Hawk: Vlad Taltos, Book 14

Nowadays Steven Brust takes forever and a week to put out a novel. He must have taken the Katherine Kurtz course on writing like a laggard. It helps if you champion that old saw about quality over quantity. Me, I consumed HAWK like it was a delicious taco, tore it up in one session. I caution those novices to the Vlad Taltos series. HAWK doesn't make for a friendly jumping-on point. Instead, start with JHEREG or with TALTOS and go from there.HAWK is the fourteenth one. And it's the most gratifying of the most recent published lot because a) there's no confusion in chronology and b) we get a glimpse of the end game. Chronologically, HAWK is the most recent adventure, not an interlude (TIASSA) or an out-of-sequence adventure (JHEGAALA) or a story that jumps around, time-wise (again, TIASSA). Vlad Taltos - witch & sorcerer, ex-assassin, ex-mob boss, unwilling revolutionary, measly human in a world ruled by disdainful Dragaerans (a.k.a. tall-ass elves) - has been for years staying half a whisker ahead of the House of Jhereg, his old crime guild. Lots of things had went on during his fugitive state, perhaps the most telling of which is the birth of his child. It's exacted its toll on Vlad. I was despairing that we steadfast readers would have to keep on swallowing further Taltos books in which this status remains quo. But here's HAWK, son, to swerve the game. The opening bits find Taltos (barely) surviving a series of murder attacks. And maybe it's true what they say about adversity triggering inspiration.In the sprawling city of Adrilankha, grievously wounded, sweating out this most recent scrape, he stumbles on a wicked, twisty plan to cross himself off the shine-on-sight list. He'd always assumed it would take buying off the Jhereg or piquing their interest in a scheme or service (provided only by him) so lucrative that it'd be worth it for the House to forgive him his betrayal. Vlad's epiphany would involve procuring, among other things, an enchanted lockpick, a euphonium (which is a musical brass instrument), a hawk's egg, a rusty anchor...Steven Brust's stories are unputdownable stuff for me, and I have to blink when I think that the Taltos series has spanned over three decades now. As ever when chronicling the life and misadventures of Vlad Taltos, there's a strong whiff of the caper element. Keeping it close to the vest, Vlad sets into motion cryptic sequences of which causality he hopes would bring about a state of grace in which the House of Jhereg is okay with him, y'know, breathing.Above all else, Vlad remains that monumental wiseacre, bested only by the biting wit of his raptor-like familiar, Loiosh. The best bits always seem to involve scenes of their trading banter. For sure, the humor, often punctuated with sarcasm, serves as a much needed counterpoint to the somber stuff and the Machiavellian plottings. In a lot of ways, Vlad is a tragic anti-hero. There'd always been this undercurrent of his railing against the fates that long ago determined that his people (humans) be subjugated by the hated elves. Yeah, son, there's deep, abiding anger festering thru the guy. His sense of humor humanizes him.Brust busily weaves in familiar characters, some beloved of Vlad and the readers, including a favorite of mine from The Khaavren Romances. Also, rearing his head is an old adversary whose past activities Vlad had foiled. Maybe a side job is called for? Steven Brust, of Hungarian lineage, serves up storytelling worthy of a gypsy campfire and it kept me up into early hours. And it's seriously gratifying to see Vlad back to his old form, deviously scheming and tricking all parties silly. Except Vlad can't plan for everything...Vlad Taltos novels: publishing order:Jhereg (1983)Yendi (1984)Teckla (1987)Taltos (1988)Phoenix (1990)Athyra (1993)Orca (1996)Dragon (1998)Issola (2001)Dzur (2006)Jhegaala (2008)Iorich (2010)Tiassa (2011)Hawk (2014)Vallista (TBD)Vlad Taltos books: chronological order:Taltos (1988)Dragon, main chapters (1998)Yendi (1984)Dragon, interludes (1998)Tiassa, section 1 (2011)Jhereg (1983)Teckla (1987)Phoenix (1990)Jhegaala (2008)Athyra (1993)Orca (1996)Issola (2001)Dzur (2006)Tiassa, section 2 (2011)Iorich (2010)Tiassa, section 3 (2011)Hawk (2014)

I won't call it a "return to form" since I have never stopped enjoying the Vlad novels. But this certainly gets back to the feel of some of the early novels in the Jhereg series. Vlad has always been the underdog, so having him need to work out his scheme while keeping clear of the Jhereg organization isn't all that different than how he had to put things together in the early days. Which isn't to say it's back to how it was - Vlad's evolving moral sense is continuing to change and reveal itself to him, and he has friends and resources he never had when he was a "simple" local boss.If you like the Jhereg series you'll love this as much as ever. If you haven't read them then this is so very not your starting point. You certainly COULD, but why deny yourself the fun of coming along for the ride from the get-go?

Finally, a return to Vlad as the sole narrator! This tale was a nail-biter as Vlad tried to stay ahead of the Jhereg while developing a plan to finally get them to stop hunting him. I loved the twists and turns, and being able to once again, enjoy Vlad's and Loiosh's banter. So why only four stars? I do have a few "complaints" about the book. First, I was disappointed in how many other major characters in the series seemed to appear and quickly disappear. I would like to have had more of Morrolan and Sethra, to name two. Secondly, I'm getting the impression that Mr. Brust is stretching the tale in order to produce all of the books he announced he would write in the series. Thirdly, too many plot lines have been left dangling. More need to be tied up. Finally, (see below SPOILER)...SPOILER:Seriously, now the Left Hand is after Vlad? Surely someone as intelligent and devious as Vlad would have figured out that his plan would bring the Left Hand down on him. He (and Mr. Brust) just substituted one Jhereg nemesis for another. I found it hard to believe that Vlad, who so meticulously sculpted his plan, would not have realized what he would precipitate. I'm not sure what the final denouement will be when the series wraps up, but I will continue reading the books in the hope that Mr. Brust will reward his faithful readers with a wondrous finale.

It sure took a while for Steven Brust to bring Vladimir home to Adrilankha, and I’m also glad he’s back to the original style. I devoured all the early Vlad books, but after Athyra, Orca, and especially Teckla, I had a sense that Vlad’s story had become unmoored. Now, Brust returns the reader to his rich fantasy world and bringing in original secondary & tertiary characters.I enjoyed Hawk’s clever storyline, and I thoroughly loved reading Vlad’s first person POV. It’s fun hearing him psychically talking with his sarcastic sidekick Loiosh (an intelligent, flying dragon-like creature with poisonous fangs).4 stars because there were plotlines left dangling.

Stephen Brust has written two series set several hundred years apart in the same fantasy world. This book describes itself on the cover as a new "novel of Vlad Taltos" and it is the fourteenth novel in that series. It describes how former assassin and crimelord Vlad Taltos tries to persuade the Jhereg organisation (Mafia) to remove the huge price they had put on his head. But of course this is not the sort of task which was ever going to be straightforward ...If you are new to the Vlad Taltos/Khaavren universe, I would advise against starting with this book. The best place to start reading about Vlad is either the first published book in his series, " Jhereg ", or the chronologically first one, " Taltos ."The hero of the other series set in this world, Khaavren, is a supporting character in "Hawk." The best place to start reading about Khaavren is in Brust's first book about him, which is a marvellous parody of Dumas's  The Three Musketeers , called " The Phoenix Guards ".I am adding to this review, in August 2020, that another significant character in "Hawk" now has his own book. The backstory of one of the major characters in "Hawk" is told in Brust's latest Dragaeran adventure, "The Baron of Magister Valley" which is a retelling of "The Count of Monto Cristo" and is set many centuries earlier at the time of Adron's Disaster and therefore overlapping with "The Phoenix Guards."Yes, I did say that the two series are set several hundred years apart, and yes, I also said that the hero of the other series appears in this book. That's because although some characters including Vlad are human (e.g. Homo Sapiens Sapiens) the majority of characters including Khaavren belong to a race who can live for thousands of years.All the "Vlad Taltos" novels and "Khaavren" romances are set in a world of magic, where there are several intelligent species, including two types of men and women. Humans like ourselves are usually referred to as "Easterners," the other type of men and women call themselves humans but are usually referred to in the books as "Dragaerans" or occasionally as Elves. Dragaerans are taller than humans, live much longer (a couple of thousand years), and then after death are eligible for reincarnation if they have not annoyed a God too much or had their soul destroyed by a "Morganti" weapon or a "Great Weapon" such as the sword "Lady Teldra" which Vlad now carries."Morganti" weapons do not just kill you, they also destroy your soul. "Great Weapons," of which there are supposed to be no more than seventeen, are particularly powerful Morganti weapons which are at least to some degree sentient, can decide whether to destroy your soul or not, and which can seriously harm even gods. We learn a bit more about Great Weapons in general and Lady Teldra in particular during this book.All Dragaerans belong to one of seventeen "Great Houses" named after animals of the fantasy world in which the novels are set. Thirteen of the fourteen novels featuring Vlad Taltos, including "Hawk," are named after one of these great houses, usually also featuring a member of that house in a prominent role: if Steven Brust is planning to write a novel for each house we are about three-quarters of the way through this very long-lasting series (the first book was written 22 years ago).Each of the animals for which the great houses are named epitomises two characteristics, and the houses tend to have a preferred occupation to which those characteristics are relevant. For examples Dragons symbolise war and conquest, Dzur (which look a bit like tigers) represent heroism and honor, hence Dragaeran members of House Dragon and House Dzur (known as Dragonlords and Dzurlords) tend to be soldiers. "Tecla" look like mice and symbolise cowardice and fertility: members of House Tecla are peasants. "Iorich" epitomise justice and retribution, and members of that house tend to be judges or lawyers. "Chreotha" represent forethought and ensnarement, and members of that house are merchants. The Orca (Killer Whale) represents brutality and mercantilism: members of that house are sailors, pirates or - wait for it - bankers, and "Jhereg" representing Greed and Corruption are gangsters or assassins.To Dragaerans, the Hawk symbolises Observation and Perception. There have not been many members of this Dragaeran house in the series to date, but on the basis of this book at least some Hawklords are powerful sorcerers.The hero of this book Vladimir, Count Szurke (a.k.a. Baronet Vladimir Taltos), began his career as an assassin and crimelord within the Jhereg organisation (mafia). Several books later, Vlad went on the run from the Jhereg, who put a massive price on his head, after developing an unfortunate case of principles, which he tries very hard to hide.Early in his career Vlad acquired a companion and familiar called Loiosh, to whom he is telepathically linked, and Loiosh later acquired a mate, Rocza. Loiosh and Rocza are actual Jhereg - that is to say, they are small intelligent flying reptiles.Until this book, Vlad had dealt with the fact that the Jhereg had put a huge price on his head by a combination of using powerful magic to hide from them, staying out of their way whenever possible, and being ready to defend himself.But during this book, attacks on Vlad, and on people he cares about, by the Jhereg seriously overstep the mark.I'm not going to give the details to avoid a spoiler, but certain Jhereg do something sufficiently out of line in terms of threats to Vlad's family that it is plausible that Vlad would both be furious and determined to do something to prevent more such attacks even at immense risk to his life. He decides to do something about both the individuals behind the attacks on himself and his family and his estrangement from the organisation.The chronological sequence of the "Vlad Taltos" series jumps about all over the place, both between books and within most of the books. Furthermore, there are all sorts of little nuggets buried in these stories which don't fully make sense if you have not read previous books. I personally think it is best to read these stories in the order they were published.You can, alternatively, make an argument for reading these books in chronological sequence. However, there isn't an "official" chronological sequence, and attempts to create one, including mine which I'm about to give you, are subjective. That's because most of the books contain things which happen at very different times. For example, one of the books is a riddle and murder mystery involving a building which is also a platform to travel through time, so that moving from one room to another can take you forward or back several hundred years.Here is the list of Vlad Taltos novels in publication order, with the chronological place of the main action of each book in brackets after:1) Jhereg (4th)2) Yendi (3rd)3) Tecla (5th)4) Taltos (1st)5) Phoenix (6th)6) Athyra (8th)7) Orca (9th)8) Dragon (2nd)9) Issola (10th)10) Dzur (11th)11) Jhegaala (7th)12) Iorich (12th)13) Tiassa (13th)14) Hawk (14th)15).Vallista (15th)So in other words, the chronological sequence approximates to:a) Taltosb) Dragonc) Yendid) Jherege) Teclaf) Phoenixg) Jhegaalah) Athyrai) Orcaj) Issolak) Dzurl) Iorichm) Tiassan) Hawko) VallistaThe five Khaavren romances, in sequence, are1) "The Phoenix Guards" (equivalent to "The Three Musketeers")2) "Five Hundred Years After" (equivalent to "Twenty years after")Then a trilogy "The Viscount of Adrilankha" (equivalent to "The Viscount of Bragelonne") which comprises3) The Paths of the Dead4) The Lord of Castle Black5) Sethra Lavode.Written in the same style as the Khaavren Romances, by the same supposed author, and set at about the same time as the first of them, is "The Baron of Magister Valley,Overall I found both the "Taltos" novels and the "Khaavren Romances" very entertaining: I recommend both series and this book. JheregTaltosThe Three MusketeersThe Phoenix Guards

Like others have stated this book is fine as a stand alone story but doesn't really progress the over all story arc. For my mind it also doesn't show Taltos using the real strengths that he has. Everything about this story was just a little too predictable and that is a shame as the Taltos stories are usually so different and guessing where they are going is often one of the highlights of the books.Saying all that, this is still a Steven Brust book and therefore much better than most writers manage at their best. It just isn't Brust at his best.

Welcome addition to my library of Steven Brust.

This is Steven Brust writing in his own inimical way; Vlad continues to be the finest, and funniest, retired assassin in this or any other world, and the only problem is having to wait for the author to write more stories.

After some books - which were good, Mr. Brust has a golden touch, but not quite excellent - it is joy to see Vlad returning to top form. Very enjoyable. Over are the books where Vlad was just drifting thorough the life, now he takes the iniative again. Enjoyed a lot.