Steven Brust
A master storyteller who built an intricate fantasy universe around a wisecracking human assassin in a world of sorcerous elves.
Born 1955 (age 71)·American fantasy and science fiction author·Birthday: November 23·Baby Boomers
Biography
Steven Brust crafts stories with the rhythmic precision of a drummer—which he also is. A first-generation American of Hungarian heritage, he funneled a love for Alexander Dumas, Roger Zelazny, and Marxist theory into the creation of Dragaera, a world where humans are a marginalized minority. His portal into this realm is Vlad Taltos, a quick-witted, ethically flexible assassin who navigates the complex social hierarchies of the long-lived Dragaerans, or 'Elves.' Brust's genius lies in blending hard-boiled detective noir with high fantasy, political intrigue, and sharp humor, publishing the series non-chronologically to create a rich, puzzle-like narrative. Beyond Vlad, he has collaborated on other novels, written a metafictional homage to Dumas's musketeers, and remains a vibrant, opinionated voice in fantasy, respected for his tight prose, deep world-building, and unwavering authorial integrity.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Steven was born in 1955, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Steven Was Born
The biggest hits of 1955
#1 Movie
Lady and the Tramp
Best Picture
Marty
#1 TV Show
The $64,000 Question
Steven's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1955Born
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1960Started school
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1968Became a teenager
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1971Could drive
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1973Could vote
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Turned 21
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1985Turned 30
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 40
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 50
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 60
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2025Turned 70
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 71 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Created the long-running and popular Vlad Taltos fantasy series, beginning with 'Jhereg' in 1983.
- Wrote 'The Phoenix Guards,' a fantasy novel structured as a direct homage to Alexandre Dumas's 'The Three Musketeers.'
- Co-authored the contemporary fantasy series 'The Incrementalists' with Skyler White.
- Served as the President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America from 2010 to 2013.
Did You Know?
He is a skilled drummer and has played in various bands, including the band 'Boiled in Lead' for a time.
He is a dedicated Trotskyist and has incorporated political themes into his work.
He wrote a novel, 'To Reign in Hell,' which is a reimagining of the war between heaven and hell.
He frequently uses Hungarian words and names for elements in the Dragaera universe.
“No matter how subtle the wizard, a knife between the shoulder blades will seriously cramp his style.”
