Customer Reviews

Thieves' World

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

One of the few anthology series to work, this book comprises a series of stories by different authors all set in the same town. The town of Sanctuary is no ordinary town, as the title of the book suggests it is the home of a great numbre of people who live by nefarious means. Each and every story is a wonderful tale, introducing interesting characters.

Unfortunately, while the series did continue for at least another 11 books only the next two managed to continue the ethos and wit of the first book. By the fourth novel the series lost it way and became dull reading. Content yourself with this book. If you want to, read the next 2 (Tales from the Vulgar Unicorn and Shadows of Sanctuary) but go no further for the series becomes self-important, dull and unreadable.

Set in a common place and time, this anthology tracks the tales of several different characters through a city rife with corruption, crime, and immorality. Some of the characters are
* Shadowspawn- a master thief that finds himself in the middle of a web meant to catch another...
* Prince Kadakithis- the brother to the emperor he is a political threat so he has been sent to San to bring order, or to meet a more gruesome end...
* Myrtis- the most powerful and beautiful madam in Thieves' World she will do whatever it takes to protect her girls and their way of life, even if that means bargaining away a bit of her soul...

Fans of science fiction and fantasy are sure to recognize and be fans of at least a few of the authors represented including Marion Zimmer Bradley, Robert Asprin, John Brunner, Lynn Abbey, Poul Anderson, Andrew Offutt, Joe Hademan, and Christine DeWees.

Part of the fun of this unique series is that while each author had a character (or two) they created themselves to use in this series, all authors had access to that character. Therefore Shadowspawn appears in more than just his story and so on.

It's a great and entertaining read, but be warned, you can't just read one book in the series. You'll be back for book 2: Tales from the Vulgar Unicorn!

If you like to follow multiple plot lines, with rich personalities, and interesting locales.....and more than a little interest in skullduggery, sorcery and vengence well-deserved, you'll get sucked right into this place. So grab a chair at the Vulgar Unicorn, (for gods' sake order wine, not the beer) and keep your hands down near your belt, near your money and weapons.

I picked up this little, actually rather large book, at the library and became intrigued at first by its title: Sanctuary. The picture on the front depicted people of a time long ago, in a medievil setting...even more interested, I flipped through a bit. Hmmm...three books in one. I must say, this is the most interesting anthology that I have ever read...you get the feeling as you read along, with all of the different perspectives of so many authors, that the story just came together at the end brilliantly. That being said, I cannot find the book on amazon containing all three books, I will begin with "Thieve's World."

A marvelous first short story introduces us to Enas Yorl, a mighty magician with a terrible curse. Is he good, or evil, or neither...interestingly enough, he is depicted as both sensual, and downright disgusting...if that can make any sense without giving the story away. Anyhow, he is an extremely interesting character who will make many more appearances as you read on. Unfortunately for Jarveena, she kind of falls out of the story, so do not get too attached to her! You will, however, also meet Illyra and Dubro, who are vital occupants of Sanctuary. Again, you get different versions of them from different authors, but they are basically harmless, but still rather important.

This is also the first introduction to the charachter of Molin Torchholder. You will love to hate him, even though he is a supposed man of the cloth. However, the gods in Sanctuary are quite different than the gods that are revered today. Remember, this town is very medievil, and even a bit mythological, as well.

In my opinion, one of the most important, if not the most important, character of this series is introduced in the fourth story, Shadowspawn, or Hanse the thief. A brilliant example of why females love the bad boys! Oh, how we do love their soft and vulnerable sides. Just read about him and you will also fall in love instantly!

Than, of course, their is the mage, Lythande, who holds a heavy secret in order to be a part of the Blue Stars. What will become of him in stories to come?

All in all, I think the authors worked really hard at bringing an illusionary world to life. The characters are all amazing, not to mention the extra twist you get from seeing the other authors points of view on some of the more important characters. A great read, indeed, you will be begging for more of that desolite town!

A WORLD OF THEIR OWN...

LYNN ABBEY
POUL ANDERSON
ROBERT ASPRIN
JOHN BRUNNER
JOE HALDEMAN
ANDREW J. OFFUTT

Have created Sanctuary, and people it with wonders: One-Thumb (The crooked bartender at The Vulgar Unicorn); Enas Yorl, magician and involuntary shape changer (he lost a duel with another magician); Jubal, ex-gladiator and slave who is now a pillar of the community (he made his money selling slaves); Lythande the Star-browed (his magic is in question, his sword-play is not); Cappen Varra the Minstral (the only honest man in Sanctuary). These are just some of the unforgettable players you will meet on a stage where murder, mayhem, and skullduggery - with always a bit of magic - are the order of the day.

A shared world anthology to come out of a science fiction convention meeting between a group of established authors.

Thieves World : Sentences of Death - John Brunner
Thieves World : The Face of Chaos - Lynn Abbey
Thieves World : The Gate of the Flying Knives - Poul Anderson
Thieves World : Shadowspawn - Andrew J. Offutt
Thieves World : The Price of Doing Business - Robert Lynn Asprin
Thieves World : Blood Brothers - Joe W. Haldeman
Thieves World : Myrtis - Christine DeWees
Thieves World : The Secret of the Blue Star [Lythande] - Marion Zimmer Bradley


Reading, writing and spells.

3 out of 5


Card reading can be scary.

3.5 out of 5


Down and out godrobbery, and sikkintair swordplay.

3.5 out of 5


Wanding, women and whipping.

3 out of 5


Gladiator commerce is death.

4 out of 5


Dog racing dodginess and stabbing.

2.5 out of 5


Really old and really good looking is handy for running a brothel, but a bit off-putting for the average bloke.

3.5 out of 5


Master magician duel and horizontal mambo mojo inflicted.

3.5 out of 5

This is an amazing book! I have one of the very first printings of it-from 1983 that I actually found at a lodge in the middle of the ecuadorian rainforest! The first thing that I love about this book is the idea of many different authors all writing about different people in the same place, even continuing events where the other left off! I read some fantasy books, and this is by far one of my favorites! I am currently looking for the others in the original series, which is proving to be quite a challenge :)

The darkly grim city of Sanctuary was an immediate hit with readers, and not surprisingly, gamers wanted to adapt the city to their fantasy game settings. The Thieves World roleplaying game (ISBN 093363501X) was released in 1981. Greg Stafford, et al at Chaosium, worked with with some of the brighter lights of the RPG industry (Dave Arneson, Steve Marsh, Midkemia Press, Marc Miller, Steve Perrin, Lawrence Schick, Ken St. Andre, and many others) to make the Thieves' World RPG compatible with 9 RPG systems: AD&D, Adventures in Fantasy, Chivalry & Sorcery, DragonQuest, D&D, The Fantasy Trip, RuneQuest, Traveller, and Tunnels & Trolls.

Truly a Rosetta Stone of early roleplaying, the box set includes 3 source books and 3 fold-out maps (A map of Sanctuary, the Maze, and the Maze Underground). Gorgeous!

Playing out like a who's who of the fantasy writing world, this book is engaging and entertaining and, at times, quite emotional. I highly recommend this book, and this series, to anyone interested in fantasy books.

Thieves' World is a collection of stories written by a Who's Who in the field of fantasy and sci-fi, such as John Brunner, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Joe Haldeman and Poul Anderson. With this talent setting the stage in the first book and others joining in the later books, such as Philip Jose Farmer, A.E. Van Vogt, CJ Cherryh and David Drake, they set a standard for all other
shared worlds that followed.

Yep, these are ESTABLISHED writers. Established, Hall of Famers and Grand Masters. These are the writers that Jordan, Martin, Brooks and Goodkind read as kids, learned from, aspired to be. They were established and winning major awards while Jordan et al. were still in diapers.