"A little danger adds spice to life"Gen is roused from his prison cell, where he was locked up after stealing the king's ring, to meet the magus. The magus gives him an offer: find something the king wants and be free or die. Gen reluctantly agrees, and with Ambiades, Sophos, and Pol, the team strikes out to hunt for Hamiathes' Gift.If I could only use one word to describe this book, it would probably be "supercalafragalisticexpialadoshus". This book is absolutely amazing! The characters are great and interesting, the story is fun and exciting, and you never are quite sure what is going to happen next.Our protagonist is Eugenides or "Gen". He is lazy, smarmy smart-aleck who is drug along on this trip because, well, he's a prisoner and has really no choice. I know I've harshly critiqued some boys (Jacob from Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and Cas from Anna Dressed in Blood) for being smart @sses and rude, but for some reason, I thought it worked for Gen. I absolutely adored him. He was a gut-wrenchingly funny, lazy ne'er do well but was also highly capable in his own areas (thievery, for instance). I also thought it very cool how he was not Caucasian (at least, that was my interpretation--I pictured him as somewhat Middle Eastern). Kinda nice to see non-white protagonists.The Magus, Sophos, Ambiades, and Pol were great. I really grew to like them all in their own way. The Magus was smart and capable, very much the stereotypical mentor (even with smacking the boys on the head when they talk back!), but I thought it was done well and not too over the top. Sophos was such a sweet lad, so innocent and wide-eyed. Although Ambiades was quite an a-hole at times, I really liked him and felt sorry for his poor position in life. And Pol was epic. This guy was so awesome, the book barely held together when he was in a scene.If there was any complaint I had with characters, it would be the lack of females. Other than the queens and goddesses who appear briefly in the last quarter or so of the book, the book is very testosterone heavy. Now, kudos to Turner for writing that way and not making the boys sound too feminine, but having some girl power in this book would be nice (we get a hint with the Queen of Eddis, but, again, she appears for only like 20 pages).The setting was great! Turner really developed her world well, and I could definitely feel the Greek vibe she mentions in the article in the back of my book. And yet, at no point did it feel too Greek, too "real world". From the land of Sounis to Eddis, from the masterful stories of the gods and goddesses (which was TOTALLY AWESOME!! I haven't read fictional myths this good probably ever!) to the tastes and smells of day to day living (I love how swords, crosssbows, and guns are all featured alongside each other!), this is a world that feels similar and yet different from our world.And then the story! WOW! I loved it! I am a big journey/adventure junkie, and this book was just what I needed to read. It moves at a fairly brisk pace, but doesn't hesitate to fill you in on the characters, to make you bond to them and become invested in their story. I was shocked at the ending and totally didn't see that coming. Though I will say...Turner does tend to not tell you something that happened so when the big reveal comes, you are shocked. I can understand why this was done--for the surprise--but it did feel like a cheap thrill at times.The only other "complaint" I may have is: why was this shelved with the middle school books? This book has quite a bit of swearing in it, some violence, and thievery; not sure if that would be good middle school material. Young adults? Definitely. Adults? Oh, yeah (who cares if we're supposed to be reading sophisticated literature junk? I'd rather read a bajillion of these kinds of books any day to some high art, barely understandable "adult" lit book).I absolutely adored this book. It has won a place in my All Time Favs library (up there with The Magician's Nephew) and would get a bajillion stars if I could. I definitely plan on checking out the sequels and can't recommend this book enough. If you want an enjoyable, fun, adventurous read, look no further!
I've been told by so many people that this series is amazing, but that the first book is kinda lackluster. I didn't know much more than that going into The Thief, and perhaps that's why I enjoyed it more than others seem to. Importantly, I didn't know there was a twist at the end and so I didn't see it coming and also didn't spend my time trying to figure out what it was. I just enjoyed the ride.The Thief follows Gen, the eponymous trickster, as he is forced to journey through multiple countries with the king of Sounis' advisor and his apprentices to retrieve the mythical Hamiathe's Gift, said to bestow the right to rule Sounis' neighbouring kingdom of Eddis on whomever posseses it. The bulk of this book is taken up with the journey itself, and I've seen multiple reviewers complain of the slowness of the narrative as a result. Perhaps because I was using this book as a break from the snail's pace of Picnic at Hanging Rock, I actually didn't find it particularly slow. Sure, there's a lot of description of winding roads, meals of bread and cheese and a helluva lot of olive trees, but thanks to Megan Whalen Turner's strong writing, it all managed to maintain my interest.The characters also helped negate the potential tediousness of the journey for me. Gen is an unreliable but compelling narrator. His voice is strong, and his cheeky arrogance is somehow endearing. His travelling companions are a curious bunch, each hiding their own secrets. I only wish there had been a girl or two as part of the party - it was very male-centric for most of the story. But at least this is somewhat balanced by the fact that the women who do appear are all very powerful.Maybe I'm getting stupid, but as I already mentioned I didn't see the twist coming, and there are a few threads that left me a bit confused.(view spoiler)[ I'd like to know how much Gen actually planned. Did he deliberately get caught because he knew the magus would use him to retrieve Hamiathe's Gift? Or was it a lucky coincidence? The magus mentioned he probably wanted to make a name for himself, but I wondered if it was more than that. Did his queen or his father send him to Sounis with that intention all along, or was he acting on his own? I would have liked more explanation. But like I said, maybe I'm just getting stupid. (hide spoiler)]
What do You think about The Thief (2005)?
The main character of this story is mesmerizing. Turner has fleshed him out so fully, he's stepped right off the pages to join the ranks of characters the likes of Uriah Heep and Bertie Wooster. Gen is more likeable than either of them, though. This is fantasy that doesn't feel like fantasy. From the moment you meet him in the king's prison, Gen effortlessly holds your attention as he slowly reveals himself without ever giving himself entirely away. He tells his own story and his observations of his enforced companions and their struggling journey to recapture a treasure are by turns hilarious and heart-stopping. Like a true illusionist, Gen keeps your eyes off the real treasure whilst holding it in plain sight from beginning to end of this gem of a story.
—Annie
I think this review may be SPOILER-ISH, so read on at your own peril.First off, I HAVE to know... Was Gen's identity supposed to be a big secret? Because I knew exactly who he was about one-third into the book, about the time they reached Eddis. So if the whole thing was supposed to have been mysterious up until the end, when the grand revelation took place, I might have to drop a star, and pat myself on the back for my own cleverness. But since I really, really liked The Thief, I will give Megan Whalen Turner the benefit of the doubt and assume that she expected us to figure it out and be laughing up our sleeve at the magus and Sapphos. Because that is what I did. The Thief is a book that is guaranteed to capture your imagination. I can imagine myself pressing this book on my sullen-faced teenaged kids twenty years from now, while they sneer at me for being so geeky. Of course, once they get caught up in the narrative, they will be too enthralled to care about their mom's lack of coolness. Oh, I love my imaginary children already! I know how hard it is for women authors to write from the viewpoint of a male protagonist. So I respect Turner for creating a hero who is convincing and believable -- not too effeminate, not too angsty and definitely very likeable. I loved the fact that Gen was such a clever hero. He wasn't strutting around proclaiming his intellectual superiority, and his prowess at arms, and his alpha male personality. He was subtle, as a thief and a courtier ought to be. Turner was very subtle in the way she allowed facets of his personality to shine through, and that, I feel, is a very smart writing technique. I loved the stories about Eugenides and Mother Earth and Father Sky, even though the mythology sounded very Aboriginal to me, but that was a nice counterpoint to the grecian setting of the rest of the book. The only point of the story where I stumbled a little was when the gods were guiding Gen, because I couldn't figure out why exactly they were bothering. The reasons for stealing Hamiathes' Gift felt singularly human to me, and no reason for the gods to get involved. But perhaps there are greater forces at work behind the scenes, and I will find out all about them as I go on to the second book. All in all, this was a great book, and one that I would have no hesitation in recommending to anyone, so I have to thank my book goddess Tatiana for recommending the series to me. I can't wait to find out what happens in the next to books, so off I go to read 'em!
—Vinaya
Every time I think of this series, I kick myself for not having started it when I was younger. Not exactly because I’d enjoy it more as a younger reader, but because I would have had more years to crush on Eugenides and the masterful storytelling that Megan Whalen Turner is capable of.To be honest, in the beginning I wasn’t very impressed with THE THIEF. The story starts in prison, and Gen is sick and scrawny and cranky. Not quite the most endearing character at this point. Even when Gen, the magus, the magus’ two apprentices, and their guard set off on their journey to steal Hamiathes’ Gift, I was less than pleased by Gen and the apprentices constantly ragging on each other.But gradually, my vision expanded beyond Gen’s pettiness and immaturity and began to appreciate the, shall we say, “surroundings.” The majority of THE THIEF is a quest, and I can’t pinpoint when I began to fall in love with these quarrelsome characters, but fall in love I did. As their personalities became clearer to me, I was often forced to revise my previous judgments on their character and even like them—or, in some characters’ case, feel more suspicious of them. Turner draws heavily upon the setting and stories of Ancient Greece for her story, and I could imagine the rolling landscapes, the endless olive trees, and the sunshine as I read.THE THIEF proves extraordinary in the last third or so, as Gen attempts to figure out how to steal Hamiathes’ Gift. I have heard that Megan Whalen Turner is a master of surprising plot twists, and was so delighted at what was revealed to me in the end. (Which I’ll not spoil for you, no way.) There are few things in books as exciting as a well-executed plot twist—but they also run the risk of being unbelievable. Thankfully, in retrospect, you realize that Turner sets up her revelations excellently, subtly yet memorably.THE THIEF is a fantasy adventure that should appeal to readers both young and old. Rich with Mediterranean influences, stories-within-stories, and characters whose hair you really, really want to ruffle, it is no wonder that this book has withstood the test of time. I will be returning to you, Gen, when I need another dose of your cleverness and snark!
—Steph Su
