Thieves World, Book 5: The Face of Chaos

Thieves World, Book 5: The Face of Chaos (1983) edited by Robert Asprin and Lynn Abbey

Introduction by Robert Lynn Asprin
High Moon by Janet Morris
Necromant by C.J. Cherryh
The Art of Alliance by Robert Lynn Asprin
The Corners of Memory by Lynn Abbey
Votary by David Drake
Mirror Image by Diana L. Paxson

So, this is where is starts to get really dark and nasty and ugly. The first two stories, High Moon by Janet Morris and Necromant by C.J. Cherryh, are very dark and full or horrors–torture and murder are things the characters in these two stories expect.

And they get what they expect.

Take this bit about Haught:

He had learned that he was for using and when he stopped being useful he could not see what there was in him that anyone would want.

That’s one of the cheerier bits in those stories.

So, the Stepsons want to follow Tempus to fight on Wizard Wall, but they have commitments in Sanctuary. Commitments they have no taste for keeping, especially when they are targeted by beggars and witches.

Luckily, these are the first stories (not counting the introduction) and so although none of the following stories are light-hearted, they’re also not full to the brim of torture and murder in the dark of night.

So taking a step back, the anthology opens, as usual, with the Introduction by Robert Lynn Asprin. This gives us an overview of what’s happening in Sanctuary–in this case, the Beysib have settled in, and are changing the place even more than the Hell Hounds and Prince did.

After the darkness of the first two tales, (the first half of the book, really), The Art of Alliance by Robert Lynn Asprin is an almost cheerful change. We see how how downfall and healing have dramatically changed Jubal–and we also see his reaction to learning the double cross of the Stepsons.

The Corners of Memory by Lynn Abbey follows Cythen, who has joined Walegrin’s Mercenary Guild. Her sister has been murdered, and she is willing to pay any price to discover the murderer and bring him to justice. It’s also our first good look at the Beysib.

Votary by David Drake brings back Samlor hil Samt, searching for is niece. It’s strange how, despite some of the more graphic descriptions–like the execution in the square–this story is nowhere near is dark and the first two stories. Possibly because Samlor is looking to rescue his niece, which somehow makes his casual killing seem less horrifying.

The closing story is Mirror Image by Diana L. Paxson. The last time we saw Lalo, he was wondering precisely what he would see if he painted his own portrait. Unfortunately, this question gnawed at him until he decided to find out.

This story finally gives us Gila in all her glory. She’ll do anything for her husband, and we can see in her actions what Lalo sees when he paints here. It’s actually a lovely story.

A couple interesting things I’ve noticed. Character’s whose authors pretty much left the series seem to recur in stories almost more frequently than the regular characters. Cappen Varra had only a single story, yet he appears multiple times in each book, and Enas Yorl also makes a regular appearance in these stories.

Second, is that the second set of covers (the ones I’ve used so far) match the tone of the books far better than the original covers. Those original covers–especially the cover for The Face of Chaos–really don’t come anywhere close to matching the tone of the stories inside.

I mean, check out that cover. The sun is shining for goodness sake! Never mind the fact that no one is bleeding or murdered or tortured.

So as disturbing as many of the second set of covers are, they really match the tone of the books much better.

One negative point in this book is there is no Shadowspawn story. For some reason, any volume feels incomplete if it doesn’t have a Shadowspawn story. Luckily, there’s one in the next volume.
Rating: 7.5/10

Published by Ace Books

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