From Publishers Weekly
The dashing Lord Vlad Taltos returns in this ninth installment of the Taltos series (after 1998's popular Dragon, which some would consider a stand-alone story), in which the hero engages in more philosophical musing than muscle work. Still a renegade, Jheregan outcast and witch, Taltos must rescue, once again, his Dragonlord friends, Morrolan e'Drien and Aliera e'Kieron, this time from the powerful creators of Dragaera, the Jenoine. Accompanied by his faithful familiar, the funny pocket dragon, Loiosh, Taltos as usual relies on his psychic and magical strengths as well as his dazzling swordplay. But what sets this adventure apart from his others is the tone. The author starts off slowly, concentrating on setting up the relationship Taltos develops with Teldra, the Issolian chatelaine of Castle Black, whose gentle manners captivate Taltos and teach him new ways to deal with problems. The dangerous Jenoine utilize sleight of hand and massive illusions that Taltos and his friends have to crack in order to save Dragaera's source of amorphia (aka chaos) from the Jenoine and themselves. Fans will enjoy all the inside jokes and references to earlier books, but newcomers may feel a bit lost until Brust cranks up the volume midway and the story begins to crackle with easily understood tension. It stops just short of becoming a romance between Teldra and Taltos, leaving lingering doubts as to whether their "relationship" will ever end. Though not as meaty as some fans might wish, the novel provides more than adequate fantasy fare. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Vlad Taltos' latest adventures take place after the conclusion of Orca (1996). Still on the run from the Jhereg, Vlad is tracked down by Lady Teldra of Castle Black. Both Morrolan and Aliera have disappeared, and sorcery, telepathy, and even Sethra Lavode can't find them. It is feared that they are captives of neither the dead nor the gods but of the Jenoine, the ancient creators of Dragaera and its gods. So what is an ex-assassin (Vlad) to do? Rescue his friends, of course, though not without smart-mouthing every other inch of the way and exercising the same derring-do that has kept Brust's stalwarts turning the pages for years. Be it noted that this novel sheds a great deal of light on the history of Dragaera, the primary setting of Brust's imaginings, and yet it absolutely isn't the place to start an acquaintance with either the series or Brust. Hardened fans will rally to the book, but start newbies on an earlier bit of Brustwork. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Review
No mere plot summary can describe accurately the fun and adventure that naturally seem to follow Vlad Taltos."-Voya

"As always, Brust invests Vlad with the panache of a Dumas musketeer and the colloquial voice of one of Zelazny's amber heroes."-Publishers Weekly



Review
No mere plot summary can describe accurately the fun and adventure that naturally seem to follow Vlad Taltos."-Voya

"As always, Brust invests Vlad with the panache of a Dumas musketeer and the colloquial voice of one of Zelazny's amber heroes."-Publishers Weekly



Book Description
Okay, so maybe I've been living in the woods too long, where you can't even get a decent cup of klava first thing in the morning. So who should turn up but Lady Teldra, the courtly servant of my old friend the Dragonlord Morrolan?

Teldra wants my help, because Morrolan and Aliera have disappeared, and according to Sethra Lavode, it looks like they may be in the hands of the Jenoine. Do I want to mess with them? The guys who made this place? And I thought I had problems before...

Oh well, what's a little cosmic battle with beings who control time and space? It's better than hunkering down in the woods without even so much as a drinkable cup of klava.



About the Author
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and raised in a family of Hungarian labor organizers, Steven Brust worked as a musician and a computer programmer before coming to prominence as a writer in 1983 with Jhereg, the first of his novels about Vlad Taltos, a human professional assassin in a world dominated by long-lived, magically-empowered human-like "Dragaerans."

Over the next several years, several more "Taltos" novels followed, interspersed with other work, including To Reign in Hell, a fantasy re-working of Milton's war in Heaven; The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars, a contemporary fantasy based on Hungarian folktales; and a science fiction novel, Cowboy Feng's Space Bar and Grille. The most recent "Taltos" novels are Dragon and Issola. In 1991, with The Phoenix Guards, Brust began another series, set a thousand years earlier than the Taltos books; its sequels are Five Hundred Years After and the three volumes of "The Viscount of Adrilankha": The Paths of the Dead, The Lord of Castle Black, and Sethra Lavode.

While writing, Brust has continued to work as a musician, playing drums for the legendary band Cats Laughing and recording an album of his own work, A Rose for Iconoclastes. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada where he pursues an ongoing interest in stochastics.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
If you've never read a novel by Steven Brust, shame on you! You have no idea what you've been missing. The author of the bestselling Five Hundred Years After, The Phoenix Guards, Dragon, and the widely popular Vlad Taltos series doesn't just deserve your attention. He earns it.

Issola is a fine place to start if you've never experienced Brust before. Although it is a continuation of sorts of Dragon, this novel can certainly be read as a stand-alone novel. Dragon gave us insights into the eccentricity of an epic cast of characters, whereas Issola takes us back to a tiny crevice in time. Brust introduces us to the beings that roamed the earth even before the Jhereg (dragons) and the easterners (man).

Brust's characters are philosophical and subtly drawn. Especially strongly rendered is Vlad Taltos, a man who throughout his life has believed that "desperation requires and opportunity presents." (Juliet Morris)

ANNOTATION

The story line contains the usual humor, illusions, and duels yet Vlad seems fresh mainly due to his relationship with Teldra who humanizes him. Loiosh remains a funny sidekick comic lightening the tale. Though new readers will struggle with the tone and self deprecating amusing references to previous novels, Steven Brust has written a triumphant story that fantasy fans will appreciate. -Harriet Klausner

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"On the run from House Jhereg, which he double-crossed, Vlad Taltos has been living far too long in the woods, where you can't even get a decent cup of klava first thing in the morning. Then suddenly he's found by, of all improbable people, Lady Teldra, the courtly, preternaturally charming sevant of his old friend the Dragonlord Morrolan." "Teldra has come to ask for Vlad's help, because Morrolan and Aliera have disappeared, and it looks as if they may be literally gone from the world. Consulting the ever-interesting and fabulously powerful Sethra Lavode, Vlad and Teldra find that Morrolan and Aliera are being held captive by the Jenoine." "Who have hitherto been a mystery - perhaps not to a lord like Morrolan, but certainly to Vlad. Indications are that the Jenoine may have made Dragaera and may have once been the masters of the gods themselves. Not the kind of guys you want to go up against." "Cynical, Vlad may be. And he certainly claims to be devoted to looking out for Number One. But Morrolan and Aliera are his friends, and he can't bring himself to abandon then - even if it means doing battle at the Sea of Amorphia itself." "After all, what's a little cosmic battle with beings who control time and space? It's better than hunkering down in the woods without even so much as a drinkable cup of klava."--BOOK JACKET.

SYNOPSIS

"Castle Black's Lady Teldra surprisingly finds Vlad Taltos, who buried himself in the wilderness more worried about survival than comfort. Teldra explains that she received help from Kiera the Thief who pointed in the general direction followed by the supreme sorceress Sethra Lavode who traced the specific spot via a link to Vlad's dragon Loiosh. Vlad concludes that the Jhereg would not be able to follow Teldra's path so he should remain safe.

Teldra wants Vlad to rescue Morrolan and Aliera who have vanished without leaving a psychic trace. For a decent cup of klava, Vlad would risk anything so he agrees to accompany Teldra to learn more from Sethra, whose servant knows how to make a mean klava. Vlad concludes that the creators of Dragaera, the ultra powerful Jenoine have captured his two friends. This explains the lack of a psychic trace. He knows any attempt to free his friends means visibility to his foes and a new set of dangerous enemies whose illusions make Vlad's abilities look like child play.

Long term fans of the Lord Taltos series will have a field day with ISSOLA, one of the best entries in several years. The story line contains the usual humor, illusions, and duels yet Vlad seems fresh mainly due to his relationship with Teldra who humanizes him. Loiosh remains a funny sidekick comic lightening the tale. Though new readers will struggle with the tone and self deprecating amusing references to previous novels, Steven Brust has written a triumphant story that fantasy fans will appreciate". -Harriet Klausner

FROM THE CRITICS

VOYA

Vlad Taltos, accompanied by Lady Teldra, is off to rescue the Dragonlords Morrolan and Aliera, who have been kidnapped by the Jenoine, a species that built the world of Dragaera as a sort of laboratory experiment and regard the beings there as test subjects. With assistance from the Necromancer and Sethra Lavode, Vlad and Teldra locate the Dragonlords beyond the confines of their world. Vlad magically frees them only to discover that he and Teldra have become trapped instead. During their captivity, they discover that the Jenoine have tapped into the Lesser Sea of Arnorphia (chaos) and are using its power to gain access to the Orb and those whose minds link to it. Morrolan releases Vlad and Teldra, and together they, Sethra, the Necromancer, and the other gods battle the Jenoine to secure Dragaera from Jenoine access. No mere plot summary can describe accurately the fun and adventure that naturally seems to follow Vlad Taltos. Vlad is irreverent, ingenious, and funny. His silent dialogue with his familiar, Loiosh, a sort of minidragon who rides on his shoulder, is charming and witty. This delightful romp also is relatively short in length, making it attractive to some teens who avoid longer books. Give this newest volume to Terry Pratchett fans. Quality is consistent so add the preceding volumes in the Vlad Taltos series, among them Jhereg (Ace, 1987), Taltos (Ace, 1988/VOYA August 1988), Orca (Ace, 1996), and Dragon (Tor, 1999/VOYA April 1999), to the collection as well. All four are available as mass-market paperbacks. VOYA CODES:4Q 4P J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses;Broad general YA appeal;Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9;Senior High, defined as grades10 to 12). 2001, Tor, 255p, $23.95. Ages 12 to 18. Reviewer:Nancy K. Wallace—VOYA, December 2001 (Vol. 24, No. 5)

Kirkus Reviews