Jhegaala

This book answers a good may questions that came up in previous books in this series ,I really enjoyed it, it's my belief that Steven Brust is one of the few great fantasy writer's of all time. I would highly recommend all the books in this series.

Jhegaala (2008) is the eleventh fantasy novel of the Vlad Taltos series, following Dzur. Still, the internal chronology puts this novel before the last book. This work fills in some of Vlad's backstory. In the previous volume, Vlad had problems with women. The Left Hand of the Jhereg was moving into South Adrilankha and Vlad put a stop to it. But Cawti was not pleased. In this novel, Vlad crosses over the eastern mountains into Fenario fleeing from the Jhereg and searching for his mother's people. His grandfather has taught him many things to smooth his way: customs, politics and culture. And particularly about Guilds and Covens. As he comes down from the mountain into the forest and finds a road, Vlad goes away from the mountains. He finds it strange to have clear sky and the Furnace overhead. After he walks a while, everything suddenly becomes dark. Only pinpoints of light remain in the sky and they don't shed any light on the terrain. Vlad is night blind, so he goes off the road, spreads his blanket and sleeps. The next morning, he encounters a young man driving a hay wagon and asks the way to Burz. When the man points along the same way he is walking, Vlad gives him a few coppers and continues down the road. In this story, Vlad arrives in Burz and asks about his mother's family. Many claim to have no knowledge of the family, but he finally finds a man who tells him where to find their home. He follows the directions and discovers only a recently burned house and bodies. Vlad has problems with the guildsmen from his first day in Burz. He also cannot find anyone who will direct him to the local coven. The town seems to be filled with very ignorant people. But Vlad is resourceful and has a Jhereg familiar, who is capable of scouting and following people without being seen. Besides, Vlad can see through the eyes of his familiar and view these people and their actions. Loiosh and his mate Rocza help Vlad ferret out the people who can provide him with the information that he lacks. Yet, the presence of Loiosh and Rocza on his shoulders proclaims to the townspeople that he is a witch. Some people won't talk to him because of his witchery. And others won't talk to him because his sword shows that he is a noble. These Fenarians are very strange people. This tale puts Vlad squarely in the middle of a longstanding conflict between the Guild, the Coven and the Count. His own ignorance brings him pain and sorrow. Several somebodies are going to pay for all the harm that they have done. The story relates misunderstandings and violence from the beginning of Vlad's visit to his maternal homeland. Everybody fears that he is working for their enemy and takes measures against him. Then there are the Jhereg assassins who are stalking him. Enjoy! Highly recommended for Brust fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of unfamiliar cultures, conflicting interests, and a highly ignorant stranger. Anyone who has not read prior b

(No spoilers.) Steven Brust set Jhegaala in an "in between" time in Vlad's life. This book takes place several weeks after Vlad and Cawti have split up, and when -- like many people raw from a divorce -- Vlad is trying to get his head screwed back on straight. Granted, most newly divorced people don't have the Jhereg sending assassins to kill them, nor do they have a smartass telepathic familiar, but *still.* Same thing, really; it's time to reconnect with one's roots. So when his grandfather shows him a letter left by Vlad's mother (who died young), Vlad decides it might be nice to visit the relatives. Besides, it's an excuse to leave the Empire for a while and visit the old homeland of Fenario. The sword-toting menacing assassin takes off -- with his jherig familiars Loiosh and Rocza -- to the small town of Burz for a quiet time. Naturally, he doesn't get it. The result is the typical funny/cynical/heartwarming/adventure storytelling that I have come to expect from Steven Brust, in the 20 (!) years I have been following Vlad's story. It's hard to tell you anything about the plot without giving something away, particularly since Vlad himself is so bewildered through most of it. But I can assure you that the various threads do tie themselves together in a neat bow at the end, and that the time you spend reading this book is absolutely worth it. Brust is in fine form here, continuing to move the story (and character development) along. For example, in one scene: "Coffeed, cleaned, dressed, and armed, I went down the stairs, ready to face anything the world threw at me. . . . Loiosh was on my left shoulder, Rocza on my right, and they both scanned the room, fully alert for assassins, hostile citizens, or pieces of sausage that had been left on the floor. It was a reasonably dramatic entrance; too bad the room was empty." The Vlad tale has been going on for quite some time, and with most of the books in the series I would firmly warn you that it's best to start at the beginning. This may be an exception, though. Although it's obvious that plenty has Gone Before (such as why Vlad's on anybody's hit list, or why his marriage failed), you don't need to know the details to enjoy this book. It's completely self contained. Mind you, I fully expect that after reading Jhegaala you will _want_ to read every other book in the series; don't say I didn't warn you.

Vlad Taltos, after the events of Phoenix, is on the lam. The former low-level crime lord and assassin is being chased by his former organization, the Jhereg, who want him dead and his soul destroyed. His marriage has failed. He hates Dragaerans, but all of his friends are Dragaerans. It seems like the ideal time to visit the distant East, where most of the humans live, and avoid the powerful Dragaerans for a while. Besides, he traces his roots to the East, his mother's family is from the village of Burz. Vlad never knew his mother. Maybe he can connect with her family. But Vlad has lived his whole life among Dragaerans, "Elfs" to humans/easterners. He's an alien among his own people. While he understands Dragaerans all too well, he doesn't understand Easterners - his people - at all. Perceived as a threat by a power structure he doesn't understand, things go horribly wrong. For the folks who may have been his relatives, and for Vlad himself. All that is left to him is revenge. Brust enjoys experimenting; it's part of what makes him a delightful, continuously surprising author. For example, he enjoys playing with the sequence of the books; the events here occurred between Phoenix and Athyra, far earlier than the last novel written, Dzur (Vlad). In Dzur, Vlad had come into considerable power. Here, he cannot even stand up, a hero forced to act solely through others. Vlad is very nearly helpless. Or perhaps not. This novel is an important piece of the puzzle that is Vlad Taltos. An Easterner, his soul may be that of a Dragaeran out of legend. Witch, assassin, crime lord, gourmand, husband, sorceror; he is the friend of the most powerful Dragaerans, creatures out of legend, but in this novel he is nearly alone. He can trust only his familiar and familiar's mate. He must develop new skills and strengths, or die. Brust has developed Vlad Taltos as a character through eleven novels. He has created one of the marvelous characters in fantasy fiction. Brust writes with a skill and assurance that other would-be world builders can only envy. If you are looking for "sword and fur jockstrap" fantasy, in giant-bug killing sized volumes, look elsewhere. Verra knows, there is no shortage of that cookie cutter genre. If you are looking for intricate plotting, meticulous world building, and superb character development, look no further. Highly recommended.

It really is amazing that this the eleventh novel; in the Vlad Taltos serirs is as captivating as the first. Steven Brust attempts to write each novel so that it can stand on it's own, and again in this one he has done so. When I recommend people read them books, it varies on my approach. Always start with Jhereg but to some friends I recommend reading in order of publication and some in order of chronology. This book steps back from the last few and tells of an earlier tale. A tale of a man in search of his past and his family. It is also a tale of murder, intrigue, confusion and misunderstanding that all leads to a high body count. In each of the Vlad Taltos novels Brust approaches them differently. He has created such a believable world that side stories and books mentioned become something the read would like to possess. In this book each chapter begins with quotes from a play Six Parts Water by a playwright named Miersen. These snippets leave you wanting to read or see the play. It is hard not to like the witty and humorous Vlad Taltos, even if he is an assassin by profession, even if he betrayed his 'crime family' to save his estranged wife. Even is he got most of his distant family murdered because he did not understand a situation he blundered into. This is Vlad Taltos, the man we would like to meet and know and count among our friends. He has impeccable taste in food and drink and live by a motto akin to 'Life is to short for bad food or drink.' In this book we see a very different side of Vlad, he is not an Easterner trying to fit in without fitting in; in the Dragaera Empire, he has returned to the land of his ancestors in the east. He is a human among humans and yet he fits in even less than we are used to. In part because he has live his whole life in the west. Because of that in this book we see for the first time Vlad take a major misstep and pay a personal price, he is injured worse that we have seen yet in any of the books. This book will be a great summer read for any fan of the fantasy genre, or for people who are already fan's of Brust works. It fills in some of the story between early books, and answers some of the reader's ongoing questions about Vlad, unfortunately it also raised many new questions. But those must be answered in another tale. Hopefully soon. (First Published in Imprint 2008-06-27.)