Jhereg

I read this based on the recommendations from Cory Doctorow and Robert Evans, but didn't come away loving it.

The storyline was entertaining and intriguing enough, but it was definitely written by a straight white man in the 80s. The femme characters were written in a way that was frustrating to read in 2023, particularly Vlad's wife. She seemed to exist only to be "the perfect wife".

I don't think I'll return to Brust's work again. Perhaps I will someday, but I'm not particularly motivated to do so after finishing this one.

This was probably closer to 2.5 stars. This was interesting, but there was something very odd about this book, something I can't quite put my fingers on. I did feel like I was missing something (a feeling I often have with science fiction). I felt like Vlad was having a conversation with me, and I can't figure out if I liked that sense of intimacy or if it irritated me.

Folks there are reasons I own every book Brust has written.

In the spirit of Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, a solid Swords n Sorcery backdrop - but essentially the tale of good guy, as screwed up and conflicted as the rest of us trying to get by in a rough and weird town.

Lot of Andre Dumas! Raymond Chandler / Dashiell Hammett sprinkled around, maybe a hint of Rex Stout.