Jhegaala

May 5, 2008
Despite witches, magical amulets and “elfs,” the appealing 11th novel in Brust’s bestselling Vlad Taltos series is a classic private eye thriller. Still hurting over his recent divorce and pursued by his former employer’s assassins, antihero Taltos decides to get out of town for a bit and heads to a neighboring country in search of long-lost relatives. Accompanied by his familiars, telepathic flying lizards Loiosh and Rocza, with Loiosh playing the role of a classic B-movie sidekick (“What’s the play, Boss?”), Taltos meets with hostile reactions and a warning not to ask too many questions. Then his remaining family in the area is wiped out in a suspicious fire, and he must uncover a complex conspiracy with stealth, brute force and an endless supply of wisecracks. Longtime fans may miss familiar surroundings and characters, but will enjoy the trip into Taltos’s family’s past; newcomers will appreciate the noir touches and benefit from Brust’s deft touch with exposition.

July 15, 2008
With his marriage shattered and his life in danger from the criminal Jhereg organization, Vlad Taltos ("Dzur; Isola") flees to faraway Fenario, to the papermaking town of Burz, where he tries to locate his distant relatives, the Merss. There, his real troubles begin, and the irrepressible Taltos must locate his relatives and solve the city's problems with its oppressive Guilds without his usual allies. Brust's popular hero once again takes on the world armed with his wit and his military and social prowess. Fans will look forward to this latest installment. Libraries should purchase where there is demand.

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2008
In this immediate sequel to Phoenix (1990), Brusts series hero Vlad Taltos, fleeing the Jhereg, decides to look up kinfolk in a papermaking town in Fenario. Before he can do more than ask about them, however, theyre murdered. Professional assassin Vlad is not going to stand for that, but, no longer part of an organization, he must do his own detecting in a strange land whose customs he doesnt know. Brust skillfully uses the minor characters to throw light on Vlad, making this a Vlad novel especially commendable to those contracting a first acquaintance.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)