Swashbuckling assassin Vlad Taltos and his smart-mouthed reptile familiar Loiosh find themselves in over their heads when they become caught in the middle of a war between two rival Dragonlords, in a witty fantasy adventure. 35,000 first printing. Vlad Taltos is not your average sword-and-sorcery hero. He runs a territory for the criminal House Jhereg. He's a witch with a flying reptilian familiar as smart and sarcastic as any sidekick in literature. He's also a master assassin in Adrilankha, the capital of the Dragaeran Empire. (Dragaerans are tall, very long-lived elves; Vlad is an Easterner, or human.) Steven Brust is not your average fantasy writer. Like his mentor, Roger Zelazny, he enjoys playing with time. Although Dragon is the eighth book about Vlad to be published, most of it takes place between Taltos , the first book chronologically, and Yendi ; interludes and an epilogue occur after Yendi , but before Jhereg . Dragon tells the story of the oft-mentioned Battle of Barritt's Tomb, and how Vlad enlisted in a Dragon army (Dragons are the warrior Dragaerans) and learned that war is nothing like assassination. Vlad is quick to let readers know the score. "I'll let you stay confused a little longer, and if you don't trust me to clear everything up, then you can go hang. I've been paid." Trust him. Dragon stands alone, but don't miss the others (after Jhereg come Teckla , Phoenix , Athyra , and Orca ). It's a fast-moving, satisfying series. --Nona Vero The large readership Brust won with his best-known fantasy creation, professional assassin Vlad Taltos, should greet Vlad's promotion to hardcovers, some years after his last appearance, enthusiastically. This book is set early in Vlad's career, between the first, Jhereg , and the second, Yendi , installments of his saga, and details some events hinted at in previous volumes. Although an elite criminal and fond of his comforts, Vlad somehow is one of the poor, bloody Infantry in a deadly struggle between two dragon lords. Explaining how he got in this situation, how he survives many bloody, well-choreographed battles and intrigues, and how he finally gets out with a reasonably whole skin makes for an engrossing story. Brust's writing style has changed noticeably since the last Vlad yarn, but Vlad's devotees will not be put off by anything so petty as stylistic dissonance. Roland Green First hardcover appearance for Brust's established paperback fantasy series featuring the assassin Vlad Taltos, although several of his other yarns are set in the same fantasy world (Five Hundred Years After, 1994, etc.). Assassin Vlad works for House Jhereg, where he runs rackets and brothels and walks to the office every morning; his companion and familiar is Loiosh, a small dragon-like jhereg with whom he shares a telepathic bond. Vlad is an Easterner, one of a few clans of humans in a world dominated by all-but-immortal ``elfs''; he commands some magic, but his chief advantage is his ability to become invisible. One of his business associates is the Dragonlord Morrolan of Castle Black; Vlad must be teleported there since the castle hangs high in the air. It seems that a certain sword of great magical power has gone missing from Morrolan's treasury; the chief suspect is another Dragonlord, Count Fornia, who, becoming aware of Vlad's involvement, immediately threatens him. Vlad takes this personally and goes along with Morrolan's intricate plot to recover the sword and teach Fornia a lesson by invading his territory - especially when Vlad learns that Morrolan has hired Sethra Lavode, the finest general alive. So Vlad finds himself serving in Morrolan's army as a foot soldier (despite his assassin's skills, he has little idea of practical soldiering) with no clear idea of what's really going on (Morrolan is deliberately closemouthed), while awaiting an opportunity to revenge himself upon Fornia, or grab the sword, or do something useful without getting himself killed in the process. Structured on several interlocking levels so as to keep the reader both fascinated and off-balance, full of wit and wisecracks, with a self-deprecating hero who manages to come out on top: a splendid caper that welcomes newcomers, while existing fans will pounce. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.