14) Jhereg by Steven Brust



In the wake of my mental destruction while scribing adversaria entry number 13, I find myself sufficiently calmed to present to you, my dear readers, an exemplary work of fantasy fiction. From the first page, the first sentence, to the final sentence, I was absolutely captivated. I am thankful for such talented writers in this world, for Steven Brust's introduction to his fantastic world is simply spectacular.

    "There is a similarity, if I may be permitted an excursion into tenuous metaphor, between the feel of a chilly breeze and the feel of a knife's blade, as either is laid across the back of the neck. I can call up memories of both, if I work at it. The chilly breeze is invariably going to be the more pleasant memory. For instance..."

    -Prologue of Jhereg

Following the main character, an assassin, from his point of view (I absolutely adore first person narratives - and well done ones too!), the dialogue is humorous, action-filled, politically infused, and overall engaging. I feel a true part of Vlad Taltos' world, for his eyes are mine, and together there is much to be seen. The characters are real and unique.

And guess what?

There were turns in the plot that were unpredictable! *Thank goodness!* There is no sense of cliche-ness in the magic of the world. Sure, it was familiar in the sense that I could somewhat understand how the magic worked, but, it was different enough that I said, "wow" at times. For example, the source of their power is reachable via an orb. This orb can sustain major magical efforts, or for a more practical sense, allow people to know what time is it. ;p

I am so incredibly excited to continue reading his series. Brust says that he did not write the books in chronological order, therefore you really could start wherever you chose. (He did provide the information that Taltos, Yendi, Jhereg, Teckla, Phoenix, Athyra, and Orca follow a chronological sequence - so maybe someday, I shall read them in that order for fun!)

*grins* I have found a gem!

-Lila