ashleylm's review against another edition
4.0
I'm a bit of an idiot. For some reason (the weird name in the titled, weirdly spelled, plus the series' name, plus some one sentence descriptions I must have picked up at some point in time) I had always believed this series to be Science Fiction about a Planet of Psychic Vampires. I was sure of it, the same way that, despite not having read, say, "Crumpets With a Spot of Death: A Margie Doobs Mystery", I would be sure that it would be a cozy mystery with characters who eat dessert and own cats.
But I was wrong. Jhereg is not SciFi, nor is it set on a planet of Psychic Vampires. It's a high fantasy adventure romp, with enjoyable antiheroes (the main character's a proud assassin), similar to, say, The Lies of Locke Lamora, or the Riyria books, and is in other word right up my alley. (To be fair, the main character has "psionic" powers, so I was 15% right).
4 stars because (a) I'm not okay with everyone being so casual about So Many People being Assassins (or having been one), and (b) it seemed like the author didn't love it over, and invented hoops to make Assassination seem Not So Bad (e.g. frequent easy ressurection). Those bits felt uncomfortable and cludgy, but are really at the essence of the book, so it's a testament to how much I liked it anyway that it still got 4 stars. It's like giving A Wrinkle in Time 4 stars despite not liking children's books and being uncomfortable with extra-planetary settings.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s).
But I was wrong. Jhereg is not SciFi, nor is it set on a planet of Psychic Vampires. It's a high fantasy adventure romp, with enjoyable antiheroes (the main character's a proud assassin), similar to, say, The Lies of Locke Lamora, or the Riyria books, and is in other word right up my alley. (To be fair, the main character has "psionic" powers, so I was 15% right).
4 stars because (a) I'm not okay with everyone being so casual about So Many People being Assassins (or having been one), and (b) it seemed like the author didn't love it over, and invented hoops to make Assassination seem Not So Bad (e.g. frequent easy ressurection). Those bits felt uncomfortable and cludgy, but are really at the essence of the book, so it's a testament to how much I liked it anyway that it still got 4 stars. It's like giving A Wrinkle in Time 4 stars despite not liking children's books and being uncomfortable with extra-planetary settings.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s).
wunder's review against another edition
4.0
One of the small pleasures in life is enjoying a book and knowing that it is the first in a long series.
Jhereg didn't change my life, but it provided a few fun evenings.
Jhereg didn't change my life, but it provided a few fun evenings.
astroneatly's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
saraishelafs's review against another edition
4.0
Hired assassin with a jhereg on his shoulder outwits the target with the help of some friends.
lisanelsonuk's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Yes, the main character is an assassin; the book is still lighthearted and funny, very fast-paced, an easy and delightful read. One of my favorite books, reread many times.
kjboldon's review against another edition
4.0
2022: I have no idea why the Goodreads example of the book is a German translation. I was visiting my in laws' and saw this on a shelf and re-read for the first time in a decade. I first read this in my late 20s, a rec from my then boyfriend now husband, who had been reading them since his teens.
I think this sword and sorcery tale holds up well, with a clever main character, Vlad the assassin and his familiar, a Jhereg (like a shoulder dragon). There's a good cast of characters, a rich world and good world building, a ton of snarky humor, and a twisty plot. Given that this was the first book in a series that had been running for almost 40! years, I am impressed with how much series potential was included in just 240 pages. I also enjoy how much gender equality there was.
I could happily revisit the rest of the series from here to see again how all these seeds played out. (With caveat for the 3rd book, Teckla, which was when the author was getting divorced and that mess leaked out into the book. Ones after that were quite fun.)
2011: I'm re-reading the Vlad Taltos novels in between other books, and am reminded of what fast, fun reads they are even twenty or so years later. The suck fairy hasn't visited these.
I think this sword and sorcery tale holds up well, with a clever main character, Vlad the assassin and his familiar, a Jhereg (like a shoulder dragon). There's a good cast of characters, a rich world and good world building, a ton of snarky humor, and a twisty plot. Given that this was the first book in a series that had been running for almost 40! years, I am impressed with how much series potential was included in just 240 pages. I also enjoy how much gender equality there was.
I could happily revisit the rest of the series from here to see again how all these seeds played out. (With caveat for the 3rd book, Teckla, which was when the author was getting divorced and that mess leaked out into the book. Ones after that were quite fun.)
2011: I'm re-reading the Vlad Taltos novels in between other books, and am reminded of what fast, fun reads they are even twenty or so years later. The suck fairy hasn't visited these.
winters's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
squishies's review against another edition
3.0
Jhereg felt a bit like it was along the lines of Ocean's Eleven and Gentlemen Bastards (of a different, more assassin-y sort).
The flow of words felt a bit stilted, but the story was quite enjoyable, as were the characters.
The flow of words felt a bit stilted, but the story was quite enjoyable, as were the characters.