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The Thief-Taker's Apprentice #1
The Thief-Taker's Apprentice by Deas, Stephen
When Berren steals a purse from a thief-taker, he should have been condemned to a short brutal life in slave-mines. The thief-taker offers to train him as an apprentice instead, but has secrets. Thief-takers and their apprentices make enemies more readily than friends.
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First published August 1, 2010
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About the author
Stephen Deas
29 books182 followersStephen Deas is an engineer in the aerospace industry, working on communications and imaging technology in the defence sector. He is married with two children and lives near Writtle in Essex.
Also writes as Nathan Hawke and S.J. Deas.
Also writes as Nathan Hawke and S.J. Deas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
July 2, 2012
Look. I know I gave it two stars. I know.
But I think this damn thing has potential! Reminds me of an extended version of the early part (Kylar's childhood) in (SORT OF, please don't rain your fury down on me) of Way of The Shadows by Brent Weeks. Emphasis on the early part though.
It does get a bit boring. I definitely wanted Berren to be more kickass, I wanted Syannis to be more... restrained? Masterly? Flawless? I dunno, better I suppose. The nicknames (for eg. Master Sy) did get on my nerves. Fore mostly because he's supposed to be a feared man yet he's got one of the stupidest nicknames I've ever heard.
Anyway. Plot, slow. Characters, at times annoying and at times under developed. Not a mature novel thats for sure. BUT IT HAS POTENTIAL! Maybe, hopefully, the novels will grow with Berren. They better, or I'll be eating my damn words. I think its a trilogy? Though I kind of expect that about every book so don't hold me to it. I do suggest reading it, though maybe wait till you can read the next ones, because I think that this is just sort of like a taste, a tease. I wouldn't base my expectations solely on this one example, I sincerely hope it turns into a great? maybe good series.
One last thing. The cover. What the hells with that? THEY ARE CLEARLY BOTH HOLDING SWORDS.
AT WHAT POINT IN THE BOOK, I ADDRESS YOU STEPHEN DEAS, DOES BERREN HAVE A SWORD.
And the answer is never. He is not even trained in this book. So uh, next time, how about YOU choose the cover art and actually, I don't know, maybe make it pertain to a certain event in YOUR book. You know, the one its on the cover of.
Crazy idea, I know, I know.
But I think this damn thing has potential! Reminds me of an extended version of the early part (Kylar's childhood) in (SORT OF, please don't rain your fury down on me) of Way of The Shadows by Brent Weeks. Emphasis on the early part though.
It does get a bit boring. I definitely wanted Berren to be more kickass, I wanted Syannis to be more... restrained? Masterly? Flawless? I dunno, better I suppose. The nicknames (for eg. Master Sy) did get on my nerves. Fore mostly because he's supposed to be a feared man yet he's got one of the stupidest nicknames I've ever heard.
Anyway. Plot, slow. Characters, at times annoying and at times under developed. Not a mature novel thats for sure. BUT IT HAS POTENTIAL! Maybe, hopefully, the novels will grow with Berren. They better, or I'll be eating my damn words. I think its a trilogy? Though I kind of expect that about every book so don't hold me to it. I do suggest reading it, though maybe wait till you can read the next ones, because I think that this is just sort of like a taste, a tease. I wouldn't base my expectations solely on this one example, I sincerely hope it turns into a great? maybe good series.
One last thing. The cover. What the hells with that? THEY ARE CLEARLY BOTH HOLDING SWORDS.
AT WHAT POINT IN THE BOOK, I ADDRESS YOU STEPHEN DEAS, DOES BERREN HAVE A SWORD.
And the answer is never. He is not even trained in this book. So uh, next time, how about YOU choose the cover art and actually, I don't know, maybe make it pertain to a certain event in YOUR book. You know, the one its on the cover of.
Crazy idea, I know, I know.
July 23, 2014
Set in the same universe as the author's Dragon novels but in a land far away and connected with the previous books only by the mysterious traders appearing in both, this novel is a series beginning which ostensibly features a young orphan and his mentor an exiled prince moonlighting as an "official" private eye or "unofficial" cop - thief-taker - in the local jargon. But there are hints of much more, so who knows where the series will go.
Almost to the end i enjoyed this novel as much as the author's debut Adamantine palace which was a top fantasy of mine last year - the sequel King of the Crags was good, but lacked the freshness and audacity of the debut and suffered a bit from the middle book syndrome as well as harking a bit towards the conventional with more back story and detail about this or that.
The writing is both energetic and tense and the world building is exquisite; the plot is minimal beyond the coming of age story and there is more talk on occasion than action, but i did not mind that since the rest is so good - the novel loses a bit off steam towards the end, where it essentially passes time to a "to be continued" sign, so overall it reads as a big introduction - an excellent one, but still just a prologue - and the series should really get going in the next volume
A strong A and clear potential for a great series if the foreshadowing and hints of much deeper stuff materialize in further installments
Almost to the end i enjoyed this novel as much as the author's debut Adamantine palace which was a top fantasy of mine last year - the sequel King of the Crags was good, but lacked the freshness and audacity of the debut and suffered a bit from the middle book syndrome as well as harking a bit towards the conventional with more back story and detail about this or that.
The writing is both energetic and tense and the world building is exquisite; the plot is minimal beyond the coming of age story and there is more talk on occasion than action, but i did not mind that since the rest is so good - the novel loses a bit off steam towards the end, where it essentially passes time to a "to be continued" sign, so overall it reads as a big introduction - an excellent one, but still just a prologue - and the series should really get going in the next volume
A strong A and clear potential for a great series if the foreshadowing and hints of much deeper stuff materialize in further installments
January 1, 2023
Young Berren is one of a band of urchin thieves; he tries to steal a thief-taker’s reward and is caught. He reminds the thief-taker of someone, so he decides to take him as an apprentice. Berren soon finds that the life of a thief-taker is far more darker and dangerous than the dealings of a mere cut-purse.
I’m going to give this 3 and a bit stars. 3.25 perhaps? Not a bad read, but not a really good one either. It had a lot of potential, but was frustratingly flat for much of the time. There was action, but it took soooo long to get there! The characters are also a little flat – Berren is far more hopeless than I was expecting/hoping – this is one book where the apprentice is very much the apprentice, not a gifted natural. Master Syannis, the thief-taker, is a more interesting character, though I frequently found him annoying and unlikeable.
But even with all that, this has whetted my appetite to the point that I might actually get the sequels just to see what happens to the characters in the future.
I’m going to give this 3 and a bit stars. 3.25 perhaps? Not a bad read, but not a really good one either. It had a lot of potential, but was frustratingly flat for much of the time. There was action, but it took soooo long to get there! The characters are also a little flat – Berren is far more hopeless than I was expecting/hoping – this is one book where the apprentice is very much the apprentice, not a gifted natural. Master Syannis, the thief-taker, is a more interesting character, though I frequently found him annoying and unlikeable.
But even with all that, this has whetted my appetite to the point that I might actually get the sequels just to see what happens to the characters in the future.
October 31, 2018
Die Geschichte fing ganz gut an, doch ab der 2. Hälfte brachte das Buch immer weniger Spaß. Die Distanz zwischen mir und den Ereignissen im Roman wuchs, leider hat es Stephen Deas nicht mehr geschafft, mich als Leserin mitzunehmen in die Welt des Thief-Takers, der Gangs in der Stadt und der Informanten. Am Ende hatte ich zu oft keine Ahnung, warum bestimmte Dinge geschehen mussten, geschweige denn dass sie mich berühren konnten. Schade, aber leider hat mir das Buch insgesamt nicht gefallen.
April 28, 2011
My thoughts:
I don't know if I would have know this was YA if I hadn't read it somewhere, and because of that it works just as well for a young reader as for an adult reader.
The main character is a thief named Berren, he is somewhere between 12 and 15, an orphan and a tough young boy that has seen the city at its worst. I did like him, one have to, he steals to survive and he is smart enough to realize (after a while) that being an apprentice to a thief-taker could get him out of his old life. But he is also smart enough to see that his new life is pretty messed up too, he will surely have to kill someday. His new master Sy, is an enigma and I like those. Slowly we learn more about him and why he does the things he do. There are a few others we meet too but in this book the young Lissiana stands out the most. Young heroes always have crushes.
The book was bloody too, perhaps that is what made it better for me. That might sound wrong, but life was harsh and I like it to show in fantasy. People do die, and here they did, and nasty things happened, lives were in put in danger. But it is never too violent, too bloody, and the main characters never get too hurt. There is always hope.
I quite enjoyed this tale about Berren, and the best part for me was also the part that makes me wanna read book 2. In the beginning Sy says that Berren looks like someone, then someone else says it too, and of course I am dying to find out what that is all about. Just as I wanted to know who Sy really was.
Conclusion:
A good solid fantasy story for all ages. There is danger, adventure, that first crush and secrets, and those are always the best. It's not that long either so I read it fast. I do look forward to book 2 to find out more. Recommended.
August 3, 2011
The Thief-Taker's Apprentice is a dark novel starring an ex-thief in a medieval style world that is frighteningly realistic. I'm going to say up front that if you aren't alright with the realities of public executions, bloody sword fights and back alley beatings, this isn't the book for you. If that sound's like it's up your alley, carry on.
In some ways, this book goes with a lot of the ordinary tropes; there's an orphan boy that's more than what he seems; the dour assassin(thief-taker in this case).But.. that's ok. Because I like those tropes.
Some people might find the fact that the main character spends most of the book learning the ropes and not being awesome, but I think that this made the book more interesting because we get to see, uhm, apprenticeship happening. In a lot of books you're an apprentice and then magic awesome comes out of you. In this book Berren's being an apprentice means we get to understand his impressions of this training, trade and new Master.
One problem though... this is a young-adult book? Really? I mean, no one puts any of their parts into the parts of anyone else, so I guess that's good but... I don't know. It seems pretty gory for a young adult book.
It's good, read it. It's the first in a series that's set in the same world as some of Stephen Deas' other books.
Check out my other reviews at my blog
In some ways, this book goes with a lot of the ordinary tropes; there's an orphan boy that's more than what he seems; the dour assassin(thief-taker in this case).But.. that's ok. Because I like those tropes.
Some people might find the fact that the main character spends most of the book learning the ropes and not being awesome, but I think that this made the book more interesting because we get to see, uhm, apprenticeship happening. In a lot of books you're an apprentice and then magic awesome comes out of you. In this book Berren's being an apprentice means we get to understand his impressions of this training, trade and new Master.
One problem though... this is a young-adult book? Really? I mean, no one puts any of their parts into the parts of anyone else, so I guess that's good but... I don't know. It seems pretty gory for a young adult book.
It's good, read it. It's the first in a series that's set in the same world as some of Stephen Deas' other books.
Check out my other reviews at my blog
May 23, 2011
A decent read with a Cup-A-Soup in bed on a sick day! (part 3)
EDIT: I've looked at the other reviews, now, and gone, "YA?? THAT MAKES SENSE!" Because even though it was a teensy bit formulaic, it was fun, and if I could send it back to my YA self, who only wanted to read different versions of "Magician" and "Sorcere's Apprentice" for about 5 years straight, I totally would, and she would be gushingly grateful.
EDIT: I've looked at the other reviews, now, and gone, "YA?? THAT MAKES SENSE!" Because even though it was a teensy bit formulaic, it was fun, and if I could send it back to my YA self, who only wanted to read different versions of "Magician" and "Sorcere's Apprentice" for about 5 years straight, I totally would, and she would be gushingly grateful.
August 14, 2010
This was a brilliant read within a few chapters i was wandering the streest of Deephaven, seeing the sight and smells of the place. The story was discriptive and engaging, the charaters are skillfully brought to life. the book isn't due for publishing until September/October but I am already eagerly awaiting the next enstallment
March 17, 2017
Great Book! Can't wait to read more
August 25, 2018
It was ok. No, in fact it was good. No, it was just ok. Hmmmm sort of good in parts....hmmmm mainly just ok though....although...the good bits were good. But it was still just ok.
August 17, 2017
"‘Something very important and very precious. Something I couldn’t really do without. As a consequence I’m not so fond of thieves. I’m also very good at catching them. I’ve made it my business. Would it surprise you to know that you’re the only person who’s ever stolen from me since?'"
Berren is a Dickensian street urchin living in a pre-renaissance city that smells of fish. He picks a pocket or two, a callow and malleable boy waiting to grow a personality, before an attempt to steal 10 gold coins from a thief-catcher gives him an unexpected chance in life. The mysterious thief taker Syannis is reminded of someone by Berren "He was looking at Berren hard, though, wearing his sad face, as though he’d dreamed of something bad that had yet to come.", and takes him on as an apprentice.
"'That’s your first lesson, boy. Money, magic and power. They’re always behind everything.’"
Hence follows a sedate tale of Berren's attempt to muddle through bettering himself with as little personal change as possible and as much action. He follows his master without permission into the dens of pirates financed by the city's harbour-master. "'Money is the blood of this city. The rest of it, the flesh and bones where everyone else lives: that sprawls inland, that’s the stuff you know. But here is its heart. Ships and money, lad.’" This takes him to a shanty-town over a swamp in Stiltside and the fantastically grim bridge city over the collapsed and reeking canals in Talsin's Forest where he watches his master slash his way through rogues. "the thief-taker who danced through knives and laughed at swords and always knew the answer." The pirate ring doesn't quite come to a satisfying conclusion, but it is great character building.
"'A thief lacks the courage that makes honest men strong. The other thing that a thief lacks is wit, for a man with a sharp wit has no need to be a thief.’"
The characters are deliciously archetypal. Syannis the thief-taker is a worlwind of stylish swordsmanship and wit "‘Where I come from, people often have lots of names. We acquire them the way you Arians acquire gold. They just fall out of the air and land on us.'", with a dark past that seems to encompass a lot more than some stinky fishing boats: "‘They stole my family from me, Berren. They stole my family and my kingdom.’". He is grim, brooding, and admirable, a vigilante Batman for this 1500s medieval city. "'The rest aren’t much different from the thieves they take, but Master Syannis, it makes no difference to him whether his thieves are street urchins or princes, whether they steal a loaf of bread or a kingdom.'" Berren, on the other hand, is an interesting take on the orphan hero. A simple, at many time transparent youth curiously lacking in compassion "‘Here I am, trying to tell you about the people who are the poorest in our little world so you might pity them and help them, and all you care for is who are the richest and the most powerful so that you can envy and resent them.’" He has a simmering undercurrent of recklessness, like the sea in calm, which he passes of as stupidity to hide its blind ambition and rage. "The ringmail shirt, on the other hand, looked like the sort of thing that let you stagger and crawl away when without it you’d be dead. Except for the hole where someone obviously hadn’t done anything much but lie where they were and die anyway. It didn’t look very heroic." I am interested to see how he becomes the monster depicted in the preview of The Dragon Queen. Even the city has its own lurid period personality. "Deephaven did that. It reached out along its waterways like a greedy prince stretching out to grasp at everything." I hope to see some more comprehensive history in the following books. "'The city nearly died in the siege. I was here and it was hell. We ate the dead, boy. And when we didn’t have any of them left, we started on the sick. You don’t see it on the surface now, but underneath it’s there.'"
All the way through, the book was heading for a very solid three-star rating. Until the mudlarks, impoverished swamp-dwellers who have nothing but their lives and their freedom started talking in hackneyed cockney rhyming-slang. I'm sorry, but it was incredibly distracting, and I couldn't empathise with the characters properly or feel the uniqueness of their setting in their behaviour because their language was so stereotyped. Really annoying. And right in the middle of all the action scenes as well. Next time, Deas, give your characters individual voice by manipulating their vocabulary, not by sending them on exchange to EastEnders.
Berren is a Dickensian street urchin living in a pre-renaissance city that smells of fish. He picks a pocket or two, a callow and malleable boy waiting to grow a personality, before an attempt to steal 10 gold coins from a thief-catcher gives him an unexpected chance in life. The mysterious thief taker Syannis is reminded of someone by Berren "He was looking at Berren hard, though, wearing his sad face, as though he’d dreamed of something bad that had yet to come.", and takes him on as an apprentice.
"'That’s your first lesson, boy. Money, magic and power. They’re always behind everything.’"
Hence follows a sedate tale of Berren's attempt to muddle through bettering himself with as little personal change as possible and as much action. He follows his master without permission into the dens of pirates financed by the city's harbour-master. "'Money is the blood of this city. The rest of it, the flesh and bones where everyone else lives: that sprawls inland, that’s the stuff you know. But here is its heart. Ships and money, lad.’" This takes him to a shanty-town over a swamp in Stiltside and the fantastically grim bridge city over the collapsed and reeking canals in Talsin's Forest where he watches his master slash his way through rogues. "the thief-taker who danced through knives and laughed at swords and always knew the answer." The pirate ring doesn't quite come to a satisfying conclusion, but it is great character building.
"'A thief lacks the courage that makes honest men strong. The other thing that a thief lacks is wit, for a man with a sharp wit has no need to be a thief.’"
The characters are deliciously archetypal. Syannis the thief-taker is a worlwind of stylish swordsmanship and wit "‘Where I come from, people often have lots of names. We acquire them the way you Arians acquire gold. They just fall out of the air and land on us.'", with a dark past that seems to encompass a lot more than some stinky fishing boats: "‘They stole my family from me, Berren. They stole my family and my kingdom.’". He is grim, brooding, and admirable, a vigilante Batman for this 1500s medieval city. "'The rest aren’t much different from the thieves they take, but Master Syannis, it makes no difference to him whether his thieves are street urchins or princes, whether they steal a loaf of bread or a kingdom.'" Berren, on the other hand, is an interesting take on the orphan hero. A simple, at many time transparent youth curiously lacking in compassion "‘Here I am, trying to tell you about the people who are the poorest in our little world so you might pity them and help them, and all you care for is who are the richest and the most powerful so that you can envy and resent them.’" He has a simmering undercurrent of recklessness, like the sea in calm, which he passes of as stupidity to hide its blind ambition and rage. "The ringmail shirt, on the other hand, looked like the sort of thing that let you stagger and crawl away when without it you’d be dead. Except for the hole where someone obviously hadn’t done anything much but lie where they were and die anyway. It didn’t look very heroic." I am interested to see how he becomes the monster depicted in the preview of The Dragon Queen. Even the city has its own lurid period personality. "Deephaven did that. It reached out along its waterways like a greedy prince stretching out to grasp at everything." I hope to see some more comprehensive history in the following books. "'The city nearly died in the siege. I was here and it was hell. We ate the dead, boy. And when we didn’t have any of them left, we started on the sick. You don’t see it on the surface now, but underneath it’s there.'"
All the way through, the book was heading for a very solid three-star rating. Until the mudlarks, impoverished swamp-dwellers who have nothing but their lives and their freedom started talking in hackneyed cockney rhyming-slang. I'm sorry, but it was incredibly distracting, and I couldn't empathise with the characters properly or feel the uniqueness of their setting in their behaviour because their language was so stereotyped. Really annoying. And right in the middle of all the action scenes as well. Next time, Deas, give your characters individual voice by manipulating their vocabulary, not by sending them on exchange to EastEnders.
December 12, 2017
The city of Deephaven is still recovering from a civil war that wracked it and the surrounding Empire several decades ago. The war left behind many orphans and unwanted children, some of whom have grown up with thievery the only option for survival. After unwisely making a thief-taker his mark, one of these boys, Berren finds his life transformed as he is recruited as the thief-taker's apprentice.
The Thief-Taker's Apprentice is the start of a new trilogy by Stephen Deas, author of the Memory of Flames Trilogy (The Adamantine Palace, The King of the Crags and the forthcoming The Order of Scales). It is set in the same world, apparently on a continent on the far side of the Taiytakei homelands, but a couple of mentions of the Taiytakei aside, there are no links between the two series (yet, anyway). It is also nominally a 'Young Adult' title, but Deas actually pulls few punches in the book to accommodate these younger readers. Particularly amusing (and actually effective) is the use of corrupted Cockney rhyming slang to get around restrictions on swearing, whilst the violence is not particularly sanitised (although not gratuitous, either).
The book is pretty traditional. Whilst Memory of Flames has the politics of the dragon realms and the use of dragons as horrendous weapons of war going for it, The Thief-Taker's Apprentice is much happier employing standard tropes. We have a young main character (albeit one whose morality is a bit greyer than the standard young boy cliche), an older mentor (a disgraced nobleman from a distant land), the romantic interest, the nemesis and so on. Those looking for something surprising and new might be disappointed here. However, Deas takes the standard material and infuses it with great pace and some impressive depth, given the modest page count. The city of Deephaven, with its myriad districts, street gangs, commercial interests, sense of traumatic history and politics (seen here only at a far remove), is depicted very well, whilst there's some good character moments, particularly with Syannis the conflicted thief-taker and some minor characters like Kasmin. Berren himself and romantic interest Lilissa are less surprising, but likable enough as antagonists.
Where the book falters is that it hints at some more interesting developments to come, but then ends just as the story gets going. Given the book's slight length, it feels like it could have been longer and pursued certain storylines further.
The Thief-Taker's Apprentice (***½) is a likable, enjoyable story but one that whets the appetite rather than fully satisfies. The sequel, The Warlock's Shadow, is due next year. The book is available now in the UK and on import in the USA.
The Thief-Taker's Apprentice is the start of a new trilogy by Stephen Deas, author of the Memory of Flames Trilogy (The Adamantine Palace, The King of the Crags and the forthcoming The Order of Scales). It is set in the same world, apparently on a continent on the far side of the Taiytakei homelands, but a couple of mentions of the Taiytakei aside, there are no links between the two series (yet, anyway). It is also nominally a 'Young Adult' title, but Deas actually pulls few punches in the book to accommodate these younger readers. Particularly amusing (and actually effective) is the use of corrupted Cockney rhyming slang to get around restrictions on swearing, whilst the violence is not particularly sanitised (although not gratuitous, either).
The book is pretty traditional. Whilst Memory of Flames has the politics of the dragon realms and the use of dragons as horrendous weapons of war going for it, The Thief-Taker's Apprentice is much happier employing standard tropes. We have a young main character (albeit one whose morality is a bit greyer than the standard young boy cliche), an older mentor (a disgraced nobleman from a distant land), the romantic interest, the nemesis and so on. Those looking for something surprising and new might be disappointed here. However, Deas takes the standard material and infuses it with great pace and some impressive depth, given the modest page count. The city of Deephaven, with its myriad districts, street gangs, commercial interests, sense of traumatic history and politics (seen here only at a far remove), is depicted very well, whilst there's some good character moments, particularly with Syannis the conflicted thief-taker and some minor characters like Kasmin. Berren himself and romantic interest Lilissa are less surprising, but likable enough as antagonists.
Where the book falters is that it hints at some more interesting developments to come, but then ends just as the story gets going. Given the book's slight length, it feels like it could have been longer and pursued certain storylines further.
The Thief-Taker's Apprentice (***½) is a likable, enjoyable story but one that whets the appetite rather than fully satisfies. The sequel, The Warlock's Shadow, is due next year. The book is available now in the UK and on import in the USA.
January 11, 2021
Where to begin?
(english is my second language)
Picking a book I look at the cover and read the description. Then I start reading and when I'm at page 100 I deside if I want to read it all. At the last 80 page I don't stop.
Same with this book... I would not have made it past page 100 if it wasn't for the Christmas holiday. I had no new book with me so on I went.
At page 100 there has been nothing of worth. The characters have nothing to offer. No depth. It didn't do anything for me. Nothing to get me excided.
With No other book at hans I contenued.
Around page 150 something happens. They start to be interresting. Then they die down again.
Page 250. Now we are getting somewhere... But not really.
It took me three days to read the last 40 pages.
Stephen Deas I am not giving up on you, but in this story line I'm out.
(english is my second language)
Picking a book I look at the cover and read the description. Then I start reading and when I'm at page 100 I deside if I want to read it all. At the last 80 page I don't stop.
Same with this book... I would not have made it past page 100 if it wasn't for the Christmas holiday. I had no new book with me so on I went.
At page 100 there has been nothing of worth. The characters have nothing to offer. No depth. It didn't do anything for me. Nothing to get me excided.
With No other book at hans I contenued.
Around page 150 something happens. They start to be interresting. Then they die down again.
Page 250. Now we are getting somewhere... But not really.
It took me three days to read the last 40 pages.
Stephen Deas I am not giving up on you, but in this story line I'm out.
June 2, 2017
Enjoyable, but slightly shallow story.
I feel like it is either not finished and this should be part 1 of book 1 or something.
I would recommend the book to anyone who is feeling like a nice, semi-positive story. As long as you can get the book for free!
It is not astonishingly great in my opinion and it is a "little book", a short story. I borrowed it from my local library and am happy I have read it. Gave me a good few hours of enjoyment. But I would be slightly dissapointed if I had paid a full-book-price for it.
I feel like it is either not finished and this should be part 1 of book 1 or something.
I would recommend the book to anyone who is feeling like a nice, semi-positive story. As long as you can get the book for free!
It is not astonishingly great in my opinion and it is a "little book", a short story. I borrowed it from my local library and am happy I have read it. Gave me a good few hours of enjoyment. But I would be slightly dissapointed if I had paid a full-book-price for it.
March 30, 2020
Super fun book. Easy to read and very good for its YA intended audience. Just enough, but not too much violence, lots of action and a fun introduction that could be a really interesting longer plot line over the next books in the series.
June 24, 2020
Really wanted to love this. But the pacing was not for me. DNF.
February 12, 2021
It was ok, I had a break in middle of reading it and I kinda lost my way a bit, should have read it all at once and then I might have enjoyed it more
May 19, 2023
Miała potencjał i to nie jest zła książka. Jednak mnie poprostu nudziła.
September 21, 2024
I loved this book so much. Read it in 2 days!
December 19, 2024
Struggled to stay with this one more for youngers
July 15, 2025
Where is the plot?
September 13, 2025
eeeeeh
September 29, 2014
In English author Stephen Deas’s thrilling fantasy novel Thief Taker’s Apprentice(2010) he explemifies that good can come out of giving someone a second chance through plot and character development. Thief Taker’s Apprentice is based in a fictional medieval world, specifically Deephaven. Thief Taker’s Apprentice is about the apprentice of the thief taker, Master Sy. A thief taker is a bounty hunter paid by the city of Deephaven to capture thieves. I believe it is very well written, and I enjoyed reading the remaining books in the series as well.
Thief Taker’s Apprentice is about a young boy named Berren. He is a skilled thief that is about 15 years old. He lives in a house with several other boys, who all serve Master Hatchet, a criminal who runs a ring of child thieves and who also cleans the city. The book begins with an interesting attention getter; an execution. During the execution, the executioner gives Master Sy a bag of ten gold emperors, which is a fortune to poor Berren. Berren tries to steal the bag, and succeeds, however inside the bag is only a few pennies. Master Sy, who has never had anything stolen from him, follows him and recruits him as his apprentice.
The book revolves around pirates, who are sneaking into the bay, raiding ships, and escaping without detection. Master Sy and Berren are tasked with finding the pirates and stopping them. “’Well, if you won’t then I will. Once upon a time the folk from fishing villages a little further up the coast used to row down at night whenever the moon was full’” (Deas 818). The person who is saying this is Justicar Kol, the person who pays all the thief takers. He believes that the Mudlarks, who are fishermen that live in a swampy area near the city, are responsible. He is correct; the Mudlarks are sailing around Wrecking Point and climbing up the boats.
“’I’m very sorry Berren, but I’ve misjudged our friend the harbor-master, and badly so’” (Deas 2502). After the thief taker determines that it is the Mudlarks who are stealing from ships, he needs to find out how they know which ships to attack and how they are getting out so easily and quickly. Master Sy brings Berren and Lilissa, a supporting character, to a very wealthy tavern to meet the harbor-master. He believes he can find out which one of the harbor-master’s underlings is corrupt. However, he gets a deadly surprise when he learns that the harbor-master is the corrupt one when he sends snuffers after them. Snuffers are mercenary guards. The snuffers nearly kill Master Sy, but he manages to escape and a friend saves him. In the end, they don’t end up turning the harbor-master in for a few reasons. First, they were hired to stop pirates, not corrupt government officials. Second, even if they took justice into their own hands, they wouldn’t get paid. Third, they had his name saved for the next time something bad happened.
I really enjoyed how well-constructed the background history was, as well as the setting. It gave a good view of the spectrum of life in that environment, from dirt poor to incredibly rich. The theme is expressed throughout the novel because Berren was once a thief, but by the end, he is turning in pirates and stopping corrupt politicians. I found this book incredibly enjoyable, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy/medieval books.
Thief Taker’s Apprentice is about a young boy named Berren. He is a skilled thief that is about 15 years old. He lives in a house with several other boys, who all serve Master Hatchet, a criminal who runs a ring of child thieves and who also cleans the city. The book begins with an interesting attention getter; an execution. During the execution, the executioner gives Master Sy a bag of ten gold emperors, which is a fortune to poor Berren. Berren tries to steal the bag, and succeeds, however inside the bag is only a few pennies. Master Sy, who has never had anything stolen from him, follows him and recruits him as his apprentice.
The book revolves around pirates, who are sneaking into the bay, raiding ships, and escaping without detection. Master Sy and Berren are tasked with finding the pirates and stopping them. “’Well, if you won’t then I will. Once upon a time the folk from fishing villages a little further up the coast used to row down at night whenever the moon was full’” (Deas 818). The person who is saying this is Justicar Kol, the person who pays all the thief takers. He believes that the Mudlarks, who are fishermen that live in a swampy area near the city, are responsible. He is correct; the Mudlarks are sailing around Wrecking Point and climbing up the boats.
“’I’m very sorry Berren, but I’ve misjudged our friend the harbor-master, and badly so’” (Deas 2502). After the thief taker determines that it is the Mudlarks who are stealing from ships, he needs to find out how they know which ships to attack and how they are getting out so easily and quickly. Master Sy brings Berren and Lilissa, a supporting character, to a very wealthy tavern to meet the harbor-master. He believes he can find out which one of the harbor-master’s underlings is corrupt. However, he gets a deadly surprise when he learns that the harbor-master is the corrupt one when he sends snuffers after them. Snuffers are mercenary guards. The snuffers nearly kill Master Sy, but he manages to escape and a friend saves him. In the end, they don’t end up turning the harbor-master in for a few reasons. First, they were hired to stop pirates, not corrupt government officials. Second, even if they took justice into their own hands, they wouldn’t get paid. Third, they had his name saved for the next time something bad happened.
I really enjoyed how well-constructed the background history was, as well as the setting. It gave a good view of the spectrum of life in that environment, from dirt poor to incredibly rich. The theme is expressed throughout the novel because Berren was once a thief, but by the end, he is turning in pirates and stopping corrupt politicians. I found this book incredibly enjoyable, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy/medieval books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 23, 2011
The Thief-Taker's Apprentice is Stephen Deas' first YA novel. It's is set in the same world as his A Memory of Flames trilogy and is the first in a trilogy of its own. The book, as mentioned, is YA, but Master Syannis, the titular thief-taker, offers adults a great connection and a way into the novel. The story never gets boring or too telegraphed and while the writing and length of the chapters are bite-size, Deas doesn't talk down to his younger readers.
I really liked the protagonist Berren. I like the combination of Berren's cunning and innocence. On the one hand he's a tough-as-nails street kid, looking after himself, on the other hand, he really is a kid, with a kid's way of looking at the world. For example, the unblinking fascination he and his fellow street rats show as they watch the beheadings at the start of the book is typically child-like. Another example is his naming of his little cut-purse knife Stealer, which is so very endearing. Berren grows during the book, where at first he is fascinated and excited by the beheadings and later the deadly fight he witnesses between Syannis and some thugs, by the end of the book, fighting and killing isn't so glorious any more; Berren grown up and realises the finality of such an act.
In the same vein, Syannis is a great character, though he doesn't show as much growth as Berren, in fact he largely remains a mystery. His gruff care for Berren seems driven by the latter's mysterious heritage. We find out more about Syannis' background in dribs and drabs, but the details of the story remain hidden. But despite all the mystery, or maybe because of it, I found Syannis the more compelling character in the book. While I loved Berren's story, Syannis intrigued me and I hope we'll learn more about him in the following books. In addition, I liked the bond that developed between boy and man. At the start, Berren is forced to stay with Syannis and Syannis only seems to take him on, because of Berren's resemblance to someone in Syannis' past. But, by the end of the story the bond seems genuine and they really seem to care for one another.
While Deas doesn't reinvent the thief's tale with The Thief-Taker's Apprentice, he brings a new twist to it with the concept of the thief-taker and it's an enjoyable one. In addition, it means he gets to roam the streets of Deephaven and show us all the corners and curiosities of the city. Deephaven is well-developed with its history well-documented in its buildings and its traditions. While we don't travel far from the city, beyond the excursion down the river, the reader also gets a sense that the world beyond the city is as well-built, we just don't need to see it in the course of this narrative. Hopefully we'll be allowed to visit it in further instalments in the trilogy.
The Thief-Taker's Apprentice is a story that can be read as a standalone and be satisfying in and of itself. But there remain questions on a larger scale that have yet to be answered, which promises a lot for the next book, The Warlock's Shadow, which is out in July from Gollancz. I really enjoyed The Thief-Taker's Apprentice and I'm planning to search out Deas' other books as well, as I'm wanting to read more of his work now!
I really liked the protagonist Berren. I like the combination of Berren's cunning and innocence. On the one hand he's a tough-as-nails street kid, looking after himself, on the other hand, he really is a kid, with a kid's way of looking at the world. For example, the unblinking fascination he and his fellow street rats show as they watch the beheadings at the start of the book is typically child-like. Another example is his naming of his little cut-purse knife Stealer, which is so very endearing. Berren grows during the book, where at first he is fascinated and excited by the beheadings and later the deadly fight he witnesses between Syannis and some thugs, by the end of the book, fighting and killing isn't so glorious any more; Berren grown up and realises the finality of such an act.
In the same vein, Syannis is a great character, though he doesn't show as much growth as Berren, in fact he largely remains a mystery. His gruff care for Berren seems driven by the latter's mysterious heritage. We find out more about Syannis' background in dribs and drabs, but the details of the story remain hidden. But despite all the mystery, or maybe because of it, I found Syannis the more compelling character in the book. While I loved Berren's story, Syannis intrigued me and I hope we'll learn more about him in the following books. In addition, I liked the bond that developed between boy and man. At the start, Berren is forced to stay with Syannis and Syannis only seems to take him on, because of Berren's resemblance to someone in Syannis' past. But, by the end of the story the bond seems genuine and they really seem to care for one another.
While Deas doesn't reinvent the thief's tale with The Thief-Taker's Apprentice, he brings a new twist to it with the concept of the thief-taker and it's an enjoyable one. In addition, it means he gets to roam the streets of Deephaven and show us all the corners and curiosities of the city. Deephaven is well-developed with its history well-documented in its buildings and its traditions. While we don't travel far from the city, beyond the excursion down the river, the reader also gets a sense that the world beyond the city is as well-built, we just don't need to see it in the course of this narrative. Hopefully we'll be allowed to visit it in further instalments in the trilogy.
The Thief-Taker's Apprentice is a story that can be read as a standalone and be satisfying in and of itself. But there remain questions on a larger scale that have yet to be answered, which promises a lot for the next book, The Warlock's Shadow, which is out in July from Gollancz. I really enjoyed The Thief-Taker's Apprentice and I'm planning to search out Deas' other books as well, as I'm wanting to read more of his work now!
September 15, 2011
The Thief-Taker’s Apprentice is a tale of bounty-hunters and thieves set in a historic fantasy world. It’s not your fantastical creatures or special power type of fantasy, more an alternate world with temples, priests and the occasional witch doctor.
Berren is a teenage dung-sweeper and pickpocket. He is one of Hatchet’s boys and lives a miserable life in Shipwrights by the docks. He shares a rotten floor with a lot of other unwashed boys, eats scraps of stale bread and basically stinks of fish and poop! Berren has a simple ambition: he wants to make money. He does this by cutting purses. He feels no guilt about his thieving. It doesn’t weigh on his conscience. When there is a public execution in the centre of town, he goes to watch like all the other boys. He enjoys seeing the blood as the guilty have their heads chopped off but it is the lure of ten gold Emperors, which the Thief-Taker has earned, that really gets his blood pumping. All that lovely money! Berren is determined to cut the Thief-Taker’s purse. He thinks that such a glorious sum could change his life forever. So he spends the rest of the day looking for the Thief-Taker and of course goes about his thievery.
It won’t surprise you to find out that Berren becomes Master Sy’s apprentice. I think it comes as a surprise to both of them though. At the beginning of the novel Berren has a rather romanticised idea of a thief-taker’s work. He thinks it’s all swashing buckling and sword-fights. The story follows Berren as he begins his education into what it takes to be a bounty-hunter. It requires patience, investigative skills and intuition. But there’s no denying that it is also a very violent profession.
Both Berren and Master Syannis are great characters. Convincingly written, Berren is as lustful as any teenage boy. Deas portrays him as courageous whilst still being naive and motivated by money and power. The reasons behind Master Sy’s offer of an apprenticeship are mysterious and seem to hint at an intriguing secret to be revealed in the future. It is the relationship between Berren and Master Sy that really make this book a joy to read. It leapt off the page through the dialogue and the grudging respect that Berren feels for his Master without ever him ever actually verbalising it. Their connection was endearing. (I don’t think they’d appreciate me saying that though).
The Thief-Taker’s Apprentice is the first book in a series but it is still a satisfying story and doesn’t end on an annoying cliff-hanger. I think boys who enjoy fantasy but have outgrown a series like Spooks by Joseph Delaney will enjoy this. It had a boy-sy feel – I guess because of the descriptions of beheading etc. But the violence isn’t at all gratuitous; it fits the story and the setting. Of course, girls like me who love high fantasy will also enjoy this. I can’t wait to read the follow up The Warlock’s Shadow and find out about the mysterious Sun and Moon temples and Master Sy’s home land. The Thief-Taker’s Apprentice is like Oliver meets Graceling sort of. Well, it’s great anyway. I recommend it.
Berren is a teenage dung-sweeper and pickpocket. He is one of Hatchet’s boys and lives a miserable life in Shipwrights by the docks. He shares a rotten floor with a lot of other unwashed boys, eats scraps of stale bread and basically stinks of fish and poop! Berren has a simple ambition: he wants to make money. He does this by cutting purses. He feels no guilt about his thieving. It doesn’t weigh on his conscience. When there is a public execution in the centre of town, he goes to watch like all the other boys. He enjoys seeing the blood as the guilty have their heads chopped off but it is the lure of ten gold Emperors, which the Thief-Taker has earned, that really gets his blood pumping. All that lovely money! Berren is determined to cut the Thief-Taker’s purse. He thinks that such a glorious sum could change his life forever. So he spends the rest of the day looking for the Thief-Taker and of course goes about his thievery.
It won’t surprise you to find out that Berren becomes Master Sy’s apprentice. I think it comes as a surprise to both of them though. At the beginning of the novel Berren has a rather romanticised idea of a thief-taker’s work. He thinks it’s all swashing buckling and sword-fights. The story follows Berren as he begins his education into what it takes to be a bounty-hunter. It requires patience, investigative skills and intuition. But there’s no denying that it is also a very violent profession.
Both Berren and Master Syannis are great characters. Convincingly written, Berren is as lustful as any teenage boy. Deas portrays him as courageous whilst still being naive and motivated by money and power. The reasons behind Master Sy’s offer of an apprenticeship are mysterious and seem to hint at an intriguing secret to be revealed in the future. It is the relationship between Berren and Master Sy that really make this book a joy to read. It leapt off the page through the dialogue and the grudging respect that Berren feels for his Master without ever him ever actually verbalising it. Their connection was endearing. (I don’t think they’d appreciate me saying that though).
The Thief-Taker’s Apprentice is the first book in a series but it is still a satisfying story and doesn’t end on an annoying cliff-hanger. I think boys who enjoy fantasy but have outgrown a series like Spooks by Joseph Delaney will enjoy this. It had a boy-sy feel – I guess because of the descriptions of beheading etc. But the violence isn’t at all gratuitous; it fits the story and the setting. Of course, girls like me who love high fantasy will also enjoy this. I can’t wait to read the follow up The Warlock’s Shadow and find out about the mysterious Sun and Moon temples and Master Sy’s home land. The Thief-Taker’s Apprentice is like Oliver meets Graceling sort of. Well, it’s great anyway. I recommend it.
October 25, 2024
I really enjoyed this.
A lot of moans about Berren. He's thick, he takes ages to learn, he ignores reading, in fact throws a tantrum over it, he focuses on the swords, the super fighter idea. Actually Syannis while good, is not superman and knows it, and tries to instil this vital piece of wisdom into Berren, his apprentice, as well as other important things like manners and thinking before acting.
How refreshing. No Gary Stus. Realistic.
But it still has the action, the plots, the fights. I am for sure continuing with this fun series.
A lot of moans about Berren. He's thick, he takes ages to learn, he ignores reading, in fact throws a tantrum over it, he focuses on the swords, the super fighter idea. Actually Syannis while good, is not superman and knows it, and tries to instil this vital piece of wisdom into Berren, his apprentice, as well as other important things like manners and thinking before acting.
How refreshing. No Gary Stus. Realistic.
But it still has the action, the plots, the fights. I am for sure continuing with this fun series.
October 27, 2013
c2010. This was marginally better than the Adamantine Palace in that at least I managed to finish the book. I did not realise it was targetted to YA audiences and found it a very bland and innocuous plot. Characters are thin with again no world building which I remember being a problem with AP as well. I think this book will be easily forgotten even in the alternative fiction world. FWFTB: thief, reward, reminds, fights, murder. Whoever wrote the blurb on the front cover clearly did not read the book ie the final paragraph reads "Full of richly observed life (Umm Not at all) in a teeming fantasy city (teeming means to be full of things - again - not really - no sense of the city at all in my opinion) a hectic progression of fights (bullying), flights (running away from the bullies) and fancies (one female with absolutely no dimension at all other than being pretty with the proverbial heart of gold and getting picked on by - bullies) and charting the fall (his circumstances actually improve so not sure what's up with the "fall") of a boy (is this why it was a YA novel?), into the dark world of political plotting (nah! corruption of one official and trying to find pirates is not political plotting) and murder (again, not even sure who was murdered other than those involved in fighting the "other" hero) this marks the beginning of a new series for all lovers of fantasy. (Dream on!) FCN: Berren, Master Sy, Lilissa, Hatchet, Jerrin. "Master Sy's words were there in his head, just as the thief-taker had spoken them.'Run. If you can't run, stick them good and hard and watch it all the way.'".
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 7, 2015
Commendable but flawed.
For a street rat living a life of crime ala the pickpockets of Oliver Twist, the protagonist is amazingly ignorant of the city which he haunts. His complete ignorant of the city centre, of the notables who run the city and of the location of the major temples is hard to believe. Surely street kids must have some hazy idea of who the big important men are, even if they have never seen them. Their doings and actions must have repercussions on the city which must be rife with gossip and rumours. And even if they were ignorant of the finer theological points of the major religions, how is it possible not to know where the temples are? If nothing else, they should be sources of revenue.
And to suggest that this is due to being confined to their area because other gangs control the places where the temples are, then it is strange that the protagonist only ever encounters his old gang and never any others throughout the course of the book. And no mention is ever made of any fights or turf wars with any other gangs.
Another inconsistency was the protagonist’s shock when one of his foes pulls out a blade. The shock is explained as being due to the fact that no one carries a blade as that would lead to horrendous consequences for the carrier if it was ever found on him by the authorities. But at the start of the story, it was established that the protagonist himself carried a blade to help him cut open pockets and to off bags tied to their owners. If the distinction was the size of the blade, then that was not made clear and the implication of the shock was the fact that any blade was being carried at all.
For a street rat living a life of crime ala the pickpockets of Oliver Twist, the protagonist is amazingly ignorant of the city which he haunts. His complete ignorant of the city centre, of the notables who run the city and of the location of the major temples is hard to believe. Surely street kids must have some hazy idea of who the big important men are, even if they have never seen them. Their doings and actions must have repercussions on the city which must be rife with gossip and rumours. And even if they were ignorant of the finer theological points of the major religions, how is it possible not to know where the temples are? If nothing else, they should be sources of revenue.
And to suggest that this is due to being confined to their area because other gangs control the places where the temples are, then it is strange that the protagonist only ever encounters his old gang and never any others throughout the course of the book. And no mention is ever made of any fights or turf wars with any other gangs.
Another inconsistency was the protagonist’s shock when one of his foes pulls out a blade. The shock is explained as being due to the fact that no one carries a blade as that would lead to horrendous consequences for the carrier if it was ever found on him by the authorities. But at the start of the story, it was established that the protagonist himself carried a blade to help him cut open pockets and to off bags tied to their owners. If the distinction was the size of the blade, then that was not made clear and the implication of the shock was the fact that any blade was being carried at all.
August 14, 2011
Having read Deas' other books ('The Adamantine Palace' and 'The King of the Crags') quite recently, I was pleased to pick this one up in my local charity shop.
There's a tiny bit of crossover between the world of 'The Thief-Taker's Apprentice' and those others, but not sufficient that it can't be read regardless - the basic premise is that it's the story of Berren, who is a thief and a pretty good one, ekeing out a living in a city where theft can often be punished by execution. Watching one particular execution, Berren's path crosses that of Syannis, master thief-taker, and you can probably figure out from the book's title what happens next...
Apparently this is Deas' attempt at writing young adult fiction and unfortunately it's pretty dull. Berren doesn't really have much about him to cause the reader to be sympathetic to his situation, as he's pretty much the traditional teenager - unhappy with what he has and then equally unhappy when he gets what he wants.
This is meant to be the first in a series, with 'The Warlock's Shadow' due out in a couple of months, but there's not really anything about it that would make me want to continue on with Berren and Syannis.
There's a tiny bit of crossover between the world of 'The Thief-Taker's Apprentice' and those others, but not sufficient that it can't be read regardless - the basic premise is that it's the story of Berren, who is a thief and a pretty good one, ekeing out a living in a city where theft can often be punished by execution. Watching one particular execution, Berren's path crosses that of Syannis, master thief-taker, and you can probably figure out from the book's title what happens next...
Apparently this is Deas' attempt at writing young adult fiction and unfortunately it's pretty dull. Berren doesn't really have much about him to cause the reader to be sympathetic to his situation, as he's pretty much the traditional teenager - unhappy with what he has and then equally unhappy when he gets what he wants.
This is meant to be the first in a series, with 'The Warlock's Shadow' due out in a couple of months, but there's not really anything about it that would make me want to continue on with Berren and Syannis.
August 23, 2014
Was primarily interested in this because it's set in the same universe as Deas' Memory of Flames series. There are glimpses of that series & it's mythology is occasionally alluded to this feels very much like it's own world. This book is very much an introduction to the world in question & it paints a picture of a very rich if a tad bit standard cityscape. The urban centricity of this book makes it a very complimentary companion piece to the Memory of Flames. Where that featured constant criss crossing of a landscape of desserts, frozen mountaintops & forests this narrative is almost exclusively tied to the same few landmarks (bar one brief jaunt up the river, which almost constitutes a day trip of sorts). This consistent geography is actually representative of the dynamic that exists with the lead character Berren, an orphan who's always lived on these same streets. The brief flashes of the outside world are reflective of his mysterious mentor, Syannis, whose own back story is left vague. The story of an orphan who may be more than he seems is a bit of a cliché but I think it's handled well here. There is what appears to be an overarching plot but that gets superseded in the end by Berren's own personal journey, though the real substance of it is still to be explored as this installment in the series comes to a close. There is a wider conspiracy & previously hinted fantastical elements to be revealed as the series continues.
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