"#Populism" isn't intrinsically left or right. The distinction between the two is often obscured by jargon, but there's a simple litmus test (courtesy of #StevenBrust): "ask what's more important: human rights, or property rights. If they say 'property rights are human rights,' they're on the right."

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If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/04/owning-the-libs/#swiper-no-swiping

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I'm speaking, of course, of #StevenBrust's #VladTaltos novels, which started with *#Jhereg*, published in 1983 - the year I turned 12, and devoured this book, rereading it four or five times in that year alone.

The titular character, Vlad Taltos, is a wisecracking assassin in a sword-and-sorcery world called Dragaera, where most of the inhabitants are extremely long-lived beings ("Dragaereans") akin to elves.

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#5yrsago #StevenBrust’s “Good Guys,” a hardboiled noir urban fantasy, with everything great about Brust on proud display https://memex.craphound.com/2018/03/18/steven-brusts-good-guys-a-hardboiled-noir-urban-fantasy-with-everything-great-about-brust-on-proud-display/

#5yrsago #Raleigh cops are investigating crime by getting Google to reveal the identity of every mobile user within acres of the scene https://www.wral.com/to-find-suspects-police-quietly-turn-to-google/17377435/

#5yrsago Local UK governments say identifying buildings with #Grenfell cladding would be a gift to arsonists and terrorists https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/mar/16/towers-with-grenfell-style-cladding-at-risk-of-arson-and-terrorism

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@bookstodon
I just finished the first story, #Jhereg in The Book of Jhereg by #StevenBrust Someone mentioned it was on sale (as an ebook) so I nabbed it on Kobo a few days ago.
This is such a fun read! I can't believe I haven't read Brust before, as this is just the kind of fantasy I tend to enjoy (well, one kind of fantasy I tend to enjoy).
And I have a lot more books about #Vlad to read 😃
#WhatImReading #BookStodon #FantasyFiction

Inspired by @AE_Sotelo and nabbed from @geekaren: Introduce yourself using five books to get to know you.

In no particular order -
* The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
* Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
* A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
* The Martian by Andy Weir
* To Reign in Hell by Steven Brust

(That was hard to narrow down!)

My Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/solcita

#FavoriteBooks #TheLockedTomb #TheNightCircus #Reveur #MonkAndRobot #BeckyChambers #TheMartian #StevenBrust

I forgot how much I enjoyed this book. Two of my favorites in one place.

I'm going to read it again, soon.

It's called *My Own Kind of Freedom*

h/t cory doctorow's recent post

https://memex.craphound.com/2008/02/18/steven-brusts-unauthorized-firefly-fanfic-novel/

#Firefly
#SerenityMovie
#StevenBrust

@KarchWrites

I always try to encourage people to look into #StevenBrust 's Vlad #Taltos series.

First book is #Jhereg, written in 1983, I think. Newest book in the series is coming out this year.

Each is short, but they differ in so many ways. One common aspect is they're often mysteries. They also jump around in time, from book to book, filling in background and character. Buried under the fun are important themes.

Main character is an assassin in a world with what seems like magic and witchcraft. It's a pretty huge world-building feat.

There is a later prequel series, with some of the same characters, that are sort-of modeled on Dumas' Musketeer books and other classic adventure books like The Man in the Iron Mask.

The first series of books are snappy, witty and not very long. You can read one in a day pretty easily. Often told in first-person, unreliably.

If you like adventure, mystery and plot, they're great. I love these books and have reread them a half-dozen times.

@cpoliticditto If you like speculative fiction, I always recommend the #StevenBrust #VladTaltos series that starts with #Jhereg. Each book is short, but he's been writing them since the 80s. Each book has a unique take, mostly first-person but different books have different styles. (I love first-person, unreliable narrators.)

There's a new one coming out in April. The series is subversive, sardonic, romantic and fun. Witty, and in my view, very deep.

Reads like fantasy (and mystery, and heists), but it's actually... well, that would be spoilers

@la_marteau @bookstodon People snooze on the #StevenBrust series about #VladTaltos. Massive ongoing series, since the 80's. Start with #Jhereg and just read them in chronological published order. Third book is very dark, but push through, you'll be very pleased.

So well written, and the interlocking stories get told from various viewpoints and in various styles. Lots of humor and lots of serious stuff. Moves back and forth in time. Some things take 10+ books to pay off.

There's a secondary prequel series that is an homage to Dumas' Three Musketeers, and has characters from the original series (some characters live for centuries.)

Reads like fantasy, but is actually sci-fi. Takes a long time to realize it, though, as a reader. It's romantic, sardonic, devastating and fun.

<Shut up, Loiosh.>

PS: New one (Tsalmoth) coming out in April 2023!

It was really hard to settle on just 5-7 favorite authors for the #Bookstodon lists being shared! Like picking between favorite children...

#AndreNorton
#GuyGavrielKay
#AnneMcCaffrey
#StevenBrust
#TanyaHuff
#AndyWeir
#AlanDeanFoster

(I had to throw Weekes, Zahn, Eddings, Cherryh, Weber, Wexler, Jordan, Gaiman, Aaronovitch, Hobb, McKinley, Rothfuss, McKillip, Lackey, LeGuin, Zelazny, Hambly, Feist, Drake, Campbell, Butcher and so many more great authors under the bus)

Hobbies include the usuals, such as reading fantasy and sci fi books (#brandonsanderson, #victoriagoddard, #stevenbrust, etc.) , dissecting TV shows (currently yelling about #OurFlagMeansDeath) , playing video games (#stardewvalley, #dontstarve, #witcher3 #assassinscreed, #sims), as well as fermenting food, making salves, training the dogs, working out, playing the ukulele badly, attempting to learn #ASL and other languages and eternally planning to finally learn to write #code.