One of the most significantly mature and altogether different works of science fantasy since Zelazny and Le Guin’s most heralded works. Certainly not a novel that advances Vlad’s tale, but a necessary one in that we get to watch his metamorphosis. While it may be argued that Athyra and Orca did a phenomenal job of showing you that Vlad wasn’t the same Easterner we met early on in the series, it’s undeniable that here we get to understand how and why. Bonus points for being a capable whodunnit/mystery thriller (sorry, Loiosh.) This is a page-turner by every meaning that carries. Brust once again proves he’s more than capable of writing fun, crisp story to complement a simple plot told wildly different without once compromising the structural integrity of the narrative: every piece of this story is clear and humorous and appropriate turns dark and brilliant. If you don’t have a good time reading Jhegaala, you really don’t need to let the rest of us down by continuing not to try. This one isn’t quite a 5-star but it rounds up to one (and we definitely could have enjoyed a bit more about Fenario from Vlad, but that’s alright.) 4.5/5.0