Complete Vampire Chronicles (Interview with the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, The Queen of the Damned, The Tale of the body Thief)

Amazon.com

For the first time you can find all your favorite night-stalking, blood-guzzling undead--Lestat, Claudia, Louis, Akasha, Armand, and Memnoch--all in the same place at the same time. Here, collected in one box-set, are the four bestselling, original titles of Anne Rice's sprawling vampire series.

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful Box Set but Incomplete.......2007-10-01

For any Anne Rice Vampire fans you cannot go past this beautiful Box Set with modern artwork cover designs. My only complaint is why on earth isn't the Fifth and final volume of the central plot Vampire Chronicles (before all those spin-offs) included??? The fifth and final volume "Memnoch the Devil" should definitely be included in the Box Set without which it is simply NOT complete when the finale ends nicely with Lestat's famous last words:

I am the Vampire Lestat. Let me pass now from fiction into legend.

THE END

9:43 February 28, 1994 Adieu, mon amour.

Lestat Rocks My Boring World!.......2007-09-16

Everyone else has basically described all four of these books for the most part, so let me make my review brief and to the point. Interview, Lestat, and Tale of the Body Thief were my favorite books of the four in the chronicles. Queen of the Damned, however was long, slow, and so detailed that it was the only book I managed to lose my attention to in streaks, and I have listened to them all unabridged, on tape, at work.

Sure, her books are a bit overrated, but they are also well-written and entertaining. Rice gives our dark heroes so much humanity that one can't help being attracted by them enough to want to become one as well at times. Nowhere is this point made more concise than by her favorite character, Lestat. I wish mortal men were as cool and insightful as "the brat prince!" Great, imaginative fun. Frank Muller's narration of the audio books is second to none.

Fantastic Reading!!!.......2007-09-16

I'm not big on vampire books but Anne Rice writes in such a way that you truly believe they are real people with real lives and all the thoughts and feelings we all have. In addition, they struggle with the issues of immortality and there are many.

great books from anne rice.......2007-01-28

i bought these books for my teen she couldnt put them down till they were all read anne rice is a great author

Thought provoking but belaboured.......2006-09-29

I would certainly recommend anyone who has an interest in this genre to read these books. Rice raises some very interesting concepts from the mind of the vampire. My only gripe (and a friend feels the same way) is that Rice tends to ramble - padding out relatively meaningless stuff, or stuff that you've already gleaned the concept of after two lines. I found myself skipping paragraphs & pages, which was detrimental to the flow. With some judicious editing and condensing they would be worthy of 5 stars. The fourth book doesn't quite hold up to the stds set with the first three...might be worth finding the trilogy.

The Tale of the Body Thief (Vampire Chronicles)

Average customer rating:

Refreshing
Very pleased
Not Free SF Reader
Quite a Tale indeed!
Not that bad

The Tale of the Body Thief (Vampire Chronicles)
Anne Rice
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 034538475X
Release Date: 1993-09-01

Amazon.com

It's been said that Vladimir Nabokov's best novels are the ones he wrote after starting a failed novel. Anne Rice wrote The Body Thief, the fourth thrilling episode of her Vampire Chronicles, right after she spent a long time poring over that most romantic of horror novels, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, to research a novel Rice abandoned about an artificial man. Perhaps as a result of Shelley's influence, The Body Thief is far more psychologically penetrating than its predecessors, with a laser-like focus on a single tormented soul. Oh, we meet some wild new characters, and Rice's toothsome vampire-hero Lestat zooms around the globe--as is his magical habit--from Miami to the Gobi desert, but he's in such despair that he trades his immortal body to a con man named Raglan James, who offers him in return two days of strictly mortal bliss.

Lestat has always had a faulty impulse-control valve, and it gets him in truly intriguing trouble this time. On the plus side, he gets to experience romance with a nun and orange juice--"thick like blood, but full of sweetness." But Lestat is horrified by an uncommon cold, and his toilet training proves traumatic. He's also got to catch Raglan James, who has no intention of giving up his dishonestly acquired new superpowered body. Lestat enlists the help of David Talbot, a mortal in the Talamasca, a secret society of immortal watchers described in Queen of the Damned.

The swapping of bodies and supernatural stories is choice, and there's even a moral: never give a bloodsucker an even break. --Tim Appelo

Book Description

"A wonderfully mesmerizing adventure, delving into the convoluted mind of one of modern fiction's most famous anti-heroes, the vampire Lestat. Rice's writing is elegant and thought-provoking and her story is a gem."
THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE

For centuries Lestat has been a courted prince in the universe of the dead. Now he is alone and everything he once believed in seems false. So he embarks on a dangerous journey to destroy his doubts and loneliness forever....

Customer Reviews:

Refreshing.......2007-10-11

I first read Anne Rice back in 1980 when I kept running across Interview With a Vampire in my travels. I loved it. Now in 2007 I have decided to read all her works in chronological order as she has written them. To get a feel for her progression over time.

I was disappointed that Lestat became a conscientious vampire in the second book of the series, The Vampire Lestat. And although the third in the series, Queen of the Damned had a fast an interesting story the ending of that novel was so swift and ludicrous, its value dropped below any kind of star.

But this fourth in the Vampire Chronicles, The Tale of the Body Thief had a swift and interesting story and really brought back to me the real power of this writer. I think this novel is really one of the last of Anne Rice's works where she has the reader "ride a tale" rather than watch a character "recount a tale." This latter tendency of Anne Rice becomes montonous and ho-hum and I just want her to kick in with the story and accelerate me along which she admirably does in TTotBT.

Too Bad her high-octane stories receive less attentention over the years to the mundane fire-side chats of her later novels. For me I want Anne Rice to bring me along on the Roller Coaster of her erie imagination as she does so well in this novel. When you finish this one you will need to catch your breath.

I reserve a star because Rice does persue a tendancy of pedantry here but is really innocuous and on the whole a memorable read. Thanks Anne.

Very pleased.......2007-10-04

I was very happy with the condition of the item and how fast it came

Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03

Some time has passed since the Queen of the Damned, and Lestat is a bit depressed. He tries to get a tan, but that doesn't work, and he can't talk his best human friend into becoming a vamp.

Thereafter we get a triangle, after the Body Thief turns up, and offers to switch bodies with Lestat, then Talbot gets a turn at youth, etc. Eventually Lestat gets mad, and does away with BT and turns Talbot.

A significant drop in quality from the first three books.

Quite a Tale indeed!.......2007-08-10

Even if you haven't read the previous three novels, you can read and enjoy this one to the fullest! Anne Rice continues her and our journey into the world of the vampire with another addition to The Vampire Chronicles! This time, its all on Lestat and his mortal friend David Talbot, pretty much all by themselves!

Lestat longs to be human and mortal again, so when a body thief named Raglan James approaches him with the offer to switch bodies, he gladly accepts! Despite repeated warnings from Talbot, his dear immortal companion Louie, and even Mr. James himself, Lestat cannot refuse. Once the switch is made is when the real fun begins!

Lestat quickly realizes that being mortal is something he has forgotten and what follows is elements of humor, despair, and even bits of romance. It was this reletively quick and small love story that surprised me with this reading. Anne Rice is one to point out that the way Vampires love is dramatically different than humans, and that is why having Lestat re-discover true "human" love was quite a new twist and something I'm glad Rice did.

Above all, I feel that Rice had a deeper message within this novel on top of the story of Lestat. Be thankful and be happy with the life you have now, because you never know when it could be gone. Lestat was taken out of his mortal world by force the first time, and it is with this tale, he learns that he has grown to accept and even love the new life he has as a member of the "Dark Children."

Wonderfully crafted novel, and a true step up from the previous "Queen of the Damned." I highly recommend it for all fans of reading.

Not that bad.......2007-06-24

This was not a bad book, but not that special either. I found the whole introduction to the Body Thief and who he was (the first half of the novel) rather unneccary,as the title and the summary already had made that clear. I liked the pages about sunlight, laughed during Lestat's first night as a human again, disliked Grethchen the Nun (but nevertheless cried at their seeing again when he's back a vampire), absolutely loved but also cried during the scene where he seeks help from Louis and Louis rejects him outrightly and you have Lestat crying in the rain, saying "I don't want to stay human, I don't want to save my soul". I really loved that part, and that's the whole fourth star.

Average customer rating:

The Thief's Tale (Sojourn, Book 4)
Ron Marz
Manufacturer: Cross Generation Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1931484910

Average customer rating:

An imaginative, scary tale.
good book
The Best Book Ever!
A return to the classics
the holiday house

The Thief of Always: A Fable
Clive Barker
Manufacturer: Harpercollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0060177241

Book Description

Mr. Hood's Holiday House has stood for a thousand years, welcoming countless children into its embrace. It is a place of miracles, a blissful round of treats and seasons, where every childhood whim may be satisfied...

There is a price to be paid, of course, but young Harvey Swick, bored with his life and beguiled by Mr. Hood's wonders, does not stop to consider the consequences. It is only when the house shows its darker facewhen Harvey discovers the pitiful creatures that dwell in its shadowsthat he comes to doubt Mr. Hood's philanthropy.

The House and its mysterious architect are not about to release their captive without a battle, however. Mr. Hood has ambitions for his new guest, for Harvey's soul burns brighter than any soul he has encountered in a thousand years...

Customer Reviews:

An imaginative, scary tale........2007-07-01

My son and I read this book together. He was a pre-teen at the time, and I'm glad I was there so we could talk about some of the disturbing things that happened. In spite of the frightening events, we both enjoyed the book and the time we spent together reading it. This book is not for every pre-teen, though. If your younger child reads it, you'll probably want to be there, too.

good book.......2007-06-06

nice light read, enjoyable, imaginative, not too serious, enjoyable by children but intelligent enough for adults, dark and sinister and yet still has a happy side to it, me likey. wont take you very long to get through.

The Best Book Ever!.......2004-04-14

The Thief of Always is a exciting, fun book that keeps you want to keep on reading. A little scary but addicting. The expression bored to death, which was created by Zeus when Hermes told everlasting jokes to a monster, just means your bored for a couple minutes and then you find something to do, but to this boy he is literally bored to death and is taken to a holiday house, a kid's dream! Then things begin to change......if you want to find out what happens I suggest you read the book, The Thief of Always!

A return to the classics.......2002-02-13

This is an incredable story that flows seemlessly from first to last page. It has all the elements of a classic Grim Fairy Tail and some of the best Gothic drawings I've every seen. The charecters are so real that you end up feeling for all of them, and the discription of Mr Hood as a vampire of the soul could not have been more accurate. Not quite one to read to the kids but it's definatly one to read when the kids are asleep.

the holiday house.......2001-12-10

this book was the best book that i had ever read.
although ive probably only read about a minimum of 10 novels in my life this book was the best. Also, the audio cassette version rocks your mom. if you ever listen to an audio book I'd recommend this one.

Average customer rating:

Courtesy of Teens Read Too
Highly entertaining
Footnotes gone wild...

The Fire Thief (Fire Thief Trilogy)
Terry Deary
Manufacturer: Kingfisher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0753458187

Book Description

International best-selling author Terry Deary reinvents the myth of Prometheus, the Titan who stole fire from the gods and gave it to the human race. To escape the gods" revenge, Prometheus travels through time to a murky metropolis called Eden City. There, he befriends a motley assortment of comic characters and learns what humans have done with his gift of fire. Enter our narrator: Jim, a young orphan, actor, aspiring novelist, and petty criminal who rids the wealthy of their worldly possessions. With the help of Jim, Terry Deary masterfully interweaves two plots, with the action jumping at a whirlwind pace from Mount Olympus to the seedy taverns and elegant mansions of Victorian Eden City. Prometheus has a soft spot for humans in need, but using his powers to get his new friends out of trouble will betray his hiding place to the gods! Using humorous footnotes, shameless puns, and literary references to everyone from Dickens to Poe, Terry Deary has created an original work that will have readers laughing out loud.

Customer Reviews:

Courtesy of Teens Read Too.......2007-07-03

I think kids between the ages of 4th to 8th grade would love this book. It is short and easy to read and the footnotes are hilarious.

It begins at the dawn of time with Prometheus, who is chained to a rock because he brought fire to humankind. Theus, for short, was a titan and Zeus, the king of the Gods, made sure that he never forgot what he did. Every morning while chained to the rock, a fury would come and tear out his liver. Of course by nightfall Theus would be alive again. Well, when we start the story, Hercules has arrived and helped Theus escape. Zeus discovers this and challenges Theus to find a hero among the humans. If he does he will be forgiven.

Theus sets out and crosses time to 1858 and lands in the murky city known as Eden City. Eden City is very Dickens-like. It is full of zany characters, poor people, rich fiends, and thrilling situations. There Theus meets Jim, an orphan, who has fallen in with a diabolical thief, Uncle Edward. He gets involved with their caper and within twenty-four hours all of the characters lives have changed for the better.

Terry Deary, while teaching about Greek mythology, has written a story that is exciting and funny -- which is a wonderful combination. This is the first of three books in THE FIRE THIEF series, and I need to go finish the second one. Go pick up a copy of THE FIRE THIEF. You won't be sorry.

Reviewed by: Marta Morrison

Highly entertaining.......2005-10-16

This book begins with Prometheus (yes the Greek Titan) escaping his bonds of captivity. Then he flies two million years into the future (around 1858) trying to escape the fury of the gods. In this future he meets a boy and his uncle. Jim, the boy, is an orphan that Edward, the uncle, adopted. They are actors (and thieves) whom befriend Prometheus. Will Prometheus be able to escape the wrath of the gods? Will Jim and Edward be able to help him? Find out by reading Fire Thief.

I found this book highly entertaining. It had many, many funny parts in it. The footnotes at the bottom of the pages made it even more hilarious*. I also enjoyed how the two stories (Ancient Greece and Eden City 1858) were combined together. It was a fairly easy-to-read book and isn't very big, so I think you should take a few hours and read Fire Thief. Anyone who needs a good laugh should read this book.

*Things like this would be at the bottom of the pages, except that they would have something funny written on them.

[...]

Footnotes gone wild..........2005-10-05

I love this book and the cover! It was very colorful and it attracted my attention. It worked and it is on my bookshelf at home. I really appreciated the saracasm from the younger Jim and the way the fate of Promethus after the end of the book is a good cliff hanger. I could have purchased another book but that book didn't catch my eye such as this one.

The Thief and the Beanstalk: A Further Tales Adventure

Average customer rating:

The Thief and the Beanstalk
Pretty good
Slammin' Sequel
Good story for kids, some creepy stuff though
One of my favorites.

The Thief and the Beanstalk: A Further Tales Adventure
P. W. Catanese
Manufacturer: Aladdin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0689871732

Book Description

Everyone knows the story of Jack and the beanstalk. Everyone also knows that Jack's little adventure made him a very rich man. But what they don't know is what happened a long time after Jack....

That's where Nick comes in. Orphaned and desperate, Nick joins a rugged band of thieves in hopes of a warm meal and a little protection. In exchange Nick must help them break into the lavish white castle rumored to belong to an old man named Jack. Legend says it's full of riches from Jack's quest up a magical beanstalk decades ago.

When Nick's dangerous mission leads him straight to Jack, he sees a chance to climb the famed beanstalk himself. But what Nick doesn't know is that things are different from when Jack made his climb. There are new foes at the top now. Ones with cruel weapons and foul plans -- plans that could destroy the world as Nick knows it. Will Nick come down the beanstalk a hero? Will he come down at all?

Customer Reviews:

The Thief and the Beanstalk .......2006-05-08

Can a thief save the world beneath his feet from a bone-crunching fate? The book The Thief and the Beanstalk is action packed. Also the author P.W. Catanese explains objects with astounding clarity. This book takes a wile to get started but most of the book has page-turning excitement.

Pretty good.......2006-03-15

This book is pretty good. It has its good parts and its bad. It was interesting to read about an addition to a childhood fairytale. Jack and the Beanstock was a great story to read as a kid and this addition to it made it even better, because this is more of a grown up version of the story and I liked that. I also liked how the book went into depth and described scenes in great detail. She described the characters to such an extent that I could tell what they looked like. It was like I was actually in the book. It was a very fun book to read.

Slammin' Sequel.......2006-03-03

This is the sequel to the popular story of Jack and the Beanstalk. I don't think it is as good as the first but still one of my favorites.

This book is about a young man named Nick. I thought the beginning was a little dull because there wasn't enough action for the reader. Nick's parents died when he was little leaving him alone in the wilderness. Finch, the leader of a band of thieves, told Nick if he joined the band they would protect him. Nick did not know why Finch needed him but he soon found out. To me it was obvious why Finch needed Nick. He needed Nick to climb a castle owned by Jack himself. Inside, Nick received the magical beans that grew the beanstalk. Not sure what to do, Nick ran to a near by farm leaving Finch behind. The story started to pick up here. Nick planted the beanstalk and watched it grow. He climbed the beanstalk to a magical cloud island. It was easy to visualize the mystical land because the author describes it perfectly. Nick sees a giant castle and runs to it. Inside, there are evil brother giants, Gnasher and Basher, and a kind giantess, Gullinda. The author used awesome describing words for the giants. The giant brothers were planning to come to earth and destroy. The author was very creative when he described the weapons. Nick needs to find a way to save the earth and himself. Read this fantastic book to find out the end!

Good story for kids, some creepy stuff though.......2005-12-17

We read this for my son's school book club (he is in 4th grade) and for the most part everyone in the club enjoyed it. Many of the parents commented that a few of the scenes were a bit grotesque, mainly the parts about the spiders that had baby heads, but on the same note, all the kids thought those same parts were pretty cool.

The story is pretty predictable for an adult but to a child who is not yet familier with typical storylines, the book has plenty of suspense. While the book's main character is a boy, this book was recommened to the club by a girl in the class who had read it several times and had listed it as one of her all time favorite books so it appears that this book is entertaining for both boys and girls.

One of my favorites........2005-11-01

This is the story of what happened after Jack. There's a boy that finds the beans
and makes his own beanstalk.Up there he finds wild creatures,huge giants, and treasures.
But is he sure he wants to steal the treasures? This is a book that with keep you
pageturning and excited for what happens next.

Average customer rating:

Tale of the Body Thief
Anne Rice
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Memnoch the Devil (Vampire Chronicles, No 5)

ASIN: B000HKF55I

Average customer rating:

The Thief of Always
A Light, Imaginative Thriller
.eraweB
A touching fable for the young at heart
The Greatest Ever

The Thief of Always
Clive Barker
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0064409945

Book Description

Mr. Hood's Holiday House has stood for a thousand years, welcoming countless children into its embrace. It is a place of miracles, a blissful rounds of treats and seasons, where every childhood whim may be satisfied...

There is a price to be paid, of course, but young Harvey Swick, bored with his life and beguiled by Mr. Hood's wonders, does not stop to consider the consequences. It is only when the House shows it's darker face -- when Harvey discovers the pitiful creatures that dwell in its shadows -- that he comes to doubt Mr. Hood's philanthropy.

The House and its mysterious architect are not about to release their captive without a battle, however. Mr. Hood has ambitious for his new guest, for Harvey's soul burns brighter than any soul he has encountered in a thousand years...

Customer Reviews:

The Thief of Always.......2007-03-30

Once again Clive Barker has taken me on an amazing journey, perfect for adults and children (10+) alike. Definate recommendation.

A Light, Imaginative Thriller.......2007-03-27

Ten-year-old Harvey is bored. He is sitting in his bedroom one February afternoon, watching the rain outside, feeling as bored as he's ever felt. He feels like he might die of boredom. Then, to his surprise, a little person flies through his window. This little man promises Harvey a wonderful vacation where he'll have lots and lots of fun--as long as he doesn't ask any questions. Harvey isn't quite sure about going with the man.

However, a week later, the man shows back up and Harvey decides that maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to go with him just for a little while. So Harvey walks with him across town through a high wall that isn't really a wall, into a place of magic. Here, at the Holiday House, everyone gives Harvey everything he's ever wanted. Every day holds all of the seasons--in the morning it's like springtime, in the afternoon it's summer, in the early eveing it's fall and time to go trick-or-treating, and in the later evening it's winter and Christmastime. There are two other children there with Harvey--Wendell and Lulu. Lulu, though, has started to go a little bit crazy, so Harvey and Wendell don't spend much time with her.

Harvey intends to only stay at the Holiday House for a few days, but after a couple of reassuring phone calls to his parents when they tell him they want him to stay, he begins to relax. However, he shouldn't relax too much. There are some strange things going on at the Holiday House that aren't fun and exciting. Will Harvey figure out what is going on in time to escape?

I liked the whole idea of the Holiday House--what a perfect vacation spot for little children! I also liked the characters of Rictus, Jive, Marr and Carna. They embodied all characteristics that would be useful for keeping children there. I thought a couple of things weren't believable, though. Harvey seemed to have an undue attachment to Lulu. He barely even knew her, but he was very concerned about her, more so than most ten-year-olds would be. I also didn't buy Harvey's thievery toward the end of the story. It seemed less possible than the rest of the story.

.eraweB.......2006-12-27

A ten-year-old boy named Harvey, bored with his life, falls to the wiles of a seductively welcoming being named Rictus, and becomes a guest at a seemingly wondrous place called Holiday House. At Holiday House, each fun-filled day contains four seasons: and seasons at their very best. The springtime which comes each morning ushers in blossoming flowers and explosions of greenery; the summers that fill the afternoons are always those rare perfect kind one experiences but a few times in the school-less, cloud-less summertime of youth; the autumns that ripens as evening sets in sees the trees dyed with bright colors, as the air cools and the breeze smells sweetly of the bounty of unseen fields. And then winter takes over the night, cold, crisp, perfect for sleeping-in or sitting beside a crackling fire. It's all too good to be true---which of course it is.

Clive Barker's dark fantasy, part fairy tale and part horror story, is clearly intended as a vehicle for appreciative adults to rekindle some of the lost themes of childhood, when the world was simultaneously magical and threatening. In this the imaginative Liverpudlian nearly succeeds. The one serious flaw in The Thief of Always is the same one I've found in nearly everything Clive Barker has written, and that is...as best I can describe it...his story lacks a soul. I don't know any other way to put it. This registers in the ease with which Barker's characters can later be put out of mind, and the acceptance one experiences when something terrible happens to someone we've just spent the last however-many pages reading about. I know legions of Barker fans won't agree with me there, but I have always sensed that about Clive Barker's works, be it The Books of Blood, The Damnation Game, Weaveword, Cabal, or even here, in what was mostly a charming, dark little story.

The Thief of Always is good, it's just not THAT good. It's like a trip through a shattered looking glass; it's flat in a few spots, it's neither character nor plot-driven, and it rushes past far too fast in places where I found myself wishing we could linger. Where Bradbury or King might have gotten the dark fantasy elements right in a tale like this and rendered The Thief of Always an everlasting classic, Barker is just not up to the task.

A touching fable for the young at heart.......2006-09-10

The Great Grey Beast of February has imprisoned Harvey Swick and the young boy is bored to death. How will he ever survive that dreadfully dull period between New Year and Easter? Contemplating his misery, Harvey discovers that he is not alone in his room. Indeed a somewhat strange and scrawny figure is standing in the corner. The man makes himself known as Mr. Rictus and invites Harvey to the Holiday House. And true, Harvey does not believe his eyes: the house is filled with all the pleasures a boy can want. Delicious food, many friends, tons of toys, every day Christmas. What more do you need? Of course there is a price to be paid, but young Harvey Swick, bored with his life and beguiled by the wonders of the Holiday House, does not stop to consider the consequences. Only when he discovers that he is no longer a guest, but a prisoner does Harvey start to react. But maybe it is already too late...

Clive Barker's first attempt at writing a book for a younger audience does not go by unnoticed. As Clive is known for his very dark and fantastic tales, he indeed uses these talents to draw a magnificent place where many children surely would love to hide. But with the same zeal he deconstructs the dream and craftily let the evil seep into the story. Of course the villains are not as dark and disturbed as in his adult novels, but still he manages to portrait a series of characters that would enjoy taking permanent residence in the dreams of the younger ones.

One critique that might pop up is that the setting of the story is so rich that it begs for more than one episode. After reading the story, so many things are left untold that it leaves you wanting for more. Even the narrative itself is extremely concise with its twenty-six chapters counting on average not more than six pages each. It would probably not have hurt if more details were introduced in order to make the environment even more exciting and colorful. Nevertheless the story is exciting enough to get the stamp of a must-read. And please, do not worry if you think you are too old to read this book. You never are!

The Greatest Ever.......2006-07-28

To find a plot that intrigues so many chilren is on thing. To get an adult to read it over and over again is another. Great book.

Average customer rating:

Just okay (and that from a HUGE fan of fantasy)
Excellent Read
Entertaining and Comfortable Fantasy
Entertaining Casual Read
A summer read

The Thief's Gamble (Tale of Einarinn)
Juliet E. McKenna
Manufacturer: Eos
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0061020362

Book Description

The Secrets of the Shadow-Men

Magic? It's for the rich, the powerful...the Archmage and his elite wizards and cloud-masters.

Livak is not among them. She haunts the back taverns of the realm, careful to appear neither rich nor poor, neither tall nor short . . . neither man nor woman. Obscurity is her protection, thievery her livelihood, and gambling her weakness.

Alas, some bets are hard to resist. Particularly when they offer a chance to board a ship for Hadrumal, the fabled city of the Archmage. So Livak follows a minor wizard, Shiv, in an attempt to turn a rune or two, never dreaming that the stolen tankard she wants to sell contains the secrets of an ancient magic far more powerful, and infinitely darker, than any mortal mage's spells.

Customer Reviews:

Just okay (and that from a HUGE fan of fantasy).......2006-10-02

Fantasy is basically about all I read, as far as fiction is concerned. I'm entertained by almost every fantasy book I've ever read--with the exception of Thief's Gamble, and a book by Simon Brown (his Keys of Power series was excellent, but the other series he wrote STUNK).

Thief's Gamble has it's moments, but by-and-large, it doesn't flow very well. I think it would've benefited from some very aggressive editing (especially as far as structure, pacing, and how the story is told). Maybe some of her techniques worked for some people, but, at least in the way she used them, they really DIDN'T work for me: I'm referring to how she includes pages from almanacs (of the world), histories (ditto), scholarly reports, etc. The thing is, she does such a great job of making the reports as dry and boring as such a thing would be in real life, that it bores the reader to tears. You're galavanting along through the story, having a ball, and then you run into a spiked brick wall--a block of dry, irrelevant text. I started skipping over them as I found they provided no essential information and just interrupted the pacing of the story.

Even those ineffective story devices aside, I felt like the author was very adept in writing gripping scenarios (action scenes, conflict, etc.), but very poor at connecting the dots in-between--maintaining tension, those sorts of things.

When it comes right down to it, I'm the kind of fantasy fan that has a very difficult time putting down a book I'm enjoying until I'm down with it. I'll routinely read entire books in a sitting (10-12 hours), stay up all night, and so on. But, with Thief's Gamble, I found myself easily putting it down whenever anything else needed to be done: food, bathroom, sleep...even for a couple days at a time. I wouldn't even be excited about going back to it. I finally finished it, but it took me about a week, and numerous sit-downs to get through. I think that's a good indication of how entertaining it was--or wasn't.

But, as another reviewer said, I did like the cast of characters, many of the concepts and conflicts were interesting, but the story just had a tendency to meander between plot points too much. That said, I'll probably pick up the sequel just to see what the characters do...and to see if the authors writing style tightens up and improves.

It was, after all, her first book.

Excellent Read.......2006-05-19

This book was fun to read. The author tells a great story and really pulls you into the world.

Entertaining and Comfortable Fantasy.......2006-04-23

There are certain archtypes, certain characters that are among the first imagined people and/or beings that inhabit the fantasy genre's landscape. Among them is 'The Thief' most often a cocksure, smarmy and snarky Autolycus (From Xena: Warrior Princess) like characters that inspires either intense annoyance or winds up worming its way into the favorites list of a person. Juliet E. McKenna's _The Thief's Gamble_ certainly doesn't break any new grounds on the character of the thief in fantasy or the alloted list of cliche's that every fantasy writer has stapled to their moniter when writing them, but what she does do she does RIGHT.

The tale is the first in a series of five or six novels in the "Tales of Einarinn" series, while the each novel could be stand alone in itself, it can also be viewed as a self-contained easy footstep into the next novel in the series. The tale follows three different narratives, the first from the novels protagonist;Livak, the second from the P.O.V of the Wizards of Hadrumal, specifically the Archmage and the three wizards closest to him, the third being from a rather self important and amusing wizard Casuel. What McKenna does with the novel is tricksey but she manages to pull it off easily and handles the complex plot threads expertly. This novel however, is not one to be lightly read as differentiating viewpoints, names and places can easily become confused in the readers mind. Especially the introduction scene of the wizards of Hadrumal as McKenna tries to introduce what the Wizard is a Wizard of as well as associating their name and a bit of description for each character. This is the most awkward scene of an otherwise entertaining and fun novel. McKenna's language is mature without being overly purpled and pretentious and easy to follow without being childish. Each character has their own distinctive voice and takes the reader headlong into the ornate and interesting world she has created.

The tale all revolves around the Wizards of Hadrumal (specifically the Archmage and his three companions) trying in vain to discover the lost and powerful magics that wizards once had during the reign of a mighty (and Roman like) Empire that once ruled the continent, now a self contained and important nation in the south. The lost magics might be discovered by memories and imprints left over in the everyday and important items left over by citizens of said long departed Empire (Wizards and Mages included). Willing to pay good coin for these objects of the Lost Empire, the Wizards of Hadrumal traverse around the landscape by collecting donations and buying up items formerly belonging to the Empire. However not all owners are willing to give up their items and this is where Livak comes in, an expert thief and intriguing herione. Livak's view point is the only one in the novel that is written in first person while the other two narratives are written in third person. First person is usually a deterrent to some readers but McKenna handles this brilliantly as Livak is an observant and amusing herione who manages to to be likeable and easy to follow. Indeed she was this readers favorite view point to follow along with. When Livak tries to sell off a stolen item of the empire to the wizard collectors and an agent of the Archmage, she's easily caught in is insnared in the movements of the Archmage and also the secretive movements of some mysterious people who seem to not want the Archmage to discover these hidden magics. From there the plot grows more complex and intricate turning back on itself resolving in an interesting and non the less satisfying conclusion that was, as said: self contained and could easily be the last book a reader reads in this series or merely the first in a longer series. While Livak was this readers favorite view point, the Archmage's and his companions as well as Casuel are all interesting in their own right. Casuel's amusing arrogance and natch for slight bad luck may seem like deterrents to readers but Casuel himself and his young charge are amusing characters and enduring in their own way.

McKenna's first novel while may suffer in some slight rough spots as almost any first novel does, she does however continue on an interesting and likeable path as fun and comfortable fantasy for fantasy fans. One can casually read the novel (aside from the introduction scene with the Archmage, less they be lost) as a fun in between whilst waiting for a new novel in their favorite series. A definite reccomendation for fantasy fans.

Entertaining Casual Read.......2005-09-25

As other reviewers have said, the plot of this book is nothing like the description on the book itself. In my opinion, that's a good thing. The book described on the back is seriously in danger of falling into a "too cute by half" trap. The actual novel is a bit more serious. Main characters die. The heroes aren't invincible. But in the end everything is still wrapped up in a neat little package, while leaving room for the inevitable sequel.

Some reviewers found the change in perspective from one chapter to another jarring, and a more experienced writer could have found a way to move the plot along without the "back and forth" to other characters. A tighter focus on the main character Livak would probably have improved the book. I could certainly have done without the comic sub-plot entirely. But i found the characters of Planir and Otrick entertaining and think the book would have lost some charm without them. More of them would probably have made the book better, although it would require more shift from first person to third person narrative which others found so disturbing.

It's nice that the author includes relationships among the characters that move beyond the "brothers in arms" comraderie or "me good, you evil" approach typical of most fantasy novels. These characters fall in love, form relationships, and don't always get along with each other. Just like real people.

It's not a great novel, but it is a fun read and an engaging bit of fantasy fluff. A good choice for anyone looking for a beach or commute novel. Nothing terribly demanding, just good fantasy fun.

A summer read.......2005-08-17

This is a typical fantasy tale based in its own world with wizards and warriors and of course thieves. It's a pretty decent read telling the story of a female thief who gets involved in a wizard's business and ends up in an adventure that's not exactly like the stories tell them.

It's a nice summer read and it was good enough to make me consider buying the next part. There's not too much deep involvement with the characters but the story itself it quite capturing. It's her first book so I guess it will get better from here on.

If you just want an in-between read while waiting for your favourite author(s) to publish something new and (of course) like fantasy/adventure novels then this is a good pick.

Interview with the Vampire + The Vampire Lestat + The Queen of the Damned + The Tale of the Body Thief + Memnoch the Devil (THE VAMPIRE CHRONICLES - Numbered, Signed Limited Edition, 5 Volume Matched Set)

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Interview with the Vampire + The Vampire Lestat + The Queen of the Damned + The Tale of the Body Thief + Memnoch the Devil (THE VAMPIRE CHRONICLES - Numbered, Signed Limited Edition, 5 Volume Matched Set)

Manufacturer: Easton Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Leather Bound
ASIN: B000CDIMWI

Product Description

Limited edition of 3000 copies including Interview With The Vampire signed by the author

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