Yendi

Originally posted at Fantasy Literature: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/reviews/yendi/

Loveable assassin Vlad Taltos is back in Yendi, the second in Steven Brust???s VLAD TALTOS series. Yendi is actually a prequel to the first novel, Jhereg which introduced us to Vlad, his wife Cawti, his familiar, and several of his friends and enemies. Vlad is a new mob boss who is trying to protect his territory from the encroachment of neighboring mob bosses. When one of them sets up a racket in Vlad???s territory, Vlad has to take him on. As usual, he???ll need all his wits and all his friends just to stay alive.

In Yendi we learn a little more about the Dragaeran Empire, the Dragon Lords, and the activities of Vlad and the other bosses, but for some readers the most significant event is the story of how Vlad met Cawti, how she killed him, and how they fell in love. I was looking forward to this story, but it was a disappointment. The romance was dull and not very believable because of how instantaneous it was. Another complaint I have is the same thing I complained about in my review of the first book, Jhereg: Vlad solves crimes or mysteries by using convoluted suppositions that just happen to be right and there???s no way the reader could have figured out what was going on. This is disappointing because I???ve learned that it???s not much use to try to use my brain to remember clues or reason out a conclusion ??? I???ll never work it out on my own.

This sense of feeling slightly lost is part of Steven Brust???s unique style. He drops you right into his complex world, but only gives cursory explanations of the characters, politics and history as he goes along. Generally I like this technique because it doesn???t interrupt the plot, but there were several times while reading Yendi that I wasn???t certain that I understood the implications or all the nuances of what was happening. I was reading the audio version, so I???m not sure if I missed a glossary in the back, but fortunately there are plenty of resources on the internet for those seeking to study more of Brust???s world.

Even though I don???t fully understand Brust???s world yet, I like it. I like Brust???s sense of humor (very dry) and I like Vlad Taltos and his turf war. I???m going to keep reading this series for these reasons and because I have friends whose opinions I trust who love this series. I expect that the more I learn, the more I???ll like it, too.

I read the audio version which was recently produced by Audible Frontiers and read by Bernard Setaro Clark who is excellent in every way. Yendi is less than 7 hours long.

As much fun as the first book. It steps back in time from its predecessor to establish more of Vlad's past, such as meeting his wife (she stabs him in the kidney - it's lust at first sight) and managing the general admin woes of being a (literally) small crimelord on the up. Like the first book, it's essentially a crime mystery in structure, with Vlad and friends cracking a conspiracy using smarts, networking, and meetings over dinner as much as combat. I really like that. Looking forward to the next one!

The first time I read this one, 20 or so years ago, I don't think I truly realized how good a book this is. On second reading, it is absolutely fantastic. This book is also a reasonable choice for a starting point for the Vlad Taltos series of books as the events in the book actually occur chronologically prior to the first published book, Jhereg. (Personally, I'd say read Jhereg first, but they're written in such a way that you can start almost anywhere and pick right up. There is a combination tome - The Book of Jhereg which collects the first three books by publishing order. Definitely go with that if you're just getting started).

Yendi is a very early story in the Vlad Taltos series, covering several very momentous events that set the tone for events later in the series. In this novel, Vlad fights a territory war against a competing Jhereg named Laris. Both sides are supported by unseen patrons, and the events become bad enough that the Empress even notices and feels the need to intervene.

Along the way, Vlad is assassinated, meets his wife and uncovers a plot that spans hundreds of years and ultimately determines the Dragon heir to the empire.

As with all of the Vlad Taltos books, this is a fast-paced fun read. Brust writes with a very humorous style that I always find brings me several laugh out loud moments per book. While the book is quite action-packed, the backbone of the book is really a sleuthing tale wherein Vlad tries to figure out what is going on and then sets things up to try and win his war against Laris. As always, it's a fun, engaging read and the details are what ends up making it. All of the usual characters are here - Morrolan, Aliera, Kragar. Cawti and Norathar also show up in dramatic fashion.

Definitely worth the read.