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Thieves' World, 2nd Series #1
Sanctuary
From the Bestselling Fantasy Adventure Series, Thieves' World (tm)
Created by Robert Lynn Asprin & Lynn Abbey
Return To The City That Would Not Die!
Return To Thieves' World!
Return To Sanctuary !
Thieves' World was the bestselling and first of the shared world phenomenon, selling well over a million copies of anthologies detailing the exploits and intrigues of the high-born and low-born denizens of Sanctuary, a city that has seen many masters.
The Age of Ranke and the reign of Kadakithis, the occupation of the Beysib, the war of the gods and indeed the erstwhile Renaissance are now all in the past. Memories of heroes and villains, glory and savagery have all been relegated to the shadows of yesteryear as present-day residents once again apply themselves to the task at survival.
Only Molin Torchholder, architect of Sanctuary’s glory and master of her secrets. knows the whole truth, but he is dying . . . He must hold on until he can pass along the city's hidden history of empires come and gone and blood shed for reason and naught. Aiding him are a lowly laborer named Cauvin, himself a survivor of one of the city's darkest moments, and a young boy named Bec.
So many secrets and so little time. And as Molin’s chronicles of the past unfold, even darker forces return, an evil that jeopardizes the very survival of a city that until now has always refused to die.
Sanctuary - An Epic Novel of Thieves' World ushers in a whole new age of tales, a whole new age of Thieves' World.
Created by Robert Lynn Asprin & Lynn Abbey
Return To The City That Would Not Die!
Return To Thieves' World!
Return To Sanctuary !
Thieves' World was the bestselling and first of the shared world phenomenon, selling well over a million copies of anthologies detailing the exploits and intrigues of the high-born and low-born denizens of Sanctuary, a city that has seen many masters.
The Age of Ranke and the reign of Kadakithis, the occupation of the Beysib, the war of the gods and indeed the erstwhile Renaissance are now all in the past. Memories of heroes and villains, glory and savagery have all been relegated to the shadows of yesteryear as present-day residents once again apply themselves to the task at survival.
Only Molin Torchholder, architect of Sanctuary’s glory and master of her secrets. knows the whole truth, but he is dying . . . He must hold on until he can pass along the city's hidden history of empires come and gone and blood shed for reason and naught. Aiding him are a lowly laborer named Cauvin, himself a survivor of one of the city's darkest moments, and a young boy named Bec.
So many secrets and so little time. And as Molin’s chronicles of the past unfold, even darker forces return, an evil that jeopardizes the very survival of a city that until now has always refused to die.
Sanctuary - An Epic Novel of Thieves' World ushers in a whole new age of tales, a whole new age of Thieves' World.
533 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
25 people are currently reading
520 people want to read
About the author
Lynn Abbey
146 books192 followersLynn Abbey began publishing in 1979 with the novel Daughter of the Bright Moon and the short story "The Face of Chaos," part of a Thieves World shared world anthology. She received early encouragement from Gordon R. Dickson.
In the 1980s she married Robert Asprin and became his co-editor on the Thieves World books. She also contributed to other shared world series during the 1980s, including Heroes in Hell and Merovingen Nights.
Abbey and Asprin divorced in 1993 and Abbey moved to Oklahoma City. She continued to write novels during this period, including original works as well as tie-ins to Role Playing Games for TSR. In 2002, she returned to Thieves World with the novel Sanctuary and also began editing new anthologies, beginning with Turning Points.
In the 1980s she married Robert Asprin and became his co-editor on the Thieves World books. She also contributed to other shared world series during the 1980s, including Heroes in Hell and Merovingen Nights.
Abbey and Asprin divorced in 1993 and Abbey moved to Oklahoma City. She continued to write novels during this period, including original works as well as tie-ins to Role Playing Games for TSR. In 2002, she returned to Thieves World with the novel Sanctuary and also began editing new anthologies, beginning with Turning Points.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
March 18, 2020
Around 2002, I was browsing in my local Borders bookstore (the Fightin' 445 in Kingston, MA, a couple of years before I started work there myself - R.I.P.!), and my jaw dropped - a NEW Sanctuary book? For REAL?!? By Lynn Abbey?!? It was this novel. A novel, not a collection of short stories. I have to admit, I wasn't sure what I thought of the idea of a novel, but a new story set in the Thieves' World of Sanctuary? Sign me up! When I first read it, I enjoyed it tremendously, though I was a but put off by some things, including what seemed to me the over-use of made-up cursing ("Frogging sheep-shite! Frog it! The frogging pud!"). At that time, I might have given it 3 or 4 stars. But having re-read it again and again, I go for the five. A worthy successor to the Thieves' World of old, a great fantasy story, set a generation after the last collection ended, where Sanctuary underwent a time of horror at the hands of the cult of Dyareela which was only ended by another invasion - that of the nomadic, atheistic Irrune, who forbid all divine worship in the city. The main protagonist, Cauvin, was a child raised in the horrors of the cult who was saved by Molin Torch-holder, and when the Torch is nearly slain by members of the cult and Cauvin meets the man who chose to let him live so long ago, his life is set on a new path. Cool stuff.
November 13, 2011
When I was in high school, several of my friends swore by the Thieves' World series. I never really got into it, but having read Lynn Abbey's sequel I regret it. This is a great book. For starters, it is finely-crafted, with enough description and details of Sanctuary to really make the legendary city come alive. The setting, a sort of late Antiquity right around the fall of the Western Roman Empire, is nicely evoked, as "civillization" gives way to the "barbarians." The characters are treated respectfully and their personalities are individualized and quirky, seen mainly through the prism of the main character, Cauvin the "sheep-shite stupid" stonecutter's apprentice. The pacing is brisk enough to keep the reader from bogging down in 533 pages; surprising, given that the action all happens over the course of only a few days. I'm sure I missed many of the homages to previous Thieves' World characters and situations. The plot is fairly standard for a fantasy work: an old gruff wizard and his reluctant apprentice. But given that just about every possible fantasy plot has already been done (and most of them by Tolkien), Abbey can be forgiven. It revolves around an assassination plot against the aging priest and political power behind the throne, Lord Torchholder, and his efforts to manipulate events one more time to find an heir and solve his own murder. His unwitting and extremely reluctant agent is Cauvin, who has a background and an agenda of his own. This being Sanctuary, of course, he faces betrayal and intrigue as he pushed and prodded along a course he does not understand and does not want to accept. Another detail I appreciated: magick here is both subtle and powerful. And used sparingly enough that when it happens, it's clearly something important and makes an impression on the reader. A minor quibble would be the ending, which felt somewhat hurried and does feature a somewhat annoying deus ex machina. All in all, a great read and I am now motivated to seek out some of the early books in the series as well as any further sequels.
December 22, 2016
Lynn Abbey had a tough task: reinvent Thieves' World for a new generation of readers and a new generation of Sanctuarites. Thankfully, she pulls it off very well.
The story focuses on Molin Torchbearer. Dying, he must (no, seriously) pass the torch on to the new heroes of Thieves' World. Yeah, it's a little literal, but only if you think about it too much. Fortunately, Molin's heir is a very interesting character, because he's so wrong for the job.
This all plays out against a backdrop of evil cults and foreign invaders. Abbey has done a great job of reinventing the setting by figuring out what happened next, after the original 12 or 17 books. Her expansions of Sanctuary's history are delightful, and create an interesting new foundation for her new (unfortunately short-lived) series.
Alongside this, Abbey also plays fan service to the past, telling us the final fates of several Sanctuary notables — how they fled the city, disappeared, died, or all three. It's a nice bit of continuity that clearly makes the new novel the successor of the previous ones. (And also leaves interesting mysteries, like what happened to kitty cat!??)
But what's really delightful in all of this is how good a job Abbey does of detailing her new Sanctuary and the people therein. Cauvin and his family come across as very real people by the end of this volume, and Sanctuary is described and detailed perhaps better than it was ever before.
In all, Sanctuary was a very careful balancing act between the old and the new, the past and the present, and Abbey manages it quite skillfully. (My only complaints: way too excessive use of fake swearing, which really stands out when it appears several times on a page; and the book felt a bit long overall.)
The story focuses on Molin Torchbearer. Dying, he must (no, seriously) pass the torch on to the new heroes of Thieves' World. Yeah, it's a little literal, but only if you think about it too much. Fortunately, Molin's heir is a very interesting character, because he's so wrong for the job.
This all plays out against a backdrop of evil cults and foreign invaders. Abbey has done a great job of reinventing the setting by figuring out what happened next, after the original 12 or 17 books. Her expansions of Sanctuary's history are delightful, and create an interesting new foundation for her new (unfortunately short-lived) series.
Alongside this, Abbey also plays fan service to the past, telling us the final fates of several Sanctuary notables — how they fled the city, disappeared, died, or all three. It's a nice bit of continuity that clearly makes the new novel the successor of the previous ones. (And also leaves interesting mysteries, like what happened to kitty cat!??)
But what's really delightful in all of this is how good a job Abbey does of detailing her new Sanctuary and the people therein. Cauvin and his family come across as very real people by the end of this volume, and Sanctuary is described and detailed perhaps better than it was ever before.
In all, Sanctuary was a very careful balancing act between the old and the new, the past and the present, and Abbey manages it quite skillfully. (My only complaints: way too excessive use of fake swearing, which really stands out when it appears several times on a page; and the book felt a bit long overall.)
November 9, 2019
I have read it twice and it is still as good the second time around
April 9, 2014
I read that a reader once asked a professional in the publishing business why the books they published were so awful. The professional replied "You should see the ones we didn't publish." All I can assume is that it was a bad week for TOR when this manuscript came in.
I was excited to hear that there were more books in the Thieve's World universe. I had really enjoyed them many years ago.
I got through half the book before I got tired of the cursing. Every utterance from the main has between one and three curse words in it. I don't mind profanity but this was so laden with curses it got ridiculous.
All of the characters are such awful people that after a while I was ready to cheer for the faceless evil minions if they'd just kill these people. The aged wizard is a liar and manipulator of the first order. The people he manipulates are a foul mouthed under-aged murderer and his brother who constantly blackmails him to get his way. The main character's girl friend is a manipulative prostitute.
The book was a third too long.
The fight that starts the book doesn't make sense.
The Torch's actions after he finds someone to help him make no sense and he treats people he needs like dirt.
Sorry Lynn. This was awful.
I was excited to hear that there were more books in the Thieve's World universe. I had really enjoyed them many years ago.
I got through half the book before I got tired of the cursing. Every utterance from the main has between one and three curse words in it. I don't mind profanity but this was so laden with curses it got ridiculous.
All of the characters are such awful people that after a while I was ready to cheer for the faceless evil minions if they'd just kill these people. The aged wizard is a liar and manipulator of the first order. The people he manipulates are a foul mouthed under-aged murderer and his brother who constantly blackmails him to get his way. The main character's girl friend is a manipulative prostitute.
The book was a third too long.
The fight that starts the book doesn't make sense.
The Torch's actions after he finds someone to help him make no sense and he treats people he needs like dirt.
Sorry Lynn. This was awful.
April 3, 2016
Very interesting...sort of a wrap up of the Thieves Worlds stories. I re-read Thieves World a few months ago and then Sanctuary...I was glad i re-read TW first. Molin Torchholder is back and we find out what happens to Sanctuary in the years gone by. Solid read and very enjoyable
March 8, 2013
It took a little while to get into this book as there were so many characters, including gods it was a bit confusing. Once they are all established it's hard to put down.
December 6, 2017
Onvan : Sanctuary (Thieves' World, 2nd Series, #1) - Nevisande : Lynn Abbey - ISBN : 812561759 - ISBN13 : 9780812561753 - Dar 533 Safhe - Saal e Chap : 2002
November 26, 2021
SO many typos and errors in kindle edition
A good story, worth the read but I didn’t find myself getting “into” the plot or characters. I will probably read book 2 (I assume there is one). About halfway through the book I started highlighting the typos. The character Bec’s name is misspelled as “Bee” MANY times. And so many other typos...sloppy work as usual from kindle. I do intend to read the Thieves’ World anthologies which I somehow overlooked in the 80’s and understand that most of the stories are quite good. The author is a good writer, and I assume is unaware of the sloppy production of the kindle book. It’s a shame.
A good story, worth the read but I didn’t find myself getting “into” the plot or characters. I will probably read book 2 (I assume there is one). About halfway through the book I started highlighting the typos. The character Bec’s name is misspelled as “Bee” MANY times. And so many other typos...sloppy work as usual from kindle. I do intend to read the Thieves’ World anthologies which I somehow overlooked in the 80’s and understand that most of the stories are quite good. The author is a good writer, and I assume is unaware of the sloppy production of the kindle book. It’s a shame.
February 14, 2025
A great start to the second Thieves World series. Lynn Abbey has been in the milieu from the beginning, and she weaves a compelling storyline replete with callbacks, 'member berries and fan service where experienced readers will be pleased to recognize a beloved name, crucial events, and loose ends tied up. Abbey's first novel in the setting deductively sets the course for the anthologies to come, unlike the first series, which started out inductively, before any hint of a novel was in the air.
April 11, 2018
This was the start of the reboot of the Thieves' World series. Lynn Abbey tells how Molin Torchholder finally met his end while introducing his heir - Cauvin, the stonemason's adopted son and his brother Bec who is too smart for his own good. It is interesting to be back in Sanctuary after all this time.
January 16, 2018
If you're going to create your own swearwords, maybe create more than two if you're going use them every other paragraph. Gosh. Also be more creative than froggin' and sheepshite.
Also it starts very slow. Nearly all of the characters were very unlikable.
Also it starts very slow. Nearly all of the characters were very unlikable.
April 10, 2019
An okay Thieves' World book. I had trouble relating to Cauvin as a character. It was a decent re-introduction into the world.
October 20, 2020
Nice kickoff to the new run of there series. Of course, it came out almost 30 years ago and I bought it then, but have finally read it! lol
August 8, 2025
Not a book I would recommend.
March 19, 2014
Great!
April 27, 2013
see book 1 of the first series
Read
May 20, 2015Fantasy
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews