Emily Gee
Author of Thief With No Shadow
Series
Works by Emily Gee
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Gee, Emily
- Other names
- May, Emily
- Birthdate
- 1970
- Gender
- female
- Occupations
- field assistant
waitress - Relationships
- Gee, Maurice (father)
- Short biography
- Emily Gee is the daughter of famous New Zealand novelist Maurice Gee. She loves to travel and has recently visited China, North Africa and the Middle East. Thief With No Shadow is her debut novel.
Emily has studied too much and has too many pieces of paper. As well as credits in Ancient Greek, Chemistry, and Canine Behaviour, she has a Bachelor of Science (Geology) and a Post Graduate Diploma (Rehabilitation). She loves to travel and has lived and studied in Sweden, backpacked in Europe, and travelled overland in the Middle East, China, and North Africa. Her varied career includes stints as a field assistant in Antarctica, a waitress on the Isle of Skye, and a rehabilitation instructor in New Zealand. She currently works in the wine industry in Marlborough, New Zealand, home of the world's best Sauvignon Blanc. - Nationality
- New Zealand
- Places of residence
- New Zealand
Sweden - Associated Place (for map)
- New Zealand
Members
Reviews
I found this an enjoyable read, particularly the first two-thirds, which are driven primarily by the tension of the premise: spies in the court of an enemy kingdom, who meet anonymously and thus don't recognize one another when they meet in public, struggling to fulfill their mission before a cruel spycatcher finds them out. I found the last third of the book was somewhat less satisfying as it seemed to rely more on the interpersonal angst of the main characters to provide tension. For me, show more this worked best as a thrilling spy adventure. I found the prose very readable and it drew me deep into the world right away. I would be interested to read more by this author!
Note: This is an adult novel, and contains plenty of adult content. show less
Note: This is an adult novel, and contains plenty of adult content. show less
This was a very quick read: once I started I didn't want to stop. I got very caught up in the intrigues of the two main characters and the danger they faced if their covers were blown.
That said, the world building needed some serious work. The plot focuses very tightly on the lives of Athan and Soliel, Laurentine spies in the enemy Corhonase citadel. Great for character development. But not so great for the larger picture. Questions I had were never addressed. Like: Just why were the two show more countries enemies? What was the bigger political picture?
And on a more philosophical question: Which side was on the right? The POV characters were Laurentine so of course sympathies naturally lie there. But the Corhonase were not evil. Their culture had problematic elements... but then so did Laurentine's.
In the end I had to give in to the inevitable and accept the book was never going to be a larger political epic. Instead, it was a snapshot in the lives of two spies finding their way through danger together. That story was satisfying at least. show less
That said, the world building needed some serious work. The plot focuses very tightly on the lives of Athan and Soliel, Laurentine spies in the enemy Corhonase citadel. Great for character development. But not so great for the larger picture. Questions I had were never addressed. Like: Just why were the two show more countries enemies? What was the bigger political picture?
And on a more philosophical question: Which side was on the right? The POV characters were Laurentine so of course sympathies naturally lie there. But the Corhonase were not evil. Their culture had problematic elements... but then so did Laurentine's.
In the end I had to give in to the inevitable and accept the book was never going to be a larger political epic. Instead, it was a snapshot in the lives of two spies finding their way through danger together. That story was satisfying at least. show less
The plot was fairly simple but it worked. There weren't any huge surprises so, for me, this was all about the characters and how they interact.
I loved all of the different species in this novel - there was something almost mythical about it and it was fairly unique in that regard. One of the predominant themes of the book, in fact, was inter-species harmony and how the different creatures interact; in particular, the wraiths are spurned by society because they have the ability to become show more invisible. In typical fashion, the people of Theirry are frightened of the unknown and assume that wraiths will only use their abilities to steal, assassinate and generally do bad things. The ironic part of it all was that Melke was desperate to prove to the Sal Vere family that she was worth more that she's more than a 'thieving wraith', all while trying to make up for having stolen from them...Call it a self-fulfilling prophecy if you will...
The concept of family is a particularly strong one in this book which was good and well used to incorporate some moral questions along the 'what would you do to save a family member?' lines. Romantic love is less well used and almost seems a bit contrived towards the end (perhaps I'm becoming unromantic in old age...). Bravery and what it means to have courage and pride were major features too so thematically, this book is very strong.
While I always love the study of characters and the societies in which they live, it was a shame that more wasn't made of the fantasy aspects of this book. The mentions of the fantastical creatures were there but partially glossed over and really only used as an object of fear (inflicting some fairly horrific 'punishments' along the way...).
As a minor health warning, there are absolutely some "adult themes" in this book and I certainly wouldn't be giving it to even a young teen...I'm 24 and found some of it a tad disturbing! (Ok, so I'm a wimp when it comes to horror but I'm not squeamish as a rule...)
Overall: I find myself unsure of this book - I think I would recommend it to fans of the genre because it is unique. I definitely wouldn't recommend it to someone new to fantasy fiction because it uses some of the more usual elements in some unusual ways that might be off-putting. show less
I loved all of the different species in this novel - there was something almost mythical about it and it was fairly unique in that regard. One of the predominant themes of the book, in fact, was inter-species harmony and how the different creatures interact; in particular, the wraiths are spurned by society because they have the ability to become show more invisible. In typical fashion, the people of Theirry are frightened of the unknown and assume that wraiths will only use their abilities to steal, assassinate and generally do bad things. The ironic part of it all was that Melke was desperate to prove to the Sal Vere family that she was worth more that she's more than a 'thieving wraith', all while trying to make up for having stolen from them...Call it a self-fulfilling prophecy if you will...
The concept of family is a particularly strong one in this book which was good and well used to incorporate some moral questions along the 'what would you do to save a family member?' lines. Romantic love is less well used and almost seems a bit contrived towards the end (perhaps I'm becoming unromantic in old age...). Bravery and what it means to have courage and pride were major features too so thematically, this book is very strong.
While I always love the study of characters and the societies in which they live, it was a shame that more wasn't made of the fantasy aspects of this book. The mentions of the fantastical creatures were there but partially glossed over and really only used as an object of fear (inflicting some fairly horrific 'punishments' along the way...).
As a minor health warning, there are absolutely some "adult themes" in this book and I certainly wouldn't be giving it to even a young teen...I'm 24 and found some of it a tad disturbing! (Ok, so I'm a wimp when it comes to horror but I'm not squeamish as a rule...)
Overall: I find myself unsure of this book - I think I would recommend it to fans of the genre because it is unique. I definitely wouldn't recommend it to someone new to fantasy fiction because it uses some of the more usual elements in some unusual ways that might be off-putting. show less
Saliel has two lives: to the outside world she is Lady Petra, a noblewoman of the Corhonase court. But to the three men she meets in the catacombs at night, she is known simply as Three, a spy for the country of Laurent. Her co-conspirators are One, a nobleman, Two, a servant, and the Guardian, their commander. In the above-ground world, Saliel’s job is to gain as much information as possible about Corhonase military movements; she must brave the ever-watchful eyes of the Royal Consort as show more she tries to blend in with the other ladies of the court. But her mission quickly takes a turn for the worse when the Consort arranges a marriage for her to the dimwitted Lord Ivo. Then a spy-catcher arrives at the court who has a sadistic streak and an uncanny ability to make people tell the truth. Saliel and her fellow spies must do their utmost to outwit him, but several twists of fate bring them into greater and greater danger.
The plot of this novel hooked me from the very beginning and never let go. It has all the elements I love in a book: fantasy, intrigue, suspense, mystery, and romance. I would probably be squeeing with delight even if it were poorly written and had wooden characters, but luckily, it avoids both of these problems! While this is certainly not a groundbreaking book in terms of style or characters, it’s quite well written, and main characters Saliel and Athan are both well-rounded and sympathetic. Gee does rely on stock character traits to some extent – the novel is definitely more plot-driven than character-driven – but the plot was enough to keep me turning the pages! I really enjoyed this novel and would recommend it wholeheartedly for those who like fantasy and political intrigue. show less
The plot of this novel hooked me from the very beginning and never let go. It has all the elements I love in a book: fantasy, intrigue, suspense, mystery, and romance. I would probably be squeeing with delight even if it were poorly written and had wooden characters, but luckily, it avoids both of these problems! While this is certainly not a groundbreaking book in terms of style or characters, it’s quite well written, and main characters Saliel and Athan are both well-rounded and sympathetic. Gee does rely on stock character traits to some extent – the novel is definitely more plot-driven than character-driven – but the plot was enough to keep me turning the pages! I really enjoyed this novel and would recommend it wholeheartedly for those who like fantasy and political intrigue. show less
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