Jhereg (novel)
First edition cover
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| Author | Steven Brust |
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| Cover artist | Stephen Hickman |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Vlad Taltos novels |
| Genre | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Ace Books |
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Publication date
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1983 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 239 (first edition, paperback) |
| ISBN | (first edition, paperback) |
| Followed by | Yendi |
Jhereg is a fantasy novel by Steven Brust in his Vlad Taltos series, originally published in 1983 by Ace Books. Ace later republished it in 1999 as part of the three-book omnibus, The Book of Jhereg. Marvel Comics adapted the story into a graphic novel titled Steven Brust's JHEREG in 1987.
The novel is named after House Jhereg, the Great House to which Vlad Taltos belongs. The House in turn was named after jheregs, tiny dragon-like creatures native to Dragaera, one of which Vlad keeps as a familiar.
Vlad Taltos, a mobster and assassin in the magical metropolis of Adrilankha, is given the largest contract of his career, but the job is even more complicated than he expects.
The novel opens with a brief history of Vlad Taltos and a description of how he acquired his jhereg familiar, Loiosh. Despite being an Easterner in the Dragaeran city of Adrilankha, Vlad is a minor boss in the criminal activities of the Jhereg Organization. One day he is approached by the Demon, an extremely powerful member of the Organization's ruling Council, and offered an assassination job with a staggeringly large reward. The contract is to kill another Jhereg crime lord, Mellar, who has absconded with a fortune from the Jhereg treasury. Vlad accepts.
Mellar has become the houseguest of the Dragonlord Morrolan e'Drien in his floating fortress, Castle Black. Vlad is a personal friend of Morrolan and has a standing invitation to Castle Black, which would make the assassination quite easy. However Morrolan holds fast to the Dragonlord traditions of hospitality, and will permit no harm to come to his guests for any reason. The last time a Jhereg assassinated a Dragonlord's houseguest, it resulted in a war between the two Houses that decimated both. Morrolan has invited Mellar to stay for seventeen days, but the Jhereg need the hit performed before that time. Vlad is forced to find a compromise between the interests of his House and his friend.
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