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.

A great listen!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This book was an enjoyable tale, the series starts off deceptively simply but layers complexity with each subsequent story.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I really do like Vlad's character and the character development is well done throughout the series.

What does Bernard Setaro Clark bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The naration when i first started to listen i thought was pretty average but after listening for a short while you find that the naration is all pretty good throughout with good variation between characters and a style that sucks you in!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I really enjoyed the humour throughout this book and the full series and have let out a few belly laughs in otherwise quiet locations.

Any additional comments?

I would thoroughly recomend the book and the rest of the series

Razor Sharp Writing, Perfect Reader

Would you listen to Jhereg again? Why?

I don't listen to audio books more than once. I also don't often read books more than once. I've read this book and knew my husband would like it, so we listened to it together. He was blown away and I found myself enjoying a story I already knew.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Jhereg?

The voice acting is superb, especially the psionic whisperings of Vlad's sidekick, Loiosh.

What does Bernard Setaro Clark bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Clark's reading is everything you want it to be--well-paced, distinctive voicings without overacting, unobtrusive and yet layered with appropriate cadence and nuance.

Any additional comments?

Don't miss this!

Exquisite fantasy storytelling!

Simply a pleasure. Best part is when he realizes just how incredible Mellar's Plan really is... Incredible story and great storytelling.

A great fantacy noir. Fun characters smart writing

Half mystery and half thriller Steven Bruce has build a world with magic, dragons, floating castles, dark alleys, shadey characters, and deep history. His writing is smart without needing to get into hack and slash gratuity. His pacing is a real delight as most of the time you are one step behind the protagonist without feeling like the author is hiding things from you. His characters are interesting and the book is packed with them. There are few if any of them that I am not looking forward to see in the next book... of the ones that live anyway.

Very engaging book.

Not your average fantasy. Finally a book with a truly honorable but non apologetic crimanal cast. Too often rogues and assassins are depicted as Evil, but lovable and not necessarily redeemable, or good with a troubled past and regret for their wrong doings. Brust writes a story where there is no good or evil per say. Just business men and women and those that wronged them.

master story teller

I mean I have 4 tatoos relating to this series, what else can I say?

Interesting idea, kinda boring

Not as action packed as I thought it would be. Less mobster, more private detective/hitman. Not much emotion in the reading of the book, or more likely not much emotion in the characters. I'll give the second book a chance when it's on sale, hoping a lot of the boring aspects were them getting a lot of the world building out of the way.

Fun, light story

The story is excellent. The narrator doesn't use any inflection, though, so a lot of the books sarcasm falls a bit flat.

This is a fun story about an assassin, his witch wife, and dragon familiar. High fantasy with a liberal dose of humor, and a very interesting world.

Amazeballs!

New author and narrator for me. This was recommended to me many years ago 😬 I have the books, just now listening.
Wow! I regret not getting into this sooner. The in-depth world building and intricate scheming is fascinating! I didn't want to stop, sleep be damned! I love the characters and how they interact, especially Vlad's familiar 🥰 Definitely will be continuing the series.
Thank you, Kettle.

a return for me...

loved the books years ago. thought I would try the audio version... the narration was poor to my ear - awkward breaks, pauses and some mispronounced words. he just could not get me captured into the stories the way I remembered them. I will stick with hardcopy for this series...