The Phoenix Guards

The Phoenix Guards (1991) Steven Brust

As is typically the case, once I finished reading the Vlad Taltos books, I felt myself consumed by an overwhelming desire to go back and re-read the other Dragaeran books. That is to say, mention of characters and events in the Vlad Taltos books whetted my appetite for re-reading about events of The Phoenix Guards and the following books.

Let me just say: I love Steven Brust’s writing.

(S)omeone once asked, in all seriousness, which was the best translation of Dumas’ The Three Musketeers into English. The two fastest answers she got were “Learn French, as nobody’s managed to make a translation that’s half as good as the original”, and “The Phoenix Guards.”

These books read as if he had an awful lot of fun writing them. Which is good, because I had an awful lot of fun reading The Phoenix Guards.

Khaavren, a young Tiassa from an impoverished house, has decided that with the changing of the cycle, joining the Phoenix Guards is a good way to distinguish himself and make his name. He meets Tazendra and Aerich who see this as a good plan and join him on his trip to the capital where they meet Pel, and new member of the guard, and the four become fast friends.

I love the characters. Khaarven the Tiassa, Tazendra the Dzurlord, Aerich the Lyron, and Pel the Yendi seem as real to me when I read these books as any people I see. And the dialog–I love the dialog.

Consider passages like this:

Tazendra, who had been watching the one called Uttrik as he removed his doublet, drew his sword, and began taking practice thrusts with it, said, “Good Khaavren.”
“Well?”
“I do not think this gentleman will give you much sport.”
“You think not?”
“Well, you perceive how, in practicing, he strikes only at the air.”
“That is not unusual, when preparing for a contest.”
“No, and yet he seems to miss with every third stroke.”

How can you read that and not smile, or even laugh to yourself? Which is, of course, the reason I can read this book over and over again. Because it makes me laugh while I enjoy a marvelous story.

Yes, the book is full of long descriptions and details. But those details are fun. Consider the passage on Bengloarafurd, which I won’t relate here and thus spoil the fun for you, but although you realize where he’s going with it almost immediately, it’s still funny, since it’s real.

It’s also interesting to read about characters who are going to cause the Interregnum, as well as the destruction of Dragaera City. If you’ve read the Vlad Taltos books, you know about Aliera e’Kieron, but you know nothing about Adron e’Kieron. What kind of man could wreak such havoc, and what reasons could he possibly have had for doing so?

Through Khaavren we come to know Adron, but that’s not the reason to read this book. The reason to read this book is the adventures that Khaavren and Tazendra and Aerich and Pel have.

I do have a small complaint about the cover, which is, who is that supposed to be ON the cover? Khaavren is described as having long, curly hair, and wearing the pale blue and white of the house of Tiassa, Aerich always wears copper or brass vambraces, it’s not Tazendra for obvious reasons, and although at the start of the book Pel’s eyes are described as blue, and at the end they are described as black, it doesn’t really look like Pel either. And whoever this man is, he’s not wearing the gold cloak of the Phoenix Guard. So although it’s an interesting cover, it doesn’t seem to portray any of the characters.

If you are not familiar with Dragaera through the Vlad Taltos books, this would be a perfect introduction. If you have read the Vlad books, you’ll get to spend more time in a place you have probably come to love, and learn about the Empire before the Interregnum, which is a far different place than the Empire inhabited by Vlad and Morrolan.

The only bad thing is that you’ll spend days trying to get Paarfi’s writing style out of your head.

If you haven’t read Phoenix Guards, then I highly encourage you to do so, and envy you the experience of reading this book for the first time.
Rating: 10/10

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