Issola

Having discovered the Vlad Taltos series this year has been an absolute highlight. I think this book might be my favourite of the 9 I've read.

After being disappointed by the last 2-3 books, i was glad to be back to the main storyline. This time around the Lady Teldra has come to ask Vlad for help in finding Morrolan and Aliera who have gone missing under mysterious circumstances. This leads him to confronting beings that transcend both time and space.

The book effectively builds on the lore of the Dragaerans and the history of their world, pulls at some of the loose threads from previous books as well. It doesn't necessarily bring those threads to a definite conclusion, but it's getting there (one would hope).

Vlad is definitely back to form in Issola. I loved Lady Teldra's character as well. She was an absolute joy to behold and a wonderful addition to the cast.

With every new book, the characters feel more lived in, and so does the world. There may be books in the series here and there that don't have the best story, but the world that Brust has created is a really lovely one.