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Thieves' Guild Origins: LC #1
Kheris Burning
No one in the galaxy gives a damn about Kheris, a war-torn mining colony in the back of beyond.
Thirteen-year-old Luka is used to running from trouble, living rough with a gang of street kids, stealing from the Imperial troops and selling scavenged tech and intel to the Wintran-backed resistance fighters to survive.
But when a mysterious ship crashes in the desert, his life is turned upside down overnight. Suddenly Kheris is on everyone’s radar and he finds himself caught between the two warring factions, with the lives of those closest to him threatened.
He’s desperate to find a way out, but will the cost be too high?
“You want to know what it takes to get to the top at the most secretive guild in the galaxy? Luck. That’s it. Train and sweat and study all you want but in the end it pretty much comes down to luck. But you know the funny thing about luck? You have to make it. I learned that the hard way. When I was a kid on the streets of Kheris.
We didn’t know what they were all fighting over on our hellhole of a mining colony on the edge of the Between, why the roads were blocked by tanks, why there was never any food in the shops, why they dropped bombs on us every night. We didn’t know and we didn’t care. But I do know one thing… everything changed the night something huge fell out of jump too close to the planet and crashed in our desert.
But that wasn’t the only thing that happened in those few weeks just before my fourteenth birthday. What happened first, and what saved my life in the end, was that Charlie came back…”
Thirteen-year-old Luka is used to running from trouble, living rough with a gang of street kids, stealing from the Imperial troops and selling scavenged tech and intel to the Wintran-backed resistance fighters to survive.
But when a mysterious ship crashes in the desert, his life is turned upside down overnight. Suddenly Kheris is on everyone’s radar and he finds himself caught between the two warring factions, with the lives of those closest to him threatened.
He’s desperate to find a way out, but will the cost be too high?
“You want to know what it takes to get to the top at the most secretive guild in the galaxy? Luck. That’s it. Train and sweat and study all you want but in the end it pretty much comes down to luck. But you know the funny thing about luck? You have to make it. I learned that the hard way. When I was a kid on the streets of Kheris.
We didn’t know what they were all fighting over on our hellhole of a mining colony on the edge of the Between, why the roads were blocked by tanks, why there was never any food in the shops, why they dropped bombs on us every night. We didn’t know and we didn’t care. But I do know one thing… everything changed the night something huge fell out of jump too close to the planet and crashed in our desert.
But that wasn’t the only thing that happened in those few weeks just before my fourteenth birthday. What happened first, and what saved my life in the end, was that Charlie came back…”
- GenresScience FictionFiction
Paperback
Published February 1, 2021
22 people are currently reading
212 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 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 3, 2016
C.G creates the world of Kheris and the early life of one of her core characters as vividly as the universe she has created in the thief guild novels.
Its no easy task to write a book which is in effect YA fiction when you normally write novels aimed at an adult or mainstream audience. Not that I would not recommend the Thieves Guild series to YA readers, I would recommend them to anyone, but as a starting point for a YA reader, Kheris Burning is wonderful.
But more than that C.G. pulls off a trick which the best YA fiction, and indeed the best fiction, in general, aspires to achieve. Wrapped up in a story of adventure, of the coming of age and struggling against impossible odds is a vision of a life more complex. An ingrained truth and insight into the human condition.
Yes this is SFI, but like all great SFI it tells us something of the real world and the experience of those who live within it.
This is a story of a street kid, in a war-torn land, trying to survive while been pulled by both the oppressors and the oppressed. The forces of the empire and the forces of the rebellion. The occupying army and the freedom fighters, and used by both.
The street kids are seen as recruits in waiting for the rebels who's goals are never so much about the freedom of the people, but who wields power over them.
Yes its SFI, but it could be Syria or Lebanon or Baghdad.
What on one level is an adventure story, on another is a truth of the disenfranchised trying to survive in their bombed out cities. Knowing neither side is on their side and trying to get what little they can from each. A world that is, sadly, grounded in reality. Though with the lightest of touches so you only realise when you think on it.
And that is the trick.
While you read C.G's novel you learn a little of the realities of dispossessed, because she realises it within the world she creates.
In short, as I have failed to be, read it. enjoy it (and you will) and take from it what you will. It is both a joyously fun read, and a window into the darkest corners of the real world because it is so well written.
Its no easy task to write a book which is in effect YA fiction when you normally write novels aimed at an adult or mainstream audience. Not that I would not recommend the Thieves Guild series to YA readers, I would recommend them to anyone, but as a starting point for a YA reader, Kheris Burning is wonderful.
But more than that C.G. pulls off a trick which the best YA fiction, and indeed the best fiction, in general, aspires to achieve. Wrapped up in a story of adventure, of the coming of age and struggling against impossible odds is a vision of a life more complex. An ingrained truth and insight into the human condition.
Yes this is SFI, but like all great SFI it tells us something of the real world and the experience of those who live within it.
This is a story of a street kid, in a war-torn land, trying to survive while been pulled by both the oppressors and the oppressed. The forces of the empire and the forces of the rebellion. The occupying army and the freedom fighters, and used by both.
The street kids are seen as recruits in waiting for the rebels who's goals are never so much about the freedom of the people, but who wields power over them.
Yes its SFI, but it could be Syria or Lebanon or Baghdad.
What on one level is an adventure story, on another is a truth of the disenfranchised trying to survive in their bombed out cities. Knowing neither side is on their side and trying to get what little they can from each. A world that is, sadly, grounded in reality. Though with the lightest of touches so you only realise when you think on it.
And that is the trick.
While you read C.G's novel you learn a little of the realities of dispossessed, because she realises it within the world she creates.
In short, as I have failed to be, read it. enjoy it (and you will) and take from it what you will. It is both a joyously fun read, and a window into the darkest corners of the real world because it is so well written.
July 11, 2016
I read this after finishing the Thieves Guild books (re-reading books 1-3!) and was a bit wary as i usually I am when a series of books I like takes a different turn. Once i got into the swing of this book i loved it, the pace keeps on wanting more and reading further on than planned in an evening!! Won't say any more as I feel i may end up spoiling this for other readers!
November 23, 2018
I don’t usually read YA books, but I’ve read all of the other books in the Thieves Guild series and I read this because I didn’t want to miss out on any of the stories.
I’m so glad I did! This is another great book from CG Hatton. Kheris Burning adds to the existing canon with a fascinating look at the childhood of one of the series’ main characters. Although the story is aimed at young adults, it is still full of threats and it is written in a way that never patronises or talks down to a younger audience.
There is also an audiobook version of this - which is fast becoming my nieces' favourite story.
I’m so glad I did! This is another great book from CG Hatton. Kheris Burning adds to the existing canon with a fascinating look at the childhood of one of the series’ main characters. Although the story is aimed at young adults, it is still full of threats and it is written in a way that never patronises or talks down to a younger audience.
There is also an audiobook version of this - which is fast becoming my nieces' favourite story.
July 15, 2017
I won a copy of Kheris Burning signed by author C.G. Hatton in a Goodreads giveaway. It is a Thieves Guild Origins book, the first of the LC series. However, you do not have to have read any of the Thieves Guild books to follow the story, so can read it before starting that series. The story is about Luka, an imperial bastard born on the remote mining planet Kheris and the events leading to him joining the secret Thieves Guild. It's an exiting YA action adventure/sci fi story. Its an easy read, very enjoyable and fast paced. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
September 24, 2017
It's okay...but it had a really hard holding my attention. Not to say that the story is bad because it wasn't. I just couldn't reading it because I didn't find anything in the story to intrigue me; it wasn't my cup of tea. But I still see why this author is so popular.
May 16, 2021
Sticky fingers
Confusing plot at times. Characters interactions were weak as why they did what they did. Not clear who was good and who was bad. Mixed messages in many parts.
Confusing plot at times. Characters interactions were weak as why they did what they did. Not clear who was good and who was bad. Mixed messages in many parts.
July 28, 2016
Find more of my reviews at Books and Stars
This book begins off with Luka, a thirteen-year old boy living in Kheris, doing what he can to survive. But when a ship crashes nearby and Luka goes out to investigate, he returns only to find himself under suspicion, resulting in his friends being captured. But the only path for safety for anyone is for Luka to devise a way to get them out...
Right off the back, we got a good sense of the type of person Luka was with the kind of work he was doing. Dangerous, risky, and completely cut-throat, Luka easily proved his worth from accomplishing serious stunts, including stealing codes and other information. He gave off a I-don't-care attitude, yet you could easily see he cared a lot, and did his best to make ends meet for food. I particularly liked how he refused to leave people behind, which really spoke of his loyalty and dedication those he had!
I really liked Luka's relationship with Maisie and Latia. He refused to leave the two of them behind to Drayton's mercy, and begrudgingly obliged to his requests to ensure their safety. Only thirteen, yet already willing to risk himself to save others. He's definitely the kind of person you'd want guarding your back, especially during a war-filled time like the one Kheris is in!
If the synopsis wasn't evidence enough, I was immediately suspicious of the ship that crashed. I knew it was bad news, and knew something equally bad would happen if Luka went out to investigate. But then again, realistically, if I were in his shoes, I probably would have done the same. I just didn't know how bad the results would be, with everything that went down with Drayton. The consequences of having both curiosity and desperation can be both a gift and a curse at times...
There were a few twists that I didn't see coming, which really brought excitement to the plot. There was one character in particular that took my completely by surprise by his change in attitude, and another one who though I had thought was bad, did not expect to find the extend of betrayal he had committed until Luka unearthed the information.
The ending with Luka's final decision was bittersweet. The sacrifice he made was selfless, but it's easy to see that it's one that may come back to haunt him later. Right choices don't always make it any less painful to make them, let alone live with them. But it definitely sets Luka's character up very well, creating a rigid yet strong young man.
Overall, this was fast paced and well written. The author found a great balance between action, plot, and context, making it an interesting and intriguing world!
This book begins off with Luka, a thirteen-year old boy living in Kheris, doing what he can to survive. But when a ship crashes nearby and Luka goes out to investigate, he returns only to find himself under suspicion, resulting in his friends being captured. But the only path for safety for anyone is for Luka to devise a way to get them out...
Right off the back, we got a good sense of the type of person Luka was with the kind of work he was doing. Dangerous, risky, and completely cut-throat, Luka easily proved his worth from accomplishing serious stunts, including stealing codes and other information. He gave off a I-don't-care attitude, yet you could easily see he cared a lot, and did his best to make ends meet for food. I particularly liked how he refused to leave people behind, which really spoke of his loyalty and dedication those he had!
I really liked Luka's relationship with Maisie and Latia. He refused to leave the two of them behind to Drayton's mercy, and begrudgingly obliged to his requests to ensure their safety. Only thirteen, yet already willing to risk himself to save others. He's definitely the kind of person you'd want guarding your back, especially during a war-filled time like the one Kheris is in!
If the synopsis wasn't evidence enough, I was immediately suspicious of the ship that crashed. I knew it was bad news, and knew something equally bad would happen if Luka went out to investigate. But then again, realistically, if I were in his shoes, I probably would have done the same. I just didn't know how bad the results would be, with everything that went down with Drayton. The consequences of having both curiosity and desperation can be both a gift and a curse at times...
There were a few twists that I didn't see coming, which really brought excitement to the plot. There was one character in particular that took my completely by surprise by his change in attitude, and another one who though I had thought was bad, did not expect to find the extend of betrayal he had committed until Luka unearthed the information.
The ending with Luka's final decision was bittersweet. The sacrifice he made was selfless, but it's easy to see that it's one that may come back to haunt him later. Right choices don't always make it any less painful to make them, let alone live with them. But it definitely sets Luka's character up very well, creating a rigid yet strong young man.
Overall, this was fast paced and well written. The author found a great balance between action, plot, and context, making it an interesting and intriguing world!
September 17, 2018
A great action sci fi painting a vivid picture of a world torn apart by conflict and the people who have to survive in it and of the 14 year old LC desperately trying to survive as his fragile world begins to collapse around him. An action packed and progressively fast paced story well worth reading.
April 19, 2016
A fantastic, rollercoaster of a ride. I didn't want to put this book down.
The fast paced narrative sweeps you along with the action; so much so that you feel LC's every bump and bruise on the way to the end.
The fast paced narrative sweeps you along with the action; so much so that you feel LC's every bump and bruise on the way to the end.
March 27, 2017
This book was an interesting one. There were some good twists and turns and it can grab you and not let go if you allow it to. Fans of the author would enjoy this book.
*win as a GoodReads Giveaway*
*win as a GoodReads Giveaway*
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews