Synopses & Reviews
"I can steal anything." So declares Gen, the hero of the Newbery Honor Book
The Thief—an exciting adventure fantasy set in a mythical land rich with intrigue. Gen's bragging lands him in prison . . . but then the king's magus needs the thief's skill for a near-impossible task: to steal a priceless magical jewel from a faraway land. "In addition to its charismatic hero, this story possesses one of the most valuable treasures of all—a twinkling jewel of a surprise ending," wrote
Publishers Weekly in a starred review.
The first of six planned books set in Gen's world, The Thief was an ALA Best Book of the Year as well as a Newbery Honor Book. School Library Journal said, "YAs who like snide, quick-tempered, softhearted heroes will love Gen," and Kirkus Reviews called it "an uplifting book, a literary journey that enriches both its characters and readers."
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts
Review
“An exceptional adventure story.” KLIATT
Synopsis
Discover the world of the Queen's Thief
New York Times-bestselling author Megan Whalen Turner's entrancing and award-winning Queen's Thief novels bring to life the world of the epics and feature one of the most charismatic and incorrigible characters of fiction, Eugenides the thief. Megan Whalen Turner's Queen's Thief novels are rich with political machinations and intrigue, battles lost and won, dangerous journeys, divine intervention, power, passion, revenge, and deception. Perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Marie Lu, Patrick Rothfuss, and George R. R. Martin.
Eugenides, the queen's thief, can steal anything--or so he says. When his boasting lands him in prison and the king's magus invites him on a quest to steal a legendary object, he's in no position to refuse. The magus thinks he has the right tool for the job, but Gen has plans of his own. The Queen's Thief novels have been praised by writers, critics, reviewers, and fans, and have been honored with glowing reviews, "best of" citations, and numerous awards, including the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, a Newbery Honor, the Andre Norton Award shortlist, and the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award. Discover and rediscover the stand-alone companions, The Queen of Attolia, The King of Attolia, and A Conspiracy of Kings, all epic novels set in the world of the Queen's Thief.
A Newbery Honor Book
An ALA Notable Book
A YALSA Best Book for Young Adults
A Horn Book Fanfare Book
A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age
A Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon Book
A Junior Library Guild Selection
"The Queen's Thief books awe and inspire me. They have the feel of a secret, discovered history of real but forgotten lands. The plot-craft is peerless, the revelations stunning, and the characters flawed, cunning, heartbreaking, exceptional. Megan Whalen Turner's books have a permanent spot on my favorites shelf, with space waiting for more books to come."--Laini Taylor, New York Times-bestselling author of the Daughter of Smoke and Bone novels and Strange the Dreamer
"Unforgettable characters, plot twists that will make your head spin, a world rendered in elegant detail--you will fall in love with every page of these stories. Megan Whalen Turner writes vivid, immersive, heartbreaking fantasy that will leave you desperate to return to Attolia again and again."--Leigh Bardugo, New York Times-bestselling author of the The Grisha Trilogy and Six of Crows
"Trust me. Just read it. Then read it again, because it will not be the same river twice."--Lois McMaster Bujold, acclaimed and Hugo Award-winning author of the Vorkosigan Saga, the Chalion Series, and the Sharing Knife series
"In addition to its charismatic hero, this story possesses one of the most valuable treasures of all--a twinkling jewel of a surprise ending." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"To miss this thief's story would be a crime."--Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)
"A literary journey that enriches both its characters and readers before it is over."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"A tantalizing, suspenseful, exceptionally clever novel."--The Horn Book (starred review)
Synopsis
Discover and rediscover the world of the Queen's Thief, from the acclaimed series launch The Thief to the thrilling, twenty-years-in-the-making conclusion, The Return of the Thief.
New York Times-bestselling author Megan Whalen Turner's entrancing and award-winning Queen's Thief novels bring to life the world of the epics. This first book in series introduces one of the most charismatic and incorrigible characters of fiction, Eugenides the thief. The Queen's Thief novels are rich with political machinations and intrigue, battles lost and won, dangerous journeys, divine intervention, power, passion, revenge, and deception. Perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Marie Lu, Patrick Rothfuss, and George R. R. Martin.
Eugenides, the queen's thief, can steal anything--or so he says. When his boasting lands him in prison and the king's magus invites him on a quest to steal a legendary object, he's in no position to refuse. The magus thinks he has the right tool for the job, but Gen has plans of his own. The Queen's Thief novels have been praised by writers, critics, reviewers, and fans, and have been honored with glowing reviews, "best of" citations, and numerous awards, including the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, a Newbery Honor, the Andre Norton Award shortlist, and the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award.
A Newbery Honor Book
An ALA Notable Book
A YALSA Best Book for Young Adults
A Horn Book Fanfare Book
A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age
A Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon Book
A Junior Library Guild Selection
"The Queen's Thief books awe and inspire me. They have the feel of a secret, discovered history of real but forgotten lands. The plot-craft is peerless, the revelations stunning, and the characters flawed, cunning, heartbreaking, exceptional. Megan Whalen Turner's books have a permanent spot on my favorites shelf, with space waiting for more books to come."--Laini Taylor, New York Times-bestselling author of the Daughter of Smoke and Bone novels and Strange the Dreamer
"Unforgettable characters, plot twists that will make your head spin, a world rendered in elegant detail--you will fall in love with every page of these stories. Megan Whalen Turner writes vivid, immersive, heartbreaking fantasy that will leave you desperate to return to Attolia again and again."--Leigh Bardugo, New York Times-bestselling author of the The Grisha Trilogy and Six of Crows
"Trust me. Just read it. Then read it again, because it will not be the same river twice."--Lois McMaster Bujold, acclaimed and Hugo Award-winning author of the Vorkosigan Saga, the Chalion Series, and the Sharing Knife series
"In addition to its charismatic hero, this story possesses one of the most valuable treasures of all--a twinkling jewel of a surprise ending." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"To miss this thief's story would be a crime."--Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)
"A literary journey that enriches both its characters and readers before it is over."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"A tantalizing, suspenseful, exceptionally clever novel."--The Horn Book (starred review)
Synopsis
Discover and rediscover the world of the Queen's Thief, from the acclaimed novel The Thief to the thrilling, twenty-years-in-the-making conclusion, The Return of the Thief. The epic novels set in the world of the Queen's Thief can be read in any order.
New York Times-bestselling author Megan Whalen Turner's entrancing and award-winning Queen's Thief novels bring to life the world of the epics. This first book in series introduces one of the most charismatic and incorrigible characters of fiction, Eugenides the thief. The Queen's Thief novels are rich with political machinations and intrigue, battles lost and won, dangerous journeys, divine intervention, power, passion, revenge, and deception. Perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Marie Lu, Patrick Rothfuss, and George R. R. Martin.
Eugenides, the queen's thief, can steal anything--or so he says. When his boasting lands him in prison and the king's magus invites him on a quest to steal a legendary object, he's in no position to refuse. The magus thinks he has the right tool for the job, but Gen has plans of his own. The Queen's Thief novels have been praised by writers, critics, reviewers, and fans, and have been honored with glowing reviews, "best of" citations, and numerous awards, including the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, a Newbery Honor, the Andre Norton Award shortlist, and the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award.
A Newbery Honor Book
An ALA Notable Book
A YALSA Best Book for Young Adults
A Horn Book Fanfare Book
A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age
A Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon Book
A Junior Library Guild Selection
"The Queen's Thief books awe and inspire me. They have the feel of a secret, discovered history of real but forgotten lands. The plot-craft is peerless, the revelations stunning, and the characters flawed, cunning, heartbreaking, exceptional. Megan Whalen Turner's books have a permanent spot on my favorites shelf, with space waiting for more books to come."--Laini Taylor, New York Times-bestselling author of the Daughter of Smoke and Bone novels and Strange the Dreamer
Unforgettable characters, plot twists that will make your head spin, a world rendered in elegant detail--you will fall in love with every page of these stories. Megan Whalen Turner writes vivid, immersive, heartbreaking fantasy that will leave you desperate to return to Attolia again and again."--Leigh Bardugo, New York Times-bestselling author of the The Grisha Trilogy and Six of Crows
"Trust me. Just read it. Then read it again, because it will not be the same river twice."--Lois McMaster Bujold, acclaimed and Hugo Award-winning author of the Vorkosigan Saga, the Chalion Series, and the Sharing Knife series
In addition to its charismatic hero, this story possesses one of the most valuable treasures of all--a twinkling jewel of a surprise ending. --Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"To miss this thief's story would be a crime."--Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)
"A literary journey that enriches both its characters and readers before it is over."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"A tantalizing, suspenseful, exceptionally clever novel."--The Horn Book (starred review)
Synopsis
Nothing is overdone and not a word is out of place in this auspicious debut," wrote Kirkus in a starred review of Instead of Three Wishes, the first book by Megan Whalen Turner. Her second book more than fulfills that promise.
The king's scholar, the magus, believes he knows the site of an ancient treasure. To attain it for his king, he needs a skillful thief, and he selects Gen from the king's prison. The magus is interested only in the theif's abilities. What Gen is interested in is anyone's guess. Their journey toward the treasure is both dangerous and difficult, lightened only imperceptibly by the tales they tell of the old gods and goddesses.
Megan Whalen Turner weaves Gen's stories and Gen's story together with style and verve in a novel that is filled with intrigue, adventure, and surprise.
About the Author
Megan Whalen Turner, author of
The Thief (a Newbery Honor winner) and
Instead of Three Wishes, lives in Menlo Park, California.
In Her Own Words...
"When I was ten I read a lot of great books, and when I couldn't easily find more, I decided I would be a writer and write stories of my own, even though it didn't sound as exciting as reading. The only impediment to beginning my career right then was that I couldn't think of anything to write.
"Joan Aiken said she saw stories all around her, prompted by everyday events. She also said (in her bio) that she'd been telling stories since birth and completed her first novel in Latin class when she was seventeen. And there I was ten years old without a rag of a story to call my own. Roald Dahl said he kept a notebook in which he scribbled his ideas so that he wouldn't forget them. This sounded sensible and I gave it a try. When I forced one out, it sounded like this: Write a story about a blind girl who wants to go to school and be like everybody else.
"Well, that idea just sat there on the page. It did not magically turn into a story the way it was supposed to. (Or if it did, it was somebody else's story: Light a Single Candle.) So much for Roald Dahl.
"I let the matter drop, I didn't write anything, and I didn't think very much about it again until I was in my third year of college when I had to choose a field and begin a senior project. I thought that writing had to be easier than sifting down to read, say, The Mill on the Floss, and I proposed to study children's literature and write some of my own.
"What I produced was almost uniformly horrible, but I think that was because I didn't want to write anything that wasn't perfect and nothing comes out perfect the first time. I think that anyone who wants to write well has to write copiously first. But I didn't know that then, so I gave up on writing and spent seven years as a children's book buyer in various bookstores. Then my husband, who is a professor of English, got a grant to do research for a year in California and I left my job to go with him. I thought that if I didn't set myself to do something constructive, I might end up reading, say, The Mill on the Floss, so I decided again to write, and I did. I produced short stories that I sent to Diana Wynne Jones. She recommended that I send them to Susan Hirschman at Greenwillow, who agreed to publish them, to my surprise. I had intended them as writing samples, hoping to interest Greenwillow in a novel if I ever wrote one.
"This was so easy and so surprising that it might contradict what I said earlier about a writer needing to write a lot before writing well, but I realize, in retrospect, I did write a lot-English compositions, answers to essay questions on science homework, college papers, and thankyou notes. Especially thank-you notes. My mother always supervised mine and she had high standards. In fact, my advice to anyone who wants to be a writer is to avoid reading any other author's biography. Spend your time on your thank-you notes."