Scott Schultz wrote: > It's difficult to say something like "I hope Vlad stays true to > himself" when the "present day" portion of the series is all about a > character who's constantly questioning just who he is and what he's > developing into. I'm hoping that whatever happens to him, that he > remains distinctly "Vlad" without devolving into some kind of > stereotypical fantasy hero. I like change just so long as it's > evolutionary in nature. So far, that seems to be the case. The trouble is, a big part of Issola was exploring Vlad's wise-cracking character. "Himself" is changing, and will have a connection with Lady Tedra.