I've been a big Steven Brust fan since the Jhereg and Taltos era of the 80's and this was a refreshing change, but with the same skill of entertainment as his previous work. I thought (because of the influence of the movie of the same name), that this would be somewhat comedic, but this turned out to be a lot more serious, and thereby, a lot more fun than I thought.

This has all my favorite things: magic, detectives, history lessons, flashbacks, and mysterious organizations. It came across a little bit like The Bourne Identity, or perhaps James Bond, but with magical spies. There's a lot of global running about, guns, and a few (what I thought were) gruesome deaths. This should definitely be tuned into a movie ,but then I've said that about a lot of Steven's work over the years.

Would definitely recommend this to a friend.

A well-written, well-paced read. Lots of fun and some interesting thoughts to chew on. Would recommend.

A fun premise - a secretive organization that polices magical crimes - and interesting characters make for a good read. I loved the interplay between the three main investigators and their different skill sets. I found some of the plot to be needlessly complicated (and I’m still not entirely sure how the two rival organizations are related) and some key plot points kind of handwaved away (Hackers can do anything!) Still, it was a fun start to what I hope is a longer series.

In the middle of a crowded restaurant, a man was murdered. Three blasts from a shotgun and no one saw or heard anything. "One second everything is fine; next second there’s a dead guy messy on the floor with a shotgun next to him and blood spreading out and all the nice people freaking out and throwing up."

Must have been magic.

Donovan Longfellow and his team from the "Investigations and Enforcement" department of The Foundation, a secret organization of magicians, are brought in to track down the murderous sorcerer and keep him from revealing the existence of magic to the world of civilians. Imagine Law and Order or CSI but, instead of using forensics, Steven Brust's investigators combine good, old fashioned detective work with magical spells that can teleport them around the country, make witnesses tell the truth, or block bullets. How about Harry Potter meets Raymond Chandler?

Despite the magic, Good Guys tells a pretty traditional procedural mystery story. But the way Brust hints at backstories and secret histories suggesting a much larger world is what sets this book apart. Casual mentions of past cases make Donovan and his team believable. Nicknames for The Foundation's departments seem real despite little explanation for where they came from. The Ranch, Upstairs, The 12th Floor, The Burrow, The Kiddie Pool. The Foundation's professed underfunding also feels authentic. Plus, it gives our heroes justification for believing they're the good guys despite some morally questionable actions.

If they were the bad guys, it's safe to assume, they'd be making more than minimum wage.

In a rare non-Vlad Taltos novel, Steven Brust drags the willing reader in to a world much like our own except that magic is available to a few people based on their genetics. At present there are two magic organizations in the world, both strive to keep magic underground, they just differ in ethics and funding. The fun comes when a disgruntled whistle-blower found out that the SEC official to whom he sent info on bad loans had not taken regulatory action, but rather a bribe which led to loss of employment, divorce, etc. for the whistle-blower. He was approached by an unknown person who provided him devices and support to wreak his vengeance on said official but first a few other targets had to be taken out. And that is where the Foundation's investigative team come in. They hope they are the "good guys" even as they learn more of the background of the Foundation and the reader learns the backstory of the assassin. Brust did a good job of doling out the clues so that the reader and the team were about on pace with each other. Plus, Brust left it up to the reader to decide who actually were the "Good Guys."

Thanks Netgalley for the chance to read this title.

Good Guys is a new urban fantasy novel from Steven Brust. Brust is the author of the long running Jhereg fantasy series. Urban fantasy is, thus, a slight departure for him, but I’m happy to report that it’ a rather fun read, and one which is willing and able to explore the ethical and moral dimensions of what are, in effect, magical powers.

The world is one familiar to any of us. Late-stage capitalism rules the roost. It’s our world, fast cars, skyscrapers and all. Except a few people in that world can do magic. Teleportation. Shielding from bullets. Precognition. Piecing together patterns from loose threads. These people are split into ideological camps. There are those who are prepared to use their skills to make money in less than ethical ways, and those who refuse to do so. A détente exists between the two ideologies, and both are broadly more concerned with cleaning up the mess of accidental or untrained magic use than with fighting each other. That said, the camp of our protagonists feels more like an underfunded bureaucracy than a secret world of wizards. Everyone’s working for minimum wage, and there are expense claims to be put in after interdimensional travel. No-one has the time to do the job as well as they’d wish, and the group doesn’t have the funds to do as much as it would like to. For a secret organisation of magic users, its institutional underpinnings are delightfully mundane. The griping about claiming mileage after a magical duel, or filling out forms in triplicate to justify magical artefact use work to accentuate the strangeness of magical abilities, whilst grounding them in the modern world.

Our protagonist, Donovan, is a fixer, working for the Foundation, one of the “Good guys”. Along with his team, he investigates unauthorised or dangerous uses of magic. This time, though, they’re investigating a murder. Donovan is focused, perhaps a little curt, and trying very hard to remain a professional. His team consists of Susan, an athlete with a penchant for martial arts, and Marci, whose lack of experience is more than made up for by her enthusiasm. They’re a tight knit group, with a closeness born of horrific circumstance and their own unique powers. They’re backed by a diverse and convincing ensemble cast – from the tightly focused researcher down to the broke-but-thoughtful mercenary. There’s some deeply eerie people on display here too, and, given the title, some antagonists who, perhaps, don’t entirely see themselves as bad people. This is a book prepared to believe that everyone is the hero of their own story, and unflinchingly explores that moral vein.

The plot is one part murder mystery, one part buddy-cop movie, and one part supernatural magical explosions. The investigation is tense, and the leads, blinds and red herrings the group goes down are plausible, whilst the eventual denouement carries a degree of catharsis. There’s a thoughtful exploration of our heroes moral basis for what they do – tracking down rogue magic users and, euphemistically, dealing with them. In between the investigating and the hard thinking, there’s the occasional shootout, there’s time stops, and people spontaneously catch fire. This is a book which embraces and dives deep into the question of rightful force, and into the ambiguity of a team which does what it thinks is right, at personal cost and at a cost to those they interact with. Above all though, it’s fun. This is a text which challenges preconceptions, and makes you think – and then blows up the building. Where interrogations are largely polite, but when deaths do occur, they’re appalling. The tightly focused mystery is what kept me turning the pages, and the top-notch characterisation gave me the emotional stakes to make the story feel real.

As an entry in urban, contemporary fantasy, this is an intelligent work, which challenges genre preconceptions and those of the reader, but also isn’t afraid to have fun. Gie it a try, you won’t regret it.

I have enjoyed this book very much it describes the use of magic in current time and that is the great thing about this book. It is a very riveting story.

I have never read this author before reading this book, and I’ll probably read another one by him in the future. I had a hard time getting into this book, but once I did, the book flowed pretty smoothly. This book definitely had an interesting premise, and I did like the characters even if I found them a little two-dimensional and wish we had gotten to know them a little better. This is the beginning of a series, I believe, so maybe in the next book this will be remedied. One other tiny annoyance was that the characters had a tendency to tell us about events instead of showing. Overall, I did like this book, so don’t take my criticisms too harshly. If you like this genre and/or author, give it a try. Recommend. Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the e-book which I voluntarily reviewed.

Magic is real but don't let anyone with no magic know. Good Guys has a complicated plot that is told from multiple points of view. That allows Brust to tell the story in very small bites and often like the players I was left in the dark about what was really going on. Turns out it is not at all what I though. It stated looking like a job to keep magic a secret and changes as the story progresses. I did enjoy the world building and back story that was revealed as the story progressed. I also liked the characters. This is a good one for anyone who likes to try to follow and solve a mystery before it is revealed.

Ten pages into Steven Brust’s Good Guys, I was worried. Worried that I had met this premise before. I was right, but at the same time, I was wrong. Brust’s novel starts with the familiar: a detective investigating a murder aided by magic. From Butcher to Carriger to many in between, we are familiar with this plot, but Brust sets his novel apart with the compelling characters, the methods of inquiry, the unique killings, and the world make-up.

Donovan is the investigator, Marci is the sorceress, and Susan is the muscle. They form the Foundation team who tracts down the killer of multiple victims, all who are connected to their rival magical organization, the Mystici. Brust provides authentic background of the forms of magic in this alt version of Earth in the 21st century where there are a select few who have the power to manipulate the natural laws of the universe.

Overall, this novel provides a new twist on the magical mystery. I enjoyed the point of view switching from Donovan to the killer. I enjoyed Donovan’s deductive mind and the interplay between the members of the team. I believe this is a worthy addition to the genre.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillian-Tor/Forge, and Mr. Brust for an advanced copy for review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan - Tor/Forge for the galley.

Definitely 4.5 stars.
Okay, this was so very, very good! I've been trying to figure out how to begin reading some of the Steven Brust books but there are so many my head would just spin around whenever I tried to decide on a jumping off point. So this book, a new series, proved to be just the right place. I was definitely impressed with the writing, plotting and just general storytelling ability of Brust. I want this crew back entertaining me as soon as possible.

There are two organizations which work to keep the existence of magic from becoming general knowledge. The Foundation and the Roma Vindices Mystici were once a single organization until they had a disagreement about what Franco was doing in Spain. They still work together in a way, both still wanting the same things but the old scars keep the two organizations separate. The crew we are concerned with each have specific abilities that allow them to handle magic-gone-rogue. Somebody is killing and using magic to help. Our team has to use all their magical abilities and the resources of the Foundation to stop this rampage without knowing who the assassin is or how he chooses his victims. The answers will cause a whole lot of shake-ups in the world of magic.

These were characters I came to like in a very short time. They aren't perfect, they aren't even admirable in some instances, in fact they are pretty rough all over, not just around the edges, but I just couldn't help but want everybody to come out of the magic fights in good shape. This story is a rock-um-sock-um magic street fight and I would have liked to have a little more explanation from the author of what forces/actions had happened during the fight scenes. Most of that wasn't spelled out and I needed some explanation. Maybe in the next story? I hope so because I want to know more than just who died or was maimed or injured in the fight. Other than that observation, I just enjoyed the heck out of this book!

Good Guys by Steven Brust
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fairly light UF superhero fiction with traditional powers, relics, and mystery.

Of course, it's fueled by quasi-governmental agencies and assassinations that may or may not be justified, but the real joy in the novel comes from the mystery.

Murder.

Increasingly interesting and gory effects murder.

But to whom? And why?

The guilty. :) You know all those bank people who busted the economy, or the a-holes who focused on all their specialty pet projects but completely ignored the plights of the common man? Yeah. Deaders.

Feeling conflicted? Me, too.

But that's the joy we can gleam from this superhero novel. Magic, relics, and the common man. Minimum wage superheroes???? Come on. You KNOW this has to be a gimmick. A fun one, too. :)

I've been a big fan of Brust for a long time now and this modern rendition of the comic tradition is fun as hell. Just bring the beer. Please. The good stuff. Don't get all pansy ass on me.


Thanks to netgalley for the ARC!

I've had people enthuse to me about Steven Brust more than once, but his main series is large and sprawling and not exactly my thing, and I've never found a point of entry to his work. When I saw this on Netgalley, a new series starter in a new genre for Brust, I thought I'd give it a try and see if he was actually as good as I'd heard.

He is. Not only is this written with assurance and strong craft, not only does it have highly entertaining banter among the diverse, distinct, and non-generic characters, but it also pulls off the difficult feat of having both moral complexity and a clear moral stance. The characters are imperfect and troubled, the reality they're dealing with is imperfect and complicated, and ultimately there isn't a "side" that is unambiguously and definitely the "good guys"; and yet most of the key characters, in their different ways, are striving to be "good guys" in their own terms, and some are even succeeding. It's noblebright, not grimdark, but it's noblebright with a lot of nuance and some extensive grey areas - yet ultimately hopeful.

I found the author's choice to write first-person sections from the perspective of the antagonist, and mix them with omniscient narration about the protagonists, an interesting one. I'm not sure exactly what it does; perhaps its function is to humanise the antagonist, so that we can see how he, too, in his distorted way, thinks he's a good guy, or at least a justified one.

The plot - agents of a secret cabal of sorcerers hunt down an assassin - is well paced, with good tension. Overall, excellent, and I would definitely read a sequel.