VAGINAL UNIBROW
Saw the Frida Kahlo exhibition at MOMA yesterday. It was a treat. Then today was the security-robots-gone-murderous classic of the 80s, Chopping Mall. This is how you become a well-rounded individual.

Steven Brust, Jhegaala

The latest Vlad book, set between Phoenix and Athyra and bridging his emotional state from one to the other in a credible, consistent, intriguing way. Jhegaala undergo extensive metamorphosis (metaphorical in the case of Dragaerans, literal in the case of the animal), and this is very much about Vlad in the middle of ongoing, painful change as he processes leaving his old life and his broken marriage behind.

Vlad is in the East, on the run from the Jhereg. He decides to visit the village his mother came from, hoping to find kin and, possibly, discover something -- anything, really -- about her. Vlad is led to investigate the power dynamics of a community that's very different from Adrilankha, Northport, Greenaere, Smallcliff, or even the Fenario of Brokedown Palace (which, surprisingly, this has very few direct connections to, though the political events from that period continue to have consequences in the present day), and the results are painful, as Bad Things happen and he is haunted by things left unsaid and things irrevocably lost.

It's a deliberately small story (and unlike Dragon, the other expansion on a vaguely referenced incident in Vlad's past, this doesn't move the long-term metaplot forward), but not a slight one, with some excellent character work and a good showcase for the talents of Loiosh and Rocza. As usual, Brust challenges his creative abilities to explore new forms and do things he hasn't done before, and he's talented enough to pull off anything to which he sets his mind -- even situations that in less capable hands might kill a story dead. Vlad is incapacitated for most of what goes on, but he always feels like an active participant. Vlad figures everything out early on and takes glee in stringing Loiosh (and the reader) along, but he takes such an intense physical and emotional beating that you don't begrudge him such pleasures if that's what it takes to keep him sane. Vlad is constantly faced with the fact that there's nothing stopping him from walking away at any time -- that in fact it would really be in his best interests to cut his losses and get moving -- but he doesn't consider it an option, and his reasons for doing so are clear. Oh, and we all knew that Vlad mysteriously lost a finger during this period. That's not mentioned here, but it doesn't have to be; you're definitely going to notice when it happens. Good writers can make sure you pick up on things like that.

I loved it. I can't wait for the next book -- currently Iorich, right? -- and there's certainly room for another Vlad adventure in Fenario at some point (Miklos is still around, after all, and we've got both a year of recuperation in the capital and possibly a bit of free time afterwards), but there's nothing unsatisfying about Jhegaala, another strong entry in a series as noteworthy for its commitment to reinvention, unpredictability, and willingness to break new ground as for its few constants -- heartwarming cynicism and wit, marvelous food writing, and Devera cameos, none of which I want to take for granted.