Vallista

This one is a lot different from the other Vlad books. Maybe that'll mark it as a turning point. Only Brust knows.

That said, for anyone reading this review, I'm going to assume you've read some previous Vlad Taltos novels. I mean, seriously, does anyone pick up a series with #15? With that assumption, you'll know that most Vlad books are extravagant tales of planning various capers on the part of Vlad, and then usually his various powerful friends coming together to pull him out of the midst of disaster in just the nick of time as all the careful planning falls apart. Only then do they all discover some piece of information that snaps things into perspective and Vlad ends up putting it all together and saving the day.

Vallista has some similar elements. It's essentially a mystery. Almost an existential mystery, at that. And this time, it's Devera who gets Vlad into the mess and Vlad who has to figure everything out and determine what needs to be done to save her. Along the way, he does reconnect with one powerful “friend,” the Goddess Verra. I won't spoil the ending, but it does ultimately make the very odd feel of this book worth it to stick through to the end.

The key take away from this book is you learn some more of Vlad and his role in the whole cycle. Remembering his “relationship” to Aliera revealed in an earlier book, this one brings a bit more to that table and also firms up Vlad's relationship to Verra.