theguywhoreads

I love a good fantasy historical stories. There wasn't any thing that interest me that is simple and enjoyable (although I know there are some good historical fiction novels that are good) but there is one that caught my attention that has a simple title - The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner. What was more interesting was how it was written and the characters that are so loveable and incorrigible, I wanted to know more about the world of The Queen's Thief series. But first - The Thief.

It started with a simple setting - a thief was imprison because he got himself into trouble and when a king from Sounis send him a task to steal a legendary stone that was near impossible to obtain because its a tale of legends, the king believe that this thief can steal anything. Accompanied by a magus and two apprentice - their mission is off to Attolia where the legendary stone is.

Yes, the plot may seem boring and plain but it was the written and delivery of the work that is most impressive. I was astound by the description of the place, characters and the scenes (action or other wise) as it was so well-written. And then of course, the characters! I love Eugenides - he is witty, funny and (to me) loveable with sarcasm when he delivers smart remarks. Then of course, the tall tales of legends, given in historical form that is interesting, even though have done before. Given much on 2/3 part of the book, there is a twist I did not foresee. Maybe I was too busy dwelling into the world of Attolia but it was done well. Although the introduction of the characters were brief (not much depth is known about the rest of the characters or even Eugenides), I am looking forward for the next book to see what happens next, even though it does feel like it ended in one book (and rather, not in an exciting way).

To me, The Thief is well-written. Its not exciting but it does has a way to capture my attention as I read. Its direct to a point, which I like when it comes to reading books, and it doesn't waste a lot of time in explaining back stories or flashbacks. What was more interesting is how Megan Whalen Turner manage to even fill a normal daily chore scene that makes it interesting. For that, The Thief have my 4 out of 5 star rating. On to the next book.