Five Hundred Years After
Encyclopedia
Five Hundred Years After is the second novel in the Khaavren Romances
fantasy series by Steven Brust
. It is set in the fantasy world of Dragaera
. The novel is heavily influenced by the d'Artagnan Romances
written by Alexandre Dumas
, and Brust considers the series an homage to that author. The book's title corresponds with the second Musketeer novel, Twenty Years After
.
, the Emperor had become decadent and sinister forces are at work in Dragaera City. Khaavren must reunite with his old friends and attempt to save the Empire. However, the novel is set just before Adron's Disaster, a cataclysm that serves as the story's inevitable conclusion.
Aerich, Pel, and Tazendra learn of their friend's danger and come to his aide. They are also helped by the powerful enchantress Sethra Lavode. Adron e'Kieron, the Dragon Heir, and his daughter Aliera arrive at the city as well, but the growing tension between the Emperor and Adron threatens to break into full-scale sedition. Greycat continues to send minions in failed attempts to kill Khaavren, while his conspirator Grita works to start a riot in the city.
Grita successfully sparks a riot that is only barely contained by Khaavren's men. The city lies in shambles and resentment toward the Emperor runs high. Meanwhile, Greycat hires a naive but highly skilled Jhereg assassin named Mario to kill the Emperor and gives him a fake magic weapon for the task. Greycat plans on Mario failing, but will use the fake assassination to further unnerve the Emperor. Mario does fail, but manages to escape with the help of Aliera, who now truly hates the Emperor. Tortaalik has her arrested for her complicity.
Adron has become so disgusted by the actions of the Emperor that he decides to start a revolt and seize the Orb for himself. He does not have the military might to do the deed, so he plans to use outlawed Elder Sorcery to steal the Orb directly. While Adron begins his spell, Tortaalik's forces engage his troops. Meanwhile, Khaavren and his friends are met by Greycat, Grita, and their thugs. Khaavren and company recognize Greycat as the former Duke of Garland, who had been disgraced by the group's actions during the events of The Phoenix Guards
. During the fight, Khaavren kills Greycat, and a horrified Grita reveals that he had been her father.
During the fighting, Mario returns to the Imperial Palace to free Aliera. Together, they return to the throne room and kill Tortaalik. As the Dragon Heir, Adron is now the Emperor in truth, but his spell cannot be stopped. Caught in a logical loop, the spell continues to grow until it will eventually explode. Adron knows that he has doomed himself and the city with his pride. He uses his fleeting moments of immense power to teleport Khaavren and his friends to safety. Back in the castle, Sethra Lavode comprehends what is about to happen. She teleports Aliera and Mario away, and sends the Orb to the Paths of the Dead. Adron's spell explodes into a sea of chaos that destroys Dragaera City, a cataclysm later called Adron's Disaster.
Khaavren, Pel, Tazendra, and Aerich arrive safely in the duchy of Arylle. Without the Orb, there is no Empire. A lawless time of plague and strife called the Interregnum has begun.
characterized the novel as "a splendid magical swashbuckler in the rousing tradition of Dumas and Sabatini
".
Khaavren Romances
The Khaavren Romances are a series of fantasy novels written by Steven Brust and set in the fictional world of Dragaera. The novels are swashbuckling adventure stories involving war, intrigue, and romance...
fantasy series by Steven Brust
Steven Brust
Steven Karl Zoltán Brust is an American fantasy and science fiction author of Hungarian descent. He was a member of the writers' group The Scribblies, which included Emma Bull, Pamela Dean, Will Shetterly, Nate Bucklin, Kara Dalkey, and Patricia Wrede; he also belongs to the Pre-Joycean...
. It is set in the fantasy world of Dragaera
Dragaera
Dragaera is the fictional world in which a series of novels by Steven Brust is set. The word "Dragaera" can refer to the planet, the Dragaeran Empire, or its former capital, Dragaera City.-Species:...
. The novel is heavily influenced by the d'Artagnan Romances
D'Artagnan Romances
The d'Artagnan Romances are a set of three novels by Alexandre Dumas telling the story of the musketeer d'Artagnan from his humble beginnings in Gascony to his death as a marshal of France in the Siege of Maastricht in 1673....
written by Alexandre Dumas
Alexandre Dumas, père
Alexandre Dumas, , born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie was a French writer, best known for his historical novels of high adventure which have made him one of the most widely read French authors in the world...
, and Brust considers the series an homage to that author. The book's title corresponds with the second Musketeer novel, Twenty Years After
Twenty Years After
Twenty Years After is a novel by Alexandre Dumas, père, first serialized from January to August, 1845. A book of the D'Artagnan Romances, it is a sequel to The Three Musketeers and precedes The Vicomte de Bragelonne .The novel follows events in France during La Fronde, during the childhood reign...
.
Plot introduction
Five hundred years after the events of The Phoenix GuardsThe Phoenix Guards
The Phoenix Guards is the first novel in the Khaavren Romances, a fantasy series by Steven Brust set in the fictional world of Dragaera. The novel is heavily influenced by the d'Artagnan Romances written by Alexandre Dumas...
, the Emperor had become decadent and sinister forces are at work in Dragaera City. Khaavren must reunite with his old friends and attempt to save the Empire. However, the novel is set just before Adron's Disaster, a cataclysm that serves as the story's inevitable conclusion.
Plot summary
After five hundred years, an older and wiser Khaavren has become the de facto commander of the Phoenix Guards. Pel continues to scheme and study the Art of Discretion, while Aerich and Tazendra live quietly on their estates. Khaavren learns that the now-decadent Emperor Tortaalik has allowed his Empire to hover on the brink of financial collapse. After Khaavren survives an attempt on his life, he learns that several key members of the court have been killed and deduces that a conspiracy is underway to damage the fragile Empire. A shadowy figure called Greycat has planned the murders as part of a scheme to cause chaos in the Empire and then come to its rescue, so that he may gain a place at court.Aerich, Pel, and Tazendra learn of their friend's danger and come to his aide. They are also helped by the powerful enchantress Sethra Lavode. Adron e'Kieron, the Dragon Heir, and his daughter Aliera arrive at the city as well, but the growing tension between the Emperor and Adron threatens to break into full-scale sedition. Greycat continues to send minions in failed attempts to kill Khaavren, while his conspirator Grita works to start a riot in the city.
Grita successfully sparks a riot that is only barely contained by Khaavren's men. The city lies in shambles and resentment toward the Emperor runs high. Meanwhile, Greycat hires a naive but highly skilled Jhereg assassin named Mario to kill the Emperor and gives him a fake magic weapon for the task. Greycat plans on Mario failing, but will use the fake assassination to further unnerve the Emperor. Mario does fail, but manages to escape with the help of Aliera, who now truly hates the Emperor. Tortaalik has her arrested for her complicity.
Adron has become so disgusted by the actions of the Emperor that he decides to start a revolt and seize the Orb for himself. He does not have the military might to do the deed, so he plans to use outlawed Elder Sorcery to steal the Orb directly. While Adron begins his spell, Tortaalik's forces engage his troops. Meanwhile, Khaavren and his friends are met by Greycat, Grita, and their thugs. Khaavren and company recognize Greycat as the former Duke of Garland, who had been disgraced by the group's actions during the events of The Phoenix Guards
The Phoenix Guards
The Phoenix Guards is the first novel in the Khaavren Romances, a fantasy series by Steven Brust set in the fictional world of Dragaera. The novel is heavily influenced by the d'Artagnan Romances written by Alexandre Dumas...
. During the fight, Khaavren kills Greycat, and a horrified Grita reveals that he had been her father.
During the fighting, Mario returns to the Imperial Palace to free Aliera. Together, they return to the throne room and kill Tortaalik. As the Dragon Heir, Adron is now the Emperor in truth, but his spell cannot be stopped. Caught in a logical loop, the spell continues to grow until it will eventually explode. Adron knows that he has doomed himself and the city with his pride. He uses his fleeting moments of immense power to teleport Khaavren and his friends to safety. Back in the castle, Sethra Lavode comprehends what is about to happen. She teleports Aliera and Mario away, and sends the Orb to the Paths of the Dead. Adron's spell explodes into a sea of chaos that destroys Dragaera City, a cataclysm later called Adron's Disaster.
Khaavren, Pel, Tazendra, and Aerich arrive safely in the duchy of Arylle. Without the Orb, there is no Empire. A lawless time of plague and strife called the Interregnum has begun.
Reception
Terri WindlingTerri Windling
Terri Windling is an American editor, artist, essayist, and the author of books for both children and adults. Windling has won nine World Fantasy Awards, the Mythopoeic Award, the Bram Stoker Award, and her collection The Armless Maiden appeared on the short-list for the James Tiptree, Jr. Award...
characterized the novel as "a splendid magical swashbuckler in the rousing tradition of Dumas and Sabatini
Rafael Sabatini
Rafael Sabatini was an Italian/British writer of novels of romance and adventure.-Life:Rafael Sabatini was born in Iesi, Italy, to an English mother and Italian father...
".
Trivia
- Khaavren's description of the Consort's bedchambers being a good place to stage the farcical murder drama Who Dropped Her First? is a reference to the Abbott and CostelloAbbott and CostelloWilliam "Bud" Abbott and Lou Costello performed together as Abbott and Costello, an American comedy duo whose work on stage, radio, film and television made them the most popular comedy team during the 1940s and 1950s...
routine Who's On First?Who's on First?Who's on First? is a vaudeville comedy routine made most famous by Abbott and Costello. In Abbott and Costello's version, the premise of the routine is that Abbott is identifying the players on a baseball team to Costello, but their names and nicknames can be interpreted as non-responsive answers...
and the lay-out of a baseball diamond. - The foreword's mention of the play Redwreath and Goldstar Have Traveled to Deathsgate is a reference to Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are DeadRosencrantz & Guildenstern Are DeadRosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is an absurdist, existentialist tragicomedy by Tom Stoppard, first staged at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1966. The play expands upon the exploits of two minor characters from Shakespeare's Hamlet, the courtiers Rosencrantz and Guildenstern...
by Tom StoppardTom StoppardSir Tom Stoppard OM, CBE, FRSL is a British playwright, knighted in 1997. He has written prolifically for TV, radio, film and stage, finding prominence with plays such as Arcadia, The Coast of Utopia, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, Professional Foul, The Real Thing, and Rosencrantz and...