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King's Man & Thief by Christie Golden


The tragic death of Deveren Larath's wife has driven him to seek other means of finding her murderer. A member and recently elected leader of a group of thieves, his search has found no trail. However recent events involving Byrn and Mhar has taken his attention. With the help of his brother Damir, the thieves, and unlikely allies Deveren discovers gruesome secrets of evil rituals and a conspiracy to bring the two kingdoms to war.

What seems to be at a glance a short, light fantasy/mystery novel, King's Man & Thief was able to exceed my expectations. Although not exactly as complex as most novels fashioned after Tolkien's works, Christie Golden has managed to create a solid lead character, an elaborate pantheon that put color in the cultures of Mhar and Byrn, and she had no qualms including torture scenes and killing off characters. One of these characters the type of which you'd least expect to die. Christie did a fairly good job in creating a trap for the main character towards the turning point of the story, however as a reader I always felt that Deveren's cause would never put him in danger and he would still find a way out of the problems because of his brother. I found myself sympathizing more with the supporting cast than Deveren.

Rating: 7 out of 10
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