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branch_c's review against another edition
3.0
A decent story with some fun parts and some grim parts - would have preferred a few more of the fun parts. Damasco was a bit of a problem for me: his erratic redeeming qualities didn't quite make up for his general bad behavior, so I found it hard to sympathize with him.
a_chandler_blake's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
liz_keeney's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
lyndiane's review against another edition
3.0
After having this book on my shelves for a number of years, I finally got around to reading it. Perhaps my expectations, bsed on others' reviews, were a bit too high, as I found the overall story a bit disappointing.
Although very well-written, there seemed to be an excessive focus on the cross-country pursuit, and over-writing on the "I've got the stone, no, someone has taken it from me, I've got it again, it's been taken again" and finally, a bit of a Gollums scenario, "I lost it down the mountain into a river".
However, I will give the sequel a chance, as it may prove to be the redeeming factor.
Although very well-written, there seemed to be an excessive focus on the cross-country pursuit, and over-writing on the "I've got the stone, no, someone has taken it from me, I've got it again, it's been taken again" and finally, a bit of a Gollums scenario, "I lost it down the mountain into a river".
However, I will give the sequel a chance, as it may prove to be the redeeming factor.
haversam's review against another edition
3.0
What could be easier than stealing a giant? Not a lot according to Easie Damasco. This first person account of a thief stealing the wrong thing is both amazing and kind of a disappointment. The three stars comes almost entirely from the voice of Easie Damasco. Easie's voice whispers in your ear and you get a real sense and depth to his character. It really carries you throughout the story by sheer strength of the author's imagination. Not that there is much depth to a thief, but you feel there might as well be.
The story has a lot of promise, but it gets bogged down in the details of the chase. I once had a professor that said do not write your travels just the action that falls in between them. At the time I thought kind of pig headed and wrong because I love novels that have a quest feature to them and what is a quest if not just one long hike from point a to point b. But this story is just one long chase scene. And the details go from interesting and humorous to an attempt to keep the story going through sheer endurance of language.
Because of the strong opposites of these two qualities the book seesaws in to a book that I liked but don't really feel strongly either way.
The story has a lot of promise, but it gets bogged down in the details of the chase. I once had a professor that said do not write your travels just the action that falls in between them. At the time I thought kind of pig headed and wrong because I love novels that have a quest feature to them and what is a quest if not just one long hike from point a to point b. But this story is just one long chase scene. And the details go from interesting and humorous to an attempt to keep the story going through sheer endurance of language.
Because of the strong opposites of these two qualities the book seesaws in to a book that I liked but don't really feel strongly either way.
tregina's review against another edition
3.0
I was really torn about what to rate this one. On the one hand, it was flawed on a few levels: several characters weren't fleshed out and those that were are inconsistent; plot points come out of nowhere or are resolved too easily; and the logic and worldbuilding details don't always hold up when you think about them. On the other hand, I appreciated that the lead was fairly unrepentant about his lifestyle choices, and he was given the space to be a thoughtless asshole while still being a relatively decent human being; it's very easy to go dark and brooding antihero or too easily redeem a character and I felt like this one avoided both of those rather neatly. And I liked the giant, though we didn't get to see or understand nearly enough about the wider giant culture. Ultimately, I enjoyed the book and want to know what happens next, so I went with the (relatively) higher rating.
librarydanielle's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this. it was a fun adventure fantasy with a thief as the main character. which always means fun in adventure fantasy land.
easie damsco (not spelled right, but I can't remember how to spell it atm) is a thief with a talent for getting into trouble. we first meet him as he's either going to have his throat slut or be hung. but is instead pressed into service in an invading army, complete with giants.
easie damsco (not spelled right, but I can't remember how to spell it atm) is a thief with a talent for getting into trouble. we first meet him as he's either going to have his throat slut or be hung. but is instead pressed into service in an invading army, complete with giants.
scottaf's review against another edition
3.0
I was given the chance to read an early review copy of Giant Thief by the publisher Angry Robot Books.
The highlight of the book is definitely the humor, delivered through the snarky dialogue of protagonist and narrator, Easie Damasco. While perhaps not the intention of the author, he strikes me as the Fantasy version of Han Solo.
The plot is pretty straightforward, and consists mostly of Easie being on the run from an evil warlorld. Despite not having any real surprising moments, it works as a vehicle for letting Easie make the reader laugh.
Unfortunately, the fast-paced plot was actually a little bewildering. I never felt like I had a firm grasp on Easie as a character, Moaradrid as a villain, or the war that is ravaging the land. It may sound strange, but I think the book would have benefited from a slower pace, at least at the start, to allow some deeper character development and world building.
With that said, anyone looking for that kind of end-to-end action might find this more to their liking.
A blog post in which I say similar things in more words.
The highlight of the book is definitely the humor, delivered through the snarky dialogue of protagonist and narrator, Easie Damasco. While perhaps not the intention of the author, he strikes me as the Fantasy version of Han Solo.
The plot is pretty straightforward, and consists mostly of Easie being on the run from an evil warlorld. Despite not having any real surprising moments, it works as a vehicle for letting Easie make the reader laugh.
Unfortunately, the fast-paced plot was actually a little bewildering. I never felt like I had a firm grasp on Easie as a character, Moaradrid as a villain, or the war that is ravaging the land. It may sound strange, but I think the book would have benefited from a slower pace, at least at the start, to allow some deeper character development and world building.
With that said, anyone looking for that kind of end-to-end action might find this more to their liking.
A blog post in which I say similar things in more words.
cupiscent's review against another edition
2.0
This started strong, with an interesting rogue in interesting trouble and just getting deeper. But the entire extended middle section of the book is driven in spite of the main character, because all he wants to do is escape it. It's hard to maintain much interest when he has none, so by the time he finally came around and realised he'd been an arse (something I'd realised approximately a hundred-fifty pages earlier) I wasn't really that involved. In the end, he learned some heartwarming lessons, maintained his devil-may-care grin, and encouraged us along for further adventures that I will not be attending, even if he might actually be more invested in them now.
I do appreciate the way it turns the humble-boy-taken-from-home-turned-king and magic-stone-is-the-key-to-it-all on its head. But I dramatically do not appreciate the way the paper-thin villain has tremendously bad plans, buckets of evil, and a scimitar. There is just not enough new, interesting, or compelling here.
I do appreciate the way it turns the humble-boy-taken-from-home-turned-king and magic-stone-is-the-key-to-it-all on its head. But I dramatically do not appreciate the way the paper-thin villain has tremendously bad plans, buckets of evil, and a scimitar. There is just not enough new, interesting, or compelling here.