The Thief

The Thief (1996) Megan Whalen Turner

My friend Natalie has been pushing me for quite awhile to read this book. However, I haven’t been in the mood to read much in the way of fantasy, so although I bought the books months ago, it sat unread on my shelf, until last time I saw her she pushed one more time and I promised I’d read it.

This is a Newbury Honor book. I think if I’d noticed that initially, I’d have been less reluctant to pick it up, since that pretty much guaranteed it wasn’t going to be one of those books that starts a series and then goes on and on endlessly without resolution. And really, I should have trusted that Natalie wouldn’t lead me in that direction, yet I resisted, foolishly.

Mind you, this is the first book in a series, however, it is completely self-contained, and you could read this book and be perfectly content with never knowing there was another book in the series.

Except, of course, for wanting to spend more time with the characters. But that takes a bit.

Gen is a thief in the lowest of the king’s dungeon. A superb thief, Gen’s skills are matched only by his stupidity in bragging about stealing the King’s seal on a bet and flashing the seal around as proof. But before Gen can rot away in prison, the king’s magus decides Gen has uses and with the king’s reluctant agreement takes Gen out to steal…something.

Interestingly, the only character who is likable from the very start is Sophos, a very young man who is brought along on the adventure as an apprentice to the magus. But slowly, Gen (despite his arrogance and seeming foolishness) grows on you, and you want him to succeed, and you really want to know how he’s going to get himself out of the mess he’s gotten himself into.

Natalie was right, this is a fabulous book, and one I highly recommend.
Rating: 9/10

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