Douglas Hulick

I was very excited to receive Among Thieves as part of the Librarything Early Reviewers program. I was not disappointed.

Among Thieves is an action-packed romp through a fantasy city known as Ildrecca. The main character, Drothe, is a rogue, gathering information for his crime lord and collecting relics as a sort of hobby. Then a particular relic enters his life and turns it upside down. He has to choose between promises and friendship, doing the right thing or the easy thing.

One of the show more biggest strengths of Hulick's writing are his battle scenes. The timing of each sword stroke, each move by the combatants, seems real beyond most other writers' abilities. Nor is the fun bogged down by unnecessary details; the history of the world and just enough setting detail integrates seamlessly into the story.

One of the questions I ended up asking myself, though, was whether or not I liked the main character. I found him believable certainly. Clever in his own right, concerned for his people, and honorable almost to a fault. I didn't feel the connection I wanted to feel to him, though. I had fun with him, but I don't feel like I learned anything new from him.

Over all, I think Hulick's first try is fairly successful. I am definitely going to pick up the next book when it comes out. I want to find out what happens to the empire, to Drothe and all the Kin. show less

I loved, loved, loved this book. The story was fast-paced, the anti-hero was actually likable, the settings were well-drawn and quite real, and, as others have said, the fight scenes were very well done. While the majority of the bad guys (pretty much everyone in the book) were definitely not very nice, this story is full of shades of grey. No one seems to have truly good or evil motives. This adds an overall depth to the story that I quite enjoyed.

The only negative I have for this book is show more that there aren't already more in what I hope is going to be a series. show less

I thought I had an idea where the story would go after Among Thieves--I was so, so wrong. And I was thrilled for it. In Sworn of Steel, we get to see a little more of this world, and learn something new about the characters we thought we knew EVERYTHING about. News flash: you don't know crap. You think you do, but you really, really don't. This was such a great sequel, and while I know the author may not come out with a third for some time, if at all, but if he ever does, I'm grabbing it show more right away. show less

Among Thieves was an impulse buy one day when I was at Borders looking for some other books. I'd seen it on the "New Sci/Fi-Fantasy" shelf, and was intrigued by the cover. A quick read of the back enticed my curiosity further, but I still wasn't sold yet. Juggling this book along with the books I'd originally been looking for, I sat down in a corner and began my usual process of elimination. When I'm in the market for a new book, I usually have three or four in mind. I compare them against show more each other, weighing such details as cost, length, writing style, and genre. In this case, Among Thieves was competing with three heavy-hitters: Two books from a favorite author of mine, and one based on my much-loved topic of pirates.

But upon reading the first thirteen pages, I was struck by how awesome the story was. With little effort it seemed, Douglas Hulick established a great protagonist, Drothe, and a fascinating setting, Ildrecca. The language feels authentic, and has an almost "noir" quality to it that you don't often find in a fantasy adventure. There's magic, there's sword fighting, there's intrigue, there's true grit...Really, what doesn't this story have?

To briefly summarize things, Drothe is a Nose--a name for a man who "noses" up delicate information and tricky artifacts--who is looking for a particular relic of value. The story literally opens up on a torture scene, though Drothe isn't the one doing the torturing. (He doesn't like it, but seems to have found himself needing to hire an "Agony Man" for this particular job.) Drothe is one of the Kin, an underworld of thieves, assassins, and other shady professionals. They are widespread throughout Ildrecca, a large and dangerous city under the rule of an emperor whose soul is split into three and has reincarnated perpetually for centuries. Any imperial relics from any of the emperor's past incarnations is worth quite a bit on the street, and that's what Drothe is trying to hunt down. Only things didn't go as planned, thus where we come in.

Athel the Grinner, the man being tortured, eventually lets slip a single name, "Ioclaudia." Drothe is confused by the name, but goes looking for answers, and what he finds instead leads to a struggle for his life and the fate of the Kin--possibly the entire empire.

There's enough twists and turns in this book to keep your interest up throughout, and as I've stated, the characters and the setting are all superb. The action keeps an even pace, there's the occasional humor, and plenty of suspense and drama. Yet it's all well-balanced, all well-timed, and you are never made disappointed by the ride.

Though the book ended on a well-rounded note, it appears this is a part of a series (the series itself being called "Tales of the Kin"). I haven't heard of a new book from Hulick, nor am I entirely certain if the series is meant to be continuing the adventures of Drothe, or if it's a collection of loosely related adventures with different protagonists based in more or less the same setting. Either way, I wouldn't mind more.

So...my verdict?

If you like fantasy adventures, noir crime stories, and conspiracy tales, then PLEASE read this book. Just read it. Now. show less