Customer Reviews

Yendi

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Well, it seems opinions vary on this "chapter" of the Vlad Taltos series. People either think it is the best of the bunch or the worst of 'em (but they still like it). Even the author, Steven Brust, has stated that this is his least favorite of the series (which stands at eight novels, so far).

I loved Yendi and it is one of my favorites of the entire series. Are "hero", the assassin-mobster Vlad Taltos, gets involved in a mob war with another mob boss who is moving into his territory. But, as the mob war escalates, Vlad finds a deeper plot that could threaten the entire Empire. Fun ensues! Assassins and mobsters and wizards, oh my! What more could one ask for in a fantasy series? The Vlad Taltos novels are great fun and an interesting take on your "average" epic fantasy.

Note: Yendi is the third novel (after Taltos and Dragon but before Jhereg) if your reading them in chronological order. It doesn't REALLY matter what order you read the Vlad Taltos novels in but, hey, I'm being helpful.

Don't get me wrong. Yendi is not my favorite Vlad novel, nor does it hang together stylistically as well as, say, Athyra, but this is the most characteristic of the series. If you are only ever going to read one Taltos novel, this should be it. It has the most complex plot of them all, and its massive scope gives the reader an excellent overview of Dragaeran society and history without bogging one down in pedantry. As with most of the early novels, Morrolan, Aliera and Sethra are all through this one, and as they are (or ought to be)everyone's favorite characters, that's incentive enough to pick this volume up. Future readers:Look for the allusion to Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Enjoy; there's no way you couldn't.

Steven Brust's Yendi is an even shorter novel than his first Vlad Taltos book, Jhereg, but that doesn't harm it in the least. Brust has a way of economizing words so that his plots seem a lot larger than they are. Brust also manages to give us even more backstory on the Dragaeran Empire and its political workings, the House of Dragon, and its relationship with the House of Jhereg. How he manages to pack all of this into a book, along with the plot itself, is a mystery to me, but he does it very well.

This is a prequel to Jhereg, showing us, among other things, how Vlad met his wife, Cawti. It seems that a rival Jhereg boss, named Laris, is trying to move in on Vlad's territory. This basically sets up a war between the two of them, and things escalate to the point that the Empress sends in some of the Phoenix Guard to keep order. After being almost saved from one assassination attempt by his Dragon friends, Aliera and Morrolan, Aliera revives him as well as the two assassins (that's something that can often be done by the sorcery in the Empire) and Vlad learns that things are a lot more complicated than he had expected. Somebody's using Laris to further their own political ends, a conspiracy that could reach to the top of the Empire. And even worse, Vlad has fallen in love with the woman who killed him!

I began reading this before realizing that Jhereg was written first, and while Yendi is certainly understandable without having read the first book, a lot of the background of the series is revealed in it. I quickly read the first one before coming back to this one, and I was much happier. That being said, it is a prequel, so we get to see how he met Cawti, which was quite surprising. Brust does a wonderful job with this relationship, making it so it doesn't really seem unusual. They find that they have a lot in common, and we get some personal detail on Vlad that tells us why he became an assassin. We knew that he hated Dragaerans but the reasons he became an assassin drive this point home. It was a nice touch, and I loved the scenes between them when he revealed himself to her.

It amazes me how tight this novel is, considering the fact that it shifts gears in the middle to reveal the deeper and darker plot. The first part is basically concerned with the war between Vlad and Laris, and with the various assassination attempts. But when Vlad realizes that something else is going on, it really takes off and Vlad's mind is working faster than ours to figure out what is really happening, and who's behind it all. It's a tribute to Brust's characterizations that we can believe it when Vlad suspects that his Dragon friends may be behind some of it, because we can believe that they might be, even as we know they are Vlad's friends. As much loyalty as they have to Vlad, they are loyal to the Dragon House first, and when the plot quickly gets political, it wouldn't be that surprising to see them up to something.

In fact, this showcases even more Vlad's isolation and how much he needs Cawti. Loiosh, his Jhereg familiar and friend, is the only sentient being that he feels he can totally trust, and their relationship is also brilliantly portrayed. The psionic bond between them (even though psionics are common with these people, and Vlad can pretty much communicate with anybody using them, his bond with Loiosh seems more special) makes for some interesting dialogues during scenes, such as when Vlad is wondering if Aliera could be behind the whole thing, and Loiosh tells him he's being too paranoid. Brust manages to make Loiosh very likable, loyal to Vlad but not afraid to talk back to him if he feels it's necessary. He's also Vlad's personal protector, which comes in handy a few times too.

The plot is intricate (which isn't surprising, considering the ultimate plotter is a Yendi, and that's not a spoiler, because we don't find out who the Yendi is until Vlad does), but it does hang together. It seems to be a lot more convoluted than it needs to be, but evidently that's a trait of the Yendi, so it's not surprising. I'm glad that Vlad didn't figure out everything all at once, as I really don't like those mystery plots where one little piece of information all of a sudden brings the whole thing to light. Brust avoids that one, unlike the problem with Jhereg that I had. My only gripe with Yendi is that the Laris war almost becomes an afterthought, dealt with in a few pages at the end.

After two books, I've become a big fan of Steven Brust, and I can't wait to read more of his stuff. Yendi is another winning addition in the Vlad Taltos saga, and it's small enough that it's also a quick read. Good for those of you with large "to-be-read" piles, that it won't take you very long. This one should be added to it.

David Roy

This entire series is incredible. Everyone should be forced by law to own them all. This one is 1st person narrative by Vladimir Taltos, assassin/sorceror/Easterer in the Dragaeran Empire. This novel is set before the first one in the series, _Jhereg_, but you need to read _Jhereg_ to understand it. In this one Vlad meets, is killed by, and falls in love with his wife, Cawti(yes it happens in that order), and takes on a Jhereg that wants his territory. A conspiracy thats been going on for about 500 years is uncovered and Vlad is forced to stop it. Fast moving plot. Wonderful writing style and excellent characters.

There's nothing that I don't love about this book, and series. If you enjoy fantasy, sarcastic wit, twisting plots, and a cloak and dagger theme... Sit down for a page turner :) One thing that's extremely good to know about this series: There is no starting point, Steven Brust said so himself (I don't remember where, sorry). He also said the best place to start would be in the order of publication (So Jhereg would be a good place). Enjoy!

Yendi delves into the backstory of Vlad Taltos, as he details how he came to be a player in the House of Jhereg, and bits and pieces about how he grew up and his life.

He gets involved with a conflict with another Jhereg, Laris, and even worse than that Vlad and his associates discover that there is a plot by Sethra the Younger and the Sorceress in Green to put a Dragon Emperor on the throne, thus elevanting their own position.

Vlad also falls had for Cawti, a human female thief with a dragonlord partner.

Luckily, Sethra Lavode and Morrolan, with Vlad, Cawti and Norathar's help have the power to overcome.

I was completely enthralled with "Jhereg," and eagerly began "Yendi" immediately upon finishing it, looking forward to once again being thoroughly immersed in the world Brust adeptly weaves around the reader. I was definitely not disappointed.

I was a bit confused for the first few paragraphs, until I realized that "Yendi" is actually a prequel to "Jhereg," taking place earlier in time. Vlad is just getting started in the organization, and naturally encounters some resistance in the process. While the formula is somewhat the same (mystery unravelled at the last second, after much intrigue set in fantasy world,) it works exceptionally well.

Vlad's voice flows easily, and the words just kind of glide through the reader's head - as the pages turned, pictures and scenes formed in my head without my really being aware of having read the sentences. This is the mark of a truly gifted yarn-spinner. The same wit, humor, and clever banter that was so successful in "Jhereg" is liberally sprinkled through "Yendi," as well, and the characters are highly-believable.

The world Brust has created is vivid, and he doesn't go to extreme lengths to try to justify everything and explain all of the rules, spoon-feeding the reader, holding our hands through this thought processes; rather, he drops hints, and uses context to convey items of import. Sometimes, he flat out tells us "it's none of your business," or "that is a story for another time," or "you really don't need to know all of it, but." It's great stuff, and I love his voice. He gives small nods to current culture icons such as Monty Python in places, and uses modern language instead of pained, stilted "Hie thee hence, lass!" "Evermore, milady" and other such stuffs, making it a much easier, more believable story and setting.

A conflict within the House of Jhereg has Vlad being tossed hither, thither and yon, caught right up in the heart of things - would you expect anything less? In the process, he meets two of the land's best assassins, is killed by one of them, falls wildly in love, and of course hatches a plot so clever you could put a tail on it and call it a weasel.

Loiosh has a bit more to say in this volume, but is still mostly confined to one-liners - I do wish Brust would give Vlad and his familiar a more substantial relationship. The co-stars in the story have depth, great lines, and play crucial parts in the Vlad's life and in the plot in general.

A very entertaining next step in what will hopefully prove to be a great series. I'm tackling "Teckla" immediately!

In which Vladimir Taltos, an assassin and minor crime boss, has to defend his territory. In the process, he falls in love with another assassin, this one hired to kill him, and uncovers a plot dealing with the succession of the Dragaeran Empire...

This one was so good that I missed reading it and subsequently read it an additional time just to savor it. Yendi takes place in the earlier days of Taltos's life, and speaks of a major Jhereg war that he started. I liked the "palace intrigue"/behind the scenes power struggles that occurred throughout the book. I even had to sit down about halfway through just to catch up to what was going on, which i consider a good sign.

There's even an amusing Monty Python reference hidden in there. Brust's writing style was getting better around this time, there is an improvement in style between this one and Jhereg. He fixes some of the details of the Taltos universe (for example, there are ways you can never be resurrected without using a soul killing dagger) and gets into character development, telling more about how Vlad's past made him the Boss he is today. Too bad its Brust's least favorite.

So, if you liked the first one, and don't mind slightly-confusing tales of aristocratic power struggles, then definitely pick this one up.

Another excellent Vlad Taltos book. (My personal, second favorite, if you care).... Vlad gets tied up in a deep, twisted plot, and in the meantime dies, falls in love, and is his regular badass self. A great story, full of magic and action.