Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
In the 1980’s there was really only one kind of fantasy to speak of. All of it was, almost universally, a Tolkien ripoff. Then Steven Brust entered the scene with something that came from so far to the left that to this day people don’t really know how to take it. Jhereg is about a man living in a kingdom of demigods who live hundreds of thousands of years. There is no quest, there is very little travel, Vlad is not an uneducated scullery boy (though he does start out waiting tables in his father’s restaurant) and there is no long lost discovery of innate magical ability (though Vlad is some kind of Dragon prince reborn as a human).
Vlad is an assassin who, through his own clever wit and sardonic style handily distracts the reader from the fact that he is, in fact, a bad guy. On the contrary he just does ‘work’ and he’s a pretty nice guy on the whole of it. He’s also funny. Those two things go a long way toward making him likable.
Brandon Sanderson talks about his three sliders for characters — sympathy, competence and initiative. Brust plays all three of those spectacularly, making Vlad seem more of each of those things than he really is.
An assassin is not a sympathetic character but Vlad is funny and sarcastic and just a little bit self aware of his own shortcomings — in short he’s kind of just like each of us would like to be. He’s also not really all that great at what he does, at least not compared to some others, and not to hear him tell it. But when he gets moving he doesn’t really make mistakes and all the stories he tells of his own incompetence start to sound exaggerated.
Vlad takes a job to kill a man who stole a bunch of money from his local corrupt government. He discovers that to do the job will start a war that may last thousands of years and destroy millions of lives. To not do the job will mean the end of his own life.
The rest of the book is the process that Vlad goes through as he figures out a way around both of those things so that he can get paid, stay alive and not start a conflict that will devastate most of the world. The best part is that a puzzle this complex and with this much buildup actually has a satisfying conclusion and Vlad uses all of his available resources so that every detail of the book comes back into play at the end.
Brust turned tropes upside down, seemingly, for breakfast. Vlad is happily married and neither he nor his wife engage in any extramarital thoughts or actions. This is so refreshingly rare in fantasy to this day that I almost had to read it twice when his wife would show up and not be jealous about who he was talking to.
Jhereg is a fascinating book and a fun read with wit and humor and a scarcity of verbiage that seems almost sparse in these days of one thousand page epics.
Vlad is an assassin who, through his own clever wit and sardonic style handily distracts the reader from the fact that he is, in fact, a bad guy. On the contrary he just does ‘work’ and he’s a pretty nice guy on the whole of it. He’s also funny. Those two things go a long way toward making him likable.
Brandon Sanderson talks about his three sliders for characters — sympathy, competence and initiative. Brust plays all three of those spectacularly, making Vlad seem more of each of those things than he really is.
An assassin is not a sympathetic character but Vlad is funny and sarcastic and just a little bit self aware of his own shortcomings — in short he’s kind of just like each of us would like to be. He’s also not really all that great at what he does, at least not compared to some others, and not to hear him tell it. But when he gets moving he doesn’t really make mistakes and all the stories he tells of his own incompetence start to sound exaggerated.
Vlad takes a job to kill a man who stole a bunch of money from his local corrupt government. He discovers that to do the job will start a war that may last thousands of years and destroy millions of lives. To not do the job will mean the end of his own life.
The rest of the book is the process that Vlad goes through as he figures out a way around both of those things so that he can get paid, stay alive and not start a conflict that will devastate most of the world. The best part is that a puzzle this complex and with this much buildup actually has a satisfying conclusion and Vlad uses all of his available resources so that every detail of the book comes back into play at the end.
Brust turned tropes upside down, seemingly, for breakfast. Vlad is happily married and neither he nor his wife engage in any extramarital thoughts or actions. This is so refreshingly rare in fantasy to this day that I almost had to read it twice when his wife would show up and not be jealous about who he was talking to.
Jhereg is a fascinating book and a fun read with wit and humor and a scarcity of verbiage that seems almost sparse in these days of one thousand page epics.
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Interesting character, good world building, story hints at other tales yet to be told. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I didn't think it was possible to have a fantasy novel that felt like gumshoe noir. Steven Brust created just that in Jhereg and the rest of the books in the series. The first-person narrative really helps create that feeling, but there was something about the writing that often felt like I could hear music in the background, imagining the trappings of the master thief in black and white. The world building is fantastic, heavily influenced by Hungarian mythology, and the wise-cracking dragon with a psychic link to his owner, Vlad Taltos, adds to the mix. Put simply, the dragon is his sidekick, providing insights, but also a bit of humor, keeping Vlad grounded. The in-depth look at thievery, as well as glimpses into witchcraft, vampirism, etc., really takes this series in a direction that I cannot compare to anyone else. Highly recommended!
I’ve read and reread this book a few times since 2005, and what is most striking about it is the audacity of Steven Brust to tell a fun, cunning tale (a caper-of-sorts, no less!) full of fully-realized characters in a rich world of detail and rules that open up a myriad of imaginative and realistic possibilities. “The Cool Stuff Theory of Literature” indeed, Mr. Brust! Here we are, with Vlad’s “first” adventure: he’s got powerful and loyal friends, his own wit and skills, and there’s plenty of violence and problem-solving to be had. Throw in a dash of unexpected philosophical musing and a quick plot, and you’ve got a science fiction adventure tale in the tradition of Zelazny while remaining remarkably its very own thing. If you want laughs and badassery and an anti-hero that learns as the story goes along (true character development in a fantasy series written by a dude? Gasp!)? Give this book a go. Is it the best novel to start the Vlad Taltos series with? Shrug. Have fun with it! I always do.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is a reread for me. Read it when it first came out. I don't remember why I ever stopped reading the series. Decided to give it a go. Glad I did. Still wonderful.
An assassin, a dragon companion, telepathy, problem solving, thinking, non human races... All things I like in good books. A good read.
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No