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jrc2011's review
4.0
I enjoyed this collection of short stories -- the ladies of Nelle Gwynne was a bit like "La Femme Nikita" but I quite enjoyed Mother Aegypt's attempt at death by chocolate and the rollicking adventures in Hollywood looking for a purple diamond and ancient ikons that perform powerful magic. Very fun read!
lisalark's review
5.0
Another anthology of Baker's shorts and novellas, including Rude Mechanicals and Hollywood Ikons which featured Joseph and Lewis, by favorite company duo.
Well worth reading but probably most fun if you've read the Company novels/have context.
Well worth reading but probably most fun if you've read the Company novels/have context.
pepgiraffe's review
5.0
This book was great. It is a collection of short stories, and some of the concepts were really fresh and fun to read.
abookishtype's review
3.0
Science fiction author Kage Baker passed away in 2010, putting In the Company of Thieves into the awkward category of posthumous works. Some of the stories collected here were previously published, but some were finished by the editor, Kathleen Bartholomew. All of the stories take place in the world Baker created for Dr. Zeus, Inc., a company from the future that uses their immortality/cyborg technology and time travel technology to save lost works of art and literature and endangered plant and animal DNA. I first read the opening novel in the series, In the Garden of Iden, years ago and I fell in love with it because I wholeheartedly approve of the company’s mission. Whenever I see major cities destroyed by aliens or something in movies, my first thought is always for the lost art and architecture...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review consideration.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review consideration.
stargrace's review
3.0
You can find my full review over on NomadicReader
I received a copy of this book in return for an honest review, my thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.
I admit, sometimes I’m pretty shallow when it comes to picking a book to read. I judge by the covers (both the front and the back). The cover to ‘In the Company of Thieves’ pulled at me and I just knew that I had to read it.
I was sad to learn that Kage Baker had passed on, and even sadder once I read the first short story in this series. It involves a robotic entity who does nothing but observe time as it passes. Down the same streets, the same city. Eventually he starts to watch and observe a woman who visits a specific park each day. She fights for the restoration of the park but no one listens to her. He watches as she becomes thinner, and thinner, and eventually she dies from her illness. It was a sad yet touching story, filled with emotion and compassion, more so once I heard of the authors own death. Funny how things can touch us that way.
The stories were chosen by the authors sister once she had passed on, and that is probably the reason why they seem to ‘hit home’ as it were. There are six short stories total and while the later ones involve a setting that Kage Baker is known for, the first ones are a bit all over the place. This isn’t a bad thing, it just left me a bit confused as I naturally looked for a tie-in between stories. I loved the writing style and the steampunk-esc settings, but still found myself wanting a bit ‘more’ out of each short story.
The book came out in 2013, so if you’re a fan of Kage Baker or are looking for some new short stories to delve into, this makes for a great choice and it certainly left me with the desire to check out some of her other work.
3.5/5 stars
I received a copy of this book in return for an honest review, my thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.
I admit, sometimes I’m pretty shallow when it comes to picking a book to read. I judge by the covers (both the front and the back). The cover to ‘In the Company of Thieves’ pulled at me and I just knew that I had to read it.
I was sad to learn that Kage Baker had passed on, and even sadder once I read the first short story in this series. It involves a robotic entity who does nothing but observe time as it passes. Down the same streets, the same city. Eventually he starts to watch and observe a woman who visits a specific park each day. She fights for the restoration of the park but no one listens to her. He watches as she becomes thinner, and thinner, and eventually she dies from her illness. It was a sad yet touching story, filled with emotion and compassion, more so once I heard of the authors own death. Funny how things can touch us that way.
The stories were chosen by the authors sister once she had passed on, and that is probably the reason why they seem to ‘hit home’ as it were. There are six short stories total and while the later ones involve a setting that Kage Baker is known for, the first ones are a bit all over the place. This isn’t a bad thing, it just left me a bit confused as I naturally looked for a tie-in between stories. I loved the writing style and the steampunk-esc settings, but still found myself wanting a bit ‘more’ out of each short story.
The book came out in 2013, so if you’re a fan of Kage Baker or are looking for some new short stories to delve into, this makes for a great choice and it certainly left me with the desire to check out some of her other work.
3.5/5 stars
tsana's review
5.0
In the Company of Thieves is a collection of short stories and novellas by Kage Baker, set in the Company universe (link to Goodreads series page). I've previous read all the Company novels (with the exception of The Empress of Mars, which doesn't fit chronologically with the others) and as many short stories as I could easily get a hold of, which was far from all of them. As such, I was coming to this collection already knowing a lot of the Company's back story. That definitely affected my reading.
As usual, notes on each story are included at the end of the review.
The stories seem to be arranged chronologically according to history. The first four stories are probably the most accessible to readers unfamiliar with the Company. My previous knowledge informed my reading significantly, but I think the stories will still work well for new readers. I had forgotten how hilarious Kage Baker's short stories can be; the novels, which stuck more strongly in my mind, are less funny, I think. The last three stories had me laughing out loud several times.
There are two pairs of stories that go together thematically. The first pair is "The Unfortunate Gytt" and "The Women of Nell Gwynne's" both of which feature the pre-Company secret society and have a steampunk setting. The last two stories, "Rude Mechanicals" and "Hollywood Ikons", feature the same two recurring characters, Joseph and Lewis, the former of whom has several novels written about him. Both also happen to be set in Hollywood.
Reading this collection made me want to try harder to get a hold of what Kage Baker stories of the Company I haven't yet managed to. I strongly recommend this collection to fans of the Company novels or stories. To readers new to Kage Baker's work, there are worse ways be be introduced to it. Since the stories cover several characters and time periods, In the Company of Thieves will in some ways give readers a better idea of the series as a whole than a single novel covering just one setting.
~
“THE CARPET BEDS OF SUTRO PARK” — Autistic cyborg used as a camera recorder to capture San Francisco through to roughly the present from the 1800s. His love for the city and one of its inhabitants all that matters to him. Nice story.
"THE UNFORTUNATE GYTT" — A steampunk adventure to retrieve a special object. Featuring Edward and told from the point of view of a new recruit to the pre-Company secret society in Victorian England.
"THE WOMEN OF NELL GWYNNE'S" — Read before and remembered fairly well so I didn't re-read. A novella about women who serve the secret society of the previous story as spies.
"MOTHER AEGYPT" — Ultimately hilarious novella. It grew in me as I read, starting unremarkably and culminating in a pretty hilarious climax. I think there are certain extra nuances to be gained in this one for readers familiar with the Company world, but only in terms of backstory. The main story itself should be accessible (and amusing) to new readers as well as old. Although I can't say the main character was particularly likeable; a conman who, at the start, has fallen on hard times. But his plight and thought-processes are entertaining, so I didn't mind.
“RUDE MECHANICALS” — A hilarious comedy of errors following recurring cyborg characters Joseph and Lewis. Although I'd read this one before, in audiobook form, I had little memory of it (the occasional trouble with audiobooks). Lewis is working for a director in 1930s Hollywood and Joseph is trying to preserve a certain piece of treasure for their future overlords. The universe is against Joseph, however, and everything that can go wrong does, and he drags Lewis into his mess.
"HOLLYWOOD IKONS" — This story, if I interpret the foreword correctly, was researched and planned by Kage Baker but finished by her sister, Kathleen Bartholomew, after her death. The very start of this one didn't grab me because the voice did not sound like the Joseph I remembered. Also, it included more of a introduction to Dr Zeus than any of the other stories and that felt odd in the last story of the collection. But once the plot got started I was sucked in, particularly once the humour kicked in. In a way, it's another comedy of errors, but less so than the previous story. In this one, the errors mostly occurred in the past and Joseph, with a bit of help from Lewis, has to put everything right. Although I was sceptical at the start as to whether I would enjoy reading any other incomplete-at-death Kage Baker stories, this one ultimately convinced me to at least give another one a shot, should it come up. It also had me shaking my fist at cancer for taking her away too soon.
4.5 / 5 stars
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
As usual, notes on each story are included at the end of the review.
The stories seem to be arranged chronologically according to history. The first four stories are probably the most accessible to readers unfamiliar with the Company. My previous knowledge informed my reading significantly, but I think the stories will still work well for new readers. I had forgotten how hilarious Kage Baker's short stories can be; the novels, which stuck more strongly in my mind, are less funny, I think. The last three stories had me laughing out loud several times.
There are two pairs of stories that go together thematically. The first pair is "The Unfortunate Gytt" and "The Women of Nell Gwynne's" both of which feature the pre-Company secret society and have a steampunk setting. The last two stories, "Rude Mechanicals" and "Hollywood Ikons", feature the same two recurring characters, Joseph and Lewis, the former of whom has several novels written about him. Both also happen to be set in Hollywood.
Reading this collection made me want to try harder to get a hold of what Kage Baker stories of the Company I haven't yet managed to. I strongly recommend this collection to fans of the Company novels or stories. To readers new to Kage Baker's work, there are worse ways be be introduced to it. Since the stories cover several characters and time periods, In the Company of Thieves will in some ways give readers a better idea of the series as a whole than a single novel covering just one setting.
~
“THE CARPET BEDS OF SUTRO PARK” — Autistic cyborg used as a camera recorder to capture San Francisco through to roughly the present from the 1800s. His love for the city and one of its inhabitants all that matters to him. Nice story.
"THE UNFORTUNATE GYTT" — A steampunk adventure to retrieve a special object. Featuring Edward and told from the point of view of a new recruit to the pre-Company secret society in Victorian England.
"THE WOMEN OF NELL GWYNNE'S" — Read before and remembered fairly well so I didn't re-read. A novella about women who serve the secret society of the previous story as spies.
"MOTHER AEGYPT" — Ultimately hilarious novella. It grew in me as I read, starting unremarkably and culminating in a pretty hilarious climax. I think there are certain extra nuances to be gained in this one for readers familiar with the Company world, but only in terms of backstory. The main story itself should be accessible (and amusing) to new readers as well as old. Although I can't say the main character was particularly likeable; a conman who, at the start, has fallen on hard times. But his plight and thought-processes are entertaining, so I didn't mind.
“RUDE MECHANICALS” — A hilarious comedy of errors following recurring cyborg characters Joseph and Lewis. Although I'd read this one before, in audiobook form, I had little memory of it (the occasional trouble with audiobooks). Lewis is working for a director in 1930s Hollywood and Joseph is trying to preserve a certain piece of treasure for their future overlords. The universe is against Joseph, however, and everything that can go wrong does, and he drags Lewis into his mess.
"HOLLYWOOD IKONS" — This story, if I interpret the foreword correctly, was researched and planned by Kage Baker but finished by her sister, Kathleen Bartholomew, after her death. The very start of this one didn't grab me because the voice did not sound like the Joseph I remembered. Also, it included more of a introduction to Dr Zeus than any of the other stories and that felt odd in the last story of the collection. But once the plot got started I was sucked in, particularly once the humour kicked in. In a way, it's another comedy of errors, but less so than the previous story. In this one, the errors mostly occurred in the past and Joseph, with a bit of help from Lewis, has to put everything right. Although I was sceptical at the start as to whether I would enjoy reading any other incomplete-at-death Kage Baker stories, this one ultimately convinced me to at least give another one a shot, should it come up. It also had me shaking my fist at cancer for taking her away too soon.
4.5 / 5 stars
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
glennisleblanc's review
4.0
This is a collection of previous published novellas and short stories with one brand new story written by her sister using extensive notes on the story idea. Any fan of the Company stories that hadn't wanted to pay for the small press editions of these stories will be very happy to dip back into this story universe. The new story has that same magic as her solo stories and includes Joseph and Lewis in California. It was good and bittersweet at the same time knowing that we were robbed of so many more stories.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Netgalley
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Netgalley
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