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Thieves' World #10
Aftermath
Welcome to Sanctuary, a city of outlaws and adventurers in a world of war and wizardry, peopled with colorful characters created by today's top fantasy adventure talents, including:
Lynn Abbey
Robert Lynn Asprin
John Brunner
David Drake
Janet Morris
Andrew Offutt
Mark C. Perry
In this explosive tenth volume, Tempus and the Stepsons abandon the war-torn city of Sanctuary - as vicious rivalries emerge from the rubble. The fate of the city hangs in the balance. The struggle for power begins...
Contents:
* Dramatis Personae - Lynn Abbey
* Introduction - Robert Lynn Asprin
* Cade - Mark C. Perry
* Wake of the Riddler - Janet Morris
* Inheritor - David Drake
* Mercy Worse Than None - John Brunner
* Seeing is Believing (But Love is Blind) - Lynn Abbey
* Homecoming - Andrew Offutt
Lynn Abbey
Robert Lynn Asprin
John Brunner
David Drake
Janet Morris
Andrew Offutt
Mark C. Perry
In this explosive tenth volume, Tempus and the Stepsons abandon the war-torn city of Sanctuary - as vicious rivalries emerge from the rubble. The fate of the city hangs in the balance. The struggle for power begins...
Contents:
* Dramatis Personae - Lynn Abbey
* Introduction - Robert Lynn Asprin
* Cade - Mark C. Perry
* Wake of the Riddler - Janet Morris
* Inheritor - David Drake
* Mercy Worse Than None - John Brunner
* Seeing is Believing (But Love is Blind) - Lynn Abbey
* Homecoming - Andrew Offutt
273 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 1987
10 people are currently reading
703 people want to read
About the author
Robert Lynn Asprin
224 books1,067 followersRobert (Lynn) Asprin was born in 1946. While he wrote some stand alone novels such as The Cold Cash War, Tambu, and The Bug Wars and also the Duncan & Mallory Illustrated stories, Bob is best known for his series fantasy, such as the Myth Adventures of Aahz and Skeeve, the Phule's Company novels, and the Time Scout novels written with Linda Evans. He also edited the groundbreaking Thieves' World anthology series with Lynn Abbey. Other collaborations include License Invoked (set in the French Quarter of New Orleans) and several Myth Adventures novels, all written with Jody Lynn Nye.
Bob's final solo work was a contemporary fantasy series called Dragons, again set in New Orleans.
Bob passed away suddenly on May 22, 2008. He is survived by his daughter and son, his mother and his sister.
Bob's final solo work was a contemporary fantasy series called Dragons, again set in New Orleans.
Bob passed away suddenly on May 22, 2008. He is survived by his daughter and son, his mother and his sister.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
July 25, 2025
Aftermath was the tenth of the twelve original shared-world anthologies for which Asprin (later joined by Abbey) served as editor and primary creator, and though I enjoyed it for the most part, it was the last one that I read when it was new. There was just too much backstory and too many gods and I was tired of Tempus and some of the others that seemed to have taken over. (Though I may yet get to those last two someday...) This one has six stories, and a feeling of things coming to an end and the tying up of loose ends, as one might intuit from the title. I especially liked the John Brunner tale, which was like a return to the first volume in many ways, when things were fresh and new, and the Lynn Abbey story was okay. The first couple of stories did little for me, by Janet Morris and new author Mark C. Perry. David Drake's Inheritor was good, too, though it didn't feel like a Thieves' World story somehow. My favorite was Andrew Offutt's Homecoming, which closed out the volume, with Hanse and Strick and the cats and was a great way to end the journey on a high note.
February 24, 2020
Another great anthology of fantasy/sword-and-sorcery stories set in Sanctuary, the Thieves' World. The Thieves' World series would surely have made the Gary Gygax "Appendix N" list had it come out just a decade earlier - the first few books were part of my own early love of fantasy, though I never read these later books in their day, and only recently acquired a complete collection in February 2019, which I've been slowly working my way through (while still chipping away at my pre-existing TBR pile). This volume was much better than some of the middle volumes in the collection. I especially enjoyed David Drake's "Inheritor," John Brunner's "A Mercy Worse Than None," and Andrew Offutt's (an actual Appendix N author!) "Homecoming" . . .
February 16, 2019
I read the first “Thieves’ World” book as a teenager, then promptly forgot about it, aside from purchasing the rather disappointing role-playing aid from Chaosium. I had no idea it had spawned a series of anthologies stretching out to ten volumes. So, when I ran across a used paperback for a dollar in my local library’s Friends of the Library bookstore, I was intrigued. Having read it, my curiosity is still piqued as to how something like this kept going for so long. I suspect it was done more for the writers than the readers.
The book begins with an incomplete “Dramatis Personae” that doesn’t seem to map to this book in particular. Some of the characters listed here barely appear in the book, while main characters of certain stories aren’t mentioned at all. When they do appear, the character sketches given here add nothing to the information given in the story itself.
The first story is “Cade” by Mark C. Perry, and it mostly stands out for postulating a paladin-type character who has decided that this world is surely the lowest rung of Hell, and therefore it is a favor to slay those who live in it, giving them a chance, however slim, of a better life after death. That’s an interesting character, but the situation and story is so generic that it doesn’t really do much with it.
The second story is called “Wake of the Riddler,” by Janet Morris, and it involves a Lovecraftian-type undersea god that lives in a pile of stones and accepts sacrifices, but it also sort of peters out at the end, as if it is intended to set up a sequel that we don’t get to read here. There’s another storyline I found harder to follow involving a woman who has sex with various people, but really loves the one man who won’t touch her. I sort of wonder if this story could have been more successful as a typical fantasy-romance if it hadn’t gotten lost in the other one.
Next comes “Inheritor” by David Drake. It involves a child born with uncanny magical talents, and her father’s efforts, along with a minor mage, to steal something that belongs to her back from the person who was entrusted with it. There’s a magical dagger, a nasty demon, and a number of clever tricks and traps along the way. Although this story was longer than the previous two, I found it more engaging and didn’t mind reading it. The child was a bit too ultra-powerful for belief, creating something of a deus-ex-machina finish, but that’s a minor point.
John Brunner, who wrote the next story, “Mercy Worse than None,” is someone I’d heard of but not read before so far as I recall, so I was curious to see what his writing would be like. It struck me as more sophisticated and professional than Drake’s, but I’m not sure I enjoyed the story as much. This one is about a fellow who’s cursed, like “the Wandering Jew,” to live forever, but not to enjoy it much, and who seeks the aid of a magician with a similar affliction. Brunner’s protagonist isn’t the wanderer, however, it is a deeply traumatized woman who struck me (also a man) as a very well-written female character.
The next-to-last story was written by an actual woman. Lynn Abbey contributes “Seeing Is Believing (But Love Is Blind),” which I think was my favorite of the group, combining good writing with good storytelling, and a familiarity with the setting that brings it to life more successfully than any of the other tales. This is the story of gypsy-like “Seer” who is grappling with the loss of both of her children and her own procreative powers. It offers a hint of redemption without becoming schmaltzy at the end.
“Homecoming” by Andrew Offutt may go a little too far in terms of offering redemption, seeming to set it up for all of Sanctuary. It involves a thief, a magician, and a prince, whose lives intersect at a critical moment. The most interesting character is a large red house cat, who seems to have been included in earlier stories.
In all, this was a middling-fair collection of dark(-ish) fantasy stories, with a couple of gems amidst the dross. Worth it for fans, but hardly a starting point for any particular interest.
The book begins with an incomplete “Dramatis Personae” that doesn’t seem to map to this book in particular. Some of the characters listed here barely appear in the book, while main characters of certain stories aren’t mentioned at all. When they do appear, the character sketches given here add nothing to the information given in the story itself.
The first story is “Cade” by Mark C. Perry, and it mostly stands out for postulating a paladin-type character who has decided that this world is surely the lowest rung of Hell, and therefore it is a favor to slay those who live in it, giving them a chance, however slim, of a better life after death. That’s an interesting character, but the situation and story is so generic that it doesn’t really do much with it.
The second story is called “Wake of the Riddler,” by Janet Morris, and it involves a Lovecraftian-type undersea god that lives in a pile of stones and accepts sacrifices, but it also sort of peters out at the end, as if it is intended to set up a sequel that we don’t get to read here. There’s another storyline I found harder to follow involving a woman who has sex with various people, but really loves the one man who won’t touch her. I sort of wonder if this story could have been more successful as a typical fantasy-romance if it hadn’t gotten lost in the other one.
Next comes “Inheritor” by David Drake. It involves a child born with uncanny magical talents, and her father’s efforts, along with a minor mage, to steal something that belongs to her back from the person who was entrusted with it. There’s a magical dagger, a nasty demon, and a number of clever tricks and traps along the way. Although this story was longer than the previous two, I found it more engaging and didn’t mind reading it. The child was a bit too ultra-powerful for belief, creating something of a deus-ex-machina finish, but that’s a minor point.
John Brunner, who wrote the next story, “Mercy Worse than None,” is someone I’d heard of but not read before so far as I recall, so I was curious to see what his writing would be like. It struck me as more sophisticated and professional than Drake’s, but I’m not sure I enjoyed the story as much. This one is about a fellow who’s cursed, like “the Wandering Jew,” to live forever, but not to enjoy it much, and who seeks the aid of a magician with a similar affliction. Brunner’s protagonist isn’t the wanderer, however, it is a deeply traumatized woman who struck me (also a man) as a very well-written female character.
The next-to-last story was written by an actual woman. Lynn Abbey contributes “Seeing Is Believing (But Love Is Blind),” which I think was my favorite of the group, combining good writing with good storytelling, and a familiarity with the setting that brings it to life more successfully than any of the other tales. This is the story of gypsy-like “Seer” who is grappling with the loss of both of her children and her own procreative powers. It offers a hint of redemption without becoming schmaltzy at the end.
“Homecoming” by Andrew Offutt may go a little too far in terms of offering redemption, seeming to set it up for all of Sanctuary. It involves a thief, a magician, and a prince, whose lives intersect at a critical moment. The most interesting character is a large red house cat, who seems to have been included in earlier stories.
In all, this was a middling-fair collection of dark(-ish) fantasy stories, with a couple of gems amidst the dross. Worth it for fans, but hardly a starting point for any particular interest.
June 7, 2023
The tenth Thieves’ World anthology is a mixed bag, but overall provides some satisfying continuity with previous volumes.
The first story, Cade, is the weakest I recall reading not just in the Thieves’ World series, but also generally, with some very wooden descriptions at the beginning of the story, although it gathers fluidity and has a satisfyingly black ending. This is a one-off story, set in Sanctuary but otherwise independent of the series.
Unlike the second story, Wake of the Riddler by Janet Morris, which features many characters from previous anthologies - Zip, Critias and Kama being the main players, but Straton and Ischade also make appearances together with mention of others. This is a satisfying development in the stories with Tempus away from Sanctuary and introduces a new “character”, Shepherd.
The third story, Inheritor by David Drake, again appears to be a one-off story set in Sanctuary, starting in The Vulgar Unicorn, but otherwise unconnected to other happenings. Looking at Wikipedia I see that the story is part of a novel, Dagger, published in 1988 and it does read as an introduction to larger, but unfinished, and so unsatisfying as there are no further stories by Drake in The Thieves’ World anthologies.
John Brunner then returns (first story since the original Thieves’ World anthology) with a story updating us on the lives of Jarveena, Melilot and Enas Yorl. Although otherwise freestanding, this story offers welcome continuity with an earlier time in Sanctuary.
Lynn Abbey gives us a lovely Illyra and Dubro story, the S’danzo seeress still struggling with the loss of her young children in earlier stories and her half-brother Walegrin’s imposition of an orphan baby upon her to try to raise her spirits.
Finally, Andrew Offutt gives us the (long awaited) return of Shadowspawn/Hanse, who assists the Spellmaster, Strick tiFiraqa (previously encountered by Hanse on the way to Firaqa in the novel, Shadowspawn). And we are left with what could be a cliffhanger, except that this is confidently undermined by the author. Let us hope that we hear of Hanse again in Offutt’s story in the final original anthology.
The first story, Cade, is the weakest I recall reading not just in the Thieves’ World series, but also generally, with some very wooden descriptions at the beginning of the story, although it gathers fluidity and has a satisfyingly black ending. This is a one-off story, set in Sanctuary but otherwise independent of the series.
Unlike the second story, Wake of the Riddler by Janet Morris, which features many characters from previous anthologies - Zip, Critias and Kama being the main players, but Straton and Ischade also make appearances together with mention of others. This is a satisfying development in the stories with Tempus away from Sanctuary and introduces a new “character”, Shepherd.
The third story, Inheritor by David Drake, again appears to be a one-off story set in Sanctuary, starting in The Vulgar Unicorn, but otherwise unconnected to other happenings. Looking at Wikipedia I see that the story is part of a novel, Dagger, published in 1988 and it does read as an introduction to larger, but unfinished, and so unsatisfying as there are no further stories by Drake in The Thieves’ World anthologies.
John Brunner then returns (first story since the original Thieves’ World anthology) with a story updating us on the lives of Jarveena, Melilot and Enas Yorl. Although otherwise freestanding, this story offers welcome continuity with an earlier time in Sanctuary.
Lynn Abbey gives us a lovely Illyra and Dubro story, the S’danzo seeress still struggling with the loss of her young children in earlier stories and her half-brother Walegrin’s imposition of an orphan baby upon her to try to raise her spirits.
Finally, Andrew Offutt gives us the (long awaited) return of Shadowspawn/Hanse, who assists the Spellmaster, Strick tiFiraqa (previously encountered by Hanse on the way to Firaqa in the novel, Shadowspawn). And we are left with what could be a cliffhanger, except that this is confidently undermined by the author. Let us hope that we hear of Hanse again in Offutt’s story in the final original anthology.
April 30, 2019
As we head into the final stretch, it’s 1987’s Aftermath in position number 10 of 12. And if you had doubts that change is afoot in our favorite little city, Robert Asprin sets you straight in the foreword: “The Stepsons were leaving Sanctuary.” Many of the story titles reflect this theme of life going on after a world-altering departure, such as Janet Morris’ “Wake of the Riddler,” and David Drake’s “Inheritor.” But there is also the feeling that the cycle of the story may be coming full circle, as Aftermath includes a story by John Brunner, from whom we haven’t heard since the original Thieves’ World, with characters that we met in the very first tale in that very first collection. Plus, Offut brings Hanse back to town fresh from his adventures up north in his own novel. Aftermath also includes a brand new writer to the series, Mark C. Perry with “Cade.”
May 3, 2023
As C.J. Cherryh wrote, "You write your first Thieves' World story for pay, you write your second for revenge."
This was the main letdown in the previous volumes: it felt like the authors were writing for themselves, for the others in the clique of collaborators, and, like she said, and forging verbal daggers for personal vendettas.
They forgot the fans.
After several volumes of murky tales and foggy expressions, this volume restores the series Original Promise of powerful writers telling powerful tales in a powerful literary community.
This was the main letdown in the previous volumes: it felt like the authors were writing for themselves, for the others in the clique of collaborators, and, like she said, and forging verbal daggers for personal vendettas.
They forgot the fans.
After several volumes of murky tales and foggy expressions, this volume restores the series Original Promise of powerful writers telling powerful tales in a powerful literary community.
October 18, 2024
The end is within sight!
When I started reading this series back in high school I believe I only completed six or seven of the books. I'm rather proud of myself for revisiting the series and, after forty years, completing it. There is no doubt in my mind that it has been truly worth the effort. What an enjoyable experience this has been. I do, however, feel that sombre twinge of sorrow I get when I finally finish reading an exceptional serial as this one has been. I guess it's time to start reading the books of its many authors...
When I started reading this series back in high school I believe I only completed six or seven of the books. I'm rather proud of myself for revisiting the series and, after forty years, completing it. There is no doubt in my mind that it has been truly worth the effort. What an enjoyable experience this has been. I do, however, feel that sombre twinge of sorrow I get when I finally finish reading an exceptional serial as this one has been. I guess it's time to start reading the books of its many authors...
April 29, 2021
Eventually things fall apart, the center cannot hold.
March 8, 2022
Not the strongest entry in the series. It might be running out of steam at long last.
August 23, 2022
An interesting mix of new characters and some old favorites returning—I was happy to see Samlor and Hanse once more—in a collection of stories of varying quality.
February 8, 2025
After so many bad Thieves World books, it's so nice to read a good one again! Lots of action in this one with smaller, focused stories, and a nice reunion with Shadowspawn too.
April 30, 2016
Overall, Aftermath has the same problem as some of its immediate predecessors: though some of the individual stories are good, they don't cohere into anything larger, so we just have a bunch of shorts that happen to be set in the same city. There are no big events here and no obvious crossovers, and as a result the volume as a whole is somewhat forgettable.
Introduction, Asprin. As usual, Asprin returns to Hakiem for the intro, but this is a vignette and nothing more [5/10].
Cade, Perry. I was pleased to see a story by a new participant in the Thieves' World universe, but this one turns out to be nothing special. Cade is yet another semi-insane killer, like Tempus and so many others. There are some nice interactions between him and other characters, and there's some nice action at the end, but overall this is a forgettable story [5+/10].
Wake of the Riddler, Morris. A good impression of how Tempus leaving town has affected several peoples. As is typical for Morris, this story is just a slice of a narrative, but it's an interesting vignette [6+/10].
Dagger, Drake. A surprisingly dull story. I don't care much about the characters, and the story doesn't tie in very well with the rest of Thieves World. It's a bit exciting at the end, but it was a trudge to get there [5/10].
A Mercy Worse Than None, Brunner. Nice to see Brunner back, as he was one of the better Thieves' World authors. This story of curses and mercies is an enjoyable mystery [7/10].
Seeing is Believing, Abbey. A good character piece about Illyra that also offers a good turning point for her (depressing) story. I wouldn't mind it as a finale to her saga [7/10].
Homecoming, Offut. The strongest story in the book. Offut has some great characters here in Strick and Hanse. Though Hanse's homecoming might not be meaningful to a new reader, it definitely is if you've read the rest of his story. Offut even offers up some great moments with Prince Kittycat [7+/10].
Introduction, Asprin. As usual, Asprin returns to Hakiem for the intro, but this is a vignette and nothing more [5/10].
Cade, Perry. I was pleased to see a story by a new participant in the Thieves' World universe, but this one turns out to be nothing special. Cade is yet another semi-insane killer, like Tempus and so many others. There are some nice interactions between him and other characters, and there's some nice action at the end, but overall this is a forgettable story [5+/10].
Wake of the Riddler, Morris. A good impression of how Tempus leaving town has affected several peoples. As is typical for Morris, this story is just a slice of a narrative, but it's an interesting vignette [6+/10].
Dagger, Drake. A surprisingly dull story. I don't care much about the characters, and the story doesn't tie in very well with the rest of Thieves World. It's a bit exciting at the end, but it was a trudge to get there [5/10].
A Mercy Worse Than None, Brunner. Nice to see Brunner back, as he was one of the better Thieves' World authors. This story of curses and mercies is an enjoyable mystery [7/10].
Seeing is Believing, Abbey. A good character piece about Illyra that also offers a good turning point for her (depressing) story. I wouldn't mind it as a finale to her saga [7/10].
Homecoming, Offut. The strongest story in the book. Offut has some great characters here in Strick and Hanse. Though Hanse's homecoming might not be meaningful to a new reader, it definitely is if you've read the rest of his story. Offut even offers up some great moments with Prince Kittycat [7+/10].
April 15, 2018
Things are relatively calm in Sanctuary, with book #10 starting with the majority of the Stepsons and the Rankan 3rd Commando finally departing, leaving the policing of the city to more-or-less local units commanded by ex-Rankan regular Walegrin, the eminently corruptible Aye-Gophlan, and former terrorist leader Zip. There is, at least, less street fighting or major sorceries/god-magic, and continued work on the city walls (as ordered by the emperor) is bringing additional money (and new workers) to Sanctuary. Aftermath starts with a new character in Mark Perry's "Cade" - the story is OK, but the revenge tale of a hitman/serial killer has an uncomfortably modern feel. Janet Morris' "Wake of the Riddler" seems more of a place filler, jumping from character to character (Critias, Kama, and Zip)with a lot of exposition, but does serve to introduce a new character (the mercenary Pilgrim), who is very likely more than he appears. There are also stories featuring the return to Sanctuary of caravan master Samlor hil Samt (Inheritor - which has the same D&D-ish feel of his previous installments), scribe Jarveena (A Mercy Worse Than None - a decent "curse" tale), and Hanse (Homecoming - an entertaining enough story that hints at events in the novel Shadowspawn and includes Offutt's white magician Strick), as well as a new Illyra/Dubro tale (Seeing is believing). A number of the tales also hint at a new sub-plot (slavers stalking the streets of Sanctuary). A decent collection of stories - 3.5 stars.
January 16, 2016
Readability 8. Rating 6. Date estimated. One of the Thieves' World series of books, which collect short stories from a range of science-fiction and fantasy writers. The interesting aspect of these stories is the common setting (the City of Sanctuary) and the overlapping of characters and events. At it's best, the series provides multiple viewpoints in very different styles of events that impact each character's life to varying extents. The series also does an excellent job of maintaining a historical flow throughout the series. At this point (I am writing this well after the time I read the books), I cannot differentiate among the early books in this series. Note also, that this is the second reading for the first eight in the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 30, 2015
This anthology was a kind of precursor to the reader knowing that the series was coming to an end, very soon. Many things had changed in the city of Sanctuary and characters had come and gone, as writers had come and gone. There was a feeling when you read the various stories contained within the pages of this book that there was a lot of material that was used up and just a little that was still being kicked around. I did enjoy it, I remember though it was many years ago. Still there are few series of anthologies that stand the test of time as these do.
Danny
Danny
June 8, 2009
As the name suggests, this one closed out the main storylines from the previous volumes and I felt there was an inevitable let down. The stories weren't bad but many of the original writers were gone now.
May 8, 2012
In this explosive tenth volume, Tempus and the Stepsons abandon the war-torn city of Sanctuary - as vicious rivalries emerge from the rubble. The fate of the city hangs in the balance. The struggle for power begins...
March 19, 2014
Great!
April 27, 2013
See book 1 review.
February 24, 2016
Good shared world book series. The variety of writers keeps the stories fresh. Recommended
April 27, 2017
The last 3 stories saved this book for me.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews