Jhereg

Vlad Taltos, Book 1

By: Steven Brust

Narrated by: Bernard Setaro Clark

Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

Vlad Taltos is a mobster and assassin in the magical metropolis of Adrilankha. A member of the Great House of Jhereg (named for the tiny dragon-like creatures native to Dragaera), Taltos is given the largest contract of his career but the job is even more complicated than he expects.

The first book in Stephen Brust's "Vlad Taltos" series, Jhereg has also been adapted into a graphic novel by Marvel Comics. Here, Bernard Setaro Clark brings the tale to life in a rousing performance.

©1983 Steven K. Z. Brust (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Fell below my expectations.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Not worth it. The only consolation is that I only got 1 book. If you enjoy Game of Thrones or any Brandon Sanderson novel, this is a far cry from them.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Asa Akira's Insatiable.

Have you listened to any of Bernard Setaro Clark’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Could you see Jhereg being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Yes. Jake Gyllenhall.

Still excellent...after 20 years of re-reading

If you could sum up Jhereg in three words, what would they be?

Exciting, funny, clever

Who was your favorite character and why?

Loiosh, Vlad's jhereg familiar, consistently adds the wise crack to a situation that already has the reader grinning. He is quick witted, clever, and provides for a reasonable dialog even when Vlad is alone, or internalizing. I have read the paperbacks until the covers have worn thin, but i still laugh at his quick witted remarks.

What about Bernard Setaro Clark’s performance did you like?

I thought he did a great job with Vlad, and all of the main characters. I wasn't thrilled with Loiosh's accent, but after reading it for so long, its unlikely to hear all the voices the way the performer does them. In all, he is very talented, and I'll listen to this over and over.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

This book is good--but the series is fantastic. The main character is a short-lived human in a world where hulking "elves" rule over them as less-than-equals. Vlad's way of working the organized crime angle, being a witch, an assassin--and still being the hero in the tale makes this a very unique read. Some books from your teen years don't hold up over time--this one is just as entertaining now as it was then.

Any additional comments?

I buy long books--short books are annoying to figure it all out just to have it end. There are LOTS of these books in the series...so the story just keeps going, you don't have to keep starting over! Prequels and sequels--I think this one is in the middle somewhere.

good, if you have nothing else to read.

I found that most of the book was just him plotting, investigating and planning, with little to no action. The only action being a final duel at the end. It's obvious that the Fallen Blade series took some serious notes from these books, however I feel that the Fallen Blade series did it much better. This book really gave me an itch to go back to the fallen blade books

Don't let the cover turn you off!

This cover epitomizes the old adage. Just ignore that orange thing and pretend it's a dragon or a butterfly or something.

Anyway, this book was written in the style of someone who plays lots of old school RPGs. Maybe even MUDs. I can feel my fingers typing the commands for these characters. "She nods." "He shrugs." A lot of the time, they don't even have adverbs, and the ones that are used are pretty standard. "She nods slowly." Even the characters fit into the old RPG stereotypes. Thieves, assassins, sorcerers, warriors, etc.

And yet somehow, the narrator pulls it off. Perhaps it's because it's a first person perspective, but the amateurish writing just becomes part of Vlad's demeanor and personality. He's not the type to get overly flowery, so the direct, occasionally choppy, occasionally stiff dialogue becomes natural.

All told, this is a fun book with an interesting world. It does not drag out any longer than it needs to be, and I'm happy to see there are sequels, though I may wait until they are on sale to pick them up. The breadcrumbs about the characters' back stories are more like bricks to the head, but I'll admit. I'm curious!

Vlad is the man!

The Vlad Taltos books and the Phoenix guard books Brynn Alternate Source of high quality fantasy writing when I was growing up. Stephen Brust's fantasy world got me through some rough times as a teenager at a young man. Even when the situation was serious the writing was top-notch and light-hearted and its delivery. the fact that nearly all the books that I read as a kid and even more Parnell inaudible makes me happy beyond words. If you need kick ass fantasy look no further.

Good story, easy to follow and entertaining.

Any additional comments?

I liked the book and the story but I found the characters somewhat unrealistic. These cold ruthless killers also had a strong sense of honor, duty and put friendship above their own life. These are the traits of a hero not an assassin. I don't believe so many conflicted characters could exist. The best example I can give is that the main character met his wife because she was hired to kill him and she succeeded. He was brought back to life through magic and of course they fell in love and have lived happily ever after killing others. Makes sense to me how about you?

SPOILER at the end, BE WARNED.

What did you like best about this story?

#1 Good pace & character interplay, with small bits of humor + it has no bla bla filler.
#2 Interesting world story/history.
#3 It talks about magic or has magic use, that is just enough to be good.

Any additional comments?

Here is a magical world full of factions & people struggling to gain more power or to just survive. The main character is an assin & witch. Most of the other characters use magic & know how to fight or hire those that do. The book is about the assin/witch on an epic job. Not to spoli it tomuch, but the job will deside weather or not a war starts :}

BE WARNED SPOILER HERE & the only weakness the book has: Their is only 1 true fight in the hole book. A book with the main character who is an assin & witch, with other fighter & magic types & IT HAS 1 SHORT GOOD FIGHT !!!

magical, intense excitement!

I deeply adore the story and the way that the actor portrays the characters voices. This book has really made an influence on my life. It has carved out a fantasy subculture I see myself being a part of for a long time. I highly recommend starting off with this book, compared to the rest of the series.

Great read

I read this series years ago, but never finished it. Glad it showed up on Audible. Wonderful narration. These "Sam Spade style" detective novels can be fun, though sometimes hard to stomach in large quantities. Brust makes the genre pretty fun, though! Downloading the next book!

Good Concept.

Any additional comments?

As i have said in my other reviews I am a stickler for bad language.. I got this book off of another review for good books. And if the language was not in it I would have finished it. It was hard for me to stop listing to, so if you dont mind language you will enjoy it.. I think.

I give this book a poor rating for language