What is "jhegaala"

Jhegaala is the eleventh book in Steven Brust′s Vlad Taltos series, set in the fantasy world of Dragaera. It was published in 2008. Following the trend of the series, it is named after one of the Great Houses and usually features that House as an important element to its plot.

Each house uses a creature from the Dragaeran world as their symbol; the jhegaala itself is a creature that metamorphosizes many times throughout its lifespan. The mental aspect of this trait is observed in members of House Jhegaala suddenly changing walks of life at intervals. At the beginning of each chapter in the book, there is a short excerpt from a Dragaeran textbook describing the life cycle of a jhegaala or an excerpt from a Dragaeran play. One phase is described as being similar to the jhereg, explaining where its name came from, as that form is the most visible.