2008 Young Adult Challenge 4 of 12tl;dr challenge 1 of 3
I wish I hadn't waited so long to read The Thief - it's been recommended to me by so many people. I don't know why I always worry that I won't relate to a story with a teenage male protagonist. Once again, I was wrong.
The Thief follows the fortunes of Gen, a self-proclaimed thief who can "steal anything," although when we meet him, he is languishing in the king's prison. When the opportunity arises to leave the prison in order to do some secret thieving for the king, Gen doesn't have much choice but to go along.
The book takes place in an ancient Greece type world, with some modern inventions and with a colorful history and political scene. The long journey that Gen takes along with the king's adviser, a soldier and two other young men, could have been a tedious and boring one, but the author keeps it lively by letting us into the mythical past of this land and telling the ancient stories of its people.
I loved how Gen worked between the mythical and real world - he was such an intriguing character: smart-alecky and cunning but sensitive and loyal. The book's plot twists and character development kept me eager to find out how Gen would end up - and the ending was incredibly satisfying. Thanks to everyone who kept telling me to read this - it's a gem.
2 comments:
I've been meaning to read it for a while, too, and you just convinced me to bump it up my list.
I just added it to my list too. It doesn't sound like the type of book I would have picked it up without your review. Thanks!
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