Steven Karl Zoltan Brust is a writer and musician. He was born on November 23, 1955. Brust has worked as a systems programmer for a computer company and played guitar, drums, and banjo in such bands as Cats Laughing, Morrigan, and Boiled in Lead. Brust writes science fiction, including the Vlad Taltos series, The Pheonix Guards, 500 Years After, and Brokedown Palace. He has written "choose-your-own-adventure" books for Tor and published several short stories in a series. Brust also released a solo album, A Rose for Iconoclastes, on the SteelDragon label.