Customer Reviews

The Thief

5 star:		(118)
4 star:		(37)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

It all starts when Gen the thief tells the kingdom of Sounis he can steal anything. To prove himself right he steals the king's seal, and then goes to brag about it in a wineshop. Soon after he is caught and thrown in the dungeon and kept there until the Magus (Sounis's most trusted advisor) wants to use him to steal something. Along with the Magus, his apprentices Ambiades and Sophos, and the soldier Pol, Gen goes on an adventure over the mountains of Eddis to the kingdom of Attolia to steal something that is said to be a myth. The Magus treats Gen like a prized tool, Ambiades treats him like scum, but Gen still manages to add wit to his story that will have you laughing out loud.
The book is good enough to read again and again, but the best time is the first time, because of the ending. You probably will never see it coming, and when all is revealed, it seems like the most clever book in the world.

There is some minor language, but otherwise this book is good for all ages over 8.
Once you read it, don't forget to read the sequel, the Queen of Attolia, which is more for older audiences because it's of a little darker and serious tone.
My sisters and I all are avid readers of fantasy, and we have all agreed that The Thief is one of the best books in the world, likely even the best.
Don't sit around waiting for Harry Potter 7 twiddling your thumbs (2 years of that would put a strain on your hands); read The Thief!

I am a student at a school and I don't like reading a lot but I liked the book The Thief. When I started reading it was because I was bord but then I noticed that I was reading it on my spare time when I would play video games or watch T.V. but I read instead. The book got me hooked when I started reading. When you read it seems like you are Gen on the adventure with the magus, Pol, and the other people. This book was so good that I am reading a lot more than I had before. So if you like advetnures you should read this book and be part of the adventure.

THE THIEF

"The Thief" is a thriller about a prisoner taken out of jail to steal a precious stone. The stone gives immortality to the holder. It is hidden away in an ancient cave that is only open four days in a year and is covered with a river for the rest of the time. Many surprising twists and turns in the plot take place along this journey as the characters' real identities spill out along the story with the "Thief's" large quantity of secrets and tricks and his constant complaining about just being a "tool." This book has a great deal of description and details included in the journey part of the story with a large amount of secrets that a reader is surprised at finding out. The book itself has a great deal of action and traveling mixed in with very well-made up myths and stories about gods taking place in a imaginary land a bit like Greece. I recommend this book to readers that love mystery, action, and many surprising details that slip out of the story, and to sixth graders and up because littler kids may not truly understand this book and would miss out on a great story.

What starts as a simple "get out of jail" adventure story evolves into a rich world with stunning landscape, a fascinating pantheon of Gods, and characters who are more than they seem.

This book may be challenging for younger readers. I read it aloud to my 8 and 10 year olds, and they loved it, but did not appreciate some of the plot elements. For reading alone, I'd recommend it more for the 12-16 year old set.

I'd never heard of THE THIEF or Megan Whalen Turner up until about two months ago, and now I can't understand why not, since I consider myself to be a connosu--okay, well, I can't spell that word. Anyway, my point is that this is book is really 100% awesome, and I don't know how I could not have heard of it earlier. THE THIEF is definitely one of the best books I've ever read, right up there with THE GOLDEN COMPASS and PRIDE & PREJUDICE, and I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone old enough to enjoy an excellent story.

It starts out with the thief Gen imprisioned in the dungeouns of Sounis, all as a result of his rash boast of being able to "steal anything." However, he doesn't stay there for all that long before being released by non other than the King's magus. The King of Sounis desperately wants a certain something, and Gen is the only person who would be able to get it, thus doing what many have attempted, but none achieved.

That, my friends, is all which I can honorably disclose without letting too much of the cat out of the bag, and you will simply have to read this book for yourself to know how everything turns out. I guarentee you will be quite surprised, as I was, since in this single book Turner proves to be qute adept at twisting plots.

Happy reading!

Gen (Eugenides) is a young man with one singular talent...he can steal anything, as evidenced by his successful theft of the King of Sounis' seal. There is one problem, after boasting about the successful theft in a cheap wine tavern the reigning King heard wind of this deed and had Gen thrown into jail. So, here sits Gen, wasting away until the King finds a usage for him, or rather the King's Magus finds a use for him. After months of rotting away in prison the Magus comes and retrieves him, feeds him, forces him to bathe, and makes him confront his greatest fear... horses. They set out on an errand for the King, an errand that is really the Magus' obsession, but at first Gen is completely unaware as to what the nature of the errand is. All he knows is that he and four other men are traveling by horses to the neighboring kingdom of Attolia, by way of Eddis.

The Magus spends a good time training his two pupils on the road. Ambiades is a man a few years older than Gen, tall, arrogant, and cruel. Sophos is a man younger than Gen, naive, intelligent, and valiant. Accompanied with the party is a man named Pol, the captain of Sophos' father's guards, whose single minded desire is to protect his charge's heir at all cost. So, without knowing the reason this motley crew finds their way across Eddis, a Mediterranean like landscape full of olive trees and rolling hills. It is not until several days into the quest does Gen find out the goal. Some time before a precious treasure was hidden, a gift from the gods. It is a stone that supposedly grants immortality. The legends state that Hephestia, most powerful of all gods, gave this stone to Hamiathes who past it along to his son until it was stolen some time later, and the power of the stone to grant eternal life disappears unless it is gifted to some one. Sounis wants the stone so he can give it to the Queen of Eddis as a marriage token, so that further down the road he can march through her realm to war with Attolia. Gen has been brought along to break into the chamber the stone is rumored to be hidden in, but the Magus intends to take all of the credit by gifting the King of Sounis with it once they have it, effectively landing him in the position of King's thief. Gen is irritated by this, but has little choice.

In a journey fraught with peril, political intrigue, treachery, starvation, and misplaced anger Gen finds more and more that he wants to succeed. It would hurt his reputation, not to mention his professional pride, if he failed. But the problem is that the chamber is well hidden, and he only has a limited time to find the stone, or he'll die trying. But even if he triumphs over that challenge, is there more danger awaiting him in the court of the nobles?

I am happy to say that I loved this book. Initially, I ordered it for the store I work in because it's a Newbery honor book, but I knew little about it until I saw that the third book in this series "The King of Attolia" just was written up in the Book Sense Spring newsletter for notable children's books. I decided I should read the first one after reading the summaries of it and the last book. All I can say is that I am amazed I overlooked this book for so long. It is simply a treat, a joy, an incredible piece of storytelling. Gen is such a tremendously rounded character that you find yourself rooting for him even if he is unsavory. Pol and Sophos have a great dynamic between them, Ambiades is so well developed and devious that I genuinely wished I could have smacked the arrogance off his pretty face at times. Even the Magus has his strong points, and the story is phenomenal. I can say with no hesitation that as soon as I get to work I am ordering the second and third books... mostly because I want to read them, but secondly because I have to tell people about this amazing book that I can only hope is an amazing trilogy.... If I say amazing one more time I think anyone reading this is bound to discredit me, but trust me I am usually fairly fluent in my descriptive adjectives especially when it comes to superb books... this book has me speechless. I do believe a book hasn't hit me like this since "Howl's Moving Castle" (which, coincidentally, the author cites as being one of her favorite books and authors, go figure). Read this book. Read the series. I can already tell you that the world of Gen the thief and the political intrigues of his country will draw you in and make you lose sleep... I certainly did, but I will stop gushing now, you get the picture, I gather.

10 out of 5 stars, if I could do that.

In The Thief , an accomplished Sounis thief named Gen claims he can steal anything. But when the king's magus hires Gen to steal Hamiathe's Gift, a stone dipped in the waters of immortality, he gets caught in a sticky situation. He will have to betray his true kingdom, Eddis, or his new colleagues.

This book is character & plot driven. Not only does Gen change his thoughts about his soldier father, but there are also some exciting battles & escapes. Therefore, this book is both character & plot driven.

Since I enjoy fantasy books, I ws interested in the author's writing style. Most of the fantasy books I've read aren't in first person, & yet this book is. She also tells the reader a lot of things in very few words. Because of her particular writing style I enjoyed this book a lot.

This book is a great story, well written, with fascinating characters, enormous suspense, a vivid setting and high stakes -- but what I enjoyed even more is that it makes you re-examine prejudices and preconceptions. A book in which the characters develop in their thinking and attitudes is a fine thing. One which makes you do that yourself is more than fine.

The Thief isn't the type of book that hooks you so that you know you are hooked. You pick it up, and when you get to the middle a couple of hours later, you think, "Where did the time go?" and you are still loathe to put it down.

When Gen is languishing inside the Sounisian prison, thinking, "When am I ever going to get out of here?" he gets out by promising to help the king's scholar find a stone that will convince the queen of a neighboring country to marry him. The Magus (king's scholar), Gen, and three others set off on a journey to find said stone. On the way, Gen is irritating, brash, and sometimes loveable, but always mischievous.

I won't tell you the ending, but I will say that it surprised me very much. I liked that. Also, I liked that the author successfully wrote in a masculine voice. Not many female authors even try to do that.

When I learned of Megan Whalen Turner's The King of Attolia during this year's Newbery buzz, I thought it sounded intriguing. To fully appreciate it however, I was advised to start at the beginning of her tale with The Thief. Boy, am I glad I did.

The story follows Eugenides, or Gen, a cocky thief living in ancient Greece. Because of his constant bragging (he can steal anything) he is captured and locked away in the King's prison. Months later, the King's scholar, the Magus approaches Gen with an opportunity. The Magus believes he knows the location of Hamiathe's Gift, an ancient treasure hidden away by the gods themselves. While many have tried, no one has ever successfully stolen Hamiathe's Gift and Gen is just cocky enough to think he can. He accepts the Magus' offer and sets off across the ancient Greece landscape (beautifully described by Whalen Turner) with the Magus, his two students Ambiades and Sophos, and a bodyguard, Pol.

I have to say, I'm a sucker for big epic tales of adventure and I have a feeling that The Thief is just the beginning of a great one. The world that Whalen Turner has created is well thought out and very complex. You'll want to pay attention when the Magus and Gen are discussing the politics that govern their world. It may seem like small talk between the two but trust me, it plays a very key role in the resolution of this story.

Adding extra layers to this journey are the rich, three-dimensional characters. Gen is of course, the star. He's devilishly clever and full of snotty retorts that put the Magus in his place. While I found myself siding with Gen throughout the story, I cannot say he'd be someone I would want to become friends with. The Magus is the boss. What he says, the group does and in the beginning of the story, you'll find yourself laughing out loud as Gen lays into him. But Whalen Turner is a master storyteller and she hasn't quite shown all there is to see. Sophos is the youngest. He is naïve and eager to learn all he can. Pol is Sophos' bodyguard and will stop at nothing to see to it that he returns home unharmed. Ambiades, Sophos' older brother, is the most boring character, coming off as jealous and deceitful right from the beginning.

The Thief is labeled "young adult" and as a fifth grade teacher, let me tell you, this book would go straight over the top of many of my students' heads. If you enjoy a quick read that requires little to no thinking, this probably isn't the book for you. If you enjoy slow moving, but well-written and complex historical pieces, look no further. There are scenes of great action, but they are not written for "action's" sake. They just add to the broad depth of writing Whalen Turner has on display. The characters and their relationships are what drive this story and in the end, if you have been paying close attention, you'll be rewarded with a surprise ending, more precious than Hamiathe's Gift. I for one, am hooked and can't get my hands on The Queen of Attolia fast enough.