Why am I remembering Butcher was being a douche recently, but not the details?

I don't know. I haven't heard anything - but then my news was from his newsletter and they are unlikely to report his douchiness.

Are you looking for a recommendation? It depends on what you're in the mood for. Brust's To Reign in Hell is great if you like epic tales and huge casts and political intrigue and, well, Milton. The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars is great if you want... the polar opposite of all those things, really.

(If you're looking at the series, I can't help.)

My initial reaction to To Reign In Hell was that it was a very elaborate setup to justify the line "Get thee behind me, Satan" but it was elegantly done, so I give him all the points.

The Vlad Taltos books are a long series of a snarkily self-aware probably authorial insert assassin with tarnished court intrigue and magic and humans and "elves" written in an accessible style. The Phoenix Guards are set in the same universe, but earlier, and in a much more elaborate style.

And then there's other stuff that I have to think more about to remember.

I like Brust but I admit I stopped reading the Taltos books because I couldn't keep track of what was going on. I did really enjoy The Phoenix Guards, though, for its 18th-century Dumas-ishness.

I remember loving the first four Taltos books but all the details escape me.

But hey, Buffistas would appreciate that Brust wrote a Firefly novel on spec, and then couldn't sell it, so he put it on the web. It's quite good, set between the show and the movie.

I love love love To Reign in Hell (I read a lot of Jack Chalker thinking he had written it, for some reason. I don't recommend going that route). I might prefer the series that's set in the past of his main Jhereg series, but it's been a while since I read them. At some point I got lost in all those one word titles and couldn't figure out what I'd read and what I hadn't, I need to sort that out eventually and get myself caught up. I didn't love Cowboy Feng's Space Bar and Grill, I think that's the only thing of his that disappointed me.

Heh, you're initial reaction was also mine, ita. He has a really elaborate buildup to a Grateful Dead reference/pun in I think the first Phoenix Guard book that I found endearing, as well.

I'm midway through the last Taltos book. He doesn't make it easy. They aren't in chronological order, I don't think, and he doesn't say. I had to resort to wikipedia to sort things out.

Thanks ita, Strega, Consuela & everyone This is where to start research - I've not read anything of his, so I'm curious. Your comments hold a lot of weight.

Brust's To Reign in Hell is great if you like epic tales and huge casts and political intrigue and, well, Milton.

um, yes. ok.

Brust wrote a Firefly novel on spec

orly. ::goes to look::