Take a Thief (Valdemar #25)
(By Mercedes Lackey)
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| Author | Mercedes Lackey |
One day, after filling his pockets with food from Lord Orthallen's dining room, he runs into another young thief who consents to take Skif with him and teach him how best to break into houses and pick pockets. The boy leads him to Bazie, a crippled ex-soldier who makes his living, Fagin-like, by running a small ring of boy thieves in the poor sections of Haven. In Bazie's home, Skif finds the friendship and acceptance he has craved all his life, until tragedy strikes and his new family is taken from him.
Once more alone, Skif vows vengeance and, despite his young age, sets about to get it. And he is well on his way to achieving it when he steals a pretty white horse left unattended in a city park and finds himself, after a wild ride through Haven and the surrounding countryside, the newest Herald-trainee.
The above Dickens reference is not an accident. This novel, in spots, has a very Dickensian atmosphere, especially with Bazie and his boys, though Bazie's motivations are not entirely the same as Fagin's (having been in my high school's production of Oliver some years ago, I'm familiar with that story).
The story takes place almost entirely within the bounds of Valdemar's court city, Haven, and not the nicer parts, either. Lackey brings the poorer quarters of Haven to vivid life, and makes it a place you definitely don't want to visit without several friends and a good, stout walking stick.
Skif's background has never been a secret, and this tale of how he became a thief and then a Herald is a welcome addition to the Valdemar series.”
