"A neat addition to the series"
On Valdemar during the reign of Queen Selenay, his cold
Uncle Londer Galko raises orphaned Skif as if the lad is a
criminal. Though Skif laboriously works long hours at his
uncle's Hollybush Tavern, his guardian sees the lad as a
grudge earning his supper or dying. Required to attend school due to the royal edict, Skif
eats breakfast there and becomes efficient at hiding food
to dine on later. His ability leads him to meet Deek, a
pickpocket, and from that encounter, Bazie, an adult who
cares what happens to his charges. Skif joins Bazie's
family of young thieves and becomes one of the best at
robbing from the wealthy as he could sneak in and out of a
home like a ghost can walk through a wall. When Skif
steals a horse left unattended, the "magical" steed abducts
him instead. Now his adventures take a new spin especially
when someone murders his beloved mentor and Skif must work
with the Heralds and Alberich if he is to see justice is
served. For long time fans of Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar
series, TAKE A THIEF is quite a treat as Skif first appears
in the mid 1980s Heralds of Valdemar trilogy. The story
line is well written and fits quite nicely in the Valdemar
Universe circa 1376 AF. Skif may be young, but is a
survivor who given the opportunity heroically thrives. The
support cast provides depth to the plot while insuring
continuity to the main tales. Ms. Lackey's latest fantasy
epic lacks nothing except many sub-genre fans will scramble
for other books describing life during the reign of Queen
Selenay. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted September 30, 2001
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