Rating: 
Summary: Lighthearted Fantasy Romp
Review: The first book in the Vlad Taltos series, this languished on my bookshelf for years before I opened it - and the minute I did, I was swept in, not content to stop until finished.
The short novel begins with an overview of Vlad's upbrining, then turns years later to 'work' he is offered. 'Work' the code for 'assassination', Taltos's specialty. Unlike any other he's accepted, this comes with time constraints, but it is also the highest-paying he's ever had. When almost killed for refusing, he takes it, and with the help of his friends, Dragerean and human, Vlad gathers the evidence he needs and tracks down the target, only to find that he's under the protection of a friend and powerful Dragonlord. As the days tick down closer and closer, the friends' machinations become more cohesive and build to a final tense and extremely dangerous finale.
What first drew me in was sharp writing, reminiscent of Raymond Chandler. Though hardly deep, the language seems to have a life of its own, living to capture unwary readers... Told as narration, as soon as the story gets off track Vlad will stop, shrug mentally, and resume his tale. Extra points just for being willing to run a tight story that just keeps MOVING, while keeping a good deal of backstory and warmth to it. As a narrator, Vlad is frequently deadpan and wry, especially against his secratary Kragar, with a quietly morbid humor that you sense would grant soft chuckles while calculating eyes held to yours. The history of the world is tantalizingly dropped in paragraph-long summaries, and my only issue was that they often left little open to be pieced together.
And even while Vlad is on great terms with several of the most powerful members of one House, he's little more than a middle-manager in his own Mafia-like organization, content to run his business and side profession. Many of his associations are not well-told, but there are promises of prequels while this delivers enough character and story to do justice to the short-novel form. Action is sudden and surprising while the suspense moves the story inexorably ahead, and while this may not be fantasy, noir, mystery, or sf, it is more than a little of all. Enjoyable, light, and short, a worthwhile read without a great deal of depth.
Rating:
Summary: Start here and work up to greater Brustian pleasures.
Review: This is the first of Brust's Vlad Taltos books. Vlad is a human assassin in a world of giant long-lived elves. He uses his wit and skill to escape unscathed from a silly series of scrapes. Brust lures you into rooting for and liking a man who makes his living killing people. It's a fun take on the genre. This book brushes against some serious topics, such as racism and the effects of childhood brutality on the adult the child becomes, but it stays mostly in frivolous territory. The series that follows this book fills in Vlad's past and describes many events alluded to by this book. It gradually becomes more serious in tone and finally confronts the racism and Vlad's profession directly. Some readers will find the later books more satisfying because they're so much meatier. I found the series worth reading as setup for two other Brust books set much earlier in the same universe: The Phoenix Guards and Five Hundred Years After. Now these are real delights, and the Vlad Taltos books are your required introduction for them.
Rating: 
Summary: The Perfect Anti-Hero
Review: A definite fantasy classic as far as I'm concerned. The main character is Vlad Taltos - an assassin in the hire of what amounts to a mafia organization. No, I didn't mistype - the HERO is an assassin. He'd kill just about anyone that he didn't have a close friendship with for the right price - morality beyond the rules of his Organization don't even figure into it. He's an assassin, and a professional at that. At no point in this or any other of the Taltos novels is his profession hidden - indeed, he discusses his profession and the tricks of the trade in the first person quite regularly. The artistry that makes this series great is the fact that Brust takes this assassin and makes you want to cheer for him. You find yourself WANTING this guy to succeed in his killings for pay. Taltos' big hook is that he also has a sense of wry humor that can't be beat that flows throughout the story (which is entirely in the first person perspective). Jhereg alone has more than it's share of one-liners that I can pretty much guarantee will having you laughing out loud. I challenge you to find out. After reading this novel I think that you'll agree that the rest of the series has alot to offer as well.
Rating:
Summary: Vlad Taltos: Assassin, Witch, Mobster...Hero?
Review: A different kind of hero Vlad Taltos is. A different kind ofwriter Steven Brust most certainly is. No epic fantasy cliches arefound here and author Steven Brust ain't no Tolkien wannabe. What we get with Jhereg, Brust's first Vlad Taltos novel but the fourth chronologically, is a story of deceit, politics and assassination -- all with a sarcastic wit. Brust is a unique fantasy writer with fascinating stories to tell. Vlad Taltos is a unique fantasy "hero" and you'll love him. What more could a fan of fantasy ask for? There are eight Vlad Taltos novels thus far. They weren't written in order but I'll list them in chronological order for you because I'm a nice guy: Taltos (I'd start here), Dragon, Yendi, Jhereg, Teckla, Phoenix, Athyra and Orca. I told you I was nice.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't waste your time
Review: Alot of people have given this book glowing reviews, and I really can't understand what they see in it. The characters are bad stereotypes, conflicts are resolved too easily, and the dialogue is flat and awkward. The humor that so many of these readers have raved about consists mainly of uninspired wisecracks. One thing that I particulary disliked was the way the author would continually allude to and explain events that had happened before the story took place. He did this ALOT. It felt like this was the 3rd, 4th, 5th book in the series and the author was trying to remind you of what had happened in previous books. But this was supposed to have been the first book in the series, the first book set in this world. The most annoying part was that the backstory that he describes sound infinately more interesting than the events in this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable, but nothing really special
Review: Brust is another one of those authors that I somehow managed to miss, even though he has quite a few novels to his credit and a sizable fan following. I was wanting something light and adventurous, having gotten bogged down in the middle of Durrell's Clea. Jhereg was what I expected. A clean, no-frills adventure of an assassin who might have taken a job that was too much for him. I sit thinking about that last line and the possibility that I may have offended the Brust legions, for it is true that Brust's world is unique and interesting. He also does a good job of avoiding info-dump, letting the reader slowly discover his world and its rules. But, after acknowledging his creativity in society and planet-building, when it comes to plot, there's not much new. Like Bujold, may be I'm making a mistake by reading these early, journeyman works and trying to match it with their reputation that is instead based on a larger volume of work or a later, master-level effort.
Rating:
Summary: The entire series is something to pick up
Review: Brust writes a new-type of fantasy, and has a great character to develop creative plots that enthrall the reader. Pass this series up and you'll be making a grave mistake.
Rating:
Summary: Ya Gotta go with this book
Review: Brust's first in his Taltos series. Jhereg is a mind blowing trip to Brust's fantastic writing's.
Rating:
Summary: Brust is on a roll (or a bun...whatever you prefer)
Review: Brust's first series of the Taltos experiences propells you into a world unlike any other, with a character unlike any other! Different from other fantasy books, Brust steers away from the light, sometimes corny stories and explores the sarcastic, sharp, and deadly side of fantasy.
Rating:
Summary: The first in a top rate series
Review: Brust's storytelling style is unique and enjoyable. His wit is quick, his story simple but well told, and his characters completely engaging. The protagonist is of all things, an assassin who enjoys beating and killing the ruling race - a tall, elf-like people called Dragarians. Yet like Richard Stark's Parker character, Brust's lead Vladimir Taltos and his flying reptile familiar have an allure that makes the story compelling. Brust draws from a variety of classic literary themes and cultural nuances to create a world that is rich and full. In a sea of formula fantasy writers, Brust stands out as a real gem. Jhereg is the first of an exceptional class of stories that should definitely be compared with the best in the field.
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