Turner, Megan Whalen - The Thief
Thu, Feb. 16th, 2006 11:29 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
oyceterI think the back of the book only has a short blurb, saying that Gen is now in jail for claiming to be the best thief in Sounis. Only now, the king's advisor is offering to get him out to steal the unstealable. Dun-dun-DUN!
I actually thought from the blurb that the book would be a sort of action-adventure setpiece, complete with thievery and sneaking around and the like. And there is that. But all the stuff in the blurb actually happens in the first ten pages of the book. After that, the book basically turns into a journey story when Gen travels to aforementioned unstealable object with the magus (the advisor), two of the magus' apprentices, and a bodyguard.
Along the way, the previously stereotyped travel companions are fleshed out as Gen gets to know them better; similarly, we get to learn more about Gen as he earns the sometimes grudging respect of the others.
I like Gen, which is probably a good thing, given that the book is written entirely in his first-person POV. He isn't a romanticized version of a thief. He's dirty and chews with his mouth open and whines about being hungry. Actually, he reminded me a little of Goku from Saiyuki, but that may just be because of the hungry.
I also liked the setting and the mythology, some of which is included as stories Gen and the magus tell around the fire. They're both based off Greece. The stories didn't quite get to the full mythology point to me. I don't know why, but I guess some of it may have something to do with the language.
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coffeeandink warned me to not even look at the back of Queen of Attolia (the sequel or second in the trilogy to this book) because it spoils this book horribly; I second the warning, given that I didn't guess the ending at all and now want to go back and reread.
There isn't a great burning love for the book, but I feel very affectionate toward it. It's solidly written and entertaining, and I'm looking forward to picking up The Queen of Attolia and The King of Attolia.
Links:
-buymeaclue's review
-![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-syndicated.gif)
rilina's review (spoilers near the end)
I actually thought from the blurb that the book would be a sort of action-adventure setpiece, complete with thievery and sneaking around and the like. And there is that. But all the stuff in the blurb actually happens in the first ten pages of the book. After that, the book basically turns into a journey story when Gen travels to aforementioned unstealable object with the magus (the advisor), two of the magus' apprentices, and a bodyguard.
Along the way, the previously stereotyped travel companions are fleshed out as Gen gets to know them better; similarly, we get to learn more about Gen as he earns the sometimes grudging respect of the others.
I like Gen, which is probably a good thing, given that the book is written entirely in his first-person POV. He isn't a romanticized version of a thief. He's dirty and chews with his mouth open and whines about being hungry. Actually, he reminded me a little of Goku from Saiyuki, but that may just be because of the hungry.
I also liked the setting and the mythology, some of which is included as stories Gen and the magus tell around the fire. They're both based off Greece. The stories didn't quite get to the full mythology point to me. I don't know why, but I guess some of it may have something to do with the language.
coffeeandink warned me to not even look at the back of Queen of Attolia (the sequel or second in the trilogy to this book) because it spoils this book horribly; I second the warning, given that I didn't guess the ending at all and now want to go back and reread.There isn't a great burning love for the book, but I feel very affectionate toward it. It's solidly written and entertaining, and I'm looking forward to picking up The Queen of Attolia and The King of Attolia.
Links:
-
buymeaclue's review-
rilina's review (spoilers near the end)
(no subject)
Fri, Feb. 17th, 2006 01:22 am (UTC)