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Tsalmoth (Vlad Taltos #16)
I finished it tonight! It occurred to me when it came out that this is (I think) the first new Vlad book since I marathoned the whole series back in circa 2018/19 or so.
I don't think I actually squeaked aloud when the Morrolan POV section happened, but there was a lot of inward squeaking, you can be sure.
I also realized after finishing the book that this is possibly? probably? also Vlad's narration, since he's getting Morrolan's thoughts at that point (a fact which he downplays hard in his POV sections; it's evident that it's happening, but he's also trying hard enough not to think or talk about it that I didn't realize until he's back to normal and mentions that he's not hearing Morrolan's thoughts anymore that he was actually getting a pretty clear stream of consciousness the whole time). Anyway, though, we so rarely see anyone else's viewpoint other than Vlad's in these books that getting Morrolan was a lot of fun, including Morrolan's thoughts on Vlad. I also found it really interesting that Blackwand acted on its own to (from its perspective) save Vlad, without being told to; hard to say if that's because it was acting on behalf of what it thought Morrolan would want, or if it actually has some fondness for Vlad on its own.
So that was definitely the most memorable part for me, but the book in general was fun! ... but also kind of slight-feeling (well, except the demon reveal, which is - uh - a lot!). The wedding frame story was delightful; it was nice to find out more about that. As for the main story, the demon thing was fascinating, the political conspiracy perhaps less so, and my attention flagged a bit during the second half of the book, which felt like a loooot of Vlad and Cawti walking places and eating and talking about conspiracies, but not a lot actually happening. It was really interesting to revisit a much younger Vlad, though - still trying to be a tough guy, but clearly head over heels for Cawti, and reflexively loyal to his Dragaeran friends. I found the recurring bits with Vlad expanding his vocabulary both entertaining and interesting, because it really points out that he lacks formal education compared to most of the people he's close to. And I also enjoyed the framing with Vlad talking to (presumably) the magical equivalent of a tape recorder and the asides to Sethra, as well as the Kragar and Loiosh bits, and the look at Vlad as a working gangster still pretty low in the Jhereg hierarchy.
So yeah, I think this one is probably not an all-time favorite, it's one of the middle-of-the-road books (aside from some particularly shiny bits like the Morrolan POV, which I will probably continue to mull over for a while). But it was definitely fun to read, and very nice to have more Vlad & co. after all this time.
I don't think I actually squeaked aloud when the Morrolan POV section happened, but there was a lot of inward squeaking, you can be sure.
I also realized after finishing the book that this is possibly? probably? also Vlad's narration, since he's getting Morrolan's thoughts at that point (a fact which he downplays hard in his POV sections; it's evident that it's happening, but he's also trying hard enough not to think or talk about it that I didn't realize until he's back to normal and mentions that he's not hearing Morrolan's thoughts anymore that he was actually getting a pretty clear stream of consciousness the whole time). Anyway, though, we so rarely see anyone else's viewpoint other than Vlad's in these books that getting Morrolan was a lot of fun, including Morrolan's thoughts on Vlad. I also found it really interesting that Blackwand acted on its own to (from its perspective) save Vlad, without being told to; hard to say if that's because it was acting on behalf of what it thought Morrolan would want, or if it actually has some fondness for Vlad on its own.
So that was definitely the most memorable part for me, but the book in general was fun! ... but also kind of slight-feeling (well, except the demon reveal, which is - uh - a lot!). The wedding frame story was delightful; it was nice to find out more about that. As for the main story, the demon thing was fascinating, the political conspiracy perhaps less so, and my attention flagged a bit during the second half of the book, which felt like a loooot of Vlad and Cawti walking places and eating and talking about conspiracies, but not a lot actually happening. It was really interesting to revisit a much younger Vlad, though - still trying to be a tough guy, but clearly head over heels for Cawti, and reflexively loyal to his Dragaeran friends. I found the recurring bits with Vlad expanding his vocabulary both entertaining and interesting, because it really points out that he lacks formal education compared to most of the people he's close to. And I also enjoyed the framing with Vlad talking to (presumably) the magical equivalent of a tape recorder and the asides to Sethra, as well as the Kragar and Loiosh bits, and the look at Vlad as a working gangster still pretty low in the Jhereg hierarchy.
So yeah, I think this one is probably not an all-time favorite, it's one of the middle-of-the-road books (aside from some particularly shiny bits like the Morrolan POV, which I will probably continue to mull over for a while). But it was definitely fun to read, and very nice to have more Vlad & co. after all this time.
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