{"id":195,"date":"2006-02-14T20:49:45","date_gmt":"2006-02-15T03:49:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/?p=195"},"modified":"2021-05-30T21:32:20","modified_gmt":"2021-05-31T01:32:20","slug":"five-hundred-years-after","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/195","title":{"rendered":"Five Hundred Years After"},"content":{"rendered":"

Five Hundred Years After<\/a><\/em> (1994) Steven Brust<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>If you have read the Vlad Taltos books, then you already know the outcome of Five Hundred Years After<\/em>: Adron’s disaster, which lead to the Interregnum. But what we don’t know, is the story that leads up to Adron’s disaster. Why did Adron act in the manner he did? What was the involvement of those who called Adron friend. What about the Enchantress of Dzur Mountain, Sethra Lavode? <\/p>\n

All of these questions, and more, does this book answer, as well as the question of, what happens to those for who we have come to have interest, even feelings, and by this I mean Khaavren and Aerich and Tazendra and Pel. <\/p>\n

At the start of Five Hundred Years After<\/em>, our friends have drifted apart. Khaavren has given the past five hundred years to the Phoenix Guards, Pel has studied the Art of Discretion, and Aerich and Tazendra have retired to their estates, Tazendra to further study wizardry. However, several assassinations and an assassination attempt draw the four back together, as the Empire becomes more and more chaotic at the approach of the Meeting of Principalities to determine the Emperor’s Allowance.<\/p>\n

But does that really tell you about the book? Not really. For again, like The Phoenix Guards<\/em>, the delight in this book is in the storytelling and the dialog. <\/p>\n

I have to admit that Tazendra may be one of my favorite characters. Beautiful and honorable. Not too quick with her thoughts necessarily, but more than quick enough with her sword. I find it fascinating that the big dumb persona of someone who thinks with the sword first is given to a female character. For some reason that gives an entirely different feeling to the character that might be expected. <\/p>\n

I particularly like the scene between Tazendra and Sethra Lavode, where they enter the room of Gyorg Lavode. I am always touched by the way that Tazendra learns about Gyorg through viewing his room. And then there is the discussion of the very nature of the Dzur they have.<\/p>\n

Sometimes…those of the other houses laugh, or call the Dzur foolish, stupid, or blind, and there is no good answer to such charges, for to kill for such an insult is often beneath the Dzurlord; yet there is always the sword, whose sharpening breathes of the future, and the glory which is not only in being remembered, but in knowing that one has defied the entire world, and pitted one’s self against the impossible, and proven, to all who are not Dzur, that there is a value and glory in battle, regardless of the outcome.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I very much like that, because I think it gives back something to Tazendra that perhaps Brust has taken away, with his constant poking fun at her for not being as bright as her friends.<\/p>\n

As far as the other characters, I appreciate the way that Khaavren has matured, while still remaining himself. Aerich, far more than Pel, remains a cypher to me. He is so calm and so honorable that I’ve always had a hard time quite putting my finger on precisely what he is. It doesn’t mean I dislike him–indeed I like Aerich very much. Especially now that I know precisely how vambraces work. But he is the hardest for me to pin down.<\/p>\n

As far as Adron, I think that Steven Brust does a good job of actually explaining why Adron acted they way he did, and more importantly, how many different random events came together to cause Adron’s disaster far more than any feelings or plans on Adron’s part. I also appreciate Paarfi’s final synopsis of his character.<\/p>\n

And the bit about Mario amuses me. Not that it is particularly amusing, but that knowing what one knows at the end of this book, shines a whole new light on the Jhereg take of Mario in Vlad’s time.<\/p>\n

Because of the disaster that we know occurs at the end of the book, and the limits that placed upon what could happen within the story, the story didn’t flow as well for me as the previous book. It was good, and it worked, but once or twice I was distracted, for whatever reason. It’s still an excellent book. But it doesn’t hold the same place in my heart that The Phoenix Guards<\/em> does.<\/p>\n

If you have read The Phoenix Guards<\/em> and the Vlad Taltos books, then you absolutely must read Five Hundred Years After<\/em>, as it ties together so many pieces of history that are dropped throughout Steven Brust’s books. But if you have not yet read any Dragaeran books, I would suggest starting instead with The Phoenix Guards<\/em>. I am quite sure that the book can be read and enjoyed without knowing the background from the other books, but knowing that background just makes it that much better.
\nRating: 9\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Five Hundred Years After (1994) Steven Brust If you have read the Vlad Taltos books, then you already know the outcome of Five Hundred Years After: Adron’s disaster, which lead to the Interregnum. But what we don’t know, is the story that leads up to Adron’s disaster. Why did Adron act in the manner he […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[13,2,291,41],"tags":[129],"class_list":["post-195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-9-10","category-fantasy","category-paper","category-reread","tag-steven-brust"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/piQkW-39","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":196,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/196","url_meta":{"origin":195,"position":0},"title":"The Paths of the Dead","author":"Michelle","date":"February 17, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"The Paths of the Dead (2002) Steven Brust For me, Steven Brust books are like potato chips; I can't read just one. And so, having recently finished all the Vlad Taltos book, The Phoenix Guards, and Five Hundred Years After, there was nothing to do but read The Viscount of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Paths-Dead.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":57,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/57","url_meta":{"origin":195,"position":1},"title":"The Phoenix Guards & Five Hundred Years After","author":"Michelle","date":"February 18, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"The Phoenix Guards (1991) & Five Hundred Years After (1994) Steven Brust Sometimes you just need to read a book that you know is going to make you happy. When those times come upon me, I frequently read Steven Brust. The Phoenix Guards and Five Hundred Years After are two\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "10\/10"","block_context":{"text":"10\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/10-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/02\/The-Phoenix-Guards.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":185,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/185","url_meta":{"origin":195,"position":2},"title":"Jhereg","author":"Michelle","date":"February 4, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Jhereg (1983) Steven Brust Comfort reading. Those books that you reach for when you're feeling low, because you know they're guaranteed to take you away from whatever is bothering you. That's the place that Steven Brust holds in my library. Jhereg is the first Vlad Taltos book, and also the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "10\/10"","block_context":{"text":"10\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/10-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/02\/Jhereg.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":194,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/194","url_meta":{"origin":195,"position":3},"title":"The Phoenix Guards","author":"Michelle","date":"February 12, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"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\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "10\/10"","block_context":{"text":"10\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/10-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/02\/The-Phoenix-Guards.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":19,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/19","url_meta":{"origin":195,"position":4},"title":"Sethra Lavode","author":"Michelle","date":"April 27, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"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\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s restoration of the Empire and the final end of the Interregnum. It also continues the story of Piro (the actual Viscount for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fantasy"","block_context":{"text":"Fantasy","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/fantasy"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":198,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/198","url_meta":{"origin":195,"position":5},"title":"Sethra Lavode","author":"Michelle","date":"February 19, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Sethra Lavode (2004) Steven Brust Sethra Lavode concludes The Viscount of Adrilankha trilogy. Morrolan is ensconced in Castle Black and learning Sorcery as well as more about Blackwand, Zerika is settled into Adrilankha and attempting to consolidate power and call a Meeting of Principalities to legitimize her reign, while Kana,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "9\/10"","block_context":{"text":"9\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/9-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Sethra-Lavode.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=195"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=195"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}