Thief-Taker's Apprentice [Paperback]

Stephen Deas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 19, 2010

Berren has lived in the city all his life. He has made his way as a thief, paying a little of what he earns to the Fagin like master of their band. But there is a twist to this tale of a thief. One day Berren goes to watch an execution of three thieves. He watches as the thief-taker takes his reward and decides to try and steal the prize. He fails. The young thief is taken. But the thief-taker spots something in Berren. And the boy reminds him of someone as well. Berren becomes his apprentice. And is introduced to a world of shadows, deceit and corruption behind the streets he thought he knew. Full of richly observed life in a teeming fantasy city, a hectic progression of fights, flights and fancies and charting the fall of a boy into the dark world of political plotting and murder this marks the beginning of a new fantasy series for all lovers of fantasy - from fans of Kristin Cashore to Brent Weeks.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'a good solid fanatsy for all ages' BOOK GIRL OF MUR-Y-CASTELL --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Stephen Deas is an electrical engineer working in the aerospace and defence industries. His first novel The Adamantine Palace has sold in a number of countries - it was sold in the US after a fierce auction and was pre-empted in Gernany.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Gollancz (August 19, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0575094486
• ISBN-13: 978-0575094482
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,912,094 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A new author for me too look for and read, May 1, 2011

By 

srae "srae" (Niceville) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Thief-Taker's Apprentice (Kindle Edition)

Just great! You will fall in love with, "The Thief-Taker's Apprentcie." I started reading, couldn't stop, didn't want to stop and was irritated when anyone talked to me because I wanted to finish this book now. The faster I could read the quicker I could purchase the next book. I am done, Oh no, the next book isn't out yet. Wish the author could write faster, the editor could fast track the next book faster and it was up on Amazon tomorrow. I will buy it with one click. E-mail me when the next book is ready for me to click on. I am still smiling. Great read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars YA Fantasy, April 28, 2011

By 

Blodeuedd "Blodeuedd" (Finland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Thief-Taker's Apprentice (Paperback)

My thoughts:

I don't know if I would have know this was YA if I hadn't read it somewhere, and because of that it works just as well for a young reader as for an adult reader.


The main character is a thief named Berren, he is somewhere between 12 and 15, an orphan and a tough young boy that has seen the city at its worst. I did like him, one have to, he steals to survive and he is smart enough to realize (after a while) that being an apprentice to a thief-taker could get him out of his old life. But he is also smart enough to see that his new life is pretty messed up too, he will surely have to kill someday. His new master Sy, is an enigma and I like those. Slowly we learn more about him and why he does the things he do. There are a few others we meet too but in this book the young Lissiana stands out the most. Young heroes always have crushes.


The book was bloody too, perhaps that is what made it better for me. That might sound wrong, but life was harsh and I like it to show in fantasy. People do die, and here they did, and nasty things happened, lives were in put in danger. But it is never too violent, too bloody, and the main characters never get too hurt. There is always hope.


I quite enjoyed this tale about Berren, and the best part for me was also the part that makes me wanna read book 2. In the beginning Sy says that Berren looks like someone, then someone else says it too, and of course I am dying to find out what that is all about. Just as I wanted to know who Sy really was.


Conclusion:

A good solid fantasy story for all ages. There is danger, adventure, that first crush and secrets, and those are always the best. It's not that long either so I read it fast. I do look forward to book 2 to find out more. Recommended.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A fun volume, but more of a taster than the main course, November 18, 2010

By 

A. Whitehead "Werthead" (Colchester, Essex United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Thief-Taker's Apprentice (Hardcover)

The city of Deephaven is still recovering from a civil war that wracked it and the surrounding Empire several decades ago. The war left behind many orphans and unwanted children, some of whom have grown up with thievery the only option for survival. After unwisely making a thief-taker his mark, one of these boys, Berren finds his life transformed as he is recruited as the thief-taker's apprentice.

The Thief-Taker's Apprentice is the start of a new trilogy by Stephen Deas, author of the Memory of Flames Trilogy (The Adamantine Palace, The King of the Crags and the forthcoming The Order of Scales). It is set in the same world, apparently on a continent on the far side of the Taiytakei homelands, but a couple of mentions of the Taiytakei aside, there are no links between the two series (yet, anyway). It is also nominally a 'Young Adult' title, but Deas actually pulls few punches in the book to accommodate these younger readers. Particularly amusing (and actually effective) is the use of corrupted Cockney rhyming slang to get around restrictions on swearing, whilst the violence is not particularly sanitised (although not gratuitous, either).

The book is pretty traditional. Whilst Memory of Flames has the politics of the dragon realms and the use of dragons as horrendous weapons of war going for it, The Thief-Taker's Apprentice is much happier employing standard tropes. We have a young main character (albeit one whose morality is a bit greyer than the standard young boy cliche), an older mentor (a disgraced nobleman from a distant land), the romantic interest, the nemesis and so on. Those looking for something surprising and new might be disappointed here. However, Deas takes the standard material and infuses it with great pace and some impressive depth, given the modest page count. The city of Deephaven, with its myriad districts, street gangs, commercial interests, sense of traumatic history and politics (seen here only at a far remove), is depicted very well, whilst there's some good character moments, particularly with Syannis the conflicted thief-taker and some minor characters like Kasmin. Berren himself and romantic interest Lilissa are less surprising, but likable enough as antagonists.

Where the book falters is that it hints at some more interesting developments to come, but then ends just as the story gets going. Given the book's slight length, it feels like it could have been longer and pursued certain storylines further.

The Thief-Taker's Apprentice ( ***-and-a-half ) is a likable, enjoyable story but one that whets the appetite rather than fully satisfies. The sequel, The Warlock's Shadow, is due next year. The book is available now in the UK and on import in the USA.