This book was just wonderful. It was a great relief, because after reading Yendi I was kind of terrified that Vlad's character was heading into a slow decline that would continue throughout the series. I am so glad that wasn't the case. Vlad and Co. (and Loiosh, of course) came right back in this book, as convoluted and hilarious and generally incredible as ever.There is really nothing in this book that I can think of to complain about, actually. It's short, so it's a quick read that doesn't drag at all; it's just full of Steven Brust's signature humor and action, the characters were as good as I could have hoped, and the plot, while it wasn't hugely original, was just perfect for what this book needed. The flashback scenes and the beginning-of-chapter witchcraft scenes were an interesting way to fill in the main character's history and to add pages to the book--even though most of the details were already laid out in Jhereg, I didn't mind rereading them. They fitted nicely and didn't interrupt the main plot at all; I think they were more like a quick break, here and there.
This series is shaping up to be a new favorite. I can't wait to read more.
