A review by kingcrookback
The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

adventurous mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I get the sense that readers might find Eugenides more annoying than charismatic/charming the way Turner intended (God knows I did at times), but I couldn't help doing some research while I was in the middle of the book and he's apparently about 15 at the time this book is set. Explains a lot. And while it's pretty clear that he's somewhere in his adolescence, my major complaint about this book is probably that I'd have liked to have a clearer idea of Eugenides' age.

That aside, I'm fascinated by this world Turner's constructed. It took me until about a third of the way through to realize that this world is less medieval fantasy like I'd--completely baselessly--assumed but more of an early modern fantasy. (Guns exist. They're not as accurate as crossbows, so firearm technology can't be said to be very advanced, but guns do very much exist. As do compasses.) Also--and this is not me saying I have a wide breadth of knowledge on this subject--I don't think I've ever read a fantasy story that was written fairly recently where the gods are both transcendent and immanent. The way they impact the world and the characters is super interesting.
Even when they're (ostensibly) present, they're ethereal and a little uncanny. But when they do show traces of humanity, like when Eugenides the thief realizes that Eugenides the god carries a burden of grief for the brother who hated him, it's rather impactful.
I think Turner also did a good job of seeding the plot twists along the way. This story is much more than a simple fetch quest, and while the pacing definitely isn't for everybody, some patience and attention to detail will end up paying off.

Will be checking out the next book after I've taken a bit of a break from the world.
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