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47th out of 100 books
—
306 voters
Jhegaala (Vlad Taltos #11)
by
Steven Brust (Goodreads Author)
Fresh from the collapse of his marriage, and with the criminal Jhereg organization out to eliminate him, Vlad decides to hide out among his relatives in faraway Fenario. All he knows about them is that their family name is Merss and that they live in a papermaking industrial town called Burz.
At first Burz isn’t such a bad place, though the paper mill reeks to high heaven....more
At first Burz isn’t such a bad place, though the paper mill reeks to high heaven....more
Hardcover, 301 pages
Published
July 8th 2008
by Tor
(first published 2008)
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Nov 02, 2008
Terence
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Followers of Vlad Taltos' checkered career
Shelves:
sf-fantasy
I've enjoyed Steven Brust for many years now, ever since reading To Reign in Hell, though I think he has a tendency to become too self-consciously arch in his writing (a tendency that ruined all the subsequent novels in his Khaavren Romances sequence after the first one). Fortunately, that habit is more often muted than not in the Vlad Taltos novels.
I enjoyed the first few novels in the sequence when they seemed to be going...somewhere. But now they seem to have fallen into a holding pattern not...more
I enjoyed the first few novels in the sequence when they seemed to be going...somewhere. But now they seem to have fallen into a holding pattern not...more
While Steven Brust is in his usual fine form as an author, and Vlad Taltos and his trusty Jhereg companion remain compelling fictional characters, I can't help but feel that this is a darker, nastier Vlad than previous outings.
Yes, I know he's been an assassin for 10 books now, that's not the point. Previously, there was always an air of flippancy and devil-may-care and lightheartedness to the stories, but this tale seems down-right depressing in comparison.
There are scenes in this book that w...more
Another interesting, but rather confusing story from Brust with one of my favorite characters in fiction. That means I was somewhat disappointed. I don't know if I'm just not able to pay proper attention since I only get to read in snatches of 30 minutes or so at a time or if Brust is just getting more obscure, but I have a feeling it is the latter. I like books that make me think, have subtle story lines & mysteries, but this was too unsolvable. When the story finally came together, it just...more
5 likes · like · see review
This installment in the Vlad Taltos series was a sort of comedic murder mystery/comedy of errors -- only with waaaay too much pain to be funny. And Brust made certain that readers drew this parallel by including snippets from a fictional murder mystery play (think Thin Man mysteries, or Jeeves and Wooster) at the beginning of each chapter. Those snippets were pretty hysterical at times; the mystery itself, not quite so much. But I understood the spirit of the thing -- there was poor Vlad flounde...more
This is my return to the series after about a year off, and I'm beginning to think of Vlad Taltos as an old friend I would like to spend an evening with, somewhere in a small restaurant, eating some exotic food, drinking some red wine and spinning stories.
Jhegaala sees Vlad trying to escape the pursuit by the Jhereg and to find some info about his origins. The story reminded me quite strongly of the classic Westerns with Jimmy Stewart or Specer Tracy: the mysterious stranger who comes to a front...more
Jhegaala sees Vlad trying to escape the pursuit by the Jhereg and to find some info about his origins. The story reminded me quite strongly of the classic Westerns with Jimmy Stewart or Specer Tracy: the mysterious stranger who comes to a front...more
I'd have to call this one of the less exciting reads in an outstanding series. If you like fantasy, Brust's Taltos series is just amazing. It's about an assassin (who eventually leaves his trade) and his dragon familiar and their adventures with the Empire, a goddess, various near-immortals, and occasionally his very wise grandpa.
The problem with this particular book is that Vlad is sort of wandering around, wondering what to do, filling time, and then trying to make sense of a town and situatio...more
The problem with this particular book is that Vlad is sort of wandering around, wondering what to do, filling time, and then trying to make sense of a town and situatio...more
2 likes · like · see review
Vlad Taltos takes his dragon-like familiars and flees his country back to his mother's homeland to escape the organization that he's royally pissed off. But Vlad can't escape trouble, and instead of finding a quaint, peaceful village in the country, he is yet again immersed in plots within plots. And of course, someone else wants him dead.
I loved this book because it's written in the typical Vlad style. It's a first person account, with wit and plenty of cynicism. It has the plotting, planning,...more
I loved this book because it's written in the typical Vlad style. It's a first person account, with wit and plenty of cynicism. It has the plotting, planning,...more
ah, who would have guessed it? a merely good, rather than great, Brust book. continuing his occasional whim to write books in this long-running series that bounce back to a different point in the timeline (i.e., this book takes place several years in the character's life before the previous book in the series), we learn what happened to Vlad when he first had to leave the city. he doesn't explain to new readers why he had to leave, so i won't either, but suffice to say that while this one does i...more
There's sort of richness to Vlad's perspective in this book that reminds me of Dragon, the last book where Brust backs up into Vlad's past. I wonder if there's something about the backward-facing books that bring out a bit more flourish to Brust's prose. I found the plot a lot more engaging than in Dragon. The intricate conspiracy story does get strained when we get to the big reveal at the end, but by now I've learned to roll with the punches. The most annoying thing about this book is that for...more
In a genre better known for sprawling, multi-volume epics, American writer Steven Brust's fantasy novels are a tonic: short, snappy and blessed with a sense of humour.
His take on a tired genre is to use it as background for noirish thrillers and mysteries -- complete with a cynical, honest and wisecracking narrator, Vlad Taltos.
Jhegaala is the 11th in his long-running series about Vlad, an assassin-turned-fugitive, which began with 1983's Jhereg.
Brust has drawn from his own Hungarian ancestry fo...more
His take on a tired genre is to use it as background for noirish thrillers and mysteries -- complete with a cynical, honest and wisecracking narrator, Vlad Taltos.
Jhegaala is the 11th in his long-running series about Vlad, an assassin-turned-fugitive, which began with 1983's Jhereg.
Brust has drawn from his own Hungarian ancestry fo...more
Ahhh, an old friend returns. I've been following the adventures of Vlad Talos since the mid-80's. What can I say, I enjoy a little mafia type actions and some reading the adventures of an assassin in a fantasy setting is just so good. One of the most interesting items of Mr. Brust's Taltos series is seeing Vlad working in an organization when he's really an outsider; a very interesting perspective. This time, Mr. Brust thrusts Vlad into a new foreign environment, the Eastern world where his fami...more
I started reading the Vlad books in 1998. Brust is a master at not only creating a world, but putting you in it without any training wheels. Each book is a spare, humorous, well-edited delight. Except for the 10th book, "Dzur" which was such a disappointment that I wailed upon completing it.
I picked up Jhegaala with some trepidation, worried that the Brust bubble had burst. To my relief and glee, this is a sparkling tale, set in the same world but an entirely new venue -- the Eastern Kingdoms. A...more
I picked up Jhegaala with some trepidation, worried that the Brust bubble had burst. To my relief and glee, this is a sparkling tale, set in the same world but an entirely new venue -- the Eastern Kingdoms. A...more
And I wanted so badly to like it.
I don't know, maybe I'm too stupid for this book; but throughout the vast majority of it, I had no idea why stuff was happening (and the main character actually repeatedly refuses to explain this to his supporting characters). The plot is only explained at the very end in a pretty monstrous infodump.
Add to this that almost none of the supporting cast I got to love in the rest of the series make an appearance and there is practically no action (the main dude is su...more
I don't know, maybe I'm too stupid for this book; but throughout the vast majority of it, I had no idea why stuff was happening (and the main character actually repeatedly refuses to explain this to his supporting characters). The plot is only explained at the very end in a pretty monstrous infodump.
Add to this that almost none of the supporting cast I got to love in the rest of the series make an appearance and there is practically no action (the main dude is su...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Points against this book, in my personal estimation:
- Vlad blunders around having things done unto him for interminable periods and then All is Resolved in the last twenty pages.
- Character torture.
- No Morrolan.
Points for:
- Another engaging teenage character! I really wish Brust would write YA sometime.
- Vlad's total bemusement at his observations that he sees no women in inns, or in the professions, and that only women seem to be whores in the East.
- Character torture delivered via a very inte...more
- Vlad blunders around having things done unto him for interminable periods and then All is Resolved in the last twenty pages.
- Character torture.
- No Morrolan.
Points for:
- Another engaging teenage character! I really wish Brust would write YA sometime.
- Vlad's total bemusement at his observations that he sees no women in inns, or in the professions, and that only women seem to be whores in the East.
- Character torture delivered via a very inte...more
Brust's Taltos series is one of my absolute favorites in fantasy. I love the way he weaves in and out of Vlad's life, casually mentioning fantastic adventures that are then later fleshed out in books.
In Jhegaala, we finally learn what happened when Vlad went East after leaving Adrilankha in Phoenix. I have to admit, I was a little disappointed in how Vlad's experience in his motherland was portrayed. He took everything so casually, even being surrounded by Easterners didn't seem to mean much to...more
In Jhegaala, we finally learn what happened when Vlad went East after leaving Adrilankha in Phoenix. I have to admit, I was a little disappointed in how Vlad's experience in his motherland was portrayed. He took everything so casually, even being surrounded by Easterners didn't seem to mean much to...more
A forgettable episode, probably irrelevant to the overall story. It's a fast read, like all Vlad Taltos stories, but this one is low on action, low on wit, low on fantasy elements, and devoid of interesting characters other than the protagonists. It's basically a pulp detective story--a man comes to a small town, gets beaten up, and tries to figure out why (cf. everything from Hammett's Red Harvest to Child's Nothing to Lose)--but it's missing the gritty violence and stark imagery. A bunch of cr...more
(Original review: http://hill-kleerup.org/blog/2009/01/...)
Probably the weakest of the recent Vlad Taltos novels, this tale fits between "Phoenix" and "Athyra" in chronology, telling of how Vlad hid out back East from the Jhereg, and what he found there. It’s a dark, sometimes gruesome tale, and Vlad’s constrained by not having any of the regular supporting cast (save Loiosh) to talk with. It’s still an entertaining, if quick, read (and probably worth waiting for the paperback unless you’re a ha...more
Probably the weakest of the recent Vlad Taltos novels, this tale fits between "Phoenix" and "Athyra" in chronology, telling of how Vlad hid out back East from the Jhereg, and what he found there. It’s a dark, sometimes gruesome tale, and Vlad’s constrained by not having any of the regular supporting cast (save Loiosh) to talk with. It’s still an entertaining, if quick, read (and probably worth waiting for the paperback unless you’re a ha...more
In which Brust shows once again that the assassin Vlad Taltos makes for better subject matter when he is in home element and dealing with organised crime matters. In this one he's out in the country dealing with small town politics, and it does not quite work as well as it should. Brust is still a great writer and Taltos is still a wonderful creation, but the setting does not quite do him justice. Still, there are elements here that reminded me of Bad Day at Black Rock, which isn't a bad thing....more
***If you haven't read the other books in this series, there are spoilers ahead***
In his eleventh adventure to date, Vlad Taltos finds himself in a difficult position. His marriage, that he had thought was perfect in just about every way, has just collapsed. Oh and there is one other minor detail, the Jhereg organization as a whole is on his tail, a Morganti blade in hand. With nowhere left in the Empire to hide, he decides that now would be a good time to learn about his past. So armed with min...more
In his eleventh adventure to date, Vlad Taltos finds himself in a difficult position. His marriage, that he had thought was perfect in just about every way, has just collapsed. Oh and there is one other minor detail, the Jhereg organization as a whole is on his tail, a Morganti blade in hand. With nowhere left in the Empire to hide, he decides that now would be a good time to learn about his past. So armed with min...more
I missed this initially. I think I was ignoring the series, actually, after having not been impressed by Issola and Dzur. This was another one that I thought was just all right, though it had its moments, and crystallized the thought that Brust may be the most literary author of epic fantasy who's currently publishing. (Well okay, Peter S. Beagle would probably beat him out there. But he's in the conversation.)
Feb 2012 re-read: I have mixed feelings about this. I didn't enjoy it very much, until...more
Feb 2012 re-read: I have mixed feelings about this. I didn't enjoy it very much, until...more
Finished this up the other evening, another great addition to the whole Vlad Taltos story.
This book opens where Pheonix closed off. Vlad on the run from the Jhereg and hiding out in the east with his own kind. While he is there he decides to look into his mothers family, to find out where he comes from. Unfortunately he steps into a hornets nest in his mothers home village.
I chuckled my way through this book, I really enjoyed Vlad and Loiosh's witty repartee, also just Vlad's internal monologue...more
This book opens where Pheonix closed off. Vlad on the run from the Jhereg and hiding out in the east with his own kind. While he is there he decides to look into his mothers family, to find out where he comes from. Unfortunately he steps into a hornets nest in his mothers home village.
I chuckled my way through this book, I really enjoyed Vlad and Loiosh's witty repartee, also just Vlad's internal monologue...more
Okay, seriously, lay it out straight for me: What is this cover?
Heh.
The only thing I can figure is that it's the that's-not-Loiosh-dragon-thing they like to put on the covers, only...metamorphized (I like this word better than any 'real' ones). I mean, it's definitely not a jhegaala (which is very near like a winged frog.)
So...anyway. Enough about the cover.
I skimmed my previous review (immediately follows this one), but I don't feel right about rereading it. I know I probably both enjoyed it mo...more
Heh.
The only thing I can figure is that it's the that's-not-Loiosh-dragon-thing they like to put on the covers, only...metamorphized (I like this word better than any 'real' ones). I mean, it's definitely not a jhegaala (which is very near like a winged frog.)
So...anyway. Enough about the cover.
I skimmed my previous review (immediately follows this one), but I don't feel right about rereading it. I know I probably both enjoyed it mo...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Nothing except moving and getting married in the same week could have stopped me from reading this book when it came out July 8. As it happened, I only got my grubby paws on it a couple days ago and tore right through it.
First, some background. This is the 11th book in the adventures of Vlad Taltos. The story started with a book called Jhereg, originally published in 1983 and now reprinted in a collection with the next two books in the series. Here, we were introduced to Vlad Taltos, an "Eastern...more
First, some background. This is the 11th book in the adventures of Vlad Taltos. The story started with a book called Jhereg, originally published in 1983 and now reprinted in a collection with the next two books in the series. Here, we were introduced to Vlad Taltos, an "Eastern...more
Jul 27, 2008
Finergrind
added it
In his latest book _Jhegaala_, Steven Brust takes his main character, Vlad Taltos, back to the time right after his marriage ends, and his flight from the Jhereg begins.
I had to think back to the mood of the book _Teckla_, because during this story arc, it was a turning point for Vlad from impetuous assassin (walk up and put a dagger in the left eye of your hit) to more thoughtful anti-hero we find in later books. I think I would have liked to see a more gradual change; the Vlad in _Jhegaala_ re...more
I had to think back to the mood of the book _Teckla_, because during this story arc, it was a turning point for Vlad from impetuous assassin (walk up and put a dagger in the left eye of your hit) to more thoughtful anti-hero we find in later books. I think I would have liked to see a more gradual change; the Vlad in _Jhegaala_ re...more
In the latest entry in the Vlad Taltos series, Brust has gone back to an earlier period in Vlad's life, between the events of Phoenix and Athyra, rather than continuing with the current events of Issola and Dzur. Vlad returns to the East in search of his mother's family, starting in the small papermaking town of Burz, where his innocent (for Vlad) inquiries lead him into much more trouble than he could have guessed. The central mystery is well-plotted enough (although convoluted), and there's go...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Read Karen Healey's review of this one. Honestly, if I wasn't already a fan of Vlad, I wouldn't have enjoyed this. Nothing much happens for most of the book and when Vlad twigs to what's going on, he holds it back until the very end. I have to admit to hoping for a more Red Harvest type of feel. And I know Brust is capable of that. Instead this felt padded and like it could have been a short story.
I love being in Vlad's head, but I'd have preferred a bit more of a narrative. Even the torture se...more
I love being in Vlad's head, but I'd have preferred a bit more of a narrative. Even the torture se...more
I really liked this story. Perhaps because it's about family; I've spent considerable time wondering about, and asking after, my own family, so I can understand some of Vlad's feelings during his quest to learn more about his mother's people. The pain he suffers and the anger he experiences were very real. Brust is at his best again, here.
"There is nothing worse than a smartass who pretends not to understand hyperbole."
"There is nothing worse than a smartass who pretends not to understand hyperbole."
Steven Karl Zoltán Brust (born November 23, 1955) 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, and also belongs to the Pre-Joycean Fellowship.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/steven...
(Photo by David Dyer-Bennet)
More about Steven Brust...
http://us.macmillan.com/author/steven...
(Photo by David Dyer-Bennet)
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“Most people seem to take pleasure in feeling superior to someone. I'm not like that, which pleases me because it makes me feel superior.”
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Dec 12, 2012 07:59am