The Thief

Upon reflection, Gen might not have made the smartest move by bragging about his thieving prowess in every wine shop in Sounis, then stealing the king's signet ring and showing it off afterward. He has plenty of time for reflection in the king's dungeon. Unexpectedly, the Magus, advisor to the king, is the one who gets Gen out of jail -- he needs Gen to steal something for him, and it will indeed take the best thief in the world to accomplish the job...

I first read this Newbery Honor book years ago, but it's the sort of book that sticks with you (well, and I've read it a few times since then, too). This book boasts great characters and more than one twist of plot -- and it almost seems like a spoiler to even mention that there are plot show more twists, because they are so delightfully unexpected. And, while this is an excellent book, the series increases in excellence as it goes on -- but do start here! I'm rereading, having recently read the newest entry in the series, and am already finding mention of things that come together later on. If sometimes I say things are "recommended" or "highly recommended," this is a step beyond that. This series carries my highest recommendations. show less

A weirdly excellent book. I generally really dislike books where manipulators are featured - but somehow, in this one, it works. _Everyone_ is a manipulator - it was pretty obvious Gen had deeper plans, almost from the start, but I underestimated him. The magus, of course - though I wonder if he made it any easier to steal the king's seal? Probably not, that would actually work against his plans. Various rulers, not too surprisingly, also had plans - and everyone in the party had secrets. The traitor really surprised me, I didn't pick up on what Gen did at all. I like Sophos, and I almost like Pol - I don't know enough about him to really know, he's very much the strong silent type. I very much _disliked_ the magus at the beginning, but show more his reaction when he was outmaneuvered redeemed him in my eyes. The story itself is fascinating - both the action and the setting. The manipulations of the beginning and the politics of the middle got a bit annoying - but I still needed to know where the story went, and by the end I was enjoying it very much. I know a bit about ancient Greece and knew that's not where it was, but the author's afterword explaining how she'd taken things off on a different angle from reality very much helped. The afterword also gave me a large collection of book bullets - from her list, I know and love about half, so I need to look up all the rest of them...And I'm delighted to learn that there are sequels. Gimme! show less

Whalen Turner's story is nuanced and starts slowly, hinting there is more to the characters and scenario than first meets the eye. Interesting that Eugenides (Gen) is not particularly likeable, a punkish adolescent with talent and altogether too happy to remind others of it. Satisfying that no character is one-dimensional, and though Gen proves to be a classic unreliable narrator, the trickery is not laid on too thick.

Worth pursuing the other books, and perhaps most invitingly in order to learn more about the world, as much as the characters or for the story. The story is short enough to work as a novella, the others may very well read quickly, too.

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World-building is first rate, and the use of myths (relayed as stories within the show more story) suggests Whalen Turner understands them not only as quasi-science, or theology, but also as a deep vein of cultural meaning and cohesion. The gods and goddesses fit seamlessly with character motivations and outlook, and inform both urban & rural social life.

The political dimension is both believable and quite sophisticated, but is neither grafted onto the world nor intrusive. Expect this element of the storytelling will feature to a greater extent in the subsequent novels. show less

So, my wife has been encouraging me to read Megan Whalen Turner since I've met her in 2016. We even got to meet Magan Whalen Turner at ALA one year (she was very kind and invited us to a fandom party). I recently read that The Thief has earned comparisons to The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (one of my favorite books) and vice versa, so I thought I should finally dive in and find out what is so enthralling about this series. One word: Eugenides.
The story is told (first person) by Gen (who is later revealed to be Eugenides), a thief who opens the book imprisoned in the kingdom of Sounis. He is freed by the King's Magus---a wiseman-type councilor---who needs a skilled thief to help him recover a lost artifact. They set out on a show more LOTR's type expedition, accompanied by the Magus's two apprentices and a soldier. In the first half of the book, we slowly get to know the characters through Gen's eyes, and learn something of the world where this story is set. Turner does a good job developing and describing the mix of relationships between the members of this quest---rivalries, respect, jealousy---and as we get to know the characters better, it becomes apparent that there is a bit more to each of them than meets the eye. Turner also envelopes us in the mythology of the world she has built (based on Greek mythology btw) by using the story within a story device that is found within recently popular fantasy series, such as the Kingkiller Chronicles.

Folks have commented that a chunk of the book is focused on the relationships of the characters who've embarked on this journey for the lost artifact and its true but it is highly intriguing and never boring. It's slowly revealed that the lost artifact that Gen has to steal is the precious stone called Hamaithes's Gift in the country of Attolia. Midway through the book, the tempo increases dramatically. There are fights, escapes, chases. And as the action unfolds, the puzzle is revealed showing the character's true motivations- including our narrator, who carefully hides a few secrets of his own until the end. And that is why I love this book - Gen tricks us. For a good chunk of the novel you assume that Gen is just a lazy, starved boy, who is probably incapable of stealing Hamaithe's Gift, and as the book progresses to its astounding climax you realize: Gen is extremely clever and so is Turner.
Turner's writing is never verbose, and she is able to craft an epic story in few pages (if this was being told by another writer this could easily be a 1000 page fantasy novel that is well, way too descriptive and uneventful). Turner is an economical fantasy writer and one of the best.
This deserves to be mentioned alongside of Lewis, Tolkien, Le Guin, Rothfuss, McKinley, Sanderson, etc. Highly recommended. show less

Gen, a thief in Sounis, brags that he can steal anything, a boast that lands him a bet to steal the king's seal. He does so, only to show it off in the wine shop to prove it, and lands in the king's jail. The king's magus comes to Gen with a proposition: steal something for me, and I'll set you free; fail to steal it, and you die.

This is one of my all-time favorite books. When I first read it about four years ago or so, I remember stopping every so often to look at how many pages left thinking, "What is this author doing? There are so many pages left, what on earth can happen?" Of course, as I kept reading, I realized how brilliantly Megan Whalen Turner had been spinning her story, surprising me while absolutely convincing me that she show more knew exactly what she was doing. Two rereads later, and the story has not lost its charm. Gen is a great character, and I love following his narrative and being in his head even when I remembered most of the story. The world-building of a whole pantheon, mythology, and politics of three countries, is just about perfect. This first book in the series, followed by Queen of Attolia and King of Attolia, is by far my favorite of the series, but I highly recommend them all. show less

Book 1 of 6 in a gripping young adult series full of political intrigue, mystery, plot twists, memorable characters, dry humor, and some laugh-out-loud moments. Set in a fictional world with Greek sounding names and its own mythology and pantheon of gods, this series is similar to (but pre-dates) the False Prince series by Jennifer Neilsen. Each book is told from a different character's perspective. It's every bit as intricate and complicated as The False Prince, but a bit darker and more violent, with more involvement of "the gods" and more actual cursing (damn, hell, bastard, and the like) and mild innuendo (non-explicit references to lovers, marital infidelity, and what might or might not have happened on a wedding night). I had to show more read the first three books at least twice and used the search feature on the ebooks to piece together the pieces of the puzzle for a better understanding. There were some plot twists that I was able to predict, but some caught me by surprise. show less

After some of my recent reads that were more of the horror genre, I needed a change. I have heard many different things about this YA Fantasy Series for years. I've heard the first book was slow, that it was boring, that The Thief dragged on. You either love it or hate it. It was kind of like, in the Harry Potter series, The Chamber of Secrets was kind of slow (for me at least), but it educated the reader on things that would later become key to the entire series. Well, I guess I fall under the LOVE it. What a Fun-freak'n-tastic read!

The Thief is the first in a series, The Queen's Thief:
1996 The Thief
2000 The Queen of Attolia
2006 The King of Attolia
2010 A Conspiracy of Kings
2017 Thick as Thieves
2020 Return of the Thief

'The Thief's main show more character is Eugenides (AKA: Gen), the Queen’s thief. He can steal anything—or so he thinks. His arrogance lands him in prison, boasting of his thievery. The King’s Magus strongly suggests he take on a quest to steal a legendary object. Gen was in no position to refuse. The Magus thinks he has the right tool for the job, but Gen has plans of his own.

This book does have a slow start. But the leisurely pace pulls together the entire first half to the back half. Gen, our protagonist, is a witty, charismatic, whining, likable character that is fun to follow along his journey while he tells his story in the first-person narrative. Honestly, Gen is thoroughly winsome but thoroughly an arrogant, obnoxious, and contemptible person. Oh why, oh why do I love characters like this!? The scenery is set in a Greek or Romanesque world with lots of picturesque scenery. Plus, the unforeseen twist! Oh yes, there is a twist that is clever and not one that you see coming.

For being a YA, I found this 'The Thief' to be an easy, fun read and I'm looking forward to devouring and enjoying the rest of the series. This gets a solid 4.75-stars rating from me. show less