~The Thief~

The Thief
Turner, Megan Whalen
1996
7 out of 10
Young Adult, Fantasy
some swearing, and mild violence


The Theif  is the first book in a series of four books.  It begins in a land called Sounis, in the king's dungeon.  Gen is a cocky theif, who blatantly brags about the objects that he steels, and claims that he can steal ANYTHING.  Due to his bragging in a local wineshop, he eventually lands himself a spot in the King's dungeon after he steals the King's seal, a gold ring with a ruby engraved on it.  After sitting in the dungeon for a while, the king's scholar, called the Magus, freed Gen.  But, yes there is a catch, first Gen must steal a certain precious stone, called Hamaithes's Gift, for the King of Sounis.  Hamaithes's Gift, which is considered "unstealable", is located in a hidden temple in Attolia .  Many men have tried to steal this object, but none of them have survived.  It is a very dangerous journey, and the group that assists Gen is filled with lots of bickering and unrelentless fighting.  Along the journey you will find that things are not what they seem, and some people can never be trusted. 

Gen is a thief that has been in prison, he is considered very lowly, and people who consider themselves higher up on the totem pole than him (which is everybody) treat him awfully.  He is slapped, kicked, hit, tied up, and beaten with multiple different weapons.  He is considered the lowest of the low, and therefore he does not recieve even a little respect from anyone.  But, along the way, you start to realize that there is more to Gen than just a lowly thief.  You'll find that he is actually smart, and very good at what he does.  I think the author is trying to say that you shouldn't judge a person before you get to know them.  I know we hear that a lot, "Don't judge a book by it's cover.", but it is totally true.  If a poor, lowly thief, considered no more important than dirt, can be trusted by a king to steal the most valuable stone the world has ever known, then imagine what we can do with our lives.

This novel is written in first person, narrarated by Gen.  The author gives you a look into the life of a man who is ranked very low in his society and the journey he takes to steal a very precious stone, for the same king who has imprisoned him.  You are thrown into a world filled with many different gods and goddess, and you are able to see the interactions between man and the gods.

This book is a fantasy book, filled with fictional stories about many different gods and goddesses that were made up by the author.  I think this book is aimed towards teens, about the junior high to high school level, but I am comfident that many people of all ages will enjoy this book.  The author starts out slow but works her way into an unfamiliar world with strange characters and unusual circumstances.  Also, this book does not have one of those expected endings that is in almost every other books that we read.  They author slowly unravels more and more information throughout the book, but at the end she totally swipes your feet out from under you, takes you by suprise, grips your attention, and almost leaves you hanging, wanting more.

"A tanatlizing, suspenseful,exceptionally clever novel."-- The Horn Book

"To miss the thief's story would be a crime."--BCCB