Wardin Rath surrenders his birthright and his past. For seven years, he's held at the court of his deadliest enemy, oblivious to all he's lost. Until one day, the spell that stole his memories begins to crack. On the heels of a harrowing escape, Wardin's quest for answers leads him to the last magistery, where he studied magic as a boy. But he'll find no safe haven there - or anywhere.
-
-
excellent work
- By Kojo Koomson on 06-27-24
By: J. R. Rasmussen
-
Storm Warning
- Valdemar: The Mage Storms, Book 1
- By: Mercedes Lackey
- Narrated by: David Ledoux
- Length: 17 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With her phenomenal Mage Winds trilogy, bestselling author Mercedes Lackey captivated fans across the country. Now in the first volume of the series sequel, she continues the same storyline, returning readers to a war-torn Valdemar in preparation to confront an ancient Eastern Empire - ruled by a monarch whose magical tactics by be beyond any sorcery known to the western kingdoms.
-
-
Great story! Slow narration.
- By ArtisticFool on 02-16-13
By: Mercedes Lackey
-
Marching with Caesar
- Birth of the 10th Legion
- By: R.W. Peake
- Narrated by: Simon Burdett
- Length: 16 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Titus Pullus, the hero of the 10th Legion and the Marching With Caesar series, tells his story from the very beginning of his life, starting with his relationship with his father, how his friendship with Vibius Domitius began, and how their burning ambition to join the Legions was helped by a veteran nicknamed Cyclops. Enlisting in the 10th Legion, raised in 61 B.C. by Gaius Julius Caesar, Birth of the 10th Legion recounts the first campaign ever conducted by Julius Caesar as a commander...
-
-
Superb history and pulse pounding excitement.
- By William H. Harrington on 12-10-14
By: R.W. Peake
-
Awaken
- The Mortal Mage, Book 1
- By: B. T. Narro
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 11 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Desil has spent his life training, but a promise to his mother has kept him from using his abilities for anything worthwhile. Now all he does is help his mother manage her tavern as his father rests in a grave. Desil knows there's at least one other mage somewhere in this territory who can do what he can; they share a connection through their magic, although they've never met. He stays up nights wondering what they might be able to accomplish together.
-
-
My First Return
- By Kyle the Professional Audible User on 01-24-18
By: B. T. Narro
-
More Than a Game
- Fayroll 1
- By: Andrey Vasilyev
- Narrated by: Adrian Niro
- Length: 10 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tasked with a new assignment, journalist Harriton is given explicit orders to write a series of articles on the Virtual Gaming World of Fayroll and its developers. Harriton grudgingly accepts the assignment but soon finds himself enthralled by the virtual fantasy world and its amazing quests, unpredictable challenges and nearly endless possibilities.
-
-
Story seemed good but the reader...
- By Kindle Customer on 03-21-18
By: Andrey Vasilyev
-
A Shadow of All Night Falling
- Dread Empire, Book 1
- By: Glen Cook
- Narrated by: Stephen Hoye
- Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Across the mountains called the Dragon's Teeth, beyond the chill reach of the Werewind and the fires of the world's beginning, above the walls of the castle Fangdred, stands Windtower. From this lonely keep the Star Rider calls forth the war that even wizards dread, fought for a woman's hundred-lifetime love. A woman called Nepanthe, princess to the Stormkings…
-
-
Nothimg like Black Company-good in a different way
- By Zap Rowsdower on 10-02-21
By: Glen Cook
-
The Bathrobe Knight: Volume 1
- By: Charles Dean
- Narrated by: Matthew Broadhead
- Length: 12 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Darwin, a video game addict, is sitting in his bathrobe and slippers playing his favorite MMO on a Christmas night when an uninvited guest breaks into his house to steal his belongings. After the scuffle is over he finds himself transported into one of the sword and magic RPG-style MMOs that he has always loved to play, albeit one he has never heard of, where he has to overcome trials and tribulations at every turn as he fights for his life alongside new companions.
-
-
Pleasantly surprised!
- By Dave Willmarth on 11-15-17
By: Charles Dean
-
The Spark
- By: David Drake
- Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
- Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the time of the Ancients the universe was united - but that was so far in the past that not even memory remains, only the broken artifacts that a few Makers can reshape into their original uses. What survives is shattered into enclaves - some tiny, some ruined, some wild. Into the gaps between settlements, and onto the road that connects all human reality and the reality that is not human and may never have been human, have crept monsters.
-
-
Very enjoyable
- By Stewart on 11-14-17
By: David Drake
-
The Infernal City
- Elder Scrolls Series #1
- By: Greg Keyes
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Four decades after the Oblivion Crisis, Tamriel is threatened anew by an ancient and all-consuming evil. It is Umbriel, a floating city that casts a terrifying shadow-for wherever it falls, people die and rise again. And it is in Umbriel's shadow that a great adventure begins and a group of unlikely heroes meet. A legendary prince with a secret. A spy on the trail of a vast conspiracy. A mage obsessed with his desire for revenge. And Annaïg, a young girl in whose hands the fate of Tamriel may rest.
-
-
Umbriel is coming
- By Brenden Zapp on 02-01-13
By: Greg Keyes
-
The Black Company
- Chronicles of The Black Company, Book 1
- By: Glen Cook
- Narrated by: Marc Vietor
- Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Some feel the Lady, newly risen from centuries in thrall, stands between humankind and evil. Some feel she is evil itself. The hardbitten men of the Black Company take their pay and do what they must, burying their doubts with their dead - until the prophesy: The White Rose has been reborn, somewhere, to embody good once more. There must be a way for the Black Company to find her....
-
-
Hard Boiled Morally Ambiguous Epic Fantasy
- By Jefferson on 03-18-11
By: Glen Cook
-
The Doom Brigade
- Dragonlance: Kang's Regiment, Book 1
- By: Margaret Weis, Don Perrin
- Narrated by: Nick Sullivan
- Length: 10 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
War can get a fellow killed. The fearless draconians of the War of the Lance have retired from the field of battle to a pleasant valley in the Kharolis Mountains. Well, it would be pleasant, if it weren't for some dwarves, whose irritating feuding prevents the draconians from realizing their greatest hope - the ability to continue their doomed race. When the dwarves discover a map leading to a fortune buried in the dwarven kingdom of Thorbardin, the draconians are swept up in a feverish race for treasure.
-
-
Great story and great narrator!
- By Amazon Customer on 08-31-17
By: Margaret Weis, and others
-
Mordecai
- The Riven Gates, Book 1
- By: Michael G. Manning
- Narrated by: Alex Wyndham
- Length: 12 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Years have passed since the last of the Dark Gods was defeated, and Lothion has entered an age of peace and prosperity. Mordecai’s oldest children have already begun to make a place for themselves, and his youngest are on the cusp of adulthood. By every outward measure, his life has been a success; he has earned his reward. However, Tyrion, the first wizard and brutal liberator of mankind, has returned with an agenda of his own, and dark things continue to stir at the edges of civilization, threatening to undo Mordecai’s accomplishments.
-
-
Good story, but the audio is out of order.
- By Scott Grosjean on 10-16-18
What listeners say about Dragon
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Wade
- 03-17-13
Novel Much Better than the Audiobook
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
To those who I believe would enjoy Brust's Vlad Taltos series (those I've not already suggested it to), I might recommend the audiobook, but really I'd lean more to recommending the novel.Maybe after having read the novels in this series, the voices, tone and inflection used, just seemed off. This was most notable with Morrolan, and especially for Kragar. The droll, sort of stuffy voice just didn't seem to fit for the banter between them and Vlad. Everyone else worked okay, but these two important characters just didn't work, and detracted from the story for me.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Dragon?
Vlad working to initially fit in with the veteran soldiers of his company.
Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Bernard Setaro Clark?
The narrator, Bernard Clark, is good, just not right--or didn't create the right voices--for this work--at least as I listened to it.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
I couldn't do better than the tag line on the back cover of Brust's novel:
When the Dragonlord Morrolan hired me to guard a cache of sorcerous weapons, I never suspected I would end up in the thick of battle, where no self-respecting assassin ought to be--and worse, on the losing side. But that's what comes of consorting with Dragons...
Any additional comments?
Dragon is my favorite novel in the series. That's why I selected it to give a shot with the audiobook version.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
keeps providing fresh perspectives on things
interesting journey into the life of a dragon and what drives them, Taltos style. 10/10 would juice drum again
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Nchang
- 05-01-16
loved it!
My my my, Vladimir really out did himself this time! this story was fantastic, riveting, and profound in the sense that he ACTUALLY stuck it out as a soldier! Not only that but he was a main operative for Morrolan and Sethra, making his role vital to their plans. I loved how Vladimir had such a huge part to play but yet remained humble and bugging out was not his first response. A true testament to his courage and commradery. I was pleased with this book!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- George
- 02-18-24
Flashback
Brust Taltos series started out great. Then it dipped about 5-7. This one is a flashback to earlier in the series and it is better. The narrator is just too monitored.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 01-17-22
Classic Steven Brust
Humor, typical spicy dialog, and overall just another fun trip to Adrilanka and its environs.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- douglas m goines II
- 08-04-24
rip roaring action, with sardonic wit thrown in for good measure.
another great story in the life of vlad taltos, or clad joins the army and discovers a great weapon.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- 🔥 Phx17 🔥
- 07-21-24
War - family circus style
We finally get out the doldrums, by flashing back to the past, taking a detour, and generally just having a little fun in the midst of war. Yes, I’m still exasperated by the author’s thing for belaboring some details (soldier’s daily lives) while ignoring others (other than having facial hair, I still don’t know for sure if Vlad is blond or lithe or stocky). He’s also incapable of telling a story in a straight line. But, sometimes going thru things Family Circus style works for me and this installment worked pretty good. If I hadn’t gotten the series at once, I’m not sure I would’ve pushed past the last two books, but here’s where things get better.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- KH
- 12-16-14
In which Vlad Taltos is a soldier
Originally posted at Fantasy Literature.
Dragon is the eighth novel in Steven Brust’s VLAD TALTOS series. As you’re reading the series, it probably doesn’t matter when you read Dragon since it’s really a stand-alone story which tells of a battle that occurred earlier in the series’ chronology, just after the events of Taltos, which was a prequel to the first three VLAD TALTOS novels. (As you can see, the books jump around in time). But Dragon is not one of the better volumes, so I wouldn’t recommend, say, reading it first and basing your judgment of the entire series on this novel. Read Jhereg, Yendi, Teckla and Taltos first.
Most of the VLAD TALTOS books are named after one of the Great Houses, feature one or more characters from that house, and usually in some way discuss its denizens’ personality characteristics in a way that includes some social commentary about the general human condition. The Dragons are known for their confident, strong, aggressive bearings. They tend to be leaders who think they know how the world should run and they are willing to fight for what they believe in. Fans of the series are already familiar with the Dragonlord Morollan. In this story, Morollan declares war on the Dragonlord Fornia who has stolen a Morganti weapon from a wizard who was recently killed. Vlad gets recruited into Morollan’s army which is led by Sethra Levode, the undead enchantress of Dzur Mountain.
Most of the plot details Vlad’s experiences as a soldier. He complains about picket duty, latrine digging, marching in the rain, slogging through the mud, eating bad food, waiting for hours and days for something exciting to happen, and then being terrorized when something finally does happen. There are a couple of interesting discussions about tactics and how the ultimate purpose of war is peace, but mostly (like Vlad) I didn’t find Vlad’s soldiering experience to be very exciting except for the couple of times he and Loiosh (his jhereg familiar) tried to sabotage the enemy camp. Those parts were fun.
Just like the series as a whole, the story in Dragon is not told linearly. (I wonder if Steven Brust has something against straight lines?) It follows three different timelines which are easy to keep straight and help to change up the pace and add a little more texture to a somewhat bland story. In one of the interludes, Vlad mentions that Cawti has agreed to marry him, which helps orient us in time. We also hear a prophecy that Vlad will someday carry a weapon called godslayer.
As usual, the strength of the story is Vlad’s appealing personality. He’s often funny as he tells us his story (“Virt said that the bandage around my forehead made me look like a real warrior. I made scatological culinary recommendations.”), makes occasional geeky pop culture references (“Run away! Run away!”) and carries on a snarky internal dialogue with Loiosh (“You’re pretty smart for a guy with no opposable thumbs”). Besides just liking Vlad as a person, I also like that all of Brust’s female characters are strong and smart.
If you’re reading these books in publication order, you might be glad to return to this “old” Vlad because he’s been kind of depressed in the previous three novels and I thought the last two, Athyra and Orca, were not up to par. Dragon is better than Athyra and Orca, but not as good as the books 1-5. (Fortunately, I like the next book, Issola, a lot better than Dragon.) I continue to listen to VLAD TALTOS in audio format. I love Bernard Setaro Clark’s narration of Audible Studio’s version.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!