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Thieves' Guild #3
Harsh Realities
Someone is out to destroy the Thieves’ Guild.
NG is good. Very good. But now someone wants him dead. With the guild in chaos, his best handler murdered and his top field-ops on the run, he has to up his game to find out who.
Because that’s only half the trouble he’s in.
As the cracks grow ever wider, the Thieves’ Guild finds itself caught between the warring factions of Earth and Winter, with no idea who is pulling the strings.
And on the darkest of days, NG finds himself in a fight even he couldn’t have anticipated.
Harsh Realities is the third in the series of sci-fi thrillers set in the knife-edge universe of the Thieves’ Guild.
NG is good. Very good. But now someone wants him dead. With the guild in chaos, his best handler murdered and his top field-ops on the run, he has to up his game to find out who.
Because that’s only half the trouble he’s in.
As the cracks grow ever wider, the Thieves’ Guild finds itself caught between the warring factions of Earth and Winter, with no idea who is pulling the strings.
And on the darkest of days, NG finds himself in a fight even he couldn’t have anticipated.
Harsh Realities is the third in the series of sci-fi thrillers set in the knife-edge universe of the Thieves’ Guild.
- GenresScience Fiction
362 pages, Paperback
First published April 6, 2014
18 people are currently reading
320 people want to read
About the author
C.G. Hatton
42 books46 followersC.G. Hatton is a writer and editor based in the North-East of England. She has a PhD in geology and a background in journalism, having worked as a sub-editor and editor at several newspapers.
She has published six books so far in the Thieves’ Guild sci-fi/thriller series, the first three books in a YA series set in the same universe, and edits the Harvey Duckman Presents... series of scifi, fantasy, steampunk and horror anthologies.
She loves meringue and football (Tottenham Hotspur), drinks rum and listens to Linkin Park, has climbed active volcanoes, walked on the Great Wall of China, and been mugged in Brazil. She is married with two young daughters and is currently working on the next book in the Thieves' Guild series.
(pic by Brett Cooper)
She has published six books so far in the Thieves’ Guild sci-fi/thriller series, the first three books in a YA series set in the same universe, and edits the Harvey Duckman Presents... series of scifi, fantasy, steampunk and horror anthologies.
She loves meringue and football (Tottenham Hotspur), drinks rum and listens to Linkin Park, has climbed active volcanoes, walked on the Great Wall of China, and been mugged in Brazil. She is married with two young daughters and is currently working on the next book in the Thieves' Guild series.
(pic by Brett Cooper)
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 4, 2020
‘Confidentiality at a premium, clandestine seclusion guaranteed.’
The story up to now – the nature of the beast
‘There’s an organisation …’
Book one: there was a bounty on Hilyer, rough-around-the-edges field operative of the Thieves’ Guild (TG). Book two: there was a bounty on Luka (LC) Anderton, charming field operative of the TG. Book three: whoever messed with the above field operatives has decided to mess with NG, and they put an even bigger bounty on him. ‘Nobody messes with the TG’, but author CG Hatton’s series has proved that people keep messing with it and in all sorts of ways.
It’s daring to mess with a prominent figure of the TG, who is inaccessible to the grunts of the TG’s enemies. NG is in the first two books as this guy on the TG ship, the Alsatia, who everybody looks up to and receives orders from. He’s not the Man, of course; the Man is the mysterious figure pulling the strings of the TG, and probably most of the galaxy too.
Main character NG
‘Shit, I always knew you were a tough bastard, NG, but level five? Jesus, most people don’t make it past three.’
If you thought author CG Hatton would have run out of protagonists, you’d be mistaken in Harsh Realities (HR) book three of the TG Series. NG is conflicted, not because he’s physically battered like glutton-for-punishment Hilyer and not because he’s infected with a virus and is deciding on romantic boundaries like LC – NG already had some freakish abilities similar to the virus, we’re told, and it explains much. More often than not, NG is shown to be … knackered. Character after character tax his energy levels, and he has to single-handedly run the various departments of the TG, assimilate what they’re thinking because he can read their thoughts, fend off the advances of caring-predator Devon, and then also work out who put a bounty on him and attempted to kill him.
Story structure
Up to now, NG’s story coincides with what happened to LC and Hilyer in books one and two, and I couldn’t have been more pleased to have discovered the serious stuff that went down that linked the events in all three books together. The conspiracy is being mapped out, and although we know some of the players, we don’t know how they managed to carry out attacks, infiltrate the TG, and bring to bear such influence. Some organisations are named; in fact, I was a bit confused by some of them: Assassins, Order, and then UM and JU slipped my mind.
From 140 out of 360 pages, the story changes! My favourite page was P210 – I loved the show of unity. There are more than a few hints that there are aliens, or that their existence may be real. I was a bit concerned the story arc would vanish and I’d be fitted with a military science fiction first contact story, and I must say the plot slowed a bit here, but the build-up must have been a monumental challenge to write, and the story kept strong, circulating around the characters. I grew attached to the new character Hones, here. The subsequent events were pure TG, and this is where I have to say I loved the return of the field operatives, but from NG’s point of view, seeing all of them work in concert. There are some huge eye-opening revelations at the end of the book.
The story up to now – the nature of the beast
‘There’s an organisation …’
Book one: there was a bounty on Hilyer, rough-around-the-edges field operative of the Thieves’ Guild (TG). Book two: there was a bounty on Luka (LC) Anderton, charming field operative of the TG. Book three: whoever messed with the above field operatives has decided to mess with NG, and they put an even bigger bounty on him. ‘Nobody messes with the TG’, but author CG Hatton’s series has proved that people keep messing with it and in all sorts of ways.
It’s daring to mess with a prominent figure of the TG, who is inaccessible to the grunts of the TG’s enemies. NG is in the first two books as this guy on the TG ship, the Alsatia, who everybody looks up to and receives orders from. He’s not the Man, of course; the Man is the mysterious figure pulling the strings of the TG, and probably most of the galaxy too.
Main character NG
‘Shit, I always knew you were a tough bastard, NG, but level five? Jesus, most people don’t make it past three.’
If you thought author CG Hatton would have run out of protagonists, you’d be mistaken in Harsh Realities (HR) book three of the TG Series. NG is conflicted, not because he’s physically battered like glutton-for-punishment Hilyer and not because he’s infected with a virus and is deciding on romantic boundaries like LC – NG already had some freakish abilities similar to the virus, we’re told, and it explains much. More often than not, NG is shown to be … knackered. Character after character tax his energy levels, and he has to single-handedly run the various departments of the TG, assimilate what they’re thinking because he can read their thoughts, fend off the advances of caring-predator Devon, and then also work out who put a bounty on him and attempted to kill him.
Story structure
Up to now, NG’s story coincides with what happened to LC and Hilyer in books one and two, and I couldn’t have been more pleased to have discovered the serious stuff that went down that linked the events in all three books together. The conspiracy is being mapped out, and although we know some of the players, we don’t know how they managed to carry out attacks, infiltrate the TG, and bring to bear such influence. Some organisations are named; in fact, I was a bit confused by some of them: Assassins, Order, and then UM and JU slipped my mind.
From 140 out of 360 pages, the story changes! My favourite page was P210 – I loved the show of unity. There are more than a few hints that there are aliens, or that their existence may be real. I was a bit concerned the story arc would vanish and I’d be fitted with a military science fiction first contact story, and I must say the plot slowed a bit here, but the build-up must have been a monumental challenge to write, and the story kept strong, circulating around the characters. I grew attached to the new character Hones, here. The subsequent events were pure TG, and this is where I have to say I loved the return of the field operatives, but from NG’s point of view, seeing all of them work in concert. There are some huge eye-opening revelations at the end of the book.
February 25, 2020
Because you know, "no one messes with the thieves' guild!"
I have delayed this review due to the fact that I am still reeling over the whole aliens invasion.
The Man describes NG perfectly: "He has an acute talent for reading a situation and an ability to anticipate, pre-empt, almost foresee an outcome."
Each chapter begins with the Man speaking with a female over goblets of red wine, no games of chess though.
In book 3, we get to know NG. I hope that book 4 we know more of how NG became who he is. At first I thought that sebastian was just voice in his head, then it was followed by my thoughts that hey NG ain't perfect like us mere mortals, he must be suffering from personality dissociative disorder? then it came to light that he was much more than that. What is he?????? Who is the Man??????
Anyways the whole aliens invasion was sneaked in slowly and then wow NG bought us to the aliens, this is what a sci fi should be.
I have delayed this review due to the fact that I am still reeling over the whole aliens invasion.
The Man describes NG perfectly: "He has an acute talent for reading a situation and an ability to anticipate, pre-empt, almost foresee an outcome."
Each chapter begins with the Man speaking with a female over goblets of red wine, no games of chess though.
In book 3, we get to know NG. I hope that book 4 we know more of how NG became who he is. At first I thought that sebastian was just voice in his head, then it was followed by my thoughts that hey NG ain't perfect like us mere mortals, he must be suffering from personality dissociative disorder? then it came to light that he was much more than that. What is he?????? Who is the Man??????
Anyways the whole aliens invasion was sneaked in slowly and then wow NG bought us to the aliens, this is what a sci fi should be.
November 23, 2018
I’d been looking forward to reading this book for ages, having previously read the first two books in the series. I was not disappointed!
The character of NG, who was introduced in the previous books, takes centre stage here and it’s a clever move that allows the author to keep all of the best elements from the previous two books while also giving the reader a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of the secretive (and fascinating) thieves guild.
As usual the writing is energetic and exciting, with an ending that made me go straight out and pick up the next book!
The character of NG, who was introduced in the previous books, takes centre stage here and it’s a clever move that allows the author to keep all of the best elements from the previous two books while also giving the reader a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of the secretive (and fascinating) thieves guild.
As usual the writing is energetic and exciting, with an ending that made me go straight out and pick up the next book!
June 4, 2021
Initial thought: Assassins? Yes; A guild of thieves? Yes! Murderous drones in space? YASS! Beautiful cover? YAsSS!
In theory, this book checked all of my boxes, but unfortunately this one just didn’t work for me.
From the cliché scenes to the clunky and confusing writing, there wasn’t much left of the initial intrigue.
I had to reread entire pages to try and make sense of what was happening, and several times I gave up finding out who was even talking.
I really wanted to like this book, and I hope others will have better luck with it.
I received an arc way-back-when through the Goodreads giveaway program
In theory, this book checked all of my boxes, but unfortunately this one just didn’t work for me.
From the cliché scenes to the clunky and confusing writing, there wasn’t much left of the initial intrigue.
I had to reread entire pages to try and make sense of what was happening, and several times I gave up finding out who was even talking.
I really wanted to like this book, and I hope others will have better luck with it.
I received an arc way-back-when through the Goodreads giveaway program
February 3, 2016
reading through the eyes of N.G.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews