The Queen of Attolia (The Queen's Thief, Book 2) [Paperback]

Megan Whalen Turner (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

When his small mountains country goes to war with the powerful nation of Attolia, Eugenides the thief is faced with his greatest challenge. He must steal a man, he must steal a queen, and he must steal peace.

But his greatest triumph-as well as his greatest loss-can only come if he succeeds in capturing something the Queen of Attolia may have sacrificed long ago.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In the firelit torture chamber the executioner's sword descends--and the Eugenides--the Thief of Eddis--no longer has his clever right hand. The Queen of Attolia sits calmly and watches the dreadful amputation behind her carefully cultivated mask of coldness, but later agonizes over what she has done to him. At the same time, she rages at herself for not hanging her captured prisoner outright.

Readers who first met Eugenides as the rascally teenager Gen in the Newbery Honor-winning The Thief will find that in this sequel he deepens through suffering and loss, but keeps the same witty talent for elaborate, crafty schemes of espionage and theft. Caught between two rival queens in a landscape based on that which surrounds the Mediterranean Sea, Eugenides is loyal to Eddis as her Queen's Thief, but in love (despite himself) with the beautiful and seemingly ruthless Attolia. In her small mountain country, Eddis controls the only bridge between the valley nation of Sounis and the coastal kingdom of Attolia, while all three are threatened by the ships of the powerful Medes. As the web of intrigue and shifting allegiances expands, and war is imminent, the Queen's Thief risks everything on an audacious and cunning military strategy to bring the two queens together--and to steal Attolia for himself. This remarkable fantasy, with its appealing characters, emotional intensity, witty dialogue, and inventive plot, will have teen fans panting for more. (Ages 12 and older) --Patty Campbell --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

This spellbinder of a sequel to the Newbery Honor-winning The Thief is every bit as devilishly well plotted and grandly conceived. As it opens, Eugenides the thief has fallen into the clutches of the queen of Attolia, who still seethes from his besting of her (relayed in The Thief). Unwilling to execute him, lest she start a war with the queen of Eddis (Eugenides's cousin and ruler), she orders his hand cut off. The drama is high, and the action grows only more engrossing. As Eugenides tries to reconcile himself to the amputation, war breaks out, involving Attolia, Eddis and Sounis, tiny countries modeled on ancient Greece and other Mediterranean nations. For the most part, Turner eschews battle scenes, although she executes these with flair. Instead, she emphasizes strategy, with brilliant, ever-deceptive Eugenides a match for Odysseus in his wiliness and daring, perpetually catching readers by surprise. When, fairly late in the novel, Eugenides decides that he must wed the fearsome queen of Attolia in order to achieve a more lasting peace--and that he loves her--it requires a certain leap of faith to accept that his terror of her coexists with desire. But Turner's storytelling is so sure that readers will want to go along with her--and discover whatever it is that Eugenides will do next. Ages 10-up. (Apr.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books (January 24, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060841826
• ISBN-13: 978-0060841829
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (66 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #91,452 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #16 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > History & Historical Fiction > Fiction > Ancient Civilizations
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More About the Author

Megan Whalen Turner is married to a professor and often relocates when he needs to do research. When they traveled to Greece one summer, she decided to use its landscape as the background of a book, but didn't write The Thief until she was spending a year in California, where the olive trees reminded her of the Greek mainland.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Darker than its predecessor..., April 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Queen of Attolia (Thief of Eddis) (Hardcover)

"The Thief" was notable for the wry humor of its narrator, Gen, who revealed so much about himself while still keeping his story's twist ending in store for the reader. In "The Queen of Attolia," Gen (who prefers to be addressed by his full name, Eugenides, as befits his position as Queen's Thief of Eddis) finds his humor under severe strain as the uneasy political balance between the three countries of Sounis, Eddis, and Attolia finally explodes under the pressure of the encroaching Mede Empire. An ill-fated foray into Attolia's palace loses Eugenides his hand and Eddis' reprisal-war-seems to be the response the Mede Ambassador and his Emperor have been waiting for. Three small countries will either ally or fall, and at the moment none of them are at all concerned with alliance. "What can a one-handed man steal?" If he's very, very clever, he just might be able to steal peace.

It has to be hard, being the sequel to a Newberry Award-winning book, but "The Queen of Attolia" manages admirably, in part by being different from its predecessor without losing the familiar context of characters and setting. A third-person narrative allows the reader to view the situation from the perspectives of various characters-mostly Eugenides and the Queen of Attolia-but also distances the characters; fortunately, Megan Whalen Turner maintains such detail in her descriptions that many third-person passages feel like first-person narratives. There are changes to deal with in familiar characters as well. The war tests everyone, Eugenides the most: formerly quick-tongued and irrepressible, he responds to his loss by withdrawing into himself, often bitter at what he sees as his failure and the gods that have abandoned him; you miss the adolescent Gen of "The Thief." The magus of Sounis betrays one alliance in hopes of salvaging another. Even the queen of Eddis, as beloved as she is unbeautiful, is not even sure whether or not her actions are as honorable as she first thought them. It's a sure sign that the author is doing a good job when you hurt in sympathy with the characters! But all is not lost: while there's much to endure before peaces comes to Eddis and Eugenides both, there is also a very good story. Turner keeps the tension high and never lets the political intrigue outweigh the interactions between the characters, and there's even a tale of the old gods which serves as a kind of mirror to the action in the latter part of the story. (Also a twist halfway through which changes everything you thought about Eugenides' motives; it works, too.) All in all, like "The Thief," "The Queen of Attolia" is one very good story of a convincing place that never was and people who, fictional or not, truly matter.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The work of a great author - and a very cunning plot!, June 15, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Queen of Attolia (Thief of Eddis) (Hardcover)

"The Queen of Attolia" is a great book. It is true, however that this story is slightly darker/less pleasant than "The Thief," but it is still one of the better books that I have ever read. I find it difficult to write a review on "The Queen of Attolia" because it has so many little twits and such a clever plot that if I am not careful I'll give the story away! However, I strongly urge you to read "The Thief" (the first book in this two-book sequel) before you read this story or else "The Thief's" plot will be totally given away - and after all, the plot IS the story. And, if you liked "The Thief" you will not be let down by this book.

"The Queen of Attolia" continues the drama of Eugenides - Gen - as he steals one thing after another, engages in a war, and makes his usual snide remarks and complaints, which somehow make you like him more than ever. Eugenides struggles with his emotions, fear, love, hate, pain; and he is faced with many decisions and dangers, and involves himself in risky plans and strategies during a war between the countries of Sounis, Eddis, the Mede, and Attolia that keep you gripping the book and wondering what will happen next. A spellbinding tale that has charm, adventure, action, a good plot, and (don't let this put you off!) a little bit of love. Do read this sequel, it's worth it.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT SEQUEL TO "THE THIEF", January 23, 2001

By 

Naomi Williams "aka dragonmama" (Santa Rosa, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Queen of Attolia (Thief of Eddis) (Hardcover)

Don't read the editorial review of this book at the top of the page! It contains major spoilers.

You definitely need to read "The Thief" before you dive into this book, or it won't make much sense.

This book is darker and more mature than its predecessor. It's still categorized as a young adult novel, but if you had a hard time handling some of the situations or vocabulary in "The Thief", you might want to let this one sit on your shelf for a year or two.

Ms. Turner does an excellent job of fleshing out the characters and the political situations she introduced in the first book. Although it has a satisfying conclusion, things are definitely left open for a third book, which I will certainly be waiting in line to buy.