> > I'm not getting my copy until the 12th, according to Amazon, damn them, > but I can list some of the issues I'm interested in seeing addressed/ > resolved/murkified. > > In the Vladiad, we see that Baritt was the leading Dragon at some point > previous to his offing (in circumstances that I think remain entirely > murky, rather unreasonably given the Jhereg-Dragon war worries in _J_ and > Vlad's general curiosity.) Is he going to make an appearance (not that > there are too few characters in play already)? TPotD has a Dramatis Personae that appears to encompass all of Viscount, not just it's first earth-published volume. Baritt does not appear on it, though, perhaps relevantly, one of the e'Baritt line does. Of course, Pel does not appear in the DP under any of his aliases. ISTR that this was a Brust-ian oversight, though he was happy to take up a list-member's suggestion that it was Yendi deviousness. So, not appearing in the DP isn't *definitive* evidence. > In _Vingt Ans Apres_, Dumas opposes D'Artagnan and Porthos to Athos and > Aramis in a question of politics, greatly rounding out the characters in > the process. I can't see Aerich, who is concerned about ending up in > conflict with Pel, or Khaavren, whose son is in Zerika's camp, or > Tazendra, a Lavode, being allied with Kana. I can't really see Pel > actively working against his friends, or Zerika, for that matter. So > I don't see how the conflict forshadowed in Aerich's oddly-sent letter > will unfold. In Dumas, Porthos was allied with Aramis through manipulation, not because he was supporting (or indeed aware of) Aramis' goals. Pel could yet do something similar with Tazendra. Or, the parallel may simply not hold. > As there are two volumes yet to come, and the enthronement of Zerika would > seem to be the major impetus of the trilogy, I wonder how the plot will be > sustained. Kana doesn't seem like a credible opponent for Sethra and the > Orb and (most of - see below) the Gods (and the SiG and StY and the > Necromancer and ...) I would think that the Athyra and Lyorn will support > Zerika, and I don't see why the other noble houses wouldn't, including the > 2/3 of the Dragons not in Kana's empire. Maybe the J. will intervene. > Maybe Grita will actually start killing people she wants to kill when > they're undefended. Since presumably she doesn't know any Orb-sorcery, > that will be a bit less likely than previously. I might note that the Dramatis Personae previously mentioned includes a certain political force that has not yet been heard from as of volume one. I refrain from naming them as a probable spoiler, but they should be easy to identify if you care to look. [snip] > In _Issola_, hc pg 136/7, Teldra says Tri'nagore isn't heard from much any > more - sounds like he's going to get stomped on - also Paarfi's treatment > of him isn't very respectful. Or at the very least, stomped-on-by-proxy as Morrolan goes after a chunk of his worshippers. > We need to see Morollan charging up Dzur Mountain looking for tribute at > some point (see _Issola_ somewhere). Page 138 of the hardcover. [snip] > Khaavren is in harness in _Phoenix_ (or is it _Teckla_?) looking grim - > apparently the events in the next two volumes leave him employed, though > I would have thought he would leave the action to Piro after the > Interregnum. My impression (not very firmly founded) is that Khaavren is *mostly* desk- bound in Vlad's time. His appearance in the field near the end of _Teckla_ (page 201) strikes Vlad as impressive (and, presumably, unusual). Alexx Alexx Kay Opinions expressed are my own and not necessarily those of my employers alexx at world.std.com http://world.std.com/~alexx Subtlety is the art of saying what you think and getting out of the way before it is understood.