Books like Yendi

Imagine The Godfather, but told from the perspective of a young snarky Vito Corleone who's all alone and setting out on his own. He's fighting to make a name for himself as an assassin and mob boss in the Dragarean underworld. He's got a small network of semi-legitimate businesses and a corner of the city to himself. He's trying to establish his territory while fighting off stronger, wealthier, more experienced neighbors who are moving in on his turf. He's fighting on multiple fronts, all the while trying to stay on top of Dragarean politics.This book has a lot of things going on and the action never stops. Just when you think it can't get anymore twisty, it gets one more twist in. Turn the page and something new is happening to Vlad. In the midst of all this mess though, Vlad is still an engaging, funny storyteller, and I can listen to him talk all day long.Like Jhereg, this book is out of order, but unlike Jhereg, it's near the beginning of Vlad's tale. So it's a good place to start the series. You get to know Vlad on his way up the social ladder, but you also get to a glimpse of the things he's been through that have made him who he is today. He's still got that optimistic (but also realistic) outlook on life and his place in the world about him that I like. The tone is light and funny and a stark contrast to the story he's telling, which has a variety of people out to kill him including his future wife... which makes it a little bit funnier because he's so matter-of-fact about it.Notes for future reference: (view spoiler)[when Vlad first met Cawti and she was paid to kill him (hide spoiler)]