by Stephen Brust

Tor, $24.99, 335 pages

Steven Brust’s Tiassabrings readers back to the world of Vlad Taltos. The story revolves around a small silver sculpture of a Tiassa, a panther-like creature with wings and a plot, which centers on the movement of the object.

This is Brust’s twelfth novel in the Vlad Taltos series, and he uses the opportunity to play with some of his characters. The author gives readers what they originally fell for in the series, Vlad at his crime boss best, as well as glimpses of the character that Vlad has evolved into over the course of the series. Brust also fittingly brings in the hero of his Dragaeran romances, Khaavren. Khaavren, himself from the house of Tiassa, narrates a sizable section of the novel, and the reader can see first hand just how talented and diverse Brust’s talents are. This book, in classic Brust style, features a plot that needs some attention to follow, and the heavy use of characters from past books makes this book more suitable for past readers of Brust’s work than newcomers.

Katie Richards