Thief of Lives (Noble Dead) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Barb Hendee (Author), J. C. Hendee (Author), Koveck (Illustrator) "It was the place he'd nearly died, and here he returned every day before dawn..." (more)
Key Phrases: tall undead, topaz amulet, upper archway, Noble Dead, Domin Tilswith, Lord Au'shiyn (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Former con-artists-turned-vampire-slayers Magiere (a half-vampire, half-human called a dhampir) and her half-elf partner, Leesil, return in this sequel to Dhampir [BKL Ja 1 & 15 03]. After she had taken care of the vampire problem in Miiska, her and Leesil's adopted village, Magiere assumed her vampire-hunting days were over. Now a successful tavern owner, she wants nothing more than to forget about vampires. But when a vampire kills a councilman's daughter in the city of Bela, Miiska officials pressure her to go hunt down and kill the vampire. At Leesil's urging, she reluctantly agrees. The trip gets off to a bad start when three hired thugs try to kill Magiere aboard the ship to Bela, and when she and Leesil begin investigating, Magiere is puzzled by the deliberate nature of the crime. Clearly, someone was trying to send a message. But was the sender a vampire or some other sinister, dark force? Readers will turn the pages of this satisfying medieval thriller with gusto. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description
On the heels of DHAMPIR, Barb and J.C. Hendee's acclaimed Fantasy debut, comes THIEF OF LIVES, the new novel featuring Magiere and Leesil, Slayers of the Undead....

Magiere the dhampir thinks that her nights of hunting vampires are over. After settling down in her newly adopted village of Miiska — now vampire-free, thanks to her and her half-elf partner, Leesil — she looks forward to quiet days tending to her tavern.

But far away in the capital city of Bela, a prominent councilman's daughter has been found dead on her own doorstep... and all signs point to a vampire. Knowing that the battered and burned village of Miiska could use an infusion of cash, Bela's town council offers a generous bounty to the dhampir if she will slay their vampire. Magiere resists, wanting nothing more than to forget her past and ignore her half-vampire nature. Only Leesil can persuade Magiere to follow her destiny — before more innocent lives are claimed by darkness.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Roc (January 6, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451459539
• ISBN-13: 978-0451459534
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #53,253 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 2 in The Noble Dead Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Biting Trauma, June 24, 2004

By	Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

When I read Dhampir, I wasn't sure if it was intended for an extended run or not, but here is the next volume of what now appears to be at least a trilogy. This is good news, as the Hendee's have managed to create two strong characters and put together a plot that still maintains it's mystery and draw at the end of two volumes. Magiere is a dhampir, daughter of a vampire and a human. At the end of the previous volume (in which a vampire killing scam suddenly turns out to be serious) she discovers that dhampirs have significant and deadly powers of their own. Her companion is half-elven Leesil who also hides many mysteries. Trained as an assassin, Leesil was happily pursuing a life of crime until he met Magiere. Just for a moment, at the beginning of Thief of Lives, the couple has settled into the routine of running an inn.

Nothing lasts, of course, and in short order Magiere, Leesil, and Chap the wonder dog have been maneuvered into heading for the capital city of Bela to hunt the vampire responsible for killing the daughter of a prominent councilman. They arrive to discover that they are not particularly welcome - even less so when they announce that the killer may be one of the privileged classes. And instead of one vampire there are two, or maybe three, or ... Add a dog with unexpected skills, another elven killer, some mages, and a return visit by Welstiel Massing (who has hidden agendas of his own) and you have a good picture of what life is like for Leesil and Magiere.

Not counting their own relationship, which has become clouded by their discovery that being a dhampir is more than having a funny ethnic designation. The events of the previous volume (which include Leesil feeding Magiere his own blood to save her life) have triggered a series of psychological and physical changes in the young woman. Not feeling in control of herself, Magiere has taken to avoiding Leesil out of fear that she might hurt him. This has put their normally close alliance is under a strain and has left both of them prone to emotional mistakes.

The Hendee's manage this complex set of factors like long time writers, and the result is an active, flowing plot with a wealth of character and setting detail. While revealing a lot, they always manage to hold enough back so that there is always something new on the horizon. While this is a Gothic world, with Gothic vampires, there is a fresh newness to the plot that defies the stereotypes it works with. The book stands fairly well on its own, generally explaining what it inherits from the previous volume, but you are best of starting from the beginning - if for no other reason than the first book being equally enjoyable.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars And a good lunch..., January 25, 2004

By	Sharron Albert (Fairbanks, Alaska) - See all my reviews

If Dhampir could be considered a good breakfast, this sequel is definitely a hearty lunch. Herein we return to the world of Magiere (half vampire), Leesil (half-elf) and their "dog" Chap. Hoping to settle down in their new home after ridding the town of its vampire nest, fate, their reputation, and meddlers intervene. To save their small community, they travel to Belas to find and destroy its vampire, who is now killing among the nobles. As they succeed, they find out more about their own hidden or unknown pasts, meet new companions, and identify their quest and at least one of their enemies. There's fast action and character development, even among the vampires.

This time I didn't hesitate when I saw there was a new book. I bought it and read it immediately. Mind you, not too many books or authors get this treatment. Some, like Cherryh, get bought immediately and set aside until I have time to savor her dense storylines. But for light entertainment, especially when recovering from a cold, this is as good as it gets, if you like vampires, well-written fantasy, and a promise of more to come. Although this can be read without doing so, I recommend you read Dhampir first.

It still feels like someone's fantasy role-playing campaign, but it's a campaign in which I would have liked to play. I await for dinner with appetite...

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!! No sophmore slump here!, January 17, 2004

By	Dawn M. Smoker (Mechanicsburg, PA USA) - See all my reviews

The action comes fast and furious in Thief of Lives, but the characters of Leesil and Magiere remain at the heart of the story, and that is the reason I love this series so much! The main characters come alive and grow and change throughout the book. A new cast of supporting characters are introduced as well. I especially liked Wynn, an intelligent young woman sage, and Vatz, a feisty young man--both of whom are willing to risk their lives to fight the undead alongside Magiere and Leesil.

This book focussed slightly more on Leesil, revealing intriguing glimpses into his past. More of Magiere's strange Dhampir abilities are revealed. You will also learn shocking secrets about Chap and Welstiel, and revisit old enemies from Dhampir, and new ones as well, when Leesil and Magiere are hired by the city of Bela to deal with a mysterious murder of a nobleman's daughter, and find themselves fighting the undead again.

I cannot wait to read the next book! I cannot recommend this series highly enough to those who love character driven stories with a lot of action and a touch of romance. However, I do recommend that you read Dhampir first, in order to fully enjoy Thief of Lives.