Because of his great skill at thievery, Gen lands in the King's prison. After months of isolation, kept sane only by his sharp intelligence, Gen is released by the King's Scholar, the Magus, who believes he knows the site of an ancient treasure. The Magus needs the best thief in the land to help him steal it, and that thief is Gen. But Gen is also a survivor and a trickster--and he has ideas of his own.
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Because of his great skill at thievery, Gen lands in the King's prison. After months of isolation, kept sane only by his sharp intelligence, Gen is released by the King's Scholar, the Magus, who believes he knows the site of an ancient treasure. The Magus needs the best thief in the land to help him steal it, and that thief is Gen. But Gen is also a survivor and a trickster--and he has ideas of his own.
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Very Good. . All orders guaranteed and ship within 24 hours. Your purchase supports More Than Words, a nonprofit job training program for youth, empowering youth to take charge of their lives by taking charge of a business.
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Good. Former Library book. All orders guaranteed and ship within 24 hours. Your purchase supports More Than Words, a nonprofi t job training program for youth, empowering youth to take charge of their lives by taking charge of a business.
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Fair. This is a used book. It may contain highlighting/underlining and/or the book may show heavier signs of wear. It may also be ex-library or without dustjacket. This is a used book. It may contain highlighting/underlining and/or the book may show heavier signs of wear. It may also be ex-library or without dustjacket.
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Good. Good general condition. Moderate cover and edge wear. Inside pages in good condition, clean and intact. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 219 p. Audience: Children/juvenile.
I almost quit reading this book because the character, Gen, was so cocky as he told his own story. But I stuck with it, and I am glad I did. The end was a surprise indeed. Before you start this book, be warned; it is the first of a series, and each book is better than the last. The other books published so far are called the Queen of Attolia and the King of Attolia, with more in the works. There are no cliffhanger endings, so the books can be enjoyed without dying to find out what happens next, but still, I eagerly await the next installment in Gen's story.
GoluxGirl
Jan 16, 2008
surprising and fresh
I must disagree with the other reviewer by saying this is a well-written book, with an interesting plot and likable characters. If, however, you are chiefly a fan of high-concept epic fantasy, this is not the novel for you. Look instead for titles by David Eddings, Raymond Feist, or R.A. Salvatore. Gen tells his own story, setting himself up as almost an anti-hero: a cocky thief with visions of grandeur. He steals because he's good at it, and takes great pride in his abilities. So much pride, in fact, that too many people hear of his plan to steal the king's own signet ring, and he's caught in the act. The story opens after he's languished in prison for many months. The king's adviser needs Gen's help to steal a lost relic of legend, said to be preserved in a hidden temple of a neighboring kingdom. If he succeeds, Gen won't return to prison. If he fails, he will die. Ms. Turner creates in Gen a smart, cocky, mouthy, teenager with hidden depths of courage. A perceptive reader sees past his bravado and sneakiness to a kid with an agenda of his own, who refuses to be anyone's puppet. The question raised by the story is not so much whether or not Gen can steal said sacred relic, but what he'll do once he's got it.
mbunce
Jan 8, 2008
An unsatisfying read
I bought this book off of a list of recommended fantasy that NPR had on its site. I've been stagnant in my fantasy reading so I thought I'd try something different. This book bills itself for young adult readers. I've got no problem with that as I'd read any good book regardless of the target age written for. The story starts out with the young thief Gen in prison and follows him as he is recruited to steal a very valuable object. I couldn't get into any of the characters. They seemed pretty one dimensional to me and I just didn't plain like 'em. There was nothing special about the premise, being thief steal something. Also there were uninteresting settings and locations. The one saving part of this book was the place that Gen had to steal the object. I won't spoil it for those who want to read the book but the 'treasure room' was a very nice concept. Another thing that turned me off of the book was the cursing of deity. Even the cursing of fantasy deities, used too much, is a turn off. Not an annoyance for many but a problem for me. I know this book won awards so there is obviously smarter people than me out there but I can't recommend this book.
