Steven Brust: The Jhereg Series
Ranked #2,167 in Books, Poetry & Writing, #81,700 overall
Vlad-dicted...
A very dear friend fought tooth-and-nail to get me to read the Jhereg Series by Steven Brust, but once I finally acquiesced I was hooked! I started reading right before Dragon was published and I have eagerly awaited each novel ever since.
Every time a new book comes out - I plan ahead. I read all of the previous books again so the intricate plots are fresh in my mind, then settle back to read the latest one. Ahhhhh!
Contents at a Glance
The World of Dragaera

In Brust's world of Dragaera, there are two major species: Easterners and Dragaerans. Dragaerans are an elf-like species who live thousands of years. Easterns are a more real-world human population with a life-span of approximately 100 years and have more human-like characteristics... like facial hair. Both species call themselves "humans"; however, Dragaerans consider Easterners something less than human.
There are 17 Houses in the Dragaeran Empire (essentially individual 'races') each named after a species of animal in Dragaera. Each House has it's own uniform/color-scheme and its own distinct personality. The House of the Jhereg is the only one that admits Easterners. It is the House of criminal enterprises, much like the mafia.
In Dragaera there exists witchcraft (primarily utilized by Easterners), sorcery (which relies on the presence of the Orb), and then the illegal and volatile Elder Sorcery. The main character in this series, Vlad Taltos, plays with them all.
KLAVA
"Klava is a popular Dragaeran form of caffeine intake. It is produced by putting coffee through a filter of eggshells, woodchips, and vanilla beans; reheating to almost boiling; and then pouring through a cloth to remove oils. It is much smoother and less bitter than coffee." The Lyorn Records
The Books of Dragaera
Steve Brust Books ** In Story Chronological Order
PRE-VLAD NOVELS:
The Khaavren Romances
• The Phoenix Guards
• Five Hundred Years After
The Viscount of Adrilankha
• The Paths of the Dead
• The Lord of Castle Black
• Sethra Lavode

• Taltos
• Dragon
• Yendi
• Jhereg
• Teckla
• Phoenix
• Jhegaala
• Athyra
• Orca
• Issola
• Dzur
• Iorich
TO BE PUBLISHED:
Brust has stated that he plans to write one Vlad novel per house,
plus a final book to be called The Final Contract.
• Tiassa
• Lyorn
• Hawk
• Tsalmoth
• Vallista
• Chreotha
• The Last Contract
Jhereg Art by Laramie Sasseville
Meet Vlad Taltos...
And His "Better Half" Loiosh the Jhereg

Vlad is your regular, every day kinda guy. "He is a fencer, an outstanding witch, a mediocre sorcerer, and a gifted but dangerously incompetent elder sorcerer." Oh, and he's an assassin.
Vlad was raised in Andrilankha working in his father's restaurant. His father was so concerned about being a member of society that he saved up his money and purchased his family membership in the House of Jhereg. All the while Vlad is being bullied by local Dragaerans and is not worried at all about fitting in with Dragarean society. After his father died, Vlad sold the restaurant and started working as a local enforcer to give him plenty of opportunity to beat up Dragaerans. Soon Vlad was running his own territory.
His grandfather, Noish-pa, taught him the Eastern practices that Vlad's father shunned. Vlad learned Eastern sword fighting, witchcraft, and the ritual that would bring him a sarcastic side-kick and familiar, Loiosh (an actual Jhereg). Vlad has a knack for getting himself wrapped up in the complex schemes and plots of the Empire which causes endless inconvenience and the occasional beating. Fortunately, he has inexplicably befriended several major players in the other Houses. They help him dismantle various dangerous situations (and save his butt).
Why do we like Vlad? Even though we does "work" (assassinations), Vlad maintains a sense of fairness and honor, is loyal and protective of those he cares about, and he is wildly sarcastic and hilarious!
Quote from The Lyorn Records
Picture from CasualVillian.com
"Dzur and Me"
The Vlad Series
In Novel Publication Order
A description of each book follows. Read through the whole series or select one of the titles below to jump directly to that book.
JHEREG
1st in the Vlad Series
DEVERA
Devera is a little brown haired girl who shows up in almost all, if not all, of Steven Brust's books.
"...a small girl-child with big brown eyes looks at me and smiles..." - Jhereg
YENDI
2nd in the Vlad Series
The Adrilankha Gift Shop!
Steven Brust's CafePress Store
TECKLA
3rd in the Vlad Series
TALTOS
4th in the Vlad Series
PHOENIX
5th in the Vlad Series
ATHYRA
6th in the Vlad Series
The Adrilankha Gift Shop!
Try Out Your Favorite Klava Recipe
ORCA
7th in the Vlad Series
DRAGON
8th in the Vlad Series
The Adrilankha Gift Shop!
Show Off Your Dragaeran Pride!
ISSOLA
9th in the Vlad Series
DZUR
10th in the Vlad Series
The Adrilankha Gift Shop
Keep Track of the Cycle
JHEGAALA
11th in the Vlad Series
IORICH
12th in the Vlad Series
The Vlad Collections
Some of those earlier books are difficult to find. Order the compilations - multiple books in one!
Search For Original Editions
Life in Dragaera Pre-Vlad
The Khaavren Romances & The Viscount of Andrilankha
Want to know how it all began? What life was like in Dragaera City pre-Adron's Disaster? Check out these prequels to the Vlad Stories!
QUIZ - Which House of Dragaera do you belong to?
Your Result:
You are an Athyra. "Athyra rules minds' interplay."
Athyra are great wizards, specialists in the unseen forces that rule the world. Masters of intricate puzzles, they look on the entire world as something to be solved.
The Sorceress in Green is an Athyra.
Take The Quiz Here!
Your Thoughts on Brust's Dragaera Series
Have you read any of the Dragaera novels? What do you think? What characters would you like to learn more about? What plots would you like to see? What issues addressed in future books?

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Dr.Potato
Jan 29, 2012 @ 2:24 pm | delete
- A friend of mine lent me the first 6 books of Vlad series. I got completely hooked on it. Now I'm searchign for the remaining 6. Fun to read, capturing you and wanting more. I recomend them to everyone who likes fantasy.
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Oliversbabycarecouk
Feb 14, 2011 @ 5:24 pm | delete
- neverheard of this before. looks like something i would enjoy though
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smange
Feb 27, 2010 @ 12:33 pm | delete
- My husband just told me I'd better read these soon, so it's on the list of the next 10 or so books I'll read. :) Awesome lens BTW.
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Mahogany
Feb 17, 2010 @ 6:17 am | delete
- I've also never heard of the series... and it looks like Seth's been pretty busy. (Seriously, how many books are there in the saga?) Anyhoo, I'm intrigued. But I'm also scared - scared of getting addicted :). Great lens, I love your reviews, it really helps with getting a picture of what's going on.
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Stazjia
Feb 15, 2010 @ 8:41 am | delete
- I've never heard of this series before and it sounds like something I'd enjoy. Thank you for introducing me to it and making it sound so attractive.
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Even More!
JHEREG Graphic Novel
All About Steven Brust
Learn More About the Dragaera Creator!
Brust's Personal Pages
- Steven Brust's Blog Site
- Words Words Words is the Dream Café household weblog, written by Steve, Reesa, and Nathan.
- Steven Brust's Official Website
- You're in the wrong place. This is the Steven Brust Home Page.
- Steven Brust on Twitter!
- Looks like he's writing Tiassa now!
Steven Brust Fan Pages
Vote Up Your Favorite Fan Page Link or Add Another If It's Not On the List
Lyorn Records
A wiki dedicated to information and informed speculation more...0 points
Cracks and Shards
A database of all things Drageara. Home of "Cracks more...0 points
Dragaera for 7th Sea
An alternate setting for 7th Sea RPG Game0 points
Steven Brust Fan Page
Fan Page by Damien0 points
The Dragaera Timeline
A Tentative Timeline of Dragaeran History0 points
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