The Thief

The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner, 1996 Eos

     Gen is a thief. When he brags to all of Sounis that he can steal anything, he is arrested and forced to join the kingdom's magus on a quest to find Hamiathes's Gift.
     Hamiathes's Gift is a stone to guarantee the throne of Sounis's neighbor Eddis to her monarch. Sounis (the king of the country) hopes to use it to force Eddis (the queen) into marriage and to use her lands as a stepping-stone to Attolia.
     Attolia has been damaged by plague as had Eddis and Sounis, and Sounis sees her unpeopled lands as the perfect place to re-settle his overpopulation.
     Gen travels with the Magus, Sounis's heir, and two others to the location of Hamiathes's Gift where his part of the quest begins, and the mission begins to fall apart. Betrayal, escape from incarceration, and a miraculous rescue characterize the rest of Gen's path home.
     The story is told from Gen's point of view, showing his inner thoughts and plans. Throughout Gen challenges the views his companions accept and put forth unthinkingly. He stands against the bullying of one companion to win the friendship and respect of the others. While his occupation isn't completely wholesome, Gen fulfills his role of Tool of the Gods and makes the other characters (and reader) think about what they believe and why.
     This is the first of a series about Attolia, Eddis, and Sounis by Megan Whalen Turner. It was a fun read, drawing on military and political strategy as well as mythology and social patterns from the modern Grecian world.