Tsalmoth
core novel 2023 Dragaera
Record
| First published | 2023 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.33 (1,332 ratings, collected 2026-09-13) |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780765382849 |
Synopsis
Tsalmoth takes place earlier in Vlad Taltos's career than most of the series, during his time working his way up within the Jhereg organization and while he is planning his wedding to Cawti, herself a fellow assassin. The plot is set in motion when a man who owes Vlad money is murdered before he can pay his debt, prompting Vlad to investigate the killing in order to recover what he is owed. Chronologically, the events of Tsalmoth fall between those of the earlier-published Yendi and Jhereg, even though the book itself appeared decades after both, giving readers an earlier glimpse of Vlad and Cawti's relationship as it develops toward marriage. As Vlad pursues the case with his usual cocky, quick-witted narration, the House of Tsalmoth's associated traits shape both the investigation and the wider texture of the story.
Where it sits
- Universe: Dragaera
- Series: Vlad Taltos core; position 16 of 17 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Steven Brust
Notes
- From the series record (Vlad Taltos): 17 novels (1983-2024) of a planned 19-book structure (17 House-named books + Taltos, named for the protagonist, + a final closing volume, The Last Contract, not yet written; Chreotha, the 18th, is also not yet written). Internal chronology is contested among fan sources and explicitly not recorded here, see the notes on Jhereg.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings and are never conflated: a book's place in one says nothing about its place in the other.
- Publication order, within the series Vlad Taltos: position 16 of 17: previous Vallista (2017) · next Lyorn (2024)
Sources
← Dragaera dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.