When did you first read The Queen's Thief books? (Part 2)

[readsintrees.livejournal.com]

[Poll #1441929][Poll #1441929]

Comments

[loquaciousquark.livejournal.com]

Oh my gosh, I can hardly believe it's been almost ten years since I first read The Thief. Wow.

[readsintrees.livejournal.com]

After reading the 65 comments or whatever that got posted to my first entry on this matter, I wanted to see a visual, but then realized it was difficult with various answers like "late 40's" or "when I was in high school"....so I figured I'd be a pain in the neck by making everyone respond again, but this time with an actual number.

I'd love to see a visual outline of the age range that attracts these books, and place it side by side with the "intended" reader age.

Continuing to prove my own statement that "A good story knows no age limit".

[emmaco.livejournal.com]

Thanks for doing the poll! I thought it would make reading the answers easier but was too lazy to follow the vague idea through :)

[readsintrees.livejournal.com]

Heh, I attempted to make a graph first just on graph paper (old school!) using the answers from last time...but it was tough because I didn't want to misrepresent anyone's answers.

[opheliastorn.livejournal.com]

I've answered 16-20 for all of them, but I think that I may have read, and been unimpressed with, The Thief when I was 8-9 or so. Not enough magic, probably, and it was a copy with a horrible cover that probably prejudiced me against it.

[thelasteddis.livejournal.com]

Lemme guess. The cover that, depending on who you ask, depicts either Hephestia, the Magus, or Jesus.

[opheliastorn.livejournal.com]

How did you guess? Nothing sells a book better than a cover where even the random figure on the front looks bored out of its skull.

[keestone.livejournal.com]

Am I the only person who likes that cover?

[opheliastorn.livejournal.com]

Shunnnnnn.

I mean, uh ...

What is it about it that appeals to you, actually? Because it does nothing whatsoever for me, and I'm curious what works for other people.

[keestone.livejournal.com]

The colors. The time and place feel. The thoughtful feel plus the shadow of the hand. There's both static and active energy. The contrast between the title and a figure seated on a throne made me wonder. It looks mythic and crafted.

The fact that when I was done with book, I could look at it and say, "Oh. That's Hephestia with the shadow of Gen's hand reaching out to take the Gift."

Because I grew up seeing too many paperback covers that basically signified a book was Fantasy or Historical by stuffing a model from the Sweet Valley High covers into an 80s prom dress with poofy sleeves.

[thelasteddis.livejournal.com]

Hephestia: here I am, sitting in this temple... FOREVER...

[kulai-raito.livejournal.com]

yes I soo remember I nearly give up on the book when I first picked it up at my library, b/c i was expecting the better looking yo-yo cover and the dull yellow, and first thought God pic. was errr...However a friend was interested in it when I brought it back to the lunch table (library/mall across the street from high school) and actually wanted to read it so i ended up lending it to her while I read the other much more appealing cover book I also hold and enjoy! When she was done I ask, is it worth my time? She said it was alright, not bad. I had mix thoughts then, but eventually read it for I only hold it b/c I saw a review for KoA on a site.

[tearoha.livejournal.com]

Someone told me it was Sounis. XD

Who came up with that cover, anyway?

[thelasteddis.livejournal.com]

That's a new one!

[pigrescuer.livejournal.com]

Why have I not seen this cover?! And how can you confuse those three? Well, Magus/Jesus, I see that. ^_^

Side note: Russian icons depict very angry Jesuses.

[thelasteddis.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't have thought it was possible, either.

http://www.harpercollins.com/harperimages/isbn/large/6/9780688146276.jpg

[pigrescuer.livejournal.com]

That caused an actual and genuine LOL. ^_^

I wouldn't go for the magus, but I'm equally split between Hephestia and Jesus. Except that I know Jesus isn't in the books.

[thelasteddis.livejournal.com]

As far as I can tell, the only recognizable feature is the crown... so maybe it's a Hephestia IMPERSONATOR.

Y'know, like Elvis impersonators but different.

[crazededdisian.livejournal.com]

Yeah, maybe it's Gen.

[(Anonymous)]

And I always thought it was Attolia.

[thelasteddis.livejournal.com]

The Hephestia impersonator or the Elvis impersonator??

[peggy-2.livejournal.com]

It's probably because there were no dragons.
I mean, really
WHO writes a book for kids with no dragons?

>.<

[pigrescuer.livejournal.com]

*sniggers*

[tiegirl.livejournal.com]

ANYHOW!!!

(lol)

I am Jade Sabre and I approve that comment

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

aw man I still have not take a picture of my birthday gift from Quark, have I? *hunts for camera*

[aislings.livejournal.com]

LOL. That was totally me as a kid. If it had a dragon, I would read it. But I did read other stuff as well - exhibit #1, The Thief.

[opheliastorn.livejournal.com]

EXACTLY. I mean, I went through the yay-yay-auugh that was Jane Yolen's dragony series, man, I am dedicated to the scaly cause.

[karwei.livejournal.com]

Actually, my middle school teacher started reading it to us, and I thought it was totally boring. But my mom checked it out for me and I actually read it and totally loved it. Now I'm a junior in college, and I reread it recently and I still like the story.

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

I first read The Thief a week before I turned eighteen. I think I probably started reading QoA the day before I turned eighteen, and then KoA just after I'd turned eighteen.

[cabin-boy.livejournal.com]

I read The Thief sometime in my first few years of college, due to recommendations from mycenaeth (who had been mentioning the book since I met her in high school, so I finally gave in and asked to borrow it when I had the free time. :3)

I eventually bought my own copy to use as reference for my illustration thesis, and re-reading it inspired me to buy the sequels as well. So I read them the year after I had graduated.

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

Ahhh! Your prettypretty book covers--I remember them (http://community.livejournal.com/sounis/87170.html)!

Did I mention that they are pretty?

[cabin-boy.livejournal.com]

Haha, thank you so much! I am glad you remember them; that was quite a while ago. XD

[tiegirl.livejournal.com]

Ohhh, WOW! Thank you checkers for posting that link. These are amazing! I didn't see them first time around, so I'm glad I got to see them now. I LOVE THEM!

[cabin-boy.livejournal.com]

Aw man, you two are makin' me blush. Thank you, too! I am glad you guys like them. :D

[allthingevil123.livejournal.com]

I read The Thief and QofA after a friend started calling me Eugenides and insisting I read them :S
A few years later amazon recommended KofA to me and after I calmed down I ordered it and counted down the hours until it would turn up :3

[pigrescuer.livejournal.com]

It's interesting that I fall into the most popular age ranges for all three books. I had thought I was young at 11 to read them.

speaking of polls

[peggy-2.livejournal.com]

Another interesting poll might be to find out how many people first came to livejournal because of the Thief books.

and, for that matter, how the Thief reading demographics compare to the lj user demographics.

Re: speaking of polls

[crazededdisian.livejournal.com]

Me, me, me! (to your first sentence)

Re: speaking of polls

[tiegirl.livejournal.com]

Me, me, me TOO!

Re: speaking of polls

[shimotsuki.livejournal.com]

Another interesting poll might be to find out how many people first came to livejournal because of the Thief books.

I was amazed, when I first came to this community, to see just how many of the LJ usernames here were clearly Thief-related. (tencups_i_swear is probably my favorite one, hee.) This suggests that a fair number of folks did come to LJ because of the Thief books.

On the other hand, my username probably makes me look like an anime/manga fan, which was accidental, so you never know! (I have nothing against anime/manga -- just don't follow it much.)

Uh, speaking of age...

[tiegirl.livejournal.com]

I appear to be the, um, winner in the age category. At least so far. I don't know why I felt the need to point this out...

(If there are others in my age-group I left them out on purpose. I felt it would be rude to comment otherwise :D)

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

What I love is how the HUGE lead from the 10-15 in the QoA category migrates to being a HUGE lead in the 16-20 category for KoA--that stands for all of us who nearly broke our keyboards when we discovered OHMYGOSH, THERE'S ANOTHER ONE COMING OUT? BUT IT'S BEEN LIKE FIVE YEARS WOW.

[aislings.livejournal.com]

I pretty much read each one as it came out, starting with The Thief at 13, Queen at 16, and King at 21. As for other people, I got my mother and my younger sister into the series, and over the years I've talked a few friends into trying them.

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

Oh, man. I'm officially olllllld.

[tiegirl.livejournal.com]

Hee! I think I just read them before you did; I am in your age-group now. Don't we get some kinda prize?

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

Yes, a magnifying glass, LOL!

[tiegirl.livejournal.com]

AWESOME! (that reminds me, I need to get new glasses...hee!)