Taltos Steven Brust 181 pages published in 1988

No, I don't really know why I skipped Teckla either. I didn't realise I had until I'd finished Taltos that this wasn't the next novel in the Vlad Taltos series after Yendi. Not that it matters much, as like Yendi, this is another flashback to Vlad's early days. In fact, we not only get to read how Vlad first met up with Morollan, lord of Castle Black and Lady Sethra Levode, the dreaded vampiress mistress of the as dreaded Dzur Mountain and how a lowly Teckla thief and Easterner could become friends with such powerful and refined Dragaerans. We also get to see, in a separate storyline, how Vlad became involved in the Jhereg organisation in the first place. A flashback in a flashback, so to speak. There's also a third storyline, told in short italicised paragraphs at the start of each chapter, in which Vlad is preparing some sort of spell. Its meaning for the main storyline only becomes clear late in the book. In the main storyline Vlad is persuaded to come to Castle Black (incidently a floating castle) by Morollan and Sethra Levode, by "inspiring" one of Vlad's henchman to run away to it, together with 2000 imperials of Vlad's money. They arranged all this so they could offer Vlad the job of stealing a staff housing the trapped soul of Morollan's cousin Aliera from. Vlad has some problems with being manipulated this way, but has no choice other than to accept the job. Which is only the start of his troubles, because after the staff is succesfully retrieved, they then need him to travel the Paths of the Dead, in order to petition the Gods to restore this soul to life... Something they only tell him after he has completed the first job, strangely enough. Vlad insists that Morollan will protect him on this journey and somewhat to Vlad's surprise, he agrees. Which is no small thing, as no living Dragaeran can return from the Paths of the Dead alive. The second storyline as said revolves around Vlad's entry into the teckla organisation, the Dragearan criminal underworld, but also reveals more about his relationship with his father and grandfather. His father was the ultimate immigrant, wholly convinced of Drageanan superiority, whereas his grandfather keeps to Easterner traditions. Vlad himself is caught in the middle, forced to become Drageanan by his father but also turning to his grandfather for a more Eastern upbringing. The two storylines are interweaved paragraph by paragraph in a way that feels quite natural, keeping the tension in the main storyline up, but also keeping you interested in the other story. Of the third storyline, it tells of a pivotal incident in the main storyline which would've been dreary if it had been told in a more conventional matter. By putting it in small chunks at the start of the chapter it kept its meaning without becoming irritating. In all, this was as enjoyable as Yendi was, as well as better written. It also makes for a good starting point to the Vlad Taltos series, if you cannot find any of the earlier novels.