Sethra Lavode

Book Three of the Viscount of Adrilankha

By: Steven Brust

Narrated by: Kevin Stillwell

Length: 12 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's Summary

She's the oldest person in the Dragaeran Empire, a military genius and master of sorcery whose own story stretches back to before the dawn of history. She's Sethra Lavode, the undead Enchantress of Dzur Mountain. Now, after a long absence, she's returned to take an active role in the Empire's affairs-and the affairs of her friends Khaavren, Pel, Tazendra, Aerich, and all their friends and relations.

Since the day Adron's Disaster reduced Dragaera City to a barren sea of amorphia, the Empire has been in ruins. The Emperor is gone, along with the Orb that was both his badge of office and the source of the magical power that in former times was practically a public utility. Trade has collapsed. Brigands rule the roads. Plagues sweep through the population. And an ambitious Dragonlord, the Duke of Kna, has moved to rebuild the Empire-in his own name, of course. Unknown to him, Sethra Lavode has already helped the Phoenix Zerika, true heir to the throne, retrieve the Orb from the Paths of the Dead. Sethra means to see Zerika on the throne. But making it so will entail a climactic battle of sorcery and arms...

©2004 Steven Brust, John M. Ford (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

A series that shouldn’t be missed

I’m amazed at the lack of interest in this series; at least there appears to be a lack of interest given the scant amount of reviews. Steven Brust has created a rich and deeply dimensional world that rivals any such series; The Wheel of Time or The Sword of Truth series for instance. In fact not only are these books great story telling but the highly verbose writing style that Steven Brust uses paying homage to the late-great Alexandre Dumas is highly entertaining in its own right. “Sethra Lavode” is the final book in this history of Drageria which begins with “The Phoenix Guards” and relates directly to his “Taltos” series. The books, by themselves, are fantastic adventures but they also give incredible insight into many of the prominent characters in the Taltos series. Both series are highly entertaining and I believe that either could be read before the other. So if anyone happens to read this review I highly recommend both series. “I nearly pretend that you might enjoy them, although I have been waiting nearly an hour for some sort of response.”

And Emotional Conclusion

This was the most engaging of the series, for sure. Everything comes together in an emotional rollercoaster of a ride. If you've read Brust's work, you may have just bought it by the title [not judging, I wouldn't fault anyone for it. Lol]. You would be rewarded, however, if you first read all the previous books of these 'histories'.

Why does it have to end?

I will miss these intricate stories. The narrator does an unbelievable job balancing all the voices / accents. I think the Norska trapper is a Russian native. He does Sethra's voice so well. Steven, please continue this saga. Until then, I'm going through this one again -