Crown Thief

Tales of Easie Damasco #2

by David Tallerman

Meet Easie Thief, swindler and lately, reluctant hero.
 
But whatever good intentions Damasco may have are about to be tested to their limits, as the most valuable - and dangerous - object in the land comes within his light-fingered grasp.  Add in some suicidally stubborn giants, an old enemy with dreams of empire and the deadliest killers in two kingdoms on his heels, and Damasco's chances of staying honest - or even just surviving - are getting slimmer by the hour.
 
File Fantasy [ Run Easie Run | A Big Help | Not again! | Prince of Thieves ]

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Ebooks

409 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 24, 2012

About the author

David Tallerman is the author of the comic fantasy novel The Black River Chronicles: Level One and its first sequel The Black River Chronicles: The Ursvaal Exchange, the Tales of Easie Damasco series (Giant Thief, Crown Thief and Prince Thief), and the Tor.com novella Patchwerk. His comics work includes the absurdist steampunk graphic novel Endangered Weapon B and the Lovecraftian horror miniseries C21st Gods.

David's short science fiction, fantasy and horror has appeared in over eighty markets, including Clarkesworld, Lightspeed, Nightmare and Beneath Ceaseless Skies. A number of his dark fantasy tales have been collected as The Sign in the Moonlight and Other Stories.

He can be found online at davidtallerman.co.uk.

Reviews

[Kaffimat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt like this book wasn’t living up to its potential. Though it was interesting to have a main character who wasn’t in the middle of the conflicts and mostly just wanted to keep himself alive, I wish I could have gotten more into what was going on in the world.

I also wish the conflict hadn’t been treated as that simple. I feel like the main villain could easily have been the protagonist, and I wish that was explored more.

Now I haven’t read the first book, but that didn’t really bother me (after I decided to read this anyway). It was interesting to get pieces of the precious story throughout the book, and I think it will still be fun to read it as a sort of prequel.

[Mieneke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Earlier this year Angry Robot published the first tale of Easie Damasco's adventures, Giant Thief . It was a story that I unabashedly enjoyed, as it was a fun romp with some excellent protagonists. At the time I was pleased to discover that the second book in the series was due to be released later in the year. Cue October and the second book Crown Thief has now been released and I'm pleased to report it is as much fun as the first book and answers some of the questions and complaints I had with the first book.

One of the things I remarked upon in my review of Giant Thief was that the book was in effect one long chase scene, resulting in the reader seeing a lot of real estate in Easie's world, but little depth to that which we encountered. And while Crown Thief has retained much of that travelogue-vibe, Easie and Alvantes barely stay anywhere for longer than a week, the places they visit and in some cases revisit gain some depth as Tallerman gives us more context for them and reveals some of the history of this world. I do hope though that in the next book the story sticks in place a bit more and it won't be another long journey, because while I really loved the way this book's trip gave Easie opportunity to grow, I think I've seen enough of the Castoval's roads for a bit, a sentiment I think Easie would be quick to echo!

But despite that one sticking point, I had another blast with Easie and his companions. We are not just reunited with Tallerman's wayward thief, but with Saltlick, Estrada and Alvantes as well. Where in Giant Thief Saltlick and Estrada were Easie's main sidekicks, in Crown Thief Easie is soon left on his own with Alvantes and this turns out to be a great combination. Alvantes' determination not to like or even respect Easie, because of his nefarious past, only seems to motivate Easie to prove him wrong and to do the right thing. Easie is forced to grow and change and he does so, even if not very gracefully, rather he stumbles into it and is at times flabbergasted at the changes in himself and what these make him do. I especially loved his indignation when he parts with his hard-earned *cough* coin to help other people with no gain to himself other than the satisfaction of doing the right thing. But it is not just Easie who learns new ways; both Alvantes and Saltlick have to adjust their habits. I particularly liked how Tallerman developed Saltlick's character, but then I have a large giant-shaped soft spot for him. To me Saltlick stole every scene in which he featured.

Crown Thief's plot is pretty straightforward. Once Easie and his crew arrive back in Altapasaeda after defeating Moaradrid in the mountains, the point where we left them in the first book, and find all is not well in the Castoval, even if the invader was defeated. There are a few twists and some expertly hidden clues and a Chekhov’s Gun, that left me both amazed at the fact that I'd forgotten it and at how cleverly Tallerman placed it. But mostly it's Tallerman throwing Easie into the most difficult situations he can think off and Easie either talking or sneaking his way out of them. And for all its straightforwardness, it is a heap of fun.

Easie's second adventure is another winner for David Tallerman. It's a high-octane romp, with perhaps just a tad less urgency than Giant Thief, but that's made up for by the deepening of his characters and a slightly bigger reveal of his world's inner workings. Who could resist the promise of a reformed rogue, a gruff guard captain, and even more giants than last time? I know I couldn't. Crown Thief is a great follow up to Giant Thief and promises that Prince Thief, due next year, will be an explosive conclusion. I'll be there to see how everything turns out and how Easie will get out of whatever Tallerman throws at him next time.

This book was provided for review by the publisher.

[Jaime · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love a swashbuckling story. I love a story where giants and magic exist. I love a story of a criminal, who really became what they are to survive uses their bad skills to bring down evil. So I should have loved this story. I didn’t.

I did not read the first book in the story, I did not feel lost. But I did feel left out. Strong relationship’s had been established, and although things were sort of explained through out the book it wasn’t enough for the new reader to catch up. As I read the reviews for this book, they all said it was much better than the last. More than once I read how the first story lagged more than this one. So that ended a brief interest in going back to read the firs novel. There needed to be a synopsis of the story so far, and not just for the new reader. The assumption that the books had been read back to back and everyone would be all caught up and on board is a bad one.

What I really didn’t like was that there were opportunities for danger and adventure that were not taking advantage of. For example at the beginning of the book, Easie enters a town where he needs to use his thieving skills to do some recon. He treks through a sewer and meets an old ally, but the risk seemed minimal. I never felt like he was in danger where he could’ve been hurt or killed. I won’t be going back to read the first book, and I won’t be continuing with this series. It just wasn’t for me.

[Ubiquitousbastard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a whole lot of actual thieving in this one, but I guess that's to be expected. I never really got all that absorbed in this book, probably because I don't really care about any of the characters, and the plot itself wasn't all that interesting. I suppose there were a few unexpectedly good parts, but they were only a few, and not enough to get me invested in the plot. I guess what this book has going for it is that is has a pretty good flow, and the middle might have actually been the best part. Altogether, a low three stars for me, very nearly two, but I think there are enough mitigating factors to keep it a three star book. A lot of that might be because I'm thankful for the lack of a plucky love interest.

[atmatos]

I just can't get into this right now, I am going to have to try later.

[Steven Poore · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I've figured this one out: Easie Damasco isn't the world's most reliable narrator. He isn't even the world's most reliable thief. He is, however, a great sidekick to the Castoval's heroes, Alvantes, Estrada, and Saltlick the giant. The trouble is, Easie Damasco wants the reader to believe that *he* is the hero.

Needless to say, and much to his chagrin, his efforts are going largely unrewarded so far, but this second volume in Damasco's adventures sets things up very nicely for the third as well as giving us an epic sword fight between Alvantes and Mounteban.

[Kiyaz Kaff · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantasy and a comedy, two in one. Very easy to read, it's like watching a TV show: lets you brain rest, but still entertaining

[Brid-Aine · Rating 2 out of 5]

With a second installment in the adventures of petty thief and irascible rascal Easie Damasco comes some extra depth, a larger cast and more intricate plotting, but also slightly fewer laughs and a little too much repetition. Crown Thief picks up exactly where the first book - Giant Thief - left off, as the main trio, Easie, mayor Marina Estrada and giant Saltlick are joined by hulking hero Lunto Alvantes and set off to retrace their steps back to their respective homes. Naturally, their adventures aren't over yet and heading home throws up a whole host of new problems for the quartet to face.

Easie's growing sense of camaraderie with and responsibility to his friends is deftly handled, given as he is to frequent relapses to his previous selfish and self-absorbed nature rather than a complete change in character. And while his sarcastic retorts and dry asides are fewer, enough survive to keep the humour of the first novel intact. Returning characters also get a chance to take on new roles, particularly with an inventive twist in the life of one-time-friend-turned-traitor Castilio Mounteban. Hero Guard-Captain Alvantes gets a much bigger starring role in this book, and his and Easie's odd-couple/buddy-cop pairing works well for a few laughs and comedic misunderstandings, even if it does tend to grate a little at times as well.

The only thing that doesn't really get any growth is the world the troupe of adventurers is traversing. The exact same places are visited in this novel as in the first, most of them more than once as they traipse back and forth over the same ground for various parts of the quest. A visit to the capital of neighbouring country Ans Pasaeda should have alleviated the repetition somewhat, but it was unfortunately woefully short, giving just enough broad strokes of a potentially fascinating political morass to be appealing before pulling Easie and Alvantes out and putting them back on the same road again. You can't help but feel that a little less time with the residents of Reb Panza and Altapasaeda would have yielded a little more time in the glittering capital Pasaeda. The brief glimpse of the city, along with hints of an interesting country in the "far-north", only serve to underline the comparative boredom of the old familiar places.

If Easie stays in his comfort zone in the third novel, Prince Thief, which seems possible from the setup at the end of this book, his adventures are unlikely to have much staying power. The books are mostly colour-by-numbers fantasy, which as I said in my first review, isn't necessarily a bad thing. It does become an issue, however, when any of the other elements of the story are formulaic as well.

[Rebecca Lovatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, before beginning the review of this novel I want to say a couple of things. One, I made a bit of a mistake when getting this book to review as I didn’t realize it was a sequel — so some of what I say may not be entirely correct. Second, there is a possibility for there to be spoilers in this review. So, just a bit of a warning for anyone who hasn’t read the first book (Giant Thief by David Tallerman)

Tallerman’s Crown Thief is an engaging, fast paced and riveting tale. Jumping right into the story where the first book left off, Crown Thief follows the story of Easie Damasco and his travels with the Guard Captain Alvantes, briefly accompanied by mayor Estrada and Saltlick, an amiable giant and friend to Damasco.

With Damasco and Alvantes continuously being thrown into perilous situations, the story is action packed and rarely has a dull moment. With its easy to read style, interesting and enthralling characters who go through a considerable amount of character development react realistically to their changes of circumstance and the flow of events, to the point of even being able to form an uneasy camaraderie in their time of need, Tallerman has created an interesting fantasy adventure.

There were a couple of points which while I didn’t entirely like they didn’t completely subtract from the story. One of which was that there seemed to be a overbearingly repetitive nature in the way that Easie would moan on about how boring travel is whenever the opportunity presented itself, especially when revisiting locations they had been to before. Also, while not so much of a deal, things seemed a bit too convenient for Easie where he’d get injured in a manner that’d kill most people, or at least break a few bones but he would walk away with a few bruises at most.

Besides for that however, the giants were an interesting addition to the story, as they’re rarely seen in literature these days (from what I’ve noticed). While being a subdued and gentle race, they proved themselves to be great assets and not just an unnecessary addition to the story.

Overall, I enjoyed Crown Thief by David Tallerman very much. It was an interesting read, very quick and easy to get through. Ending with a bit of a cliffhanger, it leaves you wanting for more.

Thank you to Netgalley and Angry Robot for sending me a copy of this novel in exchange for a review.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Angry Robot!

I enjoyed Crown Thief significantly more than I did Giant Thief; where the first installment faltered in terms of execution and was all about Easie on the run and little else, this second book improves by leaps and bounds. Easie is still on the run, but this time he's less of a bystander than he is an actual part of the proceedings. Throw in some much needed character development, higher stakes and a more believable villain and we have an interesting fantasy adventure.

The first half does suffer from similar problems as the first book, though. We pick up from where we left off with Easie and the rest of the gang leaving the giants' village, which leads to a prolonged journey through the exact same places that Easie passed through the first time around. The only difference is that Estrada and Saltlick have other things to do, so we're essentially stuck with Alvantes, a stuffy and self-righteous guard-captain who is less than enamoured of Easie's company.

Thankfully, we drop the extended "Run Easie run!" sequences and finally get some connection with the plot in the second half - this, plus the fact that Easie finally reaches a point of self-realization and embraces his newfound role in the world, really, really upped the fun quota. I guess all I wanted was some positive action where Easie (and the others, really) actually took initiative rather than being dragged along by unseen forces. Also, I never realized how much I enjoyed character development until we saw real change in Easie's character; I almost cheered when he actually puts those quick wits of his to use and rewarded Estrada and Saltlick for their faith in him. Yay, Easie! It helps that we get a much more grounded villain here than Moaradrid, who was basically a cardboard cutout Big Bad that never really felt dangerous or gave me a sense of how high the stakes were.

Crown Thief ends on a slight cliffhanger, but it's nothing that would really ruin anyone's enjoyment. Combined with some welcome improvements and a long-overdue connection with the main character, I'm actually interested in what happens next in the Tales of Easie Damasco. Bring on the third book!

[K.zsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

About the main character:
Easie character still good, still funny, and i think he is reasonable enough. He went threw an expectabel characterisation, but not too much, he is trying to help, but not headlessly. He is not a man who's willing to go against a hundred man, kill them all than brake the door just to save a princess, but he is a man who's willing to go at the backdoor, knock on it, and help people, giants and everyone.

I recommend this book. It made me laugh (not aloud, but a big smile) more than i can remember.

[Tyrannosaurus regina · Rating 2 out of 5]

While there are certain aspects of the worldbuilding in this series that I really appreciate, this time Easie Damasco's criminal incompetence and dumb luck weren't as charming to me, and with Saltlick and Estrada being sidelined for most of the novel, it just didn't do a lot for me. Add to that the casual chauvinism (called out and yet reinforced by the text) and the always-unpleasant use of 'fat' as synonymous with 'evil' on several occasions, and this wasn't a particularly enjoyable outing for me.

[Adam Drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This sequel to _Giant Thief_ is a light, fun, ridiculous romp which will feel familiar to anybody who has ever rolled a twenty-sided die. Worth plunging into for the raw, silly thrill of it. It is reliant on the previous book to make sense, and ends on a cliffhanger, though, so be warned.

[Karen Desmond · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as gripping as the first in the series (less giants) but much more in the way of character development for Easie. Looking forward to the next one.