One thing I have always liked about these books is, while there is a place the author wants to get to, he's not afraid to just let a whole novel happen out of a minor side plot point. This is a strong zinger of a novel that has some shenanigans around a stolen magical artifact that end up with our assassin on the front lines. There is a nice bit about how sorcery (technology) has become so arcane and advanced that warfare has resorted back to gangs of people hitting each other with things. Brust does well here exploring what it would be like to be a soldier in what is effectively a pre-firearms setting and the value that a well, special operative, can bring to such a situation. This is 4.5 material and I went through this re-read in near enough one sitting, One of the better Taltos novels (although, spoilers, none dip below 4 stars for me) and as such, a recommend from me.