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The Thief The Queen Thief Book 1 Megan Whalen Turner Books

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The Thief The Queen Thief Book 1 Megan Whalen Turner Books

Most readers tend to develop a sense of instinct regarding a story, its characters, and where the written journey is headed. We develop this air of superiority that we know all things, nothing can take us by surprise, and the author writes under our guidance alone.

Many authors do a wonderful job giving us this illusion, and at times, perhaps we do see things coming before they are intended to be revealed. Perhaps occasionally we are smarter than the author and his or her characters.

Prepare to lose all of that smug superiority when you read this book. Throw it out the window and just clip in for a ride that you have no idea where you will end up. Megan Whalen Turner doesn't even pretend to give you, the reader, and edge. She boldly writes to confuse, to veil, to leave you walking through a maze in the dark wondering what the heck is going on. And I think she enjoys it. I almost feel that the characters themselves knew that they had me over a barrel, and they relished it.

I would have given up, moved on to something with more immediate payoff, but I decided to actually look up this series that I had just randomly picked from my Kindle library. I did not know what I had stumbled upon, and the raving reviews from fans sent me back to the story. At about 73%, I finally started to get the picture. By the end, I'm hooked. This author is brilliant, she tricked me, fooled me, led me around by the nose and her own characters mocked my ignorance....and I can't wait to come back for more. Somehow, being surprised by events, and truly likable characters that I had disliked for most of the book was refreshing. It reminded me that sometimes you have to look deeper, I don't know the whole story, and people can surprise you.

Well done, Ms. Turner. You pulled off a feat that few authors have, you surprised me.

And for any readers who were as confused by the landscape as I was, the map is at the back of the book. Consult it often and spare yourself the head scratching.


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The Thief The Queen Thief Book 1 Megan Whalen Turner Books Reviews

This was such a refreshing and unexpected read! I picked up The Thief in an effort to complete one of my current reading challenge prompts, but I was not prepared for how endearing I was soon to find its unlikely hero and protagonist, Gen.

The skinny..

When the magus finds himself in need of a thief to help him seek out an elusive, ancient treasure for the king, he turns to the prison. It is here that he chooses young Gen, a boastful and proud thief, selected solely for his skills to help him complete the job at hand. What is the job? Only the magus knows. So Gen, happy to escape his current confinements sets out with 4 men on a long and dangerous journey. Along the way, they will they will share food, trade stories of the old gods and goddesses, and possibly come to know one another just a little.

" ‘I want you to steal something.’
I smiled. ‘Do you want the king’s seal? I can get it for you.’
‘If I were you,’ said the magus, ‘I’d stop bragging about that.’ His voice grated.
My smile grew. The gold ring with the engraved ruby had been in his safekeeping when I had stolen it away.”

What I appreciated..

This is a beautiful slow burn sort of tale unfolds throughout the course of our narrator’s travels. And I adore traveling stories for some many reasons, I would not even know where to start. But the every changing setting and perils offer an environment that is ripe with opportunity. It is here we learn so much about our protagonist and companions.
There are elements of mythology present, though I am unable to place my finger on any specific one. It felt as if Turner plucked the best from Greek mythology and other familiar cultures and tales, crafting them into something of her own. We are gifted with stories within a story as members of the traveling party trade their tales.
Gen is an incredibly rewarding protagonist and narrator. He is witty, animated and invigorating. It does not take long to succumb to his odd, wily charms and find yourself slightly enchanted.
Turner’s writing is captivating and seamless, creating a rich and immersive experience.
The ending was not what I had imagined and I am thankful for that. While a few small moments were predicted, I admit to being caught unaware in the best of ways and loved the conclusion!

“It’s a funny thing that the new gods have been worshipped in Sounis since the invaders came, but when people need a truly satisfying curse, they call on the old gods. I called on all of them, one right after another, and used every curse I’d overheard in the lower city.”

Challenges some may encounter..

I cannot speak for later books in this series, but The Thief while a fantasy story at heart will read more true as slower paced, historical fiction during this first encounter. The fantasy elements come into limited play. So if you are expecting high fantasy, you may be setting yourself up for some disappointment.
I felt the character description was slightly lacking, leaving me to wonder quite a bit about Gen and a few supporting characters.

The Thief is a superb introduction to what promises to be a fulfilling and rich series. Boasting a distinct protagonist who carries a first-person narrative in the best of ways, it is likely to find an appreciative audience among fans of sharp, humorous fantasy and historical fiction. I am looking forward to picking up the next book!
"The Thief" is the opening book in a fantasy series. The age of the first person narrator isn't given, but I imagined him as about fifteen years old, and the edition I read was marketed as young adult. Whatever the perceived audience, I enjoyed this very much. The tale is very well told, with details that brought me into the scenes, a sharp wit, and a sympathy for the characters. The book includes fantasy elements, but they don't surface early on. Instead the focus is firmly on the young protagonist--the eponymous thief--and his difficulties.

I have three more remarks, each of which constitute mild spoilers.... Firstly, certain information is withheld from the reader. This is a tactic I usually dislike, but which I found it acceptable here, partly because it seems in keeping with the narrator's character, and partly because it didn't lessen my enjoyment while I was reading. Secondly, I was drawn to several of the secondary world details, which have the flavor of Ancient Greece, and my edition includes an author's note at the end discussing this. Thirdly, and which is perhaps a more-than-mild spoiler, a character death occurs that saddened me, but that was appropriate to the story.

I have already ordered the next four books in the series.
Most readers tend to develop a sense of instinct regarding a story, its characters, and where the written journey is headed. We develop this air of superiority that we know all things, nothing can take us by surprise, and the author writes under our guidance alone.

Many authors do a wonderful job giving us this illusion, and at times, perhaps we do see things coming before they are intended to be revealed. Perhaps occasionally we are smarter than the author and his or her characters.

Prepare to lose all of that smug superiority when you read this book. Throw it out the window and just clip in for a ride that you have no idea where you will end up. Megan Whalen Turner doesn't even pretend to give you, the reader, and edge. She boldly writes to confuse, to veil, to leave you walking through a maze in the dark wondering what the heck is going on. And I think she enjoys it. I almost feel that the characters themselves knew that they had me over a barrel, and they relished it.

I would have given up, moved on to something with more immediate payoff, but I decided to actually look up this series that I had just randomly picked from my library. I did not know what I had stumbled upon, and the raving reviews from fans sent me back to the story. At about 73%, I finally started to get the picture. By the end, I'm hooked. This author is brilliant, she tricked me, fooled me, led me around by the nose and her own characters mocked my ignorance....and I can't wait to come back for more. Somehow, being surprised by events, and truly likable characters that I had disliked for most of the book was refreshing. It reminded me that sometimes you have to look deeper, I don't know the whole story, and people can surprise you.

Well done, Ms. Turner. You pulled off a feat that few authors have, you surprised me.

And for any readers who were as confused by the landscape as I was, the map is at the back of the book. Consult it often and spare yourself the head scratching.