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Yendi
(Vlad Taltos #2)
by
Vlad Taltos tells the story of his early days in the House Jhereg, how he found himself in a Jhereg war, and how he fell in love with the wonderful woman, Cawti, who killed him.
Paperback, 224 pages
Published
March 15th 1987
by Ace
(first published 1984)
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Showing 1-30
Imagine The Godfather, but told from the perspective of a young snarky Vito Corleone who's all alone and setting out on his own. He's fighting to make a name for himself as an assassin and mob boss in the Dragarean underworld. He's got a small network of semi-legitimate businesses and a corner of the city to himself. He's trying to establish his territory while fighting off stronger, wealthier, more experienced neighbors who are moving in on his turf. He's fighting on multiple fronts, all the while trying
...more
If I had to sum up the Vlad Taltos series in one word, it would be: unconventional. The writing voice is all over the place, flitting between past and present, from in-the-moment to addressing the reader directly. It’s as if Steven Brust took one look at the rules of writing and said, “eff those, I’m going to write however I please.” In my opinion, that’s playing with fire, but some of the most poignant writers take those risks all the time (I’m a firm believer that you must know them well first
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Damn. I'd written this nice little meta-review about being a geek, and then some errant keystrokes backed me out of the review I was writing and everything disappeared. I don't have it in me to rewrite at the moment, so here are some quick thoughts.
•Vlad Taltos' little gangster turf war is the best part of Yendi, and I hope that we get a little more of that as the series goes on, although I sense that he may be getting closer and closer to going legit-ish, or at least becoming all politica ...more
•Vlad Taltos' little gangster turf war is the best part of Yendi, and I hope that we get a little more of that as the series goes on, although I sense that he may be getting closer and closer to going legit-ish, or at least becoming all politica ...more
I freely admit that I don't know whether this second book was written before or after the first's publication date, but it certainly falls five years before the main action of the previous novel.
Why does this matter? I don't mind having that tantalizing clue of having died years ago in the first novel being expanded into it's own interesting tale, but something has been itching under my skin as I read Yendi.
It didn't feel as polished as the previous novel. I kept picking ...more
Why does this matter? I don't mind having that tantalizing clue of having died years ago in the first novel being expanded into it's own interesting tale, but something has been itching under my skin as I read Yendi.
It didn't feel as polished as the previous novel. I kept picking ...more
Mar 28, 2018
fantasy fiction is everything
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
fantasy-fiction,
sword-and-sorcery
3.5 stars.
4.5 to 5.0 stars. The Jhereg series is one of those series that I love to come back too whenever I am in the mood for a good, fun read. This is the second installment and I think it was as good as the first one. I love the world that Brust has created and the main character (Vlad Taltos) is great. I highly recommend this series to everyone who has not tried it yet.
I'm rereading my Taltos books these days, and my reread of Yendi didn't do it any kindness. It was an okay way to spend a few sleepless nights, but I very nearly set it down. I suppose I kept going out of nostalgia, but it made me sad.
Now I knew, I know, going into these books that they are readable and fun, but they are also fairly light weight. Yendi is too light weight, however. Sure we get to see the coming together of Cawti and Vlad, but it didn't come anywhere near satisfying me this time ...more
Now I knew, I know, going into these books that they are readable and fun, but they are also fairly light weight. Yendi is too light weight, however. Sure we get to see the coming together of Cawti and Vlad, but it didn't come anywhere near satisfying me this time ...more
The thing I had forgotten about Yendi, in this most recent read via audio book, is how fundamentally straightforward it is. Vlad, still new to controlling his territory, is challenged by someone who wants to destroy him--that's the basic story. It isn't until you get most of the way in that the depth of the plotting is revealed, and it becomes clear that only a Yendi, master of subtlety and complex machinations, could be behind it.
I loved this book when I was young primarily for the romanc ...more
I loved this book when I was young primarily for the romanc ...more
Yendi is the 2nd installment in the Vlad Taltos series, and is actually a prequel to the first book. It establishes some background; how Vlad met Cawti (she tried to kill him) and how he built up his Jhereg territory. There is also the obligatory political problem, which in this case was extremely convoluted.
I do enjoy these books...they are fast paced, and have action. They aren't too long or convoluted.They are a great relaxing read.
For some reason, it took me a little bit to real ...more
I do enjoy these books...they are fast paced, and have action. They aren't too long or convoluted.They are a great relaxing read.
For some reason, it took me a little bit to real ...more
Didn't grab me like the first book did. I still like Brust's style quite a bit, he's building up an interesting world and some extremely fun characters. But I have to admit I was lost reading this one. I don't think I can even explain what a Yendi is, and I just read a book entitled "Yendi." The plot seemed to be mostly a sequence of confusing skirmishes plus a love story that kinda didn't make sense. Maybe it'll clear up whenever I get around to book 3.
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I've certainly become a fan of Brust's Taltos series through the first two books - Jhereg and Yendi. They are fun & light reads. The plot seems straightforward and the characters are a bit one-dimensional but it all just comes off as fun, rather than boring or lazy.
This is a prequel to the first book in the series. I'm usually weary of prequels since there can be a loss of some of the suspense in a novel when you know part of its future. But its not a big deal here because, for the most part, its a nar ...more
This is a prequel to the first book in the series. I'm usually weary of prequels since there can be a loss of some of the suspense in a novel when you know part of its future. But its not a big deal here because, for the most part, its a nar ...more
In the Empire, the Yendi are known for their Byzantine plotting, and the plotting here is certainly Byzantine.
When viewed with a little distance, it's remarkable how well Burst makes us care about things that we don't really see at all. We know Easterners, but at no point visit the lands they're from, or even spend much time with ones who are not fully assimilated into Dragaeran society. Our viewpoint character is a human, with a normal human lifespan. As such, we're almost completely uninvolve ...more
When viewed with a little distance, it's remarkable how well Burst makes us care about things that we don't really see at all. We know Easterners, but at no point visit the lands they're from, or even spend much time with ones who are not fully assimilated into Dragaeran society. Our viewpoint character is a human, with a normal human lifespan. As such, we're almost completely uninvolve ...more
![[Name Redacted]](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1347082397p2/287915.jpg)
Oddly, the second book in the series is set before the first, which becomes a tradition for Brust's "Vlad Taltos" novels. Every other book, starting with the first, is set in the "present", while the rest are all set in the past... So the order should be: 4, 8, 2, 8, 13, 1, 3...
Also, Brust's writing is rather like Sanderson's in that there is very little description to it. You never really know what anyone or anything looks, feels, smells, tastes, etc. like; the action is bare bones, ...more
Also, Brust's writing is rather like Sanderson's in that there is very little description to it. You never really know what anyone or anything looks, feels, smells, tastes, etc. like; the action is bare bones, ...more
I couldn't decide on 3 or 4 stars for this book. Definitely not as good as the first in the series.
I knew going into it that it was set chronologically before the first book, but I still didn't like it. I found the start of Vlad's idiosyncrasies a little disappointing. Specifically the changing of weapons every so often seemed to be a random idea rather than a reasoned decision or even the result of Vlad's paranoia.
The book also depicts Cawti's entrance into Vlad's live and their subsequent ro ...more
I knew going into it that it was set chronologically before the first book, but I still didn't like it. I found the start of Vlad's idiosyncrasies a little disappointing. Specifically the changing of weapons every so often seemed to be a random idea rather than a reasoned decision or even the result of Vlad's paranoia.
The book also depicts Cawti's entrance into Vlad's live and their subsequent ro ...more
Overall, I enjoyed this much more than Book 1 (Jhereg). The world continues to be fleshed out beautifully, plus, as this is a prequel, we get to see an earlier (see: sassier) version of Vlad, which is fantastic. It's also fun to see him interact with characters like Morrolan and Aliera before they really trusted each other as much as they do in the present time.
The only thing that held this book back was the nature of the introduction of Cawti and her relationship with Vlad. I LOVED ...more
The only thing that held this book back was the nature of the introduction of Cawti and her relationship with Vlad. I LOVED ...more
Ouch. The second Vlad book, which is actually a prequel to the first one, kind of falls on the floor and goes *klunk*.
The first 100 pages are really exciting. We're thrown into a territory war between Vlad, now a small-time underworld boss, and his rival. But there's a mystery afoot that involves his powerful noble friends and the woman who will someday be his wife, and here's where it breaks down. After Brust builds up all this tension with the escalation of the mob war, he digresses into scen ...more
The first 100 pages are really exciting. We're thrown into a territory war between Vlad, now a small-time underworld boss, and his rival. But there's a mystery afoot that involves his powerful noble friends and the woman who will someday be his wife, and here's where it breaks down. After Brust builds up all this tension with the escalation of the mob war, he digresses into scen ...more
I love all the intrigue in Brust's books. There's always some twist, something you just don't expect that makes the whole plot click in place and it's awesome. Though it makes me a bit sad that Vlad still doesn't trust his Dragaeran friends - Morrolan, Aliera, Kiera, Sethra, Kragar... - even after they saved his life so many times, even though he was told how scared they were for him. I think that Vlad's hate of the Dragaerans in general sometimes clouds his judgment. Also, I never really saw th
...more
I didn't like this (very short) second book as well as Jhereg. I enjoyed watching Vlad establish and defend his territory - he's a nice sort of underworld boss - but I wasn't terribly interested in the greater political plot explored in the second half of the book.
The scheming and action scenes are well-written and believable. The romantic scenes, not so much. I was not impressed by the instant attraction between Vlad and the woman who tried to kill him.
Still, there was enough g ...more
The scheming and action scenes are well-written and believable. The romantic scenes, not so much. I was not impressed by the instant attraction between Vlad and the woman who tried to kill him.
Still, there was enough g ...more
these books are weird. just when my frustration with certain fantasy cliches - especially the "all races = one race = white" equation - threatens to reach its boiling point, brust will bust out with a completely unexpected, completely awesome twist or comment or insight. i hope he starts building more on these unexpected turns in later books...
2nd book in, and really enjoying it. Interesting mix of genres. It seems to know exactly what it is though, and embraces it. Lots of fantasy goodness, great snark, and crime/mystery/?
Again the adventurs of vlad taltos are wonderful, at least for me, due to to the way the books are narraited. they are told from the main characters point of view and I like the way he thinks.
Really enjoying these. It was a bit confusing at first as it was before the first book, but it is all good. There were a lot of moments that made me laugh
Pacy, idiosyncratic, wry.
I liked this book, but not nearly as much as the first one, which blew my mind. I still like Vlad, he's a solid character.
Here's one issue I had with this book. I don't want to give away any spoilers here, but let's just say something major goes down in the main character's life, and it gets like a 2 paragraph mention (in terms of the how's, why's, emotions, etc.) in a book where Vlad is known to go on for quite a bit longer than necessary on certain topics.
As a story, this one was ...more
Here's one issue I had with this book. I don't want to give away any spoilers here, but let's just say something major goes down in the main character's life, and it gets like a 2 paragraph mention (in terms of the how's, why's, emotions, etc.) in a book where Vlad is known to go on for quite a bit longer than necessary on certain topics.
As a story, this one was ...more
Strangely although it is chronologically the second in the series, this book is set before the first book - which I found a bit irritating.
It was an enjoyable read and I am still pleased with the characters. However, the plot wasn't as sharp or well-defined as the first book and I found it confusing in places. It also seemed a mite less punchy to me.... I like my fantasy with a gritty edge :).
It was an enjoyable read and I am still pleased with the characters. However, the plot wasn't as sharp or well-defined as the first book and I found it confusing in places. It also seemed a mite less punchy to me.... I like my fantasy with a gritty edge :).
Sometimes people fall in love, get married, and later wish the other person dead. Assassins Vlad and Cawti went about things differently. Cawti was hired to kill Vlad and succeeded -- luckily she didn't make it permanent and he was revived -- they both were. Impressed with one another, they fall in love. And they discover that there's more to the turf war that brought them together than it appears.
The second book in the Vlad Taltos series takes us back before the events of Jhereg, to his early ...more
The second book in the Vlad Taltos series takes us back before the events of Jhereg, to his early ...more
Yendi
I was midly disappointed by Yendi, the second book in The Vlad Taltos series. Contrary to Jhereg, where I was immediately pulled inside the story, things were much slower in Yendi. A quarter or even half the book felt like Brust (the author) was merely listing a series of action instead of telling a story. And it was hella boring.
Stephen Brust has decided to write a non-linear series, therefore, his second book instead of continuing where his predecessor left, takes place in th ...more
I was midly disappointed by Yendi, the second book in The Vlad Taltos series. Contrary to Jhereg, where I was immediately pulled inside the story, things were much slower in Yendi. A quarter or even half the book felt like Brust (the author) was merely listing a series of action instead of telling a story. And it was hella boring.
Stephen Brust has decided to write a non-linear series, therefore, his second book instead of continuing where his predecessor left, takes place in th ...more
Sometimes a sequel comes across favourably when compared to the original. Yendi is most definitely a case of this, improving on what made Jhereg good, while learning from––and fixing many of––the problems of the original, while trying some new things in the process. I’m going to be comparing the two quite a bit in this review, so you may want to see what I had to say about Jhereg before continuing.
In this instalment, the protagonist, Vlad, finds himself fighting for what’s his when Laris, a neighbour ...more
In this instalment, the protagonist, Vlad, finds himself fighting for what’s his when Laris, a neighbour ...more
The second in the writing order and the third book in the internal chronological order in the Vlad Taltos series.
Yendi is a very short book and mostly filled by a convoluted plot which isn’t exposed until at the very end. Vlad spends most of his time trying to stay alive from assassination attempts and trying to make sense from everything.
Vlad finds that Laris, one of the other crime bosses, is trying to muscle into his area. Vlad isn’t going to just give in so he tries t ...more
Yendi is a very short book and mostly filled by a convoluted plot which isn’t exposed until at the very end. Vlad spends most of his time trying to stay alive from assassination attempts and trying to make sense from everything.
Vlad finds that Laris, one of the other crime bosses, is trying to muscle into his area. Vlad isn’t going to just give in so he tries t ...more
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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
http://us.macmillan.com/author/steven...
(Photo by David Dyer-Bennet) ...more
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“When I say that life is like an onion, I mean this: if you don't do anything with it, it goes rotten. So far, that's no different from other vegetables. But when an onion goes bad, it can either do it from the inside, or the outside. So sometimes you see one that looks good, but the core is rotten. Other times, you can see a bad spot on it, but if you cut that out, the rest is fine. Tastes sharp, but that's what you paid for, isn't it?”
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“...so I walked down to the operation nearest my office, a brothel, and found the manager. Before he could say anything, I pinned the right side of his cloak to the wall with a throwing knife, about knee level. I did the same with his left side. I put a shuriken into the wall next to each ear, close enough to cut. Then Loiosh went after him and raked his claws down the guy's face. I went up and hit him just below his sternum, then kneed him in the face when he doubled over. He began to understand that I wasn't happy.”
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