Even when nominally about something else, the essays in These Precious Days are about the weight and grief of relationships. "I was asking what mattered most in this precarious and precious life."
(Image credit: Harper)
Kevin Birmingham's deeply researched biography details the radical political fervor that almost destroyed Dostoevsky's life — and the real-life murder that inspired Crime and Punishment.
(Image credit: Penguin Random House)
UnCovered review by Nancy Wessler, Librarian, ACLS Mays Landing Branch
This is going to be a review of The Thief, but it’s really a review of the entire Queen’s Thief series, which might just be my favorite book series of all time. The Thief, which reads as a middle-grade adventure story, tells the tale of Gen, an imprisoned boy who claims he can “steal anything” and his quest is to earn his freedom by finding an ancient artifact for a power-hungry king. Gen is a quintessential unreliable narrator, though he never actually lies, and there’s not much more that can be said about him without fear of spoilers.
By far, the hardest
thing about recommending these books is that it’s almost impossible to tell
anyone what they are about without ruining some surprise. It also doesn’t help
that The Thief is arguably a different sort of story than those
that follow. Suffice it to say, that what begins as a road trip featuring a
whiny brat, arrogant lord, kindhearted soldier, and grumpy academic soon
evolves into an epic story of legend.
The series lives in the Young Adult section but has a lot of appeal for older readers. At the height of Game of Thrones mania, it often showed up on recommended reading lists, and there is certainly plenty of crossover appeal without any of the gratuitousness. (And worry not; the final book was released last year and the ending is absolutely perfect!) There’s political intrigue, warring nations, and explorations of monarchial relationships. There’s no magic per say, but the gods are very much real and myth and reality often blend. There’s betrayal and brutality, true love and found family, divine intervention and absolute humanity. There are fierce battles and wars of subtlety, fake outs and foolhardy plans, and oh, so much heart! The characters are all complex and well crafted, and they exist in a world that is both fully realized and grounded in reality. (The setting is inspired by the Byzantium-era Mediterranean nations.)
The real hook of this series, however, is in the twists and the clever sleight of hand the author manages to pull off again…and again…and again. Every book has at least one smack-your-forehead moment–a turn you didn’t see coming but discover was intricately well laid. These books are ripe for multiple readings.
And because there
isn’t much more I can say, let me leave you with this exchange from the final
book, which really does sum things up quite nicely:
“I’m sure Gen has
a plan.”
“If that doesn’t terrify
you, it should.”
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