But before these hardcovers, Brust had already established himself as a bestselling author of mass-market originals from Ace Books, with the seven novels of the wildly popular Vlad Taltos series. Now Tor Books is pleased to bring Brust's most popular series to hardcover, with a new novel of Vlad Taltos ... even better, a novel covering a mysterious episode in Vlad's life story which the series' innumerable fans have long been eagerly awaiting.

Vlad knows his trade: he kills people for a living. That skill got him his foothold in House Jhereg, running the rackets for a chunk of Adrilankha. You'd think that killing people would be excellent preparation for full-scale war, and Vlad thinks so, too. But on the spot, when he finds himself in the real trenches of a real war between rival Dragonlords, Vlad learns just how wrong he is.

Here are all the favorite characters of the popular Vlad Taltos series: Vlad's wisecracking reptile familiar Loiosh, the inscrutable Dragonlord Morrolan, and of course the ever-fascinating Sethra Lavode. Here are politics, treachery, sorcery, and -- always important in a Vlad Taltos novel -- food. Here are crackling wit, action, and storytelling zest. The publication of Dragon will be a fantasy event.