Vlad Taltos series
- Jhereg
- Yendi
- Teckla
- Taltos
- Phoenix
- Athyra
- Orca
- Dragon
- Issola
- Dzur
- Jhegaala
- Iorich
- Tiassa
- Hawk
The Vlad Taltos series is very interesting and unique. I can definitely recommend this for anyone interested in fantasy, especially if you like darker themes.
It’s set in a mainly fantasy world, but several things have a scifi feel to them. The novels aren’t written in a chronological order and are meant to be read as is, so often you get references to events you haven’t read about yet or a new book about events mentioned in a previous installment. The style of writing varies greatly among almost all the novels from purely stylistic differences to great changes that affect storytelling. This shows, among other things, in unexpected narrator choices.
The series focuses on a human named Vlad Taltos, an assassin. The setting is an empire where a humanoid race Dragaerans rule and humans are a lower class minority. The Dragaerans have a greatly extended lifespan and are significantly taller than humans. They also practice sorcery, while the humans mostly practice witchcraft, which is looked down upon.
Vlad belongs to the House of the Jhereg, which is also a criminal organization. They are the only Great House that sells titles to humans and sold one to his social-climbing father. He starts work as an enforcer and works his way up to an assassin and a minor crime boss. He practices both witchcraft and sorcery and his witch’s familiar is the Jhereg Loiosh, an intelligent lizard with wings. Vlad has several high-ranking Dragaeran friends, so the books often have him involved in their affairs and sometimes bizarre plots. He also has to deal with Jhereg trouble, like defending his territory or assassinating people.
Kati S.
