The Queen of Attolia

The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner, 2000 Greenwillow Books

     In the sequel to The Thief, Gen has become not only a national hero, but also the Queen of Eddis's personal spymaster. Though he despises the job, he enjoys the hunt (and the power that comes from holding the king of Sounis at bay) and ventures repeatedly into Attolia's fortress. When Gen is captured, the Queen of Attolia decides to cut off one of his hands, a gruesome punishment, but one worthy of a thief.
     Gen is sent home, no longer a threat to either Sounis or Attolia. When he arrives he finds his home at war with her neighbors and his cousin, the queen, plotting to maintain the stability and strength of her people at the expense of the two nations.
     For a time, everyone worries about Gen's sanity. Eddis posts guards to prevent him from harming himself, and he is nearly imprisoned in his room. But part of it is an act: Gen continues his work as Eddis' spymaster and chief spy. He makes his debut in Sounis, sneaking into the megaron and stealing the king's Magus. Sounis is thrown into turmoil as the distraction Gen ordered destroys the navy and Gen himself rides away with the brains behind the operation.
     This small act turns the tide of the two-front war Eddis is engaged in, causing Attolia to look for help from some undesirable places. The Mede Empire hangs in the background, a shadow waiting to descend over the peninsular nations of Sounis, Eddis, and Attolia. Through some tricky finagling the Ambassador to the Mede puts Attolia in the position where she must choose between an alliance with Eddis, and an alliance with the Mede in which she would become a figurehead and the foothold for the Mede invasion.
   The story shifts from being narrated by and centered around Eugenides to a third person point of view. It has moments of gruesome violence, but is is a story about nations at war and trying to prevent further bloodshed. An appropriate age group wold be 13-15 years old, at the youngest, but even older readers can find a personal connection.