Thief

Megan Whalen Turner is married to a professor and often relocates when he needs to do research. When they travelled to Greece one summer, she decided to use its landscape as the background of a book, but didn’t write The Thief until she was spending a year in California, where the olive trees reminded her of the Greek mainland.

[Gen] is the freshest and funniest hero to tumble through a fantasy novel for many years.Independent on Sunday“From the believable characters to the well-realized setting, this fantasy offers a refreshing change of pace for readers who enjoy adventure stories with a touch of magic. “Booklist“This is an uplifting book, a literary journey that enriches both its characters and readers before it is over. “Kirkus Reviews“A tantalizing, suspenseful, exceptionally clever novel … The author's characterization of Gen is simply superb: she lets the reader know so much about him – his sense of humor, his egotism, his loyalty, his forthrightness, his tendency to sulk – and yet manages to hide the most essential information. Which is not to say that either Gen or Turner deceives the reader: both tell part of the truth at all times. And so, unlike many other novels of surprise, which don't bear up to a second reading, Thief is even more fun to reread – you can see all the clues to Gen's identity and mission, and delight in the author's ingenuity.”Horn Book