The Thief audiobook

Update 12/29/2018Clearly I can never get tired of Megan Whalen Turner’s stories and Gen’s refreshing petulance.Update 6/2011. Let me just say, if you feel so-so about this book (like I did), please give its sequel - The Queen of Attolia - a try. It made me forever and ever a dedicated fan of the series. I have mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed it, but I think I spoiled the experience for myself a little bit. (view spoiler)[The reviewers like to point to a huge twist at the end of the story as the biggest reason for enjoying this book. But if you know in advance that you should expect something, it is very easy to pick up clues on the way and figure out the big secret fairly quickly. I think this anticipation of the big reveal threw me off a bit and I ended up a little underwhelmed when the ending finally came. What I should have concentrated on is the writing, because it is superb. Turner shows a great command of English language, there is simply no word wasted in this story. Turner's books are highly recommended by Kristin Cashore, a great YA fantasy writer. In fact, the sentence structure, the tightness and simplicity of "The Thief" reminded me of "Graceling," only Turner is definitely a stronger writer. I also liked the thief himself. Gen is a funny, sneaky and extremely unreliable narrator, who holds a lot back and while he tells the story in his own words, he remains very anonymous throughout his adventures. I thought it was a very interesting way to write a book.Overall, I enjoyed this book, enough to want to read the consequent novels. However my advice would be - don't waste your time searching for clues and anticipating the huge climax and just enjoy the great writing and skillfully built fantasy world. (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

My main reason for reading The Thief was so I could read the sequel - The Queen of Attolia - that I've heard is superb and far better than this first installment. I actually set myself up for quite an underwhelming experience with this book based on reviews and the fact that I'm not the biggest fan of more traditional fantasy with magical realms and such (I never could stand The Lord of the Rings). However, the story was interesting, the writing excellent and the protagonist was a witty, devious little narrator that kept me entertained throughout.I love the world that Turner has created, even though we've seen so little of it so far - this only served to further pique my interest. I see a lot of potential for this series and I have already ordered a copy of The Queen of Attolia.There is a twist that I thought was pretty obvious, and usually if I can solve a mystery it would suggest that it's about as mysterious as a gigantic billboard with flashing neon lights... but I think it had more to do with the fact that I knew a twist was coming, and some other GR reviewers were surprised by it. So, you know, try not to, um, think too much about it.By the way, for people who have read this, isn't the biggest clue in (view spoiler)[the title of the series? I noticed that early on and began to wonder... (hide spoiler)]But, for me, guessing the twist didn't spoil the story at all. I was introduced to a wonderful fantasy world, interesting characters, and a fast-paced plot, and it was all supported by Turner's talent for flawless writing. I cannot wait to read the second book.["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>

An excellent fantasy for the young adult audience!I mean, the adult audience, too. Because obviously, I enjoyed it quite a bit and nobody is accusing me of being young.

The Thief is the first book in one of my favorite YA series EVER, with just a touch of Greek mythology-inspired fantasy to it. It can be just a little hard to get into at first, but the payoff at the end is brilliant, and the world-building is fantastic. Stick with it through at least the first three books and you won't regret it. Avoid spoilers.Review originally posted at Fantasy Literature. Megan Whalen Turner’s award-winning 1996 YA fantasy The Thief, set in a fantasy world that has very strong echoes of ancient Greece, follows the adventures of Gen, the eponymous thief, as he is yanked from a filthy prison cell to go on a journey with a group of four men who hope to steal an unnamed object. The magus, who is leading the group, is the only person in the group who knows what they are searching for and where it is hidden.In honor of the deep importance of mythology and the panoply of Greek-like gods in the tale of The Thief, several Greek gods and goddesses have graciously agreed to make guest appearances in this review, to add their brief thoughts and opinions regarding this book. ARTEMIS: “Actually, when you think about it, the whole plot of The Thief revolves around a hunt. Okay, it’s a hunt for a hidden object, not a wild beast, but still. It’s really quite fascinating.”Gen spends most of the lengthy journey recovering from his months-long stay in prison, whining about their current conditions and the limited food, and sassing the magus and other members of the group. Although the journey is a rocky one, in more ways that just one, gradually Gen begins to gain respect for most of the group, and they for him. POSEIDON: “The role of the river Aracthus in protecting the treasure was a high point. But the story needed more bodies of water and less wasteland. Sea of Olives, pfft. Poor excuse for the real thing.”The characters are well-drawn and believable, with intriguing layers.… Ambiades was not going to move a step at the request of a worthless and insolent petty criminal. Ambiades, I realized, was the kind of person who liked to put people in a hierarchy, and he wanted me to understand that I was at the bottom of his. He was supposed to treat me politely in spite of my subservient position, and I was supposed to be grateful. For my part, I wanted Ambiades to understand that I considered myself a hierarchy of one.The tale of their journey is also interspersed with mythological tales of their world, such as the creation of the earth and birth of the gods, which give additional depth to the overall story. ARES: “I liked the sword fighting and the importance of the art of war in the plot of this story. Recognize! Too bad most of the fighting scenes were so short. But the conflicts between the countries of Sounis, Eddis and Attolia! Yeah, that has potential.”The first half of this book is somewhat slow-paced, as the group journeys to their destination, but once they arrive the pace quickens and the plot takes some unexpected and fascinating turns. The Thief has joined the list of my favorite YA fantasy novels. APHRODITE: “Why does the most beautiful woman in the book only make a brief appearance? Where is the love?” *pouts*The Thief is the first book in a series of five books, with possibly more books to come, but can easily be enjoyed as a stand-alone novel. By the end of the book, I was a huge fan of the characters and of Megan Whalen Turner. I’ve bought all five books in this series and will probably automatically buy anything else she writes. THE QUEEN'S THIEF series shouldn't be missed by anyone who enjoys YA fantasy. In fact, my favorite book in the whole series is the third, The King of Attolia. HERMES: “I love how Eugenides, the god of thieves like *ahem* yours truly, is worshipped and honored by the main character. And did you notice how Eugenides doesn’t have to do any of the messengering crap? How about that, there, Zeus? Best book ever!”4½ stars, and a big "thank you" to my guest reviewers!

fulfilling my 2021 goal to read one book each month by an author i have never read despite owning more than one of their books.this is the first book in the queen's thief series, which so many of my fantasy-loving friends have singled out as being the childhood books that turned them into readers. all of us booknerds have specific books like these, that shaped us—dog-eared beloveds we read and reread during our formative years that we still think of with fond nostalgia. these special few create a sort of undercrust that shapes our adult reading tastes, and it's fascinating to little readers' advisory geek me hearing other booknerds talk about their childhood favorites so i can trace that through line and see how their preferences developed and evolved over time. i don't have a strong fantasy background, and i'm low-key intimidated by all of the supersmart, confident, articulate fantasy readers i've met over the years whose frames of reference are completely out of my depth, so hearing these women (they were always women) speak of this series (that i am too old to have encountered in my own childhood) in such hushed, reverential tones, how could i not want to horn in on that? so, i went out and bought all of them in one fell swoop because little old ladies ain't got time for half-measures. i'm not sure if these books were intended for a YA or a middle grade audience—before reading this one, i assumed they were middle grade, but now, judging by the pacing and the complexity of the plot, it seems better suited to an older audience.*regarding the pacing, i recently rewatched the dark crystal (holy cow, is this lady ever going to talk about the book or is she just gonna keep sundowning into endless digressions?), and i was struck by how long it takes for anything to happen. there's no dialogue for about 10 minutes—an eternity in child-time—just voiceover exposition over a static landscape before slowly panning over those skeksis k-holing around that dang crystal, and the mystics mournfully moaning and it's visually intriguing, but for a kids' movie, it's striking that it takes so long to get anywhere, like those slow-ass mystics doing their slow-ass plod across an expanse of nothing. i saw it in the theater back in 1982 when i was a tiny person, and i don't remember being bored at all by it, but if it were to be made nowadays, an editor would have lopped off 75% of that opening sequence because kids are squirmy little adderall-filled buggers who need their stimulation right off the bat.all of that prelude to say that this book came out in 1996 and it is a damn slow burn. even for me, an adult who primarily reads adult fiction, it seemed remarkably slow. not draggy and not boring, but deliberate and leisurely, in no hurry to ferry the reader to the narrative conflict.the first 3/4 of the book is a journey/quest story, set in a fantasy-grecian realm where a young thief named gen is scooped out of the royal prison where he's been languishing in a cell for months after a particularly cheeky bit of thievery. although he's still technically a prisoner, he's conscripted on a mission to use his skills to steal a Very Important Thing and allowed to free-range (chained and disdained), traveling alongside a magus, a soldier, and two young men close to gen's age; one younger and one older, and the older one is a real jerk. incidentally, i have no earthly idea how old gen is. because this is a book for younger readers, i started out thinking of him as maybe twelve, but the more i read, the older he seemed and i don't know whether i missed the part where his age was specified or if it's left up to the reader to fill in that gap. gen is a grows-on-you kind of character—a sympathetic unreliable narrator whose mental wheels are always turning as he observes and plots, sussing everyone else out but divulging little of himself, entertaining himself with the light but enthusiastic pestering of a tiny puppy towards a much bigger dog. he's charming when he wants to be; not often to his companions but to the people they meet along the way, particularly when there's a chance of him getting some extra food out of it. gen is so hungry. all the time. although little seems to happen on the journey, there's a lot of character development and worldbuilding going on, most notably the stories-within-the-story in which we learn a great deal about regional history and the subtle ways a tale can be framed. the last quarter of the book picks up a lot of steam, becoming a sort of mashup of a heist plot and indiana jones (specifically the last crusade (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]), and like a classic heist story, all the small details that surfaced when not much seemed to be happening are revealed to have been very important, indeed. there's some redemption, some grudging respect, and some surprises for these uncompanionable companions (view spoiler)[especially for ambiades, o noooooooooo (hide spoiler)]i enjoyed this introduction to the series, and i'm keen on burning through the rest of them to see what adventures await for gen and his thiefways now that the things that have happened have happened. . * although those madeleine l'engle books were middle grade and my memory of them is that they were highly complex and sophisticated in their themes and storytelling and i was probably seven or so when i read them. NB: "highly complex and sophisticated" were perhaps not the EXACT words i used to describe them when i was seven.come to my blog!["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>

This was another book my wife insisted that I read. It was our before-bed read aloud book last month.Reading 10-15 pages a night, the first half of the book was enjoyable, but unfolded rather slowly. I was a bit puzzled about why my wife was so enthusiastic about the book. Then, about half way through, the excitement and tempo increased a few notches, and it become a real page-turner.This is a fantasy novel, but it is not your typical swords and sorcery adventure. There are swords, and even a couple of fights, but the closest we get to sorcery are some mysterious occurrences that could best be described as super-natural. Turner's alternate reality evokes the feeling of Greece. The landscape is rocky, somewhat mountainous, and filled with olive trees. The "old" religion has the feeling of Greek mythology although the divinities are mostly different. And the political backdrop is a set of small rivalrous kingdoms that could be stand-ins for the city-states of ancient Greece. The story is told (first person) by Gen, 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 this 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. Midway through the book, just when it seems that the entire plot is going to be character-driven, the tempo increases dramatically. There are fights, escapes, chases. Amongst this action there are still the puzzles of characters whose motivations we don't entirely understand---including our narrator, who carefully hides a few secrets of his own until the end. All-in-all, a well-told story, with a good combination of plot, characters, and an interesting setting.Once again, my wife picked a winner. I should pay more attention to her recommendations.

Having dutifully tried a few new things to my lack of satisfaction this past week, I turned instead to an old favorite that I knew would be a pleasurable read. This is a book that re-repays a re-re-read, not only soon, but after finishing its sequels once they widen one's view of its world and characters.There is not too much one can say about The Thief that is not a spoiler, and this is a book that should NOT be read with preconceptions. Set in an alternate fantasy world loosely inspired by Greece both ancient and medieval, it opens with a bedraggled young thief, Gen, being plucked from the king's prison in Sounis to accompany the king's magus on a peculiar quest, for which his talents will be needed. Written as a first person memoir in Gen's engaging voice, it is classified as YA, and was a Newbery Honor book when it first came out in 1996, but really, I mention this mainly to make the book easier to find in a library or bookstore. Simply written but never simple.Trust me. Just read it. Then read it again, because it will not be the same river twice.It has at this time three follow-ups, The Queen of Attolia, The King of Attolia, and A Conspiracy of Kings, of which my favorite is The King of Attolia. These should be read in strict order for the best and most delightful effect and to avoid big honking spoilers.I do wonder, idly, if Turner has been unduly constrained in further development of the series by the book's YA-market origins. It seems to me further expansion would require shifting to adult-market fantasy as the main characters age out of YA parameters, which would be tricky but not impossible to bring off. If it were to be kept YA it would almost have to jump to the next generation, which also has possibilities, but may not be where it (or its writer) wants to go. Ta, L.

Brilliant and amazing, but four out of five stars because this, in my opinion, is just setting up the truly world-shaking events of the next two books.Edited on rereading in 2021: FOUR stars? Girl, what was wrong with you?Now that I know the twists, I was laughing in sheer delight throughout this. I don't know what was going on the first time I read this, but now I could truly appreciate how clever Gen is, and how this all fitted together so perfectly.

“Do you mean that we are out here in the dark looking for something from a fairy tale?”Gen can steal anything. The novel by Megan Whalen Turner can undoubtedly steal several hours from the life of the reader who opens The Thief.Thanks to a miraculous twist of fate, Gen becomes a member of an expedition searching for a long-lost, legendary item. A thief with a scathing tongue, a stoic mage without magic, a silent soldier and two curious students (Useless the Elder and Useless the Younger) - that’s the whole company. Their mutual relations quickly become complicated, and although they have the same goal, they differ in their motivations and ideas on how to achieve it. This might appear as a dull setup for a relatively short tale. Some of the plot twists or revelations concerning travel companions will be quite clichéd and easy to predict for experienced readers. No bells and whistles. But hear me out; no one is who you think they are. Things are happening beyond what you think is happening. There are layers and layers of meanings. The spice of the story is added by the auto-ironic approach of the narrator, even though at the beginning, I wanted to throttle this empty egomaniac quite often.What is remarkable in the prose of Megan Whalen Turner is that contrary to a typical fantasy novel, The Thief does not feel the need to dazzle readers with fights, powerful magic or supernatural skills. And yet, although during the long journey, which for a change is not full of dangers, frantic escapes, chases or skirmishes, the reader will not be bored. I also liked how real everything was: wounds take a long time to heal, and not everyone is a sword master or rides horses very well. A mage is, in fact, a scholar who does not cast spells at all, and you will have to wait for the first skirmish of the armed for many, many pages.It is true that the beginning is not very encouraging, but as the pages go by, the novel gets more and more captivating. The sudden twists and turns, the hidden secrets of the protagonists, and the unexpected choices they make, all of this makes reading very enjoyable. There is no way, however, to word any criticism about the ending. Although the pace of the story is not even, the finale is perfectly balanced, and the author reached a pinnacle of craft here: Through a masterful mixture of revelation and suspense, she made reaching for the second volume of Gen’s adventures a must, not just a possibility.A friend gently suggested that I am making questionable reading decisions when bypassing this for other mediocre YA series. So, here I am, a contrite reader ready to admit my mistake. The Thief is not an epic, nor is it a long and intricately plotted novel. But what is truly remarkable about this book is how nice it is. It is light, flowing, and uncomplicated, but also a bit surprising and unconventional. It is like a favourite episode of your favourite series. You know everything, you expect everything, and you will absorb it all with a smile. If you are looking for a breather or just something to reset a “reading fatigue”, I cannot recommend it highly enough. Also in the series: 2. The Queen of Attolia ★★★★★3. The King of Attolia ★★★★☆4. The Conspiracy of Kings ★★★☆☆5. Thick as Thieves ★★★☆☆6. Return of the Thief

Full Review LinkIt is safe to say that I spend most of my free time reading. I read three to four books every week, sometimes more. I am very careful with what I choose to read which means that most of the books I read, I end up enjoying at least to some degree. But it is rare, extremely rare, to read a book that falls in that category of Books for Life. You know the ones: those that take over your heart and your mind, that even when you are reading you know that you are experiencing something unique, a connection with a story and its characters (that only serial readers can understand); those that you know will remain with you, forever.I experienced such rapture when I read The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss earlier in the year, and to my utter surprise and delight, again a few weeks ago when I finally read The Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner.This series came under my radar only recently when Angie from Angieville started to blog about the books with not a little amount of excitement. From then on, I started to see more and more people talking about them with such fervor that I thought I should give them a try. And, HOLY GUACAMOLE.I am totally, irrevocably, head over heels in love with this series. I knew I would have to review these books eventually, I had hoped to do so during this YA Month but I also realised that I had a decision to make: I could either review each book in the series separately or I could review the series as whole. The former would naturally lead to spoilers being revealed and since these books cannot, should not be spoiled, I opted for the latter by writing an overall review of the series, spoiler free. This is what I am trying to do here – although I am fully aware that so far, I only managed to basically behave like a fan-girl.But it cannot be helped. I now completely understand the fervor, the excitement that this series inspire. As I was reading the books, as the pages were being turned I had only one thought in mind: this is why I read. THIS is why I read. THIS IS WHY I READ. And it all comes down to one word: Eugenides.Gen, Eugenides is a thief. He boasts that he can steal anything. That lands him in the King of Sounis’ prison where he spends a couple of months until he is offered, by the King’s Magus, his freedom but in return he has to steal something that people don’t even think really exists.This is how the whole thing opens, in The Thief and we are told about this expedition in search of the Gift, by Gen himself, a humorous narrator of this dashing adventure across the neighbouring countries of Sounis, Eddis and Attolia. This person, this ragamuffin, lazy, starved boy – can he really steal anything?But you see, Gen is extremely clever, a fact which the reader and his companions in the first adventure, come to slowly realise. Close to the end of that book, we learn something that is crucial to the entire series – that Gen is actually cleverer than anyone else. And there is something else too, something that makes him important. But that doesn’t matter to us here and now, because what really matters is how amazing Gen is. By the end of book 1, it is impossible not to like the guy or his “voice”.Then book 2 starts, and shock of the shocks. Gen is no longer the narrator – the narrative has shifted to third person with Gen’s, the Queen of Eddis’ and the Queen of Attolia’s PoV. At first, it is almost painful to lose Gen’s narration but then somewhere in the middle of the reading it hits you with a certainty:OF COURSE the narrative has to change.Because this is a different book. It is still the same story but progress has been made. Because now, the destiny of countries is at stake, war is brewing in the horizon between Attolia, Eddis and Sounis. This is a more sophisticated book, it has political discussion , political intrigue, it discusses the role that the Gods play in the fate of men and nations.In the beginning of the series, Gen is a boy. A cocky, impetuous, adventurous, conniving boy. When book 2 starts, something terrible happens (did I say shock of the shocks before? Well, this is even more shocking) that shapes the man Eugenides becomes. A man who has now to steal more than a simple object: he is tasked to steal a man, a woman and peace.The way he does it, takes us back to more twists like in the first book. And we, once again, are surprised by how clever Eugenides is. Even if we expect it by now.Then book 3 starts. Once again, a shock. The book is entirely from the point of view of a character we never saw before. As the book progresses, the certainty hits once more:OF COURSE the narrative has to change.Because this time, this time we KNOW how clever Gen is. But no one else does. Including Costis, the narrator, a member of the Queen of Attolia’s Guard who commits the mistake of underestimating Eugenides. And this is the genius of Megan Whalen Turner because in book 3, we, the readers, are Eugenides’s accomplices. We sit back and wait for the coin to drop for everybody else as it has dropped for us in books 1 and 2. This is about pay-off, about Eugenides stealing respect and a kingdom. And what a story this is.This is a series of books that have deep meanings, hidden clues throughout the story. Where everything matters from the type of clothes someone wears, to the reason behind a pair of earrings being worn at a particular right time, to the declaration of love that the raising of one’s eyebrow is.And speaking of love: there is also romance in these books. It starts towards the middle of book 2 and it takes centre stage in book 3. But not in it a blatant way: the romance is subtle, almost private (especially in book 3) and I am not exaggerating when I say it is the most amazing romance I have read of late. It is unexpected and it is unusual. For starters, Eugenides is shorter and younger than the person he loves. But she is everything he ever wanted and he is everything she ever needed. Because of that, their dynamic is simply awesome and there is no other word for it. And what Eugenides is to his lady is aw-worthy at the same time that it is powerful. This is good stuff, plain and simple.To sum up: I was lost in the world of Attolia and Eddis and I did not want to get away from it. I would be remiss if I didn’t say one last thing: that the female characters in the series are extremely capable, intelligent, strong, and I admired both of then, the two Queens, as different as they were in their personalities, immensely.If you like unreliable narrators, cons, plot twists, political intrigue, character development, mythology, stories within stories, strong female characters and heart-warming romance and above all, a male protagonist that is all kinds of awesome, you should look no further than this series. It is not a perfect series by any means – there is change in pacing from one book to another, and the first book is clearly for a younger audience than the other two books. This is why, in my opinion, they should be read as a collection of books and not individually. I still love them though, flaws and all.At the end of book three, Eugenides has stolen: a gift; a man; a woman; peace; a kindgom. He has also stolen my heart.___________I know how cryptic this overview has been and that I did not provide any real details about the story. I still think you should find them out by yourself by reading the books, but if you want to know more you can read these reviews:Angieville’s: The Thief, The Queen of Attolia, The King of AttoliaOne last word: book 4 in the series, A Conspiracy of Kings is coming out in 2010. It is safe to say it my most anticipated book for 2010 along with The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss.

I love this book SO MUCH.The pacing, the plot set-up, the characters, the world... All of it is just SO GOOD.I feel like this is a book that fantasy writers should read to look for inspiration. Just so much of it is phenomenal. And it's short!! Well, short for a fantasy book. This review is short because there's not much more to say other than READ THIS BOOK.

Book good. Devin like.

I enjoyed this book a lot! Definitely young adult in tone, but immensely entertaining and the end was a fun twist. Recommended especially for teens.

This was a great little adventure fantasy book that I really loved. It was short (coming up to about 280 pages) but the author managed to fill it with world building and mythology and history that I found so fascinating! I've heard that the later books in the series are even better by leaps and bounds, so I can't wait to get to them!Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to formally announce that I have found the new love of my life, and that is Gen. I'm a sucker for the trickster Aladdin-type thief characters with a truck full of secrets, so I think Gen and I were just meant to be. He's like an even snarkier, trickier Han Alister. I can't wait to continue reading Gen's story and follow his future adventures!!I adored how the setting was based in Greek mythology. Some of you might not know this but I am a fucking huge Greek mythology nerd (all stemming from my childhood full of Percy Jackson). The stories of the old gods were both familiar and unique, and I loved seeing where Megan Whalen Turner took Greek mythology and placed her own spin on it. I can't wait to see Gen again when I get to the next book