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silverflight8) wrote2021-09-22 12:24 am
silverflight8) wrote2021-09-22 12:24 am
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Book of Jhereg
I finished the Book of Jhereg (Jhereg, Yendi, and Teckla) a few weeks back and just realized I forgot to post about them here.
The library does not have books 6,7,8 or 9, despite having all the books around it, neither ebook nor print. I'm not sure why and this isn't the first time this library system (big city decent budget) has had these kinds of issues - their SF/F acquisitions seems to be very patchwork. I'm not expecting them to have super obscure or old titles, but this is neither. Also they got all the other books around them! I put in a request for the two as omnibuses and they were approved right away, so I'll read them soon.
On to the thoughts! I really enjoyed them, one of the reasons I'm mad again at acquisitions is I wanted to just keep reading, damn it.
*So much more of Morrolan, Vlad, Aliera and Sethra's friendship and the whole dynamic! There's a lot more backstory in terms of the way Dragon and Jhereg Houses relate and why, and it makes the whole friend thing even better. Especially in Jhereg when they are trying to deal with the Mellar situation.
*That Dragon-Jhereg war, whew. No wonder everyone is alarmed at it happening, but I definitely see why the Demon would see it differently than the Dragonlords - totally different priorities and ways of looking at the world, not to mention associating with extremely different people. There's definitely plenty of plotting and competition among the Dragons, but it's a very different mentality that a mob boss would have, since he knows he stabbed his way up and must be ever-lastingly aware that under him, others are trying to do the same.
*I really like...I mean...pretty much all the characters, but shout out to Aliera, who is really hot-tempered. Normally this is a character flaw but I really like characters who are just really determined, especially female characters who don't often to be just completely dead-set on things.
*I'm enjoying the filling in background as well. In Phoenix after Vlad pisses off most of the Organization, he heads to Castle Black, and Kragar makes the comment that while it's really hard to dig someone out of there...they've been successful. Now I know what that refers to - the whole complicated Mellar plot!
*The account of Vlad's acquisition of Loiosh's egg! So the bargain was with Loiosh's mother, and then Vlad literally reared him from an egg. Oh my god, this is adorable. Vlad was so worried about it and kept the egg on his person for weeks, and felt murderous rage when he thought someone damaged the egg. Loiosh panicking when hatching (seriously, can you imagine? baby birds must be so confused) and calling Vlad mama! Vlad not having anything in the apartment to feed Loiosh, even though he's been carrying an egg around, and he should have expected a jhereg to hatch out of any day (so he fed it some milk by putting Loiosh's entire face into the dish, and then for whatever reason also had a hawk wing in his kitchen?)
*Oh my god Morrolan died briefly!! AHH!! He was fine but seriously, the death thing is alarming.
*I have sort of sorted out all of the various Jhereg bosses that Vlad has worked for/on, but man, it's confusing. There are so many names and Vlad just throws the names out like you know what he's talking about, because he's relating it all very casually, so the timelines are also all over the place. The fact we don't know Tagichatn or whatever's name because Vlad never bothered to learn it is hilarious though.
*I enjoy all the little structural conceits! Like in Yendi how Vlad sprinkles a few jokes on the same theme (how many HOUSE does it take to sharpen a sword?) I really enjoyed in Teckla the usage of the tailor's order and how each item's damage is revealed in the chapter. I'll have to re-read and look specifically for those - it's not like the text draws attention to it, sometimes the cut or abrasion happens in a few words like any other action in a novel.
*Teckla was definitely painful to read. I feel neutral about the getting-together part of Cawti and Vlad, but it happened so fast and most of it was offscreen since I guess Vlad didn't want to narrate it. Their splitting up is also quite off the page - they keep talking and Vlad doesn't record those conversations, but you can tell they're both trying but they're just such different people now. I respected that that was the conclusion Vlad came to, though - sad and upset it was ending, but not at Cawti. I don't really enjoy reading books that wallow in the feelings of resentment.
*The torture scene in Teckla, woof. It's very understated but Vlad's subsequent actions make it so clear how bad it was. Cawti is so concerned :(
*As well, the time just preceding that when he's so angry and off kilter he just goes wandering about without any protection. Eek.
*On a lighter note, I do enjoy the parts where Vlad is thinking about why Sethra and Aliera etc put up with him, and says things like this:
To Sethra, even more than to most Dragaerans, an Easterner’s lifetime was a blink of an eye. Maybe that’s why she was so tolerant of me. (Morrolan’s tolerance was due to having lived among Easterners for many years of his youth, during the Interregnum. Aliera’s tolerance I’ve never understood; I suspect she was just being polite to Morrolan.)
They're your friends, Vlad. F-R-I-E-N-D-S, that's what.
*I love that Loiosh enjoys going to shows. Also going through various restaurant dumpsters.
*Kelly is pretty tedious. Meh.
This entry took ages, I read Athyra last night (thanks tohamsterwoman!) But I'm too tired to write up thoughts about that. Next time!
The library does not have books 6,7,8 or 9, despite having all the books around it, neither ebook nor print. I'm not sure why and this isn't the first time this library system (big city decent budget) has had these kinds of issues - their SF/F acquisitions seems to be very patchwork. I'm not expecting them to have super obscure or old titles, but this is neither. Also they got all the other books around them! I put in a request for the two as omnibuses and they were approved right away, so I'll read them soon.
On to the thoughts! I really enjoyed them, one of the reasons I'm mad again at acquisitions is I wanted to just keep reading, damn it.
*So much more of Morrolan, Vlad, Aliera and Sethra's friendship and the whole dynamic! There's a lot more backstory in terms of the way Dragon and Jhereg Houses relate and why, and it makes the whole friend thing even better. Especially in Jhereg when they are trying to deal with the Mellar situation.
*That Dragon-Jhereg war, whew. No wonder everyone is alarmed at it happening, but I definitely see why the Demon would see it differently than the Dragonlords - totally different priorities and ways of looking at the world, not to mention associating with extremely different people. There's definitely plenty of plotting and competition among the Dragons, but it's a very different mentality that a mob boss would have, since he knows he stabbed his way up and must be ever-lastingly aware that under him, others are trying to do the same.
*I really like...I mean...pretty much all the characters, but shout out to Aliera, who is really hot-tempered. Normally this is a character flaw but I really like characters who are just really determined, especially female characters who don't often to be just completely dead-set on things.
*I'm enjoying the filling in background as well. In Phoenix after Vlad pisses off most of the Organization, he heads to Castle Black, and Kragar makes the comment that while it's really hard to dig someone out of there...they've been successful. Now I know what that refers to - the whole complicated Mellar plot!
*The account of Vlad's acquisition of Loiosh's egg! So the bargain was with Loiosh's mother, and then Vlad literally reared him from an egg. Oh my god, this is adorable. Vlad was so worried about it and kept the egg on his person for weeks, and felt murderous rage when he thought someone damaged the egg. Loiosh panicking when hatching (seriously, can you imagine? baby birds must be so confused) and calling Vlad mama! Vlad not having anything in the apartment to feed Loiosh, even though he's been carrying an egg around, and he should have expected a jhereg to hatch out of any day (so he fed it some milk by putting Loiosh's entire face into the dish, and then for whatever reason also had a hawk wing in his kitchen?)
*Oh my god Morrolan died briefly!! AHH!! He was fine but seriously, the death thing is alarming.
*I have sort of sorted out all of the various Jhereg bosses that Vlad has worked for/on, but man, it's confusing. There are so many names and Vlad just throws the names out like you know what he's talking about, because he's relating it all very casually, so the timelines are also all over the place. The fact we don't know Tagichatn or whatever's name because Vlad never bothered to learn it is hilarious though.
*I enjoy all the little structural conceits! Like in Yendi how Vlad sprinkles a few jokes on the same theme (how many HOUSE does it take to sharpen a sword?) I really enjoyed in Teckla the usage of the tailor's order and how each item's damage is revealed in the chapter. I'll have to re-read and look specifically for those - it's not like the text draws attention to it, sometimes the cut or abrasion happens in a few words like any other action in a novel.
*Teckla was definitely painful to read. I feel neutral about the getting-together part of Cawti and Vlad, but it happened so fast and most of it was offscreen since I guess Vlad didn't want to narrate it. Their splitting up is also quite off the page - they keep talking and Vlad doesn't record those conversations, but you can tell they're both trying but they're just such different people now. I respected that that was the conclusion Vlad came to, though - sad and upset it was ending, but not at Cawti. I don't really enjoy reading books that wallow in the feelings of resentment.
*The torture scene in Teckla, woof. It's very understated but Vlad's subsequent actions make it so clear how bad it was. Cawti is so concerned :(
*As well, the time just preceding that when he's so angry and off kilter he just goes wandering about without any protection. Eek.
*On a lighter note, I do enjoy the parts where Vlad is thinking about why Sethra and Aliera etc put up with him, and says things like this:
To Sethra, even more than to most Dragaerans, an Easterner’s lifetime was a blink of an eye. Maybe that’s why she was so tolerant of me. (Morrolan’s tolerance was due to having lived among Easterners for many years of his youth, during the Interregnum. Aliera’s tolerance I’ve never understood; I suspect she was just being polite to Morrolan.)
They're your friends, Vlad. F-R-I-E-N-D-S, that's what.
*I love that Loiosh enjoys going to shows. Also going through various restaurant dumpsters.
*Kelly is pretty tedious. Meh.
This entry took ages, I read Athyra last night (thanks to
hamsterwoman!) But I'm too tired to write up thoughts about that. Next time!
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but I definitely see why the Demon would see it differently than the Dragonlords - totally different priorities and ways of looking at the world,
This is one of the things I really enjoy about the series -- the way characters from different Houses (or other divergent backgrounds) do have these very different, extremely strongly held priorities -- it's both a neat source of conflict and a neat illustration of the worldbuilding.
shout out to Aliera, who is really hot-tempered. Normally this is a character flaw but I really like characters who are just really determined, especially female characters who don't often to be just completely dead-set on things.
Aliera is a really fun character! And, like you, I can't think of many female characters like that, who are just allowed to be the stubborn, short-tempered warrior who goes for what they want no matter what and you better get out of their way.
I keep forgetting that the bit with Loiosh's egg and him calling Vlad "mama" is in Jhereg rather than Taltos, but it's one of my favorite passages in the whole series. Baby Loiosh is the cutest!
The fact we don't know Tagichatn or whatever's name because Vlad never bothered to learn it is hilarious though.
Hehe, yes, I love that :D On the subject of timelines, there's actually an amazing fan-compiled/maintained timeline for the whole series, BUT it is full of spoilers (naturally), so I don't recommend consulting it until after you're done with the books (or at least the Vlad books). But it's here.
*I enjoy all the little structural conceits!
It's a fun calling card of the series, and with every new book I'm curious to see what neat epigraph/structural frill he will have chosen for this one. The landry/tailor list in Teckla is my favorite, though I'm also fond of the folk song in Athyra and what Dzur does.
they keep talking and Vlad doesn't record those conversations, but you can tell they're both trying but they're just such different people now. I respected that that was the conclusion Vlad came to, though - sad and upset it was ending, but not at Cawti.
It took a while for Teckla to grow on me -- I first read it in my teens, and it's a slower and not-nearly-as-fun book as the ones around it, either chronologically or publication order, but I think I had to grow up to appreciate it, really -- now I respect the hell out of it for how it handles Vlad coming to the realization about his marriage and confronting the way he views the world and so on.
One thing that it took me several rereads to notice (in large part because I just cannot keep Yendi in my brain at all once I'm no longer reading it, LOL -- which I suppose is fitting for the Yendi book) is just how probably ill-advised Vlad and Cawti's relationship is from the start, IF you know to look for it. There's a scene in Yendi where they are just getting to know each other where you can already see the hint of the fundamental worldview differences that are going to be the break between them in Teckla, but they make a point to stop talking about it and move on. And then when you consider that the end of Jhereg, where Vlad is joking about buying Cawti a castle, and the beginning of Teckla are chronologically just a couple of weeks apart... Which, I think both of those things -- backing away from prodding the early signs of long-term incompatibility, because you're lonely and/or in love and you think this person is bound to be the one, obliviously assuming you're happily married and know what your partner wants while your partner meanwhile has a whole different life you don't know about -- are really plausible, both in general and for Vlad specifically, and also really sad.
*The torture scene in Teckla, woof. It's very understated but Vlad's subsequent actions make it so clear how bad it was
Yeah -- I think Brust is a true master of this elided sort of storytelling, where he doesn't tell, and doesn't really show either, but implies, and it's extremely effective. The torture scene and its aftermath in Teckla is definitely a prime example of that for me.
They're your friends, Vlad. F-R-I-E-N-D-S, that's what.
Hahaha, yeah XD It does take him a while to get around to the realization in Phoenix that maybe? he doesn't hate?? some Dragaerans???
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Yeah, don't stand in Aliera's way! Or be prepared to duel with Pathfinder. And it makes me laugh when I remember Alier e'Kieron meeting said Kieron and then chewing him out when he mocked - when Morrolan met Kieron in the Halls he dropped to one knee! Vlad was speechless once he realized it was Kieron!
Thanks for the link I'll check it out once I've read all the publisehd books!
LMAO @ your inability to remember Yendi once you finish. It is a very complicated plot and it takes Vlad the whole novel to put it together. I know what you mean though. It's sort of like Vlad saw Cawti, realized she was a female Eastern assassin and fell without even thinking about it, ignoring anything else. Agreed on the point about the castle too. They just move so fast there's not time to even realize they're so different.
Noish-pa also points it out - that he is friends with elfs and then Vlad has to be all...okay...I guess...but that's different!
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Yep! You've got to admire the negative amount of fucks Aliera apparently gives in any and all circumstances -- it's very cathartic to read about, haha :D (She does, I think, have a well-hidden less brash side, but it really doesn't show up very often, and then only in glimpses.)
It's sort of like Vlad saw Cawti, realized she was a female Eastern assassin and fell without even thinking about it, ignoring anything else
Yeah, exactly -- and I think she must've been feeling the same way (especially reeling as she must have been from her partnership with Norathar being upended by the whole Dragon Heir thing). And then, boom, they're married, and Vlad must've checked off a "therefore things are going great" box in his mind and stopped thinking about it, I guess.
and then Vlad has to be all...okay...I guess...but that's different!
Hehe, I do love Vlad's stubborn cluelessness on this account :D
but this just reminded me of how much I LOVE talking about books and fully nerding out about all the little details :D
Awww, I'm glad! :DD Truly, few things make me happier than nerding out about little details in books on the internet, especially when it comes to THESE books :DD
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Oh, yes, and the time when Cawti proposed, Vlad was hesitant to accept because he thought he was gonna die in week or two, what with the turf war. So he's not thinking straight either, and neither is Cawti. Ugh, it makes me sad it feels like it was doomed from the start.
books! they're so good!
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that's a good point! Probably not the best time to be making major life decisions, for either of them...
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EEHEEEE. I love this. In general, I love the sheer level of self-delusion that Vlad is clearly dealing with regarding the way he feels about the people around him and the way they feel about him, especially since (despite the books being told in first person) the narration skillfully gets across the vast gulf between what Vlad claims is true of his relationships with the people he's close to vs. how they actually see him.
It would have been a different experience reading it the other way around, but for me, reading Taltos after reading Jhereg was a big "Oh!!" moment because it very clearly demonstrates why Morrolan and Aliera are so utterly ride-or-die for Vlad by the time that Jhereg rolls around. I mean, it's clear that they're close but if THAT was your basic introduction to Vlad, then it's pretty evident why you'd end up being willing to do just about anything for him even though he's an assassin, a sarcastic asshole, and all the other things that Vlad so charmingly is. :D
Oh, and I also love in Jhereg - and I think this is the big thing that hooked me on the series, honestly, other than really enjoying the narration and worldbuilding - is that the entire plot is hinged around Vlad not wanting to hurt Morrolan. That's it, that's basically the plot. I mean clearly there is a lot else going on, but what it comes down to is that everything that happens, happens because Vlad isn't willing to simply fuck over Morrolan, even in the interests of preventing an inter-House war.
This is why these people love you, Vlad, you towering idiot.
This was a great write-up and very much fun to read!
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YES! -- and also while everyone except Morrolan thinks Morrolan's insistence on honoring Mellar's guest right is nuts, including members of Morrolan's own House. That Vlad, Jhereg and Easterner, is willing to go to this degree of trouble to honor his frankly bonkers wishes is such a delightful part of their relationship for me!
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ESPECIALLY Vlad, probably, LOL, and yet! (I do love them so! ♥ &hearts)
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Very true! The Demon thought of it, acted on it, and Vlad figured it out and was like THIS CANNOT HAPPEN, I WILL MAKE IT UN-HAPPEN.