A prequel novella to the ongoing Thung Toh series, A Good Thief is a fantastical escapade. Brilliant world building, exhilarating adventure and a wonderful protagonist combine into a great story.
Featuring Schmalch, a side character in the main novels, A Good Thief focuses on his life as a street pickpocket. Sleeping rough, living hand to mouth, lifting purses and, generally, getting trodden on by everyone and anyone, Schmalch still manages to muddle through. Whilst a thief, he’s somehow harmless; a product of his upbringing, he isn’t a vicious person and that’s reflected in how he tumbles through events. Desperate, he attempts to steal a purse only to be caught by his mark and her thug partner. Rather than punish him, they decide to use his questionable talents to help them do a job. Whilst Schmalch does what he’s asked, breaking in to a facility and stealing a biological sample, nothing is as it seems.
An engaging heist story, wrapped up in a double cross, A Good Thief is a riveting read. Whilst the plot powers along, it’s the insights Schmalch offers into the larger world of Dockhaven that shines throughout. A vast, sandbox of ideas and creativity, the world building is, once again, outstanding; places, species, histories and syndicates form a stunningly crafted image of unparalleled proportions. Overlaid on that is Schmalch; the most loveable, bumbling character there’s something strangely wholesome and endearing about him. Always trying so hard, he scrapes and shuffles by and, in the end, manages to come out the other side better off for all that happens.
Perhaps slightly less dark than the novels, A Good Thief is nonetheless a excellent blend of originality and genres. Part fantasy, part heist thriller, all unique. A fun, fast read that speaks to the huge potential of the authors and the world they’ve created, it’s a wonderful novella.
Review copy
Published by Ismae Books
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