The Legend of Eli Monpress (The Legend of Eli Monpress #1-3)

The Legend of Eli Monpress (Legend of Eli Monpress (Omnibus Editions))

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4.16 of 5 stars 4.16  ·  rating details  ·  564 ratings  ·  92 reviews
Eli Monpress is talented. He's charming. And he's a thief.

But not just any thief. He's the greatest thief of the age - and he's also a wizard. And with the help of his partners - a swordsman with the most powerful magic sword in the world but no magical ability of his own, and a demonseed who can step through shadows and punch through walls - he's going to put his plan int...more
Paperback, 1040 pages
Published February 24th 2012 by Orbit (first published February 1st 2012)

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Bastard
http://bastardbooks.blogspot.com/2013...

The Legend of Eli Monpress is an omnibus that collects the first three novels of the epic fantasy series bearing the same title by Rachel Aaron. It includes the debut effort of The Spirit Thief , The Spirit Rebellion , and The Spirit Eater , all of which were published back in 2010 in consecutive months one right after the other.

I was quite eager with my anticipation of The Spirit Thief . For some reason, it seemed to me to be heavily promoted in urban fa...more
Stefan
The Legend of Eli Monpress is an omnibus containing Rachel Aaron’s first three novels: The Spirit Thief, The Spirit Rebellion, and The Spirit Eater. The fourth novel in the series, entitled The Spirit War, is due out in June, so this book is a great way to catch up if you’re unfamiliar with this light but entertaining fantasy series. I enjoyed these novels, back when they were first released within three months of each other in 2010, but the new omnibus edition is a nice improvement over the ind...more
Kate
Originally read these as three separate editions, but looking forward to the omnibus with its much prettier cover!

SPIRIT THIEF:
An EXCELLENT fantasy debut. I tore through this book in two nights, even while sick, and really couldn't put the book down once I'd gotten halfway.

The plot is, frankly, pretty formulaic - I found myself musing at several points that the author had clearly watched a lot of Trigun and had a thing for "mysterious gunslinger/swordsman face-offs," in addition to including ple...more
Melissa Mcclary-Davis
I really loved this book. It had everything I look for in a great fun read: exciting characters that I can root for, snappy dialogue, fast paced and somewhat unpredictable storyline/plot. I was sucked in within the first paragraph. The world creation is very unique and fully developed. I loved the originality of it and the fact that it wasn't over the top that some writers do who want to spend a little too much time on world setting and not enough on advancing the plot.

The lead character is the...more
Sam
The is one of the best series I've read in years. I've reviewed the other three books so first I'll say this is an amazing series that everyone should read. Here are my reviews of the first three books in the series (what you get in this wonderful omnibus.)

The Spirit Thief

Magic, mystery, and a little bit of good old thievery. All in all Rachel Aaron’s first book in her The Legend of Eli Monpress series is a truly fantastic book.

I’m a little embarrassed to say I didn’t initially recognize this bo...more
Courtney Richards
Reviews for all three books follow-- You've been warned! ;)

1. Spirit Thief:
Thoroughly enjoyed this book! I've read it twice, and I'm going to reread the first three before Spirit War (book #4) comes out. I wish there had been a bit more of Eli in this one, believe it or not, but the book was great regardless. Obviously this is part of a series, but it is more than capable of standing on its own. I couldn't put it down!

Congratulations, Rachel Aaron-- you have grabbed my attention as surely as El...more
Dustin
So I have to summarize three books into one review, alright.

Spirit Thief is the first book in the set, it starts off with a rather amusing conversation between a man and a prison cell door. Normally this would not only be amusing, but a rather one sided conversation expect for the quickly explained fact that he this man is a wizard. There are many kinds of wizards as you know, being the vague term that it is. Some summon demons, others ride trains and go to school to learn to fling wands about...more
Freyavenlyo
May 14, 2013 Freyavenlyo rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: readers of David Edding, Lynn Flewelling, Scott Lynch
Shelves: fantasy, thieves

Opinionated ramblings to all 5 books

So, you need to know that I’m not overly fond of female characters. There was a time, when I really liked them (a very embarrassing time of historical love stories) and many young adult books with strong and nice heroines. In the last years most of the female characters were (for me) whiny, distracting trollops at best.

So starting with the Eli Monpress books (and how I loved the first sentence. I mean really, you couldn’t stop reading even if you wanted to:

...more
Jon
I have to admit, I was blown away by this book. I picked it up on sale, for really cheap. My experience with "on sale" omnibuses is...mixed, shall we say. So I was expecting a decent read, but one that I read a book from, then read something else.

That's not even close to what happened. I think I started reading this set on a Thursday? And I finished it Sunday night. I have 4 kids. That should say something.

Everything about it exceeded my expectations, the characters, the setting, the plot, the...more
Hazel Acevedo
i personally like this series, i enjoy the sin bad personality, fun character, rebellious, sexy, sarcastic, some would even say a smart Alec, yet caring, soft to nature, and definitely hiding a good hearts. I enjoy the mash up of the characters both good and bad, but i feel like some places lack entertainment and leave me hanging, i do not enjoy some of the weak parts and tend to put the book down because i feel like its missing an oomph, some parts id like to personally add my own fan fiction c...more
David Hoopes
The first three Eli Monpress books are imaginative, unique, fun, magical, adventures. A critical part of this is that there are (at least) a dozen great characters in addition to the charming and narcissistic Mr. Monpress. Eli is a wizard thief whose goal in life is to work his bounty up to a great sum. His wizardry comes from his incredible talent in speaking to spirits great and small.

The series might just as easily be named after Miranda Lyonette a "spritualist" who finds herself tangled in...more
David
Feb 09, 2012 David rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fantasy/Anime lovers
Great set of three books all packaged into one handy omnibus, what's not to like?

I found Rachel Aaron through the fantasy/scifi review blog Grasping for the Wind, and have become a devoted follower ever since I picked up the first book in a Barnes and Noble and read the first 50 pages and had to force myself to stop.

Her characters are particularly lively, and you really do develop an interest in each one. Her storyline (especially as it develops the Spirit court in books 2 and 3) is excellent. I...more
Text Addict
This wasn't the book I went to the bookstore for, but it was one of the three I allowed myself to buy this month. (Sure, it's three volumes in one, but it counts as one purchase!)

And I bought it because I'd never before read a book in which the first scene features a protagonist sweet-talking a door. I just had to read the whole thing. Also, the cover art is perfect - how could you NOT like a book with that face on it?

But I digress. The titular Eli Monpress, sweet-talker of doors, rocks, and en...more
Kio
"What happened?"
Eli shrugged. "The usual. You went down, Nico went crazy, I got us out."

Ironically, this passage from the books describes one of it's biggest flaws, but before we get into that...
The Legend of Eli Monpress is a volume of three books in which we are invited to explore a high fantasy world while following the adventures of master thief Eli and a spiritualist (wizard) called Miranda. Aaron creates a detailed and interesting world--and it does show that she's put the time and effort...more
Aidan-Paul Canavan
Rachel Aaron's trilogy is a breath of fresh air in fantasy writing. While superficially similar to Scott Lynch's Gentlemen Bastards series, The Legend of Eli Monpress is a very different style of storytelling. While a fun and entertaining read, with a deep, mythic backstory and a surprisingly well-thought out and maintained magic system, Aaron has created a complex and magnificent fantasy setting. The story lacks the darkness and cynicism of Lynch's work, and yet does not descend into mere whims...more
Thomas Taylor
This is actually a compilation of the first 3 books in the Eli Monpress storyline. The best way I can summarize this book is a high magic Lies of Locke Lamora.

Rachel Aaron has very likeable characters, writes action pretty well, and keeps a good narrative afloat across 1000 pages. It's a little predictable, but few books aren't these days.

The story follows Eli Monpress, who is the self-styled master thief of the realm. He is more or less a world class narcissist with some serious daddy issues,...more
Rebecca Harwell
The Legend of Eli Monpress is an omnibus that contains the first three books in the series: The Spirit Thief, The Spirit Rebellion, and The Spirit Eater. The last two books, The Spirit War and Spirit's End, come out this year.

I bought the omnibus on my Kindle and proceeded to read it. And proceeded to get sucked in. Seriously, this is one of the most flawless fantasy series I've ever read. Although it's an epic fantasy (with swords, another world, and magic), it reads like an urban fantasy. Eli...more
Mike
Jun 02, 2012 Mike rated it 5 of 5 stars
Shelves: kindle
Five stars from me is pretty rare. But this deserves it.

It would almost be enough to create one great character: Eli Monpress, thief, wizard, trickster, plausible con man and beloved of a goddess. But here we have at least two, because we also have Miranda Lyonette, dedicated and principled Spiritualist, who divides her time between trying to catch Monpress, reluctantly aiding him in a good cause, and rescuing oppressed spirits.

Because this is a setting where animism has been taken to its logica...more
Dan
Sep 06, 2012 Dan rated it 4 of 5 stars
Shelves: signal
Three books in one.

I got this because of the first several reviews on the first book, which described it as "charming" and "fun" and "...a little less grim and gritty, a little more ribald and vainglorious". And sure enough, that's how it starts out. Eli kidnaps a king, partly for ransom but mostly, I think, to show off.

As the books progress, the story kind of pans out, and it loses some of the "fun" feeling. There's a plotline about the eternal struggle to keep demons from devouring the world;...more
Lauren
This book is definitely one of my favorites from this year. The omnibus contains the first three volumes in the series: The Spirit Thief, The Spirit Rebellion, and The Spirit Eater. It only took one sentence to pull me in completely. Despite the large size of this book, I found myself over halfway through in no time at all because I just couldn't put it down. It has a refreshing mix of action, humor, and fantasy. But if you want to read this just for the romance, I wouldn't recommend it because...more
Kerry Given
I picked this three book omnibus up on sale and was pleased I did. It's a light, fun, and entertaining read, and sometimes that's exactly what a body needs.

As several of the other reviewers have noted, the characters, with the exception of Miranda, start out rather thin, but they get fleshed out more over the course of the series. I was bothered more by the author's occasional tendency towards deus ex machina and her frequent tendency to land the swordsman, Josef, at death's door, only to have...more
Brewergnome
I picked this up on a whim because it looked like it might be amusing. I tend to shy away from what I see as "overpowered" characters. This book, however, was suprisingly well balanced. That balance including prevalence of magic and logical extensions therein, power, and humor.

From the opening of the first book I expected something light, but in fact the series is more epic in scope with lightness interspersed so it doesn't get too depressing/heavy. The magic system, which again I misread as li...more
Heath
I actually bought this book on a whim, I saw the blurb on the front cover comparing it to The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch which happens to be one of my favorite books. I was floored by how good this book is. The Legend of Eli Monpress contains the first 3 novels of the series and I read them straight through. I couldn't get enough of this series. The world is unique and the magic system is so unbelievably simple yet amazing at the same time. The characters are well thought out and don't...more
Robert Aldrich
I gave this novel an honest run (I only began reading The Spirit Thief, which is book one in this omnibus version of the trilogy), but I just could not immerse myself in the writing or characters. I made it to page 50 out of 310 pages (16%) before deciding to put my reading time elsewhere.

I think that this would be a great book early teen or YA reading, as the plot set-up is kind of dished up all in one serving without any real development. At 16%, I would have hoped for more in the way of worl...more
Mirjam
One of my favourite characters in my first adult fantasy series, the Belgariad by David Eddings, was Prince Kheldar also known as Silk. He was a talented and most entertaining thief. Ever since I have unable to resist fantasy books about thieves! Eli Monpress is another skilled, charming and unforgettable thief. The Legend of Eli Monpress may not be original, but it is utterly captivating. Written with a wonderful sense of humour, the book is full of amusing moments like when trees are nearly sw...more
Michelle
Copied from my Spirit Thief review:

I was passed along this book by a friend who said if you like Dungeons and Dragons, you'll probably like this book. Boy was she right. I was hooked just reading the summary. Who else by Eli Monpress could steal not gold, not crown jewels, but the very king himself? And that's just the beginning, an elegant combination of wizard and thief, with some of the most interesting friends you'll meet, Eli is a captivating not-quite-hero and this series just makes you w...more
Shanshad Whelan
Three of my favorite stories this year in one package! I love a good fantasy yarn, and the stories of Eli and his exploits are great romps in a well formed fantasy universe.

Have to say I'm excited about the cover on the omnibus, because I think it speaks much more to the flavor of the series than any of the single title covers do.

Rachel Aaron makes telling a good story look easy, but knowing from experience, anything that looks easy, likely took a great deal of effort and skill to pull off. Lik...more
Carol
This volume contains the first three books in the Eli Monpress fantasy series. It is set in a world where everything (plants, animals, inanimate objects) has a spirit and magic is done through interactions and relationships with these spirits. Monpress is both a wizard and an audacious thief who undertakes spectacular thefts, motivated by a quest for fame and to acquire the largest bounty on his head that the world has ever seen. His partners in crime are Josef, the world's best swordsman and po...more
Just_ann_now
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Chip
This is a review for this book as well as books 4 and 5 in the series, The Spirit War and Spirit's End. The series starts off pretty generically, and if I'd only had the first book, rather than 1 - 3 in an omnibus edition, I don't know that I'd have bothered to look for the second. That said, the series develops well, and in fact some of the presumably ancillary initial stock characters turn out to be of great significance and interest as the series continues. Not the best fantasy I've read rece...more
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The Legend of Eli Monpress (The Legend of Eli Monpress #1-3)
Legend of Eli Monpress (The Legend of Eli Monpress #1-3)
The Legend of Eli Monpress (The Legend of Eli Monpress #1-3)
3504189
Hello, my name is Rachel Aaron, author of The Spirit Thief and all the other Eli books forthcoming from Orbit. I live in Athens, GA, (which I always stress is not really Georgia, but a small island nation all its own adrift in the vast sea of East Georgia farmland) in a seventies house of the future with my husband, the keeper of the other half of my brain, my infant son, who's working on growing...more
More about Rachel Aaron...
The Spirit Thief (The Legend of Eli Monpress, #1) The Spirit Rebellion (The Legend of Eli Monpress, #2) The Spirit Eater (The Legend of Eli Monpress, #3) The Spirit War (The Legend of Eli Monpress, #4) Spirit's End (The Legend of Eli Monpress #5)

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