The Book of Athyra

by Steven Brust

Overview

The Book of Jhereg and The Book of Taltos collected the first five novels of Steven Brust’s highly imaginative fantasy series that Locus praised as “entertaining and worth reading.” The Book of Athyra features books six and seven in the series—Athyra and Orca.

 

Vlad Taltos is a sorcerer and assassin without peer—as deadly at spell casting as he is with sword wielding. Accompanying him on his journeys are two leathery-winged jhereg who share a telepathic link with Vlad—and triple his chances against even the most powerful of enemies…

 

In Athyra, Vlad finds he’s ready to retire himself and his jhereg companions, but the biggest hitters of the House of the Jhereg have something else in mind. In Orca, Vlad must repay a debt to a boy who saved his life—even if it means breaking a financial scandal big enough to bring down the House of the Orca, and possibly the entire Empire…

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101665749
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	02/04/2003
Series:	Vlad Taltos Series
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	448
File size:	650 KB

About the Author

Steven Brust is the author of over thirty fantasy novels, including Jhereg, Yendi, Teckla, and Orca. He was a member of the writers' group which included Emma Bull, Pamela Dean, Will Shetterly, Nate Bucklin, Kara Dalkey, and Patricia Wrede, and also belongs to the Pre-Joycean Fellowship. He lives in Minneapolis.

Editorial Reviews

The Barnes & Noble Review
The Book of Athyra is a new omnibus edition including two of Steven Brust's best Vlad Taltos novels, Athyra and Orca. Vlad is a human assassin and sorcerer on the run from members of a powerful faction bent on revenge. Being an "Easterner" in an empire of elves, Vlad is always the outsider -- and he is made even more conspicuous because of his two jhereg (small flying reptiles) friends with which he shares telepathic links.

In Athyra, Vlad wanders into a small Dragaeran village just after an elf is found dead. Everyone suspects the strange outsider, but Vlad thinks he knows who did it: an undead necromancer who happens to be the baron of the area. Vlad befriends a young elf named Savn to help him figure out the mystery. But time is running out for Vlad as the suspicious townspeople -- and the undead wizard and his assassin -- close in…

Orca continues where Athyra leaves off. Vlad and Savn are wandering the realm when they stumble into another mystery involving the untimely death of a wealthy baron. As Vlad investigates the matter with the help of Kiera, a master thief, he uncovers a scandal that could affect the entire Empire.

Vlad's dry sense of humor and the telepathic dialogue with his wisecracking jhereg buddies make these fantasy novels highly enjoyable. Paul Goat Allen

Steven Brust isn't afraid to stretch the boundaries of contemporary commercial fantasy.

Newsday