The Thief, by Megan Whalen Turner
Book Review by Sean T.M. Stiennon
Have you read this book?
I'm almost not sure what to make of The Thief as a work of speculative fiction. Certainly, it has magical elements, and takes place in a world that is not our own, but it reads more like a historical novel than most fantasies.
The inspiration comes from ancient Greek civilization, religion, politics, and geography, but none of these is taken in whole, and the technology used includes gunpowder, cannons, and pocket watches. The setting for the book is a land that is divided into three nations: Sounis, Eddis, Attolia. Sounis is ruled by a king who takes his name after the country, and who would very much like to rule the other two. In order to achieve his goal, he must forge an alliance with the queen of Eddis and her mountain-dwelling people, then use their combined military strength to overcome the harsh and beautiful queen of Attolia.
To do this, he must acquire Hamiathes' Gift, a stone that grants immortality and the throne of Eddis to anyone who possesses it. But the stone is lost, and to get it he needs a thief. An ideal one, Gen, is sitting right in his dungeons, imprisoned during an attempt to steal the king's signet ring.
The book is told in first person from Gen's viewpoint as he travels with Sounis' advisor, the Magus, Magus' two apprentices, and a battle-hardened soldier named Pol. Gen gets beat up and generally mistreated a lot at first, but gradually, as they grow closer to their destination, he forms an uneasy solidarity with his companions, and begins to tell them stories of the old gods over the evening fire. In some ways, The Thief is a book about faith: Faith in the old gods, the new gods, faith in political struggles, in armies, in knowledge, etc. But, mostly, it is a quest story, with the interactions between the characters on their journey forming the first half of the story.
The characters are well rendered and sympathetic, so the first half is certainly enjoyable, but the beginning does drag somewhat. The pace picks up as the journey rolls on, and once the action does get started, its well worth the wait. Another reason I might take half a star off is because Gen gets hurt. A lot. And since the novel is narrated in first-person, and Gen is a very lovable character, it was sometimes a little difficult to endure a couple lengthy scenes where he's in constant, intense pain, along with the many beatings and injuries he endures throughout the book. It's a small flaw, and might not bother some readers, but it had me wincing a few times.
This is a young adult novel, but I think it will make good reading for adults and children alike. If you enjoy Greek history, culture, or myth, or don't mind a lot of traveling and some slow parts, than I think you'll almost certainly enjoy it as I did, despite its flaws.
The inspiration comes from ancient Greek civilization, religion, politics, and geography, but none of these is taken in whole, and the technology used includes gunpowder, cannons, and pocket watches. The setting for the book is a land that is divided into three nations: Sounis, Eddis, Attolia. Sounis is ruled by a king who takes his name after the country, and who would very much like to rule the other two. In order to achieve his goal, he must forge an alliance with the queen of Eddis and her mountain-dwelling people, then use their combined military strength to overcome the harsh and beautiful queen of Attolia.
To do this, he must acquire Hamiathes' Gift, a stone that grants immortality and the throne of Eddis to anyone who possesses it. But the stone is lost, and to get it he needs a thief. An ideal one, Gen, is sitting right in his dungeons, imprisoned during an attempt to steal the king's signet ring.
The book is told in first person from Gen's viewpoint as he travels with Sounis' advisor, the Magus, Magus' two apprentices, and a battle-hardened soldier named Pol. Gen gets beat up and generally mistreated a lot at first, but gradually, as they grow closer to their destination, he forms an uneasy solidarity with his companions, and begins to tell them stories of the old gods over the evening fire. In some ways, The Thief is a book about faith: Faith in the old gods, the new gods, faith in political struggles, in armies, in knowledge, etc. But, mostly, it is a quest story, with the interactions between the characters on their journey forming the first half of the story.
The characters are well rendered and sympathetic, so the first half is certainly enjoyable, but the beginning does drag somewhat. The pace picks up as the journey rolls on, and once the action does get started, its well worth the wait. Another reason I might take half a star off is because Gen gets hurt. A lot. And since the novel is narrated in first-person, and Gen is a very lovable character, it was sometimes a little difficult to endure a couple lengthy scenes where he's in constant, intense pain, along with the many beatings and injuries he endures throughout the book. It's a small flaw, and might not bother some readers, but it had me wincing a few times.
This is a young adult novel, but I think it will make good reading for adults and children alike. If you enjoy Greek history, culture, or myth, or don't mind a lot of traveling and some slow parts, than I think you'll almost certainly enjoy it as I did, despite its flaws.
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