Action & Adventure
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Good Guys
A snarky, irreverent tale of secret magic in the modern world, the first solo standalone novel in two decades from Steven Brust, the New York Times bestselling author of the Vlad Taltos series
Donovan was shot by a cop. For jaywalking, supposedly. Actually, for arguing with a cop while black. Four of the nine shots were lethal―or would have been, if their target had been anybody else. The Foundation picked him up, brought him back, and trained him further. "Lethal" turns out to be a relative term when magic is involved.
When Marci was fifteen, she levitated a paperweight and threw it at a guy she didn't like. The Foundation scooped her up for training too.
"Hippie chick" Susan got well into her Foundation training before they told her about the magic, but she's as powerful as Donovan and Marci now.
They can teleport themselves thousands of miles, conjure shields that will stop bullets, and read information from the remnants of spells cast by others days before.
They all work for the secretive Foundation…for minimum wage.
Which is okay, because the Foundation are the good guys. Aren't they?
Donovan was shot by a cop. For jaywalking, supposedly. Actually, for arguing with a cop while black. Four of the nine shots were lethal―or would have been, if their target had been anybody else. The Foundation picked him up, brought him back, and trained him further. "Lethal" turns out to be a relative term when magic is involved.
When Marci was fifteen, she levitated a paperweight and threw it at a guy she didn't like. The Foundation scooped her up for training too.
"Hippie chick" Susan got well into her Foundation training before they told her about the magic, but she's as powerful as Donovan and Marci now.
They can teleport themselves thousands of miles, conjure shields that will stop bullets, and read information from the remnants of spells cast by others days before.
They all work for the secretive Foundation…for minimum wage.
Which is okay, because the Foundation are the good guys. Aren't they?
Editorial Reviews
Praise for Good Guys
"Brust fans and admirers of Connie Willis and Jim Butcher will appreciate [Good Guys]."―Library Journal
"Amusing and campy...fast-paced action and witty narration." ―Booklist
Praise for Steven Brust
"Brust is one of those natural caper writers, a pulp writer in the Hammett tradition, someone with what William Gibson calls ‘wheels on his tractor.' In other words, a writer who can spin a yarn that keeps you guessing until the end, aware of many precise moving parts all meshing in synchrony to drive a magnificent jeweled watch of a story." ―Cory Doctorow on Hawk
"Secret societies, immortality, murder mysteries, and Las Vegas all in one book? Shut up and take my money." ―John Scalzi on The Incrementalists
"Delightful, exciting, and sometimes brilliant." ―Neil Gaiman on Steven Brust
"Watch Steven Brust. He's good. He moves fast. He surprises you. Watching him untangle the diverse threads of intrigue, honor, character and mayhem from amid the gears of a world as intricately constructed as a Swiss watch is a rare pleasure." ―Roger Zelazny
"Steven Brust may well be America's best fantasy writer." ―Tad Williams
"Wonderful…Like most of Brust's books, this witty, wry tale stands alone and is very accessible to new readers." ―Publishers Weekly on Tiassa
"Brust fans and admirers of Connie Willis and Jim Butcher will appreciate [Good Guys]."―Library Journal
"Amusing and campy...fast-paced action and witty narration." ―Booklist
Praise for Steven Brust
"Brust is one of those natural caper writers, a pulp writer in the Hammett tradition, someone with what William Gibson calls ‘wheels on his tractor.' In other words, a writer who can spin a yarn that keeps you guessing until the end, aware of many precise moving parts all meshing in synchrony to drive a magnificent jeweled watch of a story." ―Cory Doctorow on Hawk
"Secret societies, immortality, murder mysteries, and Las Vegas all in one book? Shut up and take my money." ―John Scalzi on The Incrementalists
"Delightful, exciting, and sometimes brilliant." ―Neil Gaiman on Steven Brust
"Watch Steven Brust. He's good. He moves fast. He surprises you. Watching him untangle the diverse threads of intrigue, honor, character and mayhem from amid the gears of a world as intricately constructed as a Swiss watch is a rare pleasure." ―Roger Zelazny
"Steven Brust may well be America's best fantasy writer." ―Tad Williams
"Wonderful…Like most of Brust's books, this witty, wry tale stands alone and is very accessible to new readers." ―Publishers Weekly on Tiassa
Readers Top Reviews
OglarkCatmoor
Very good book. A little over the top about how the protagonist views being black in the US, but otherwise a very good novel.
Mattfeldt RK
Another bullseye from Steven Brust! Didn’t pause reading until the end. Definitely worth it! Will please both old and new readers.
Margaret Fiore
I have read a large chunk of Brust’s Vlad Taltos books, as well as several others. I have enjoyed all of them. Brust’s books always have: readable prose with standout details, consistent and believable world-building, tight and swift-moving, twisty plotting, and good characterization. Good Guys has all of these. It also is set in a more familiar modern world. And I love its clearly-drawn characters! Yes, even Becker! And the mention of a suspect whose office contained a full shelf of Anthony Price books sent me running to investigate this hitherto-unknown-to-me writer. The first book of his Dr. Audley series tells me this was probably a big favor! Thank you, Mr. Brust! Aside from that, I would LOVE to see more of our snarky, self-aware protagonist, Donovan, and any or all of the other characters in further adventures... I have to return to add that this book is rich enough, and such enjoyable reading, that I have already picked it up again, and - meaning to just look at one paragraph - been drawn right back in to re-read the entire book!
Vulgarity
...but a ripping yarn. [trying to avoid spoilers] This isn’t Vlad Taltos, and yet it is. A detective novel of sorts. Setting is hidden magic in the present day. Good guys and the other team. Being good doesn’t pay very well. The other team does better. But the people who are dying are members of the other team. Chasing a killer of bad people is somewhat morally ambiguous, and this story exists in this space. Story flows chronologically (more or less) but with multiple points of view, and this works better than it usually does, I often find that approach very offputting and find myself wanting to skip chapters to avoid certain characters, but not here. Only occasionally do two characters experience the same event. It works. The exposition of the world flows naturally from the story, as I have come to expect from Brust. This was a more satisfying story for me than the incrementalists books. I see some reviewers don’t think this lives up to the Taltos books, but I’m pretty happy with it. I think it was a good buy.
G. McKayCalifornia D
I adore his Khaavren. Taltos is nearly as good. The Magister was adequate. Cowboy Feng read like too much of the author writing about his own musical fantasies wrapped around some neat time travel ideas. This was a bit of a departure for him, and I enjoyed it a lot. I wouldn't have believed it was the same author if I hadn't known. A solid set of characters, interesting universe, and excellent action and plot. Rather than comparing relative Brust ratings, I'm more inclined to compare this book to other good spy/action/sci-fi authors, and it's stood up well in that comparison.
