Take a Thief

Mercedes Lackey

Skif lives out on the streets, trying to find a spot of warmth and a bite to eat whenever and where ever he can. When his old mentor is murdered, little does Skif know that this will set him onto an entirely new path.

Skif’s one of those awesome protagonists that you admire for his bravery, skills and sense of humour. Yay, a male protagonist that I actually like! Well, I wouldn’t expect anything less from Lackey anyway.

The climax is pretty weak really. Some child slavers? And burnt buildings? An enemy that neither of them even mentioned before they were found. Not to mention that Lord Orthallen just ends up fine again – and it’s not really clear why he hates Skif in later books.

The descriptions of thievery are some of my favourite parts of the book. I skipped over some other parts of this novel on this reread – I’ve read it enough times that I remember basically everything anyway. A comforting, if not particularly exciting, read.

Skif livens up into a ‘normal’ child pretty easily. The Collegium accepts him – and clearly he can read and write. He fits in with the rest of his yearmates easily. Still, he does have an adult perspective. Not bad at all.