Sethra Lavode

Sethra Lavode: Book Three of the Viscount of Adrilankha by Steven Brust
Tor (2004)

The conclusion to the Viscount of Adrilankha series finishes the story of Empress Zerika’s restoration of the Empire and the final end of the Interregnum. It also continues the story of Piro (the actual Viscount for whom these tales are named), the son of Khaavren (the hero of The Phoenix Guards and Five Hundred Years After), and continues the story of Morrolan, the Lord of Castle Black and enigmatic Dragonlord. And it tells a small portion of the life of Sethra Lavode, the Enchantress of Dzur Mountain.

First things first, if you have not already read Paths of the Dead and Lord of Castle Black, run, don’t walk, to your nearest bookstore and get them. In fact, if you have not read those books, then you probably have not read The Phoenix Guards and Five Hundred Years After, so you should pick up copies of those books as well. Then when you’re done reading all those, you can head back out and pick up the Vlad Taltos books. Once you’ve done that, you’re in for a fantastic couple of weeks as you get to discover the Dragaeran Empire.

And don’t forget to read both the Preface and the Afterward for all the books.

In this book we learn how Zerika finally solidifies her claim to the throne, we learn whether Khaavren and Piro reconcile, and we learn more about Morrolan’s destructive tendencies. If you’ve read the Vlad Taltos books, you already know that Zerika is going to rule the empire, and you know that Morrolan is going to be destructive, so what happens isn’t nearly as important as how it happens, and the how the story is told.

Brust continues to use Paarfi as the storyteller, which allows him to wander down all sorts of paths. Like the following:

On this occasion, it being Farmday, the village seemed to Piro to be all but deserted—in fact, it might be observed that the arrival of the small company…caused the population of Six Horses to effectively double. Indeed, their arrival would have created something of a sensation had there been a sufficient populace for a sensation to have anything to work with. (I didn’t give the names, as it might give things away.)

I had to stop and read that to Michael, just so I’d have an excuse to read it a second time. Actually, I did that rather frequently, though as I read the book before Michael did, I had to be careful to read him the bits that were not going to give anything away. Although, as I said, having read the Vlad Taltos books, we already have a general idea of what happened, we just don’t know how. There are, however, a few surprises, some of which were unpleasant. Just so you know.

My only complaint is the cover. That is not how Sethra Lavode looks to me. She should be ageless, not young. And she should definitely be dressed all in black. In fact, I argued for quite awhile that it couldn’t possible be Sethra Lavode, and put forth several ther (ridiculous) possibilities. All wrong of course. But then I realized that if they made Morrolan look like John Travolta, then what could I expect?

I also loved the following paragraph that sums up my feelings on books and reading:

“I believe, madam, that you have read that book before,” observed Tukko.
“Not above a hundred times, I believe. But then, it is the mark of a good book that it rewards many readings, is it not?”

And as with everything else I have read by Steven Brust, the three books of Viscount of Adrilankha will also be rewarding even after many readings.

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