I spy a Thief

[freenarnian.livejournal.com]

Excited to see The Thief featured in Book Page's July issue. Sharing because I thought the reviewer did a great job of recommending it without giving too much away (a notoriously tricky task)!



Who else is enjoying/looking forward to rereading the series before Return of the Thief arrives in October?

Comments

[ibmiller.livejournal.com]

Great catch! Though I dunno about saying, 'This book is a con' at the beginning. :)

[freenarnian.livejournal.com]

"A con-heist hybrid" is fairly accurate, I thought. More accurate than the time I saw it called a mystery, anyway. And someone called it a political thriller once, and I remember thinking, "an alternate history political thriller for middle graders, at a stretch." I was a little worried to see it among so many adult and nonfiction titles, though. Not because it's in any way beneath older readers, but I know people who've been really confused by expectations.

[ibmiller.livejournal.com]

Oh, I think it's accurate - but TOO accurate. I think they should have been more cagey about what the genre is.

[freenarnian.livejournal.com]

Ah, gotcha.

[eachase.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean. When I recommend the book to adults I'll often say: it's going to read young because she wrote it to be a stand-alone and edited it so well. Trust me, and read QoA, too. It will come across as written for an older audience.

[whataliethatwas.livejournal.com]

They did a pretty good job with this. I don't know that I love the 'Gen is not what he seems' statements, but after 24 years and right before the final book, I feel like it's hard to say anything about the book that will let it be a truly unspoiled experience for any new readers.

I can't decide when to start my reread. What I want is to finish the series just a touch before the book comes out so it's all fresh. Chances are high I'd finish the series in about 2-3 weeks, but
but it's also a really busy time of year so I'd hate to start and not be able to finish before the new book is released (because who could wait?). But I'd also not love reading the series now and having weeks before the release. Am I badly overthinking this? Yes, yes I am.

[freenarnian.livejournal.com]

Over on discord a while back, there was a discussion about how many people did see and hear spoilers before they read the books (everything from "unreliable narrator" to the chop-chop scene), and how they were STILL surprised/shocked. Once we're in the know, we forget how much is unclear without context. I even have a friend who read The Thief years ago when she was a kid, and had forgotten the twist at the end by the time she reread it as an adult. :)

[eachase.livejournal.com]

>I feel like it's hard to say anything about the book that will let it be a truly unspoiled experience for any new readers.

I agree! While the point of readers advisory is to find the right book for the reader you're helping, with this series I find that it works better to find the right reader for the books. Then, I can say, "Just read them. Trust me. You'll thank me later." But that does involve getting to know the person well enough first, which can take awhile.

[laserpe.livejournal.com]

Oh yes! I used to be friends with someone who had the magical superpower of being completely indifferent to spoilers, but wthi QT, not even her I told anything. I was just like, "Trust me - you'll love it" exactly like you said!

unspoiled experiences

[laserpe.livejournal.com]

Hahaha, I would try anyways. Nobody spiols my favorite series. When I tell someone about it, I'm always extra careful what I say, and then I'm like, : "Just trust me! Don't read any reviews! Or the jacket copy of later books! Spoilers spoilers spoilers!"
There seriously needs to be a law! I'm not a fanatic, what are you talking about.

Its probably because, I somehow got super lucky when I first read it; (the only thing that I was spoiled was that Sophos is still alive & returns in book 4) and want others to enjoy the same.

[eachase.livejournal.com]

I love both The Thief and From the Mixed Up Files. Maybe I should try the Feather Thief. Were there other titles on the list?

[freenarnian.livejournal.com]

The other titles on the list were:

Heresy by Melissa Lenhardt
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg
The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson
An Unnatural Vice by K. J. Charles

I haven't read any of these and don't know what they all have in common, besides the heading "Crimes we can't help but admire." I think The Feather Thief was nonfiction. Not sure about the rest.

[eachase.livejournal.com]

The Feather Thief is the only one in my library (that I haven't already read), but it sounds interesting. I'll have to track down the others.