The View From The Foothills

At last we’ve reached the final volume of Brust’s epic three volume
novel, The Viscount of Adrilankha, and it’s a doozy: all the
swashbuckling, derring-do, and ridiculously long conversations you’ve
come to expect, plus the end of the story complete with a “Where are they
now?” section.

I hesitate to say too much about the plot, given that this is the final
volume not just of the extended novel but also of the Khaavren series as
a whole; I don’t want to give anything away. I will, however, make two
relatively general comments.

First, to my great joy and delight, Vlad Taltos is mentioned in this one,
in the context of Morrolan’s endless party at Castle Black. At least, he
doesn’t really appear as all of the action predates his birth; but Paarfi
mentions that the party is still on-going, even at the time of writing,
and that throughout its long history many of the notables of whom he has
written have frequently been found there…along with, occasionally,
other less savory elements. Which is to say, Vlad.

Second, we get an interesting insight into how truthful Paarfi is. In
Teckla, a Teckla tells Vlad of an encounter he has with a
wrathful Lyorn who can only be our old friend Aerich. In this volume we
see the encounter from Aerich’s point of view. Needless to say, there
are discrepancies….

Anyway, you should go out and buy The Phoenix Guards, the first
title in this series, if you haven’t read it already.