Jhegaala

Confession: An ex-girlfriend started me reading Steven Brust. It's one of the few good things I carried away from that relationship.

Reading:

• Someplace to be Flying, by Charles de Lint
• Jhegaala, by Steven Brust

Writing:

• "Ferian Fetlock Cures a Horse"

Revising:

• "Cora and the Sea"

There are a few authors for whom I am willing to drop everything to read their new book. Steven Brust is one of them. I adore his Dragaeran novels, both the Khaavren Romances and the Vlad Taltos series.

I've been reading this series for almost ten years now, long enough for elements of it to work their way into my knowledge base. The idea that Elves would consider themselves human, and humans to be something other and lesser, for example. The concept of a fantasy book reading like The Three Musketeers, complete with inflated and overblown prose. I even know the correct way to pronounce Taltos, and for a non-Hungarian, that's pretty damn good.

My favorite part about Vlad's stories are the way he navigates through a world of mystery, magic, and enchantment without reacting like your stereotypical fantasy hero. He's not interested in learning the secrets of the universe. He wants to save his own skin, drink, do well with the ladies, enjoy the love and respect of his grandfather, get married. Oh yeah, and run a crime syndicate, and keep from being killed.

The point is, he's a real person with a real life, and he isn't motivated by some obscure "quest." I would love to be able to write real people like that.

And now, I'm back to reading.

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