Teckla
Encyclopedia
Teckla is the third novel in Steven Brust
's Vlad Taltos series. Originally printed in 1987 by Ace Books
, it was reprinted in 1999 in the omnibus The Book of Jhereg along with Jhereg
and Yendi
. Following the trend of the Vlad Taltos books, it is named after one of the Great Houses in Brust's fantasy world of Dragaera
and features that House as an important element to its plot.
, Vlad becomes embroiled in a struggle between the House of the Jhereg and a group of revolutionaries that his wife has joined.
Vlad takes the information back to Kelly, the leader of the revolutionists, but he is unafraid. He plans to not only revolt but to break the Cycle itself. Several of his followers tell Vlad their stories, including a Teckla sorcerer named Paresh, but Vlad is unmoved. He accuses them of parroting Kelly's slogans, which put impossible ideals ahead of individuals. Vlad's relationship becomes strained as Cawti's changing values pull her away from his lifestyle.
Distraught over his failing marriage, Vlad lets his guard down and gets captured by Herth's men. They torture him for information about Cawti and the revolutionists until Vlad's men rescue him. Jarred by his brush with total helplessness, Vlad becomes temporarily suicidal, but Cawti drugs him before he can harm himself. After awakening, Vlad remains troubled by the incident, but reaffirms his desire to save Cawti and destroy Herth.
Vlad suspects that Herth has sent an assassin after him. He begins casing Kelly's headquarters to watch events unfold and draw out the assassin. The revolutionists attempt to barricade South Adrilankha and the Phoenix Guards are called in to restore order. Amidst the chaos, the assassin strikes, but Vlad fights him off. Vlad identifies the assassin as Quaysh and hires his own assassin, Ishtvan, to kill Quaysh.
Vlad decides that the only way to save Cawti is to end the revolution by killing Kelly and his top-ranking followers. He sneaks into Kelly's headquarters, but Franz's ghost appears before he can start the job. After conversing with the ghost, Vlad becomes unnerved and abandons the plan. He returns the next day looking for Cawti, but winds up in an ethical debate with Kelly over their respective lifestyles. Kelly's accusations closely mirror Vlad's own self-doubts.
Still committed to saving Cawti from self-destruction with the revolutionists, Vlad concocts a plan to solve all his problems at once. During another altercation between the revolutionists and the Phoenix Guard, Vlad tricks Herth into entering Kelly's headquarters. He hopes that Herth would kill Kelly, the revolutionists would kill Herth, and the Phoenix Guards would kill the revolutionists. Vlad teleports into the headquarters and recklessly decides to kill Herth himself. Miraculously, Vlad disables all of Herth's bodyguards while Ishtvan kills Herth's assassin and disappears. Kelly convinces Vlad against his better judgment to allow Herth to live.
The next day, Vlad has an epiphany on how to solve his problems. He offers to buy all of Herth's holdings in South Adrilankha, using the remainder of his fortune. Herth agrees and retires from the Organization, thus ending all of his conflicts with Vlad and the revolutionists. Vlad breaks the news to Cawti and they tearfully embrace. Though many unresolved issues still loom between them, Vlad feels relieved that the most pressing dangers are gone.
. Since Brust is a self-identified "Trotskyist sympathizer," this topic frequently comes up in interviews with him.
that reveals their common status. Despite their low station, Teckla still have a reign in the Cycle like all other Houses. Teckla generally take power by revolting against the Orca Emperor and ruling the Empire as a republic.
The House is named after the teckla, a field mouse, symbolizing timidity and fertility. The Cycle Poem, which summarizes the nature of the Houses through their animals' actions, observes, "Frightened teckla hides in grass".
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...
's Vlad Taltos series. Originally printed in 1987 by Ace Books
Ace Books
Ace Books is the oldest active specialty publisher of science fiction and fantasy books. The company was founded in New York City in 1952 by Aaron A. Wyn, and began as a genre publisher of mysteries and westerns...
, it was reprinted in 1999 in the omnibus The Book of Jhereg along with Jhereg
Jhereg (novel)
Jhereg is a fantasy novel by Steven Brust in his Vlad Taltos series, originally published in 1983 by Ace Books. Ace later republished it in 1999 as part of the three-book omnibus, The Book of Jhereg. Marvel Comics adapted the story into a graphic novel titled Steven Brust's JHEREG in 1987.The novel...
and Yendi
Yendi (novel)
Yendi is Steven Brust's second novel in his Vlad Taltos series and is a prequel to the first novel, Jhereg. Originally printed in 1984 by Ace Books, it was reprinted in 1999 in the omnibus The Book of Jhereg along with Jhereg and Teckla...
. Following the trend of the Vlad Taltos books, it is named after one of the Great Houses in Brust's 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:...
and features that House as an important element to its plot.
Plot introduction
Soon after the events of JheregJhereg (novel)
Jhereg is a fantasy novel by Steven Brust in his Vlad Taltos series, originally published in 1983 by Ace Books. Ace later republished it in 1999 as part of the three-book omnibus, The Book of Jhereg. Marvel Comics adapted the story into a graphic novel titled Steven Brust's JHEREG in 1987.The novel...
, Vlad becomes embroiled in a struggle between the House of the Jhereg and a group of revolutionaries that his wife has joined.
Plot summary
While deciding what to do with the fortune he made after the events of Jhereg, Vlad is alarmed to discover that his wife has joined a group of revolutionists consisting of Easterners and Teckla from the ghetto of South Adrilankha. One of their members, Franz, has been murdered. Fearing for Cawti's safety, Vlad resolves to investigate the matter. After some aggressive investigation, Vlad learns that the Jhereg boss of South Adrilankha, Herth, ordered the assassination after the revolutionists attacked his businesses. By getting involved, Vlad becomes a target in the ongoing feud.Vlad takes the information back to Kelly, the leader of the revolutionists, but he is unafraid. He plans to not only revolt but to break the Cycle itself. Several of his followers tell Vlad their stories, including a Teckla sorcerer named Paresh, but Vlad is unmoved. He accuses them of parroting Kelly's slogans, which put impossible ideals ahead of individuals. Vlad's relationship becomes strained as Cawti's changing values pull her away from his lifestyle.
Distraught over his failing marriage, Vlad lets his guard down and gets captured by Herth's men. They torture him for information about Cawti and the revolutionists until Vlad's men rescue him. Jarred by his brush with total helplessness, Vlad becomes temporarily suicidal, but Cawti drugs him before he can harm himself. After awakening, Vlad remains troubled by the incident, but reaffirms his desire to save Cawti and destroy Herth.
Vlad suspects that Herth has sent an assassin after him. He begins casing Kelly's headquarters to watch events unfold and draw out the assassin. The revolutionists attempt to barricade South Adrilankha and the Phoenix Guards are called in to restore order. Amidst the chaos, the assassin strikes, but Vlad fights him off. Vlad identifies the assassin as Quaysh and hires his own assassin, Ishtvan, to kill Quaysh.
Vlad decides that the only way to save Cawti is to end the revolution by killing Kelly and his top-ranking followers. He sneaks into Kelly's headquarters, but Franz's ghost appears before he can start the job. After conversing with the ghost, Vlad becomes unnerved and abandons the plan. He returns the next day looking for Cawti, but winds up in an ethical debate with Kelly over their respective lifestyles. Kelly's accusations closely mirror Vlad's own self-doubts.
Still committed to saving Cawti from self-destruction with the revolutionists, Vlad concocts a plan to solve all his problems at once. During another altercation between the revolutionists and the Phoenix Guard, Vlad tricks Herth into entering Kelly's headquarters. He hopes that Herth would kill Kelly, the revolutionists would kill Herth, and the Phoenix Guards would kill the revolutionists. Vlad teleports into the headquarters and recklessly decides to kill Herth himself. Miraculously, Vlad disables all of Herth's bodyguards while Ishtvan kills Herth's assassin and disappears. Kelly convinces Vlad against his better judgment to allow Herth to live.
The next day, Vlad has an epiphany on how to solve his problems. He offers to buy all of Herth's holdings in South Adrilankha, using the remainder of his fortune. Herth agrees and retires from the Organization, thus ending all of his conflicts with Vlad and the revolutionists. Vlad breaks the news to Cawti and they tearfully embrace. Though many unresolved issues still loom between them, Vlad feels relieved that the most pressing dangers are gone.
Teckla and Trotsky
The events and arguments of this book are acknowledged by Brust to be influenced by his life-long interest in Marxist theory and practice, especially as advocated by Leon TrotskyLeon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky , born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and theorist, Soviet politician, and the founder and first leader of the Red Army....
. Since Brust is a self-identified "Trotskyist sympathizer," this topic frequently comes up in interviews with him.
Trivia and allusions
- The book's chapter headings are excerpts from a laundry list written by Vlad. The stain or tear listed in each excerpt occurs during the chapter.
- The title page includes a monologue by Vlad describing the city of Adrilankha and his role in it as an assassin. It is a parody of Joe FridayJoe FridayDetective Sergeant Joe Friday is a fictional detective of the LAPD.-Original Series:The Joe Friday character was created and played by American actor, television producer, and writer Jack Webb on Dragnet...
's monologue at the beginning of DragnetDragnet (series)Dragnet is a radio and television crime drama about the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners...
episodes. - Several minor characters in this book are main characters in Brust's Khaavren Romances. Lord Khaavren, the commander of the Phoenix Guard, is the central character in the Romances. The Dzurlord and Lyorn in Paresh's story are Khaavren's companions, Tazendra and Aerich. The events of Paresh's story are retold from a different perspective in Sethra Lavode, though Paresh's version of the story differs greatly from Paarfi's.
The House of the Teckla
The House of the Teckla is the only Great House in the Dragaeran Empire to not have noble status. Over 90% of the Empire's population is Teckla, forming its peasant class. Teckla that live in the cities work as servants and common laborers. They are treated as second-class citizens and assumed to be naturally inferior to members of the Noble Houses. The colors of the Teckla are rustic greens, yellows, and browns. Teckla generally have sturdy frames and round faces, with a lack of a noble's pointWidow's peak
A widow's peak is a distinct point in the hairline in the center of the forehead. This hair anomaly is a result of a lower-than-usual position of the intersection of the bilateral periorbital fields of hair-growth suppression on the forehead.-Definition:...
that reveals their common status. Despite their low station, Teckla still have a reign in the Cycle like all other Houses. Teckla generally take power by revolting against the Orca Emperor and ruling the Empire as a republic.
The House is named after the teckla, a field mouse, symbolizing timidity and fertility. The Cycle Poem, which summarizes the nature of the Houses through their animals' actions, observes, "Frightened teckla hides in grass".