February Book Study - Jhereg

Fenika · Feb 2, 2010

Hello, and welcome to the F/SF Book Study. This thread is for discussion of Jhereg by Steven Brust.

If anyone wants to discuss the next two books (ie- The Book of Jhereg) please do not do so here. I can open a new thread on request.

***Spoilers*** will be streaking through this thread unpredictably. You have been warned.

If anyone wants to see the previous book studies:

2008:
Ender's Game (August)
Lies of Locke Lamora (September)
A Deepness in the Sky (October)
A Fire in the Deep (November)
Storm Front (December)

2009:
I Am Legend (January)
The Onion Girl (February)
Lord of Light (March)
Small Gods (April)
Beggars in Spain (May)
The Once and Future King (June)
Foundation (July)
The Graveyard Book (August)
Neuromancer (September)
The Last Wish (October)
The Knife of Never Letting Go (November)
One Hundred Years of Solitude (December)

2010:
Battle Royale (January)

Thank you to Broken Fingers for starting the book study!

Fenika · Feb 2, 2010

If anyone would like some basic questions to get them started:

What did you think of the characters / plot / pacing / spec elements / writing / twists / ending / etc.

Which characters did you connect with and why?
Was the dialogue convincing?
How could the book be improved?

ELMontague · Feb 16, 2010

OK, so here's a confession, I liked the book well enough I've also purchased the Book of Taltos and the Book of Athrya.

I think what Brust is doing with Vlad Taltos is fantastic. He has really built a character that it's fun to get to know. I was a little confused by the order of the books, but by the fifth one, it made sense.

Fenika · Feb 23, 2010

I finished two nights ago. It was a good read but the 1D familiar was of course driving me nuts. I'm still trying to figure out what kept me turning the page. Hopefully I'll have something intelligent to add by the weekend

Fenika · Mar 1, 2010

I think the strength of this book was Vlad, though I would have liked to see more from the other characters. Vlad manages to work his way through the problem and maintain his honor as an assassin and friend while doing it (though I think the mind probe at the end was crossing a line since it was an attack, and that jarred me).

Would I read on? No. The 1D familiar is enough to make me scream, and I still can't work out all my likes and dislikes of this book. I can say highly political (including social politics) novels typically don't grip me, so that is part of it. If I had to read on for some reason I'm sure I would enjoy parts of the series, however.

Anyone else have anything to add? I know some folks are still reading, so don't be shy about posting even though it is March. There's plenty to discuss here, I just don't know quite where to start...

ELMontague · Mar 7, 2010

The Book of Jhereg was the name of the omnibus collection of the first three novels. I read all of them. And now, I've also read ominbus collections The Book of Taltos and The Book of Athrya. Dragon and Issola sit on my shelf waiting their turn. Over the course of the seven books I've read so far, I'd say that Brust does a fine job of filling out his place and culture. The only part I feel at this point is pretty 1D is the East. Generically, normal human space, fractious and across the sea. The rest of it is well done.

***SPOILER ALERT***

I found the emotion he was able to pull out in the story of his wife leaving him was very gripping and well done.

Fenika · Mar 7, 2010

Good to know. If I see the other books on a shelf I might pick them up one day.

Salaris · Mar 19, 2010

I just finished Jhereg, and I've read a few other stories out of order. I like the fact that each novel stands very well on its own. I also really like the strength of the supporting cast; most of the secondary characters are well-developed enough to have their own books.

ELMontague · Mar 19, 2010

Salaris said:
I just finished Jhereg, and I've read a few other stories out of order. I like the fact that each novel stands very well on its own. I also really like the strength of the supporting cast; most of the secondary characters are well-developed enough to have their own books.

Me too, there's plenty to go around. We could easily have stories from half a dozen other characters.

JMBlackman · Mar 27, 2010

I just started reading Jhereg, though I bought The Book of Jhereg.

So far, I like it. I like how plain the author's writing is. I don't have to wonder about anything or search the same page for meaning. I know that's an odd compliment, and is probably biased since I'm also reading The Wind-up Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi. Two books couldn't vary more, as far as style.

I gotta say I'm enjoying Jhereg a bit more than Wind-up Girl at this point. I agree with Fenika about about the 1D familiar being a bit grating, but I can look past it. Vlad's wife isn't as prominent as I'd like, but I love the fact that Brust is able to create so many characters that don't blend together at all.

I'm actually kinda studying how he does since really definite, distinguishable characters is an issue in my first book. I think I'm learning something from reading this, so that puts the book pretty high on my like-list.

Fenika · Mar 27, 2010

Come to think of it, the plain, straight forward writing is likely a lot of what I enjoyed. I can be pretty obtuse at times, so not having to work things out too much can be a relief (not always- it's good to challenge the brain at times). There was a 'what will happen next' element that blended well with the direct nature of the book, iirc.

February Book Study - Jhereg

Fenika

Fenika

ELMontague

Fenika

Fenika

ELMontague

Fenika

Salaris

Fantasy Writer and Game Designer

ELMontague

JMBlackman

I’m trying.

Fenika