The Thief
The Queen's Thief series, Book 1
Megan Whelan Turner
Greenwillow Books
Fiction, YA Fantasy
Themes: Classics, Epics, Religious Themes, Thieves
****
Description
Gen the thief can steal anything, or so he boasts - including the king's seal from the man's own finger. But he can't get himself out of the prison cell that the theft lands him in afterwards. This isn't the first time his overactive tongue has gotten him in trouble, but it may well be the last. Then a strange visitor comes calling, none other than the king's own magus. The crown has need of a superior thief, it turns out, and though the man is sketchy on the details Gen is in no position to negotiate. Soon Gen, the magus, the man's two mismatched young apprentices, and a burly guard are off on a dangerous mission in hostile territory. If Gen succeeds, he will indeed prove himself the best thief since his divine namesake, Eugenides, who stole lightning from the sky god Himself. If Gen fails, no one will ever find his body.
Review
This is another instance of familiar tropes coming together in a satisfying way. Gen's Mediterranean-inspired world, with long histories and rival nations and complex politics and creation myths and gods (that may or may not be real), feels comfortably familiar yet also distinctive, a wide and lived-in setting for the tale's adventures that comes to colorful life. Likewise, the characters have that familiar feel to them, yet are all solid enough to feel real in their world, often having their own hidden agendas beyond the mission itself, which involves a legendary artifact said to come from the gods Themselves and whose theft is a traditional part of one nation's royal successions. Gen naturally clashes with his companions of circumstance from the start, particularly with the magus himself, though all of the palace folk look down on the filthy young thief plucked from a prison cell. Along the way, he comes to see more of them, and despite his misgivings about dealing with the king's agents (and lingering suspicions that, even if he succeeds, he is ultimately just a tool, one that might be considered disposable), he develops some sense of alliance and even empathy. The plot itself moves well enough, though it takes a while to get around to the details of the mission, and after the climax it lingers a bit overlong on the wrap-up, which leaves threads for future volumes but concludes things well enough. On the whole, it made for an enjoyable story, and a world I wouldn't mind revisiting.