Book Review - The Thief

By: Megan Whalen Turner
Published by Harper Collins
Release Date: September 2009
Source: Bought
5 Stars- This book is a must have and one I'll be re-reading again and again.

Synopsis (from Harper Collins): The king's scholar, the magus, believes he knows the site of an ancient treasure. To attain it for his king, he needs a skillful thief, and he selects Gen from the king's prison. The magus is interested only in the theif's abilities. What Gen is interested in is anyone's guess. Their journey toward the treasure is both dangerous and difficult, lightened only imperceptibly by the tales they tell of the old gods and goddesses.

Megan Whalen Turner weaves Gen's stories and Gen's story together with style and verve in a novel that is filled with intrigue, adventure, and surprise.

I'm re-reading the first three books because the fourth, A Conspiracy of Kings, has been released this summer and I enjoyed them so much the first time that I wanted to make sure I didn't miss any of the details before I read the newest installment.

The Thief is the first book in the series and introduces one of my all time favorite characters, Gen. Gen is a boastful thief, who lands in prison because of his well publicized reputation that he can, indeed, steal anything. When the King's magus arrives with a proposal for Gen to steal a famous religious object belonging to a rival country, Gen has very little choice and joins the magus and his two apprentices on a journey through a landscape filled with dangerous obstacles.

What I love about The Thief is that it's told from Gen's point of view and well being a thief, he can't always be entirely trustworthy, now can he? Or perhaps he is just that -- trustworthy, loyal and predictable. You can never be sure. Not even when the last page is turned.

The world that Megan creates is so detailed and dense that you want to keep unraveling its many layers of politics and intrigue. The mythology is presented with a nod to ancient religions and one that makes you think about your own current belief system as well as those of others around you. This is one of those books that you will not be able to put down and when you finally do, it'll leave you thinking, interpreting and wondering about what you just read.

Given the synopsis and general fantasy plot, you'll wonder if he's that Hot Boy with a Sword I adore reading and I'll tell you that Gen hates sword-fighting and tries to avoid killing anyone. That statement alone will hint at the luxurious details and tasty little plot twists that will surprise and delight you as you journey along with Gen.

I encourage you to pick up this series and join me in reading it this summer.