[Dragaera] Iorich ***SPOILERS**** First impressions

[Philip Hart]

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First impressions, not written down in real time because it was the 
middle of the night:

What's that on the cover?  Compared to the cycle image, and the upturned 
snout stuff later?  Getting an uncanny valley effect from it.

The prologue sounds rather like Philip Marlowe in parts, esp. the last 
line, allowing for context.

Wow, the most exciting Vlad novel since - maybe _Jhereg_? Perisil - 
excellent. Why hasn't Cawti done the simple Jheregish stuff that Vlad 
starts on?  Not understanding what arresting Aliera does besides make the 
Empire look dumb.

Great interactions w/Cawti, esp. the 'he was rescuing me'.  V and C 
showing more emotional maturity than a lot of the Dragearans - not clear 
that in two weeks Sethra should be getting drunk.

Vlad is stiff from sitting - he's getting older.  I have a sudden sense 
that the series is going to end.  I've been reading it my entire adult 
life.  Cawti asks Vlad about accepting that the Jhereg will kill him, and 
he has.  SKZB is going to die.  I'm going to die.

Does Vlad not recall that Spellbreaker healed him before?  That Lady 
Teldra did?  How does _Loiosh_ not remember?  Guess invisibility is just 
canonical now, blech.  Awesome that the drug war idea from _FHYA_ gets 
picked up, but how is this happening?  Are the Jhereg actually useful to 
the Empire at the moment?

Middle section may be dragging a bit - are we back in _Dzur_?  Would 
like to see Perisil not behind his desk and getting stuck with Vlad's 
unwillingness to go into the Norathar revelation, which seems maybe a 
little overly nice.

Kragar with the having to keep pushing bit was excellent.  Oh yeah, 
there's an important moment where we hear a "she" or "her" and I wondered 
how that worked given "gya" is ungendered.

Does Vlad really think like an Iorich here?  Where's Pel to untangle 
this situation and handle it better?  Where's Khaavren and his detective 
skills and inspiration?

Enjoyed the ending.  "Add her to the list." - not very impressed with the 
maturity of the Dragaerans again, sort of impatient too - they were stuck 
and someone got them unstuck, it's sad to go sulk.  Weird thinking about 
Vlad dealing with this fallout for (I assume) a very long time to him.

Quite liked the "this is all about me" thought then the shift away from 
that.

Loiosh seemed rather more sidekickish - 'you come up with the ideas' 
than I expected - had somehow thought he was becoming a bit more of a 
partner.

"If there were justice, I'd be dead."

Love the effect of the ending here - it's almost symphonic, the music 
striving for resolution and then turning dark and plummeting.  But I'm not 
sure I believe the last sentence.

Not sure the overall plot makes any sense, but I greatly enjoyed the book. 
Vlad and Cawti have grown a great deal.  The overall arc wasn't carried 
forward at all, though.  Hmm, maybe Aliera has done some growing - my 
daughter can play with your son.  And Vlad is now basically saying to 
the Right and Left Hands, here I am if you want to try.  I don't 
understand how Kragar's office can survive this book.  Also why the Empire 
doesn't call in the Jhereg and say, "Vlad will die of being an Easterner 
soon enough, in the meantime if any of you kill him every single 
Jhereg will testify under the Orb that they weren't involved and any 
who are will be handed over to Vlad's friends."