The Thief by Megan Whalen TurnerThe King of Sounis wants to marry the Queen of Eddis, but Eddis isn't interested. Not only would Eddis lose her independence, such an alliance would upset the balance of power between the three kingdoms, Sounis, Eddis and Attolia. But the King is determined and his magus has a plan. If he can find Hamiathes's Gift, an ancient stone used to choose the true monarch of Eddis and give it to Sounis, the Queen will have to marry the King to get the stone. The magus even thinks he knows the secret location of the stone. He just has one problem: a thief must retrieve the stone from its hiding place. Not just any thief either, a thief of great skill must steal the stone. Luckily, just such a thief languishes in the palace prison. Gen claims to be the best thief in the world and his boast may prove true. After all, he did steal the King's seal from the magus' own chambers. He was only caught because he bragged about it later. So the magus makes Gen an offer he can't refuse: help steal Hamiathes's Gift in exchange for his freedom. Gen agrees quickly enough and not just because he wants out of prison. Gen has a plan of his own, one that will drastically change the three kingdoms and his own fate.
The Thief was written for children and won a Newbery Honor medal in 1997, but Gen's story, especially as it evolves in the sequels, Queen of Attolia and King of Attolia, is complex and rich enough for any adult. This first novel is perhaps the most simplistic and straightforward, focusing as it does on Gen's attempts to steal the stone and outsmart the magus, but it sets the tone for the other books. The setting is unique, a slightly Mediterranean-flavored fantasy world that leaves an impression but doesn't bog the reader down with too many details. A trickster at heart, Gen is lively and naturally duplicitous (one can easily envision a young Johnny Depp in this role).What he lacks in sincerity he makes up for in loyalty, wit and charm. Readers will want to see just how far this thief will go.
This is one of my favorite books. I recently listened to the whole series, released by Recorded Books on CD (http://catalog.kcls.org/record=b2253587). I've enjoyed all three books all over again during my commute.