Lord of Castle Black

Lord of Castle Black, Book Two of The Viscount of Adrilankha, by Steven Brust
Tor (2003)

I knew that it was going to be a good book when I was laughing out loud reading the first page of the introduction.

“We have been informed by those to whom we have entrusted our manuscript for publication that it would be appropriate to explain to the reader some of the events of the story we have the honor to relate…(W)e believe that were there any events in the previous volume of such a nature that they could be omitted without severe damage to the narrative, we should have omitted them to begin with.”

Lord of Castle Black continues the story begun in Paths of the Dead. This is not a good place to start if you have not before read Steven Brust. Start with Paths of the Dead if you’ve read Brust before. If you have never read any Steven Brust, I’d recommend starting with Phoenix Guards followed by 500 Years After and perhaps even the Vlad Taltos series. Note, however, that the Vlad books are written in a style that is completely different from the other Dragerra books. Vlad is written in a style that reminds me of Robert Parker’s Spenser, where is the other Draggera books… do not.

Again, the style in these books combined with the wonderful story telling, really making these books.

“In only a few minutes, thanks to the training through which Fentor had put them, the companies and battalions were arranged across the field. Upon learning that all was ready, Morrolan, who had not yet learned the importance of ceremony, grandiloquence, and inspirational utterances in convincing the desperate to do the impossible, gave the order to advance, and himself led the way. (It should be added that none of the events which followed did anything to show Morrolan why he ought to use brave words to inspire his army, and so, as far as this historian can determine, he has never learned.)”

This is why I love books so much. You just can’t do something like that in a movie–at least not without making the movie painfully long.

Although this is not particularly my favorite Steven Brust so far, it is still excellent, and well worth reading if you enjoyed The Phoenix Guards or just watching an author have fun with language.

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