By publication order, which appears to be the standard reading order, this is book eight in the Vlad Taltos fantasy series. By internal chronological order, large parts of it take place before book one. In several respects, not just the internal chronology, it feels like a return to the start of the series. Spoilers ahead.

Spoiler

As in those early books, the story is narrated by Vlad Taltos, the assassin, with his characteristic wit and attitude. The feel of the book is fun, though with some bitter notes to it.

Unlike the previous books, much of the book concerns warfare, albeit in a high fantasy setting: warfare as seen by infantry troops. This lends it a different slant than the books that centered on assassination and intrigue. The waste of war came across well. There's one death in particular that had considerable heft.

I'm liking the series very much, and would rank "Dragon" roughly in the middle of the pack for quality ... which is to say, very good. Engrossing. Entertaining. Satisfying. I'll be going straight on to book nine.

About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).