The Thief (The Queen's Thief, #1) - Discussion

[Odette]

Our first book of 2012 is The Thief by Megan Whalen. Who's reading?

Group Members' Reviews

[Mary]

I'm in! I just went and got the book and put it on my to-read pile (since it's a re-read).

[Emilie]

i love this book. i don't have a copy, but i will try to get one to re-read.

[Anatha]

I got it about two weeks ago! I've only heard lovely things about it.

[Odette]

I've ordered it from the library (multiple circulating copies, so hopefully it will arrive faster than Trickster did).

There seems to be a lot of love out there for this book, so I'm looking forward to a fun read. :)

[Anatha]

I think the Mythopoeic Society made it... an award finalist for young adult fantasy? I don't remember if it got the award, or not; I think Whalen Turner said a polite "thank you" of some sort on the site, but I am unreliable when it comes to information. D: The Mythopoeic Society's indirect recommendation was enough for me, though!

I hadn't heard of Whalen Turner until I picked up the Firebirds anthology, which featured her story "the Baby in the Night Deposit Box," which I thought was really good, & would recommend it to everyone in this group.

[Odette]

Compelling story title. I don't think I've read any of Whalen Turner's other work (unless she had a story in the Windling/Datlow fairy tale series).

Just found a link to the Mythopoeic Society listing & her comments:
http://www.mythsoc.org/awards/2011/re...

Looks like the society has a lot of great book listings (lots of overlap with the Endicott list as well). Thanks for the info!

[Anatha]

Of course! :)

[Shane]

I am totally in!
I just finished reading it; absolutely loved it, and am hoping my library has the rest, because I can't wait to read the next ones.
and I am also looking forward to perusing the mythopoeic society, thank you very much, Anatha.

[Mary]

I finished my re-read the other day. I still love this book. I've always enjoyed how Turner carefully hands out information to the reader, allowing you oohs and aahs as you read, learning new things. This time through I also really enjoyed the description of the scenery, partially because it was a wonderful way to anticipate the plot unfolding.

Thank you to the person who nominated this book!

[Ramona]

I'll read if I can locate a copy.

[Kamilla]

I'm starting it tonight, my first group book!

[Anatha]

I finished The Thief a few days ago! I have unusually mixed feelings about it, haha. That doesn't happen often with books, and by "often" I mean "ever!" Perhaps my feelings will be made more articulate if I read the next book in the series?

[Emilie]

what part of it are feeling mixed about? i do think the next book is even better!

[Anatha]

I don't know how much of a spoiler everything hereafter I write is, so I'm going to cut it, just in case?

(view spoiler)[I thought the book in its entirety was kind of... boring? A lot of pages of nothing happened. Lots of traveling and traveling and traveling to get the gift, supplemented with beautiful albeit long descriptions of the setting (which I usually don't mind; I mean, look at anything Tolkien ever wrote). I was more interested in several of the other characters and the mythological canon that was driving this adventure, but the story being told from Eugenides point of view denied me a lot of that.

I appreciated the fact that Turner made Eugenides seem far less than he actually was and created a unique, snarky character that under different circumstances could have been highly unlikeable, but... I don't know.

I guess I have general, small demands of a book that I pick up to read, and I was a little startled to be denied them by the storytelling style and the main character's personal agenda. I'm not used to that. An unreliable narrator is one thing, but then the end of the book exploded with twists and turns?

Regardless of my vaguely articulated feelings, both good and bad, I intend to give the next book in the series a shot. I'm sure more of the mythology will be revealed, and now that we know so much more about the thief at book's end, then I'm sure that The Queen of Attolia will either answer my questions or give me the exposition I had otherwise demanded. (hide spoiler)]

Overall, I gave it 3/5 stars, wavering between a 3 and 4.

I take it you liked it a lot, Emilie? :)

[Mary]

Anatha wrote: "I guess I have general, small demands of a book that I pick up to read, and I was a little startled to be denied them by the storytelling style and the main character's personal agenda. I'm not used to that. "

I'm curious what your expectations were; would you share them?

I think what I enjoy most about the book is deciphering the narrator and trying to figure out the mystery of what he is telling us.

[Anatha]

Mary wrote: "I'm curious what your expectations were; would you share them?"

That's the thing! I never thought about having specific expectations for any book I pick up. I always thought I was open-minded and prepared to go with whatever I read, & this is the first book where that hasn't been the case (that I'm consciously aware of, anyways).

Every time I think back on the book (which I've been doing a lot, by the way), I think about what I mentioned before: exposition. Or more specifically, mythological exposition. Perhaps I wasn't given enough of the mythology, which will surely be given in subsequent books. I was given a taste of it, but I never got enough of it to understand or fully appreciate its impact on the mission or the main characters or the history of the three countries. As much as I loved the premise of the book, it just wasn't for me. But like Emilie and many others have said on GoodReads, the next book is better!

Sorry if that's unhelpful and, lord forbid, if I've offended anyone! I usually don't have to articulate misgivings. I only tend to gush, haha.

I still heartily recommend "the Baby in the Night Deposit Box," though.

[Emilie]

Anatha wrote: "I don't know how much of a spoiler everything hereafter I write is, so I'm going to cut it, just in case?

I thought the book in its entirety was kind of... boring? A lot of pages of nothing happen..."

yes, i really like this (i think that i gave it 4 stars). i'm more interested in characters than plot, and though i don't usually like to do this, i read the thief because i was interested in reading the queen of attolia, which i think is a more complex book.

i liked eugenides pov and i think eugenides gives a lot of little clues along the way, so the shifts really work for me (the twists are not really coming out nowhere, they are coming out of the assumptions we as readers are making when we are lazy listeners, i think that's a fun/interesting point she is making about appearances and assumptions) and i thought it was fun...(though i think from a pacing perspective i agree about the ending being a bit fast).

as far as the narration, megan whalen turner changes to a third person narrator for the rest of the books. and yes, she does thread more of her atmospheric ancient mythological stories and characters and explore them and the ways they are influencing eugenides, attolia, and other characters.

[Mary]

Anatha wrote: "But like Emilie and many others have said on GoodReads, the next book is better!"

We must really be liking non-intersecting sets of stuff in the books because, while I like the rest of the series, I didn't think any of them were as strong as The Thief. I hope you enjoy them!