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Tarfumes.com - Jhegaala (Vlad)
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List Price: $24.95
Our Price: $16.47
Your Save: $ 8.48 ( 34% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Tor Books
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780765301475
ISBN: 0765301474
Label: Tor Books
Manufacturer: Tor Books
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 304
Publication Date: 2008-07-08
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: 2008-07-08
Studio: Tor Books
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Editorial Reviews:
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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. But the longer he stays there, the stranger it becomes. No one will tell him where to find his relatives. Even stranger, when he mentions the name Merss, people think he’s threatening them. The witches’ coven that every Fenarian town and city should have is nowhere in evidence. And the Guild, which should be protecting the city’s craftsmen and traders, is an oppressive, all-powerful organization, into which no tradesman would ever be admitted. Then a terrible thing happens. In its wake, far from Draegara, without his usual organization working for him, Vlad is going to have to do his sleuthing amidst an alien people: his own.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: An Assassin on Vacation
Comment: (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.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The Perils of Exploring Your Roots
Comment: 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.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Brust pushes the easy button
Comment: I am a big fan of the Vlad Taltos series. However, I must admit that I was really disappointed with this book.
The last two books in the "Vlad" series were eventful, meaningful, full of action, and kept you up past your bed time. Jhegaala was just the opposite... a safe diversion into "old" Vlad [who seems really off his game -- did he draw more than a welt in this one? -- he's too **** introspective for someone who should be looking to share some pain especially over his divorce and for what happens to his kin folk in this novel]. Anyway, this novel was of no great importance to the story line and did little towards character development of Vlad or his many friends. It's too bad Brust could not continue the incredible momentum of the previous two gems Issola and Dzur and move the series forward.
Don't get me wrong, this is still Vlad and his wise-cracking sidekick Loiosh and on many levels is enjoyable. If you're a long time Vlad fan, you have to get it, read it, and put it on the shelf with the other books. If you are new to the series, read the books in chronological order from the characters perspective (google it :D) and by the time you get to this book, you'll be a fan, too, and take this book in stride.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Vlad Taltos Continued...
Comment: For any fan of Vlad Taltos (which you have to be to have read this far into the series), it's always exciting to get a new book.
The key points you should be aware of when coming to this, is that Vlad goes back in time a little bit, and spends this adventure among humans. This means that 1) it's not quite as exciting or exotic as the other stories and 2) he's not as cool as he was in Dzur.
Overall a great read and well on par for the series. The only negative being we want the Vlad Taltos of Dzur back.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Classic Vlad
Comment: Excellent story as usual. This plot twists and turns all over the place and by the time all the answers are finally revealed at the end, you're left staring at the pages and going, "holy crap." It's seriously an outrageous turn of events when finally everything is revealed, and Brust once again tells a story the way none other can. Sure there's not much of the usual mystical magical stuff that's in the other books since Vlad is out East away from the city in this story, but don't fall for the other reviews. This is still a great story, and frankly the lack of revivification and teleportation makes it that more challenging for Vlad to get through this.
So yes, just read the book.
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