The Best Thing You Can Steal

Gideon Sable #1

by Simon R. Green

Welcome to London, but not as you know it. A place where magics and horror run free, wonders and miracles are everyday things, and the dark streets are full of very shadowy people . . .

Gideon Sable is a thief and a con man. He specializes in stealing the kind of things that can't normally be stolen. Like a ghost's clothes, or a photo from a country that never existed. He even stole his current identity. Who was he originally? Now, that would be telling. One thing's for sure though, he's not the bad guy. The people he steals from always have it coming. Gideon's planning a heist, to steal the only thing that matters from the worst man in the world. To get past his security, he's going to need a crew who can do the impossible . . . but luckily, he has the right people in mind. The Damned, the Ghost, the Wild Card . . . and his ex-girlfriend, Annie Anybody. A woman who can be anyone, with the power to make technology fall in love with her. If things go well, they'll all get what they want. And if they're lucky, they might not even die trying . . .

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Audiobook, Paranormal, Fiction, Mystery, Horror

183 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2021

About the author

Simon Richard Green is a British science fiction and fantasy-author. He holds a degree in Modern English and American Literature from the University of Leicester. His first publication was in 1979.

His Deathstalker series is partly a parody of the usual space-opera of the 1950s, told with sovereign disregard of the rules of probability, while being at the same time extremely bloodthirsty.

Excerpted from Wikipedia.

Reviews

[carol. · Rating 3 out of 5]

110% beach read. Personally, I'm a sucker for a heist. Bringing in a magical component can up the fun. Sure, magical means might make the process that much more easy--literal hand-waving--but that's where an author's creativity and world-building come in. Green, however, falls a bit short in this one. (Although, to be honest, I think he falls a bit short most of the time). This is Oceans Eleven Lite Edition, with all the stereotypes and none of the sleight-of-hand surprise. Familiar characters--the debonair Thief (really a Con), the Ex-lover/Surveillance-master, the Locksmith, the Heavy and the Wild Card--are all here. 'Serious' dialogue is generally wooden and repetitive, with only the banter shining.

‘We used to be so good at what we did, Annie. Taking on the bad guys and making them pay for all the pain they’d caused. Stealing from thieves, conning the con men, showing them what it felt like to be the victim. This is our chance to do that again.’ She was already shaking her head. ‘We thought we could take on the whole world, but the world turned out to be tougher and crueller than we ever expected.’

The most entertaining interactions come from from the team members.
Regarding Ghost, one of the team members:
‘Is he, strictly speaking, still a man?’ said Johnny.
‘I heard that!’ the Ghost said loudly. ‘Don’t make me come down there and haunt you.’

The story shines most in the snappy descriptions and humorous asides. There's almost always a trace of Green's trademark dark humor in the descriptions.

"The glass in the door had been smashed, and the deserted lobby had all the welcoming ambience of a punch in the face."

Plotting is also light--I mean, I didn't expect a lot from a heist, but this is accompanied by a surprising number of meaningless meetings. They are followed by a "casing the joint" episode in which an entirely different joint is cased and absolutely nothing is accomplished.


Really, it's best if you read this in the hot sun so you don't think too hard about what's going on and can just enjoy the banter.

Two and a half stars, rounding up because I was at the beach.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gideon Sable is a master thief and con man in a magical version of London. He has even stolen his current identity from another thief as well as several very useful magical items. He's been asked to plan a major heist and has assembled a crew who all want revenge on Frederic Hammer, the man they are to steal from. Gideon's employer is the man's vengeful ex wife. Together they had an amazing collection of magical artefacts, but divorce has left her with only a few trifles and she now wants Gideon to enter his secret, highly guarded vault and steal the thing that matters to Frederic the most.

Gideon's carefully selected crew includes some of London's best: Annie Anybody, an ex lover of Gideon's who can take on any persona she wants with the right clothes, make-up and attitude, The Damned, who has an incredibly powerful set of armour, Johnny Wilde, a distracting wild card of a man and last, but certainly not least, The Ghost who can enter any premises. Together they make a formidable force - but they'll need to be as well as very smart and extremely wily to get past everything Frederic can throw at them.

If you enjoy a bit of urban fantasy then this is a really fun read. Fantastic characters, terrific humour and witty dialog and great little plot twists. And best of all this is book one so there's more to look forward to! 4.5★

[fleurette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first book by Simon R. Green, but I've heard a lot of good things about this author. And now I know why. This is a cute, quick story that is fun to read, especially for someone like me who loves heist stories.

Gideon Sable, or rather the man who stole his identity, gathers a team to undertake an impossible job - stealing the most precious piece of collection from the worst man on earth, all on behalf of none other than the man's ex-wife. Isn't that a great idea for a fun story? Especially if we add a bit of magic and unusualness to it.

Green has done a great job creating a group of truly unique characters. We get to know them quite well in the first part of this book. It is hard to find a more incompatible team, but it is also easy to see why they all work together so well. Each of these characters has a past that shaped them and a set of unique abilities needed for this job. And all of them are easy to like. Even Gideon, who might be a little annoying, but fortunately, he's not.

The action is really fast-paced with a few twists at the end. The plot is well-thought-out, and each character has their place. I also really enjoyed the light playful tone of this story. The dialogues are really good; I have laughed more than once. The magical world created by the author is interesting and encourages you to explore it further.

I hope to come back to it again. And of course, to these characters. I think there is a lot of potential in this team, and I can't wait for the next heists they can plan and the next trouble they can get into.

Thanks to NetGalley, Canongate Books and Severn House for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Best Thing You Can Steal
by Simon R. Green

My favorite fantasy in 60 years of reading has been Simon R. Green's Nightside series! It has the absolute best world building and unique characters ever! This book brings back that wonderful imagination and creative spark I so loved from the Nightside. These new characters are so bizarre, zany, unique, and perfectly reckless that they are perfect for the crew to storm a highly fortified hideout and steal an enchanted artifact. This world is also just as crazy as the people in it! I am so in love with this book!

A man that has supernatural powers of a demon and an angel. A ghost with a bit more than just mist under his sheets. A gal that dresses up as anyone but herself and has a special gift when she needs it or not. A man everyone fears because he is smart he's crazy. Then there is the one who planned the heist using a famous thief's name.

This is a whirlwind of action, totally unpredictable, witty, insane, sprinkled heavily with humor, tossed with amazing and amusing dialogue, and covered with unlikely friendships! I hope this is a book one of a series! I am ready for a long, lovely ride down crazy town with these delightful zany characters! Loved it so much!

I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this. The review is my opinion. I recommend it highly!

[Phrynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had not read anything by this author before but I enjoy urban fantasy, magic, and books set in London, so it should have been perfect reading for me.

Many authors have used the idea of a magical 'lost' London and some of them are among my favourite books. Somehow I felt this author did not exploit the idea well enough. A paragraph at the beginning of each chapter did not do it for me.

I liked the characters well enough although the MC was not especially well developed. I thought the Wildcard and the Ghost were the best and I was always hoping for a happy ending for them both. The story was good but not exciting. Not a bad read though and there were some very humorous moments.

I understand the author has written a well known urban fantasy series so I will have to try that.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so much like Green's Nightside series, it could almost be an extension of it. If you're a fan of urban fantasy with trenchcoat wearing magicians, you'll probably dig this series. Gideon Sable is a thief, but not just any thief. He only steals from those who deserve it and there's typically a supernatural angle involved. Sable puts together an eclectic crew to rob the most dangerous person in the world, an insanely rich man obsessed with collecting the unique. If you like series like Hellblazer or Sandman Slim, this book is for you.

Received a review copy from Severn House and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.

[Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller · Rating 1 out of 5]

I now have a Booktube channel! Find me at: The Obsessive Bookseller

ORIGINAL (poor) REVIEW:

What a stupid book.

I should be able to come up with something more eloquent and constructive, and probably will eventually, but right now I’m just annoyed. I will say it has been a long while since I felt compelled to review something like a 5-year-old. At least it was evoking, if nothing else. Better RTC.

… looking at a lot of the other reviews, I’m in the minority, so take my upcoming rant with a grain of salt.

ACTUAL (marginally constructive) REVIEW:

As you can tell by my knee-jerk review above, I needed some time and space from this book to assess it in a more mature manner.

Obviously I didn’t enjoy The Best Thing You Can Steal, but I didn’t spend the entire book not liking it. I was actually quite on board at the beginning when the main character was taking a ton of time to assemble his team of thieves. I thought the setup a bit long-winded (instead of hinting at backstories and keeping some details as surprises for later, everyone’s history was laid out and explained extensively), but was willing to ride it out because the book was promising the heist of a century! I love seeing the legwork for stuff like that.

“And we set of with speed for the bright lights of London. A car full of weird with a ghost on top.” <-I loved this quote, and felt really excited to embark with them at the time.

But then the moment arrived. When we finally get to go along with the characters as the do the big things. And I was so, so let down. For me, the main appeal of the novel was the promise of a good heist, and a good heist it was not. First off, the whys behind the heist weren’t convincing as reasons to put everyone at risk. But people do weird things all the time, so that’s a point I overlooked. Secondly, it’s not much fun when there are no challenges and everyone is perfectly prepared for all of the obstacles they’ll face. It’s ideal, of course, but it lacks a certain drama to engage the reader.

And to that point I have a side rant. The team of characters Gideon was assembling for the heist was fun, but one of the members was a woman who had a special ability: computers respond to her and will do anything to please her. How convenient.

It just felt so contrived. Especially since I can’t recall anyone else referencing or having special abilities in the story. So by all accounts, she’s the only one around with “powers” and omgsh how wonderful it is that they happen to be exactly what a thief would need to get past a security system without having to spend any time figuring out how to bypass them organically. All of the other supernatural elements and characters fit, but seeing as this character was already a master of disguise, adding the technology powers in felt like an afterthought. It almost would’ve been better to set up the world without technologies for whatever fabricated reason made sense, and go from there. Rant over.

Finally, the actual thing they found when the heist was complete… was so stupid. I don’t know how else to say it. It made me feel like I’d wasted all the time spend reading the book just to end up where we did. Like, I was promised one thing and delivered something completely different. It actually made me mad, which I’m laughing at now because I don’t usually get that worked up over books. Something about this one must’ve hit a nerve.

Overall, the journey was a bit slow, but the characters were fun and I appreciated the lighthearted heist story I was getting. But taking time to read the endless pages of buildup only to have a very unsatisfying payoff left me feeling resentful. Like I said before, at least it was evoking, if nothing else.

Recommendations: if you’re picking this up because you want a light urban fantasy with some cheeky supernatural characters, this is a good pick. If, like me, you wanted to experience an amazing heist because the Gentleman Bastards series still doesn’t have a release date for the fourth book and you’re getting desperate for that type of story… this one will not make you feel better.

Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com

Other books you might like:

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have enjoyed reading Simon Green’s Ishmael Jones’ series and was happy to have the opportunity to read this new book, not part of any current series. It takes place in a London with a difference, an overlay of magical and fantastic elements and beings that mix with the human. And it’s presented with the edgy and witty and occasionally rude commentary you would expect from Green.

In The Best Thing You Can Steal, a thief, who has assumed a missing thief’s identity, is in the process of organizing a crew for a major heist. And this is no ordinary team or heist. The target is the richest and worst man alive. The crew — well they are a very different group — and now the magic and fantasy begin in earnest. There are magical tools and devices and a scheme to steal from the evil man’s hoard of one of a kind “momentos.” And the action ensues! It’s really best to read the detailed plot and character development for yourself. That’s a great amount of the fun.

I don’t know if there will be any more stories in this vein or if this will evolve into a series, but I definitely would read them.

Rating 4 to 4.5*

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

[Shaghayegh · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐
آخرین کتاب سال 1400
می‌تونست بهتر بنویسه، فقط بخاطر شخصیتای کیوتش تا آخر خوندم.

[Jannelies (living between hope and fear) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes I choose books because of an interesting title... and sometimes because I'm already a fan of the author. This time, it was both. Who can withstand such a great title?
The book turned out to be great too. Gideon Sable - the néw Gideon Sable as he says himself - needs to find a couple of people to help him steal something very valuable from a very horrible man. He ends up with three other people, who all have their own reasons for wanting to rob the horrible man of something - including his life.
Follows a sometimes very serious, sometimes hilarious, account of how Gideon and his friends set to work. The book is full of surprises, great atmosphere and wonderful characters. The story is a wonderful mix between magic, horror and the 'normal' world - but what is 'normal'?

Thanks to Netgalley for this review copy.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so unexpected and I loved every minute of it, the characters the story the start and especially the ending I will be getting book 📕2 asap.

Happy Reading 📚📙📚📗📘📒📗📕📚📗📓📒📔📚📓📗📙📒📗📘📖

[Bonnie DeMoss · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book takes place in the magical underworld of modern London, much like Harry Potter. However, this is an adult story with a darker bend. The protagonist is Gideon Sable, a thief and con-artist, who apparently is not the actual Gideon Sable, but another thief using his identity. He is determined to pull off an elaborate heist and take down an evil collector of rare magical items, Fredric Hammer. Gideon is accompanied by his ex-girlfriend Annie Anybody, who can charm technology, the Damned, who has killed angels and wears their halos, Johnny Wild Card, who knows the truth of reality, and the Ghost, who has long haunted the streets of London. They’ve all been wronged by the collector, who has ruined many lives, and they all have their reason to want revenge.

This is magical realism done well, as we are introduced to each member of the specially selected team, told their story, their gifts, and why they want revenge on Hammer. The character development is superb. Every single member of the heist team is fascinating, and magical London is dark and intriguing. We are kept much in the dark about the narrator, which makes this even more delicious. This is a short but compelling read about magical revenge that will leave you wanting more.

I received a free copy of this book from Severn House via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

“’How did you find me?’
‘I stole a lucky charm from a scumbag banker, just an hour ago,’ I said. ‘I came here, and the charm arranged things so you’d be here, too.’
Annie frowned. ‘But I talked Danny into bringing me here yesterday … long before you stole the charm!’
‘I know!’ I said cheerfully. ‘Freaky, isn’t it?’”

The Best Thing You Can Steal is a novel by British science fiction and fantasy-author, Simon R. Green. The master thief who now identifies as Gideon Sable has a plan, and he has already settled on the four people best suited to help him carry it out. With a paying client, some secret weapons and a hidden agenda, and Gideon is fairly confident he can convince his chosen to participate.

Even finding and approaching the members of his team can be more or less challenging, but he soon has them going along with it: Gideon has the gift of the gab, and the opportunity to exact revenge on their target, to make him really hurt, is virtually irresistible.

Frederic Hammer is a collector of the unusual, some of which is displayed in his museum, while his most precious items are safely secreted within a heavily guarded vault. He is both hated and feared, so Gideon’s proposal to steal his most prized possession is an audacious one.

Annie Anybody, a mistress of multiple personas whose life was ruined by Hammer, will bring her unique gift into play despite the grudge she still holds against Gideon. Her ability to charm any machine will come in handy. The Damned is a man who strikes fear into most hearts and will provide the necessary muscle when the golem guards come to life.

The Ghost will be useful against the poltergeist dogs that guard the vault, as well as scouting ahead unseen. The infamous, notorious and entirely unpredictable Wild Card, Johnny Wilde will provide the element of surprise, while Gideon will be relying on the information his namesake has left behind, and some useful aids: “The pen that could put Time on pause, the skeleton key that could unlock anything, and the compass that would always point to what I needed.”

Gauging the strength and quality of Hammer’s security involves attending an exclusive auction of what he considers his lesser treasures, mostly being sold so rival collectors might envy even more the things he still possesses. A range of weird, wonderful, dangerous and bizarre items are for sale, and as Gideon and his team peruse the wares, an incident is initiated for the reaction of the personnel: it does not end well, but it provides the team with even more impetus to carry out their daring plan.

Green set up his novel like a three-act play and titles the chapters thus “Sneaking Up on the Sleeping Dragon While Being Very Careful Not to Trip Over Anything”. Fascinating little tales within the main story provide a potted history of the principal protagonists.

Green gives the reader a very different modern-day London: one with plenty of magic and a generous helping of the paranormal. His characters are appealing, his plot is clever and there’s loads of humour in the dialogue. Imaginative and funny, this is a very entertaining read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Canongate Severn House.

[Bandit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m glad to be the first person to rate and review this book, because it was lovely and you should definitely check it out and here’s why.
I’ve actually never read Green before. Certainly heard of him, he’s got tons of books out. Main reason being…not exactly my genre, paranormal fantasy. Plus I really don’t like to read serials. But then this one come up on Netgalley and it just looked fun and was so short (and really, not many authors of that of other genres manage to tell a story in under 200 pages these days), so I figured why not…and ended up really liking it. Way, way more than anticipated.
And I know this isn’t high literature and I know it’s silly at times and the ending’s too neat and kinda cheesy and some of the logic is credulity stretching and some of the action is too over the top…but it’s just so much fun. Green by now is an absolute pro, he can probably produce these books in his sleep (and we should all be so fortunate as too have dreams this exciting), but somehow he still manages to come up with original, genuinely fresh seeming sort of quirkiness. The characters are wackadoodledoo in the most excellent ways, complete with backstories and articulated action toys, ok, not the latter, but maybe one day, who knows. The story is so dynamic and entertaining and reads just like a really good fantasy tv show and the entire production is..well, it’s positively charming.
The plot, you ask…well, it’s about an elaborately orchestrated theft performed by a master thief and four additional players he assembles specifically for the job, including his ex, a woman of many disguises and wigs, a muscle…a man destined for the Underworld with supernatural protections to make that journey a long way off, a Wild Card, a man who peered beyond the fabric of reality and got all kinds of screwy from it and a Ghost, that’s easy, he’s a ghost.
Together they intend to steal a tv that shows past of future from an evil collector of all sorts of esoteric and magical objects.
The master thief is Gideon Sable, it is the name he stole, along with some necessary for the job tools like a key to anywhere, a compass to guide you to the thing you most desire and a pen that pauses time. Frankly, with those accoutrements who wouldn’t be a master thief and how difficult would it really be to become one. Nevertheless, there are obstacles to surmount and personalities to negotiate, though Gideon and his con man charm do know how to offer each of his new friends the thing they wish for the most, Wizard of Oz style. And so off the go on a great adventure, fun for them, fun for you.
Overall, a surprisingly enjoyable and pleasantly humorous light read that entertains, delights and doesn’t overstay its welcome, so much so I might even read the further installments. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simon R. Green is one of my favorite authors. I have read and re-read his Nightside series and I am a big fan of his newer series of novellas, the Ishmael Jones series. When I saw he had a new series starting, it just took a quick read through the blurb to make me immediately jump on a review copy of this book! Total Nightside vibes -- and I have been missing that series so much since it concluded!

The basics: Gideon Sable is a thief and a con man. But, he's the Good Guy. He steals only from those who truly deserve it. He has to be incredibly skilled to pull it off because the items he steals are unusual. He and his team steal items that can't be stolen. They do the impossible.

I really enjoyed this book and can't wait for more! And I'm going to purchase the audio book to listen to this story again! There's just something about a London created from the mind of Simon R. Green....always magical, dangerous and awesome things hiding in the shadows!

Loved it!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Severn House. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

[Elena Linville-Abdo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stars: 3 out of 5

I love me a good heist and I am always excited to read about London in urban fantasy. It's such an ancient and wonderful city that adding a magical element only adds to it's fascination. So I dived into this series without reservation and read this book in a day. 

So what's my verdict? It's popcorn stuff. It's a fun little romp through a fictional magical London, full of action and never a dull moment... It's also pretty light on substance. I mean the whole book is about introducing the team, then explaining the plan, then executing the heist. Pretty straightforward.

And that's the biggest drawback of this story, I think - I would expect a plan to fail, things to go wrong forcing the team to improvise. And while it does a little, none of the drawbacks seem dangerous or earthshattering. Ultimately, the plan goes exactly as formulated in our protagonist's head. I never worried about the characters being in danger, because they really weren't.

Part of the issue is that all of the characters are so overpowered that it's hard to imagine that anything can truly hurt them. I mean the Damned has the armor of angels. The Wild Card can alter reality as it pleases him. The Ghost is a ghost, so bullets can't hurt him. The only real humans are Anny Anybody and our protagonist, but the author never puts them in real danger. 

Finally, the villain himself is rather underwhelming all things considered. We spend the whole book building him up as this ruthless horrible person, someone extremely overpowered and who is in possession of unimaginable artifacts... What we get at the end is a mustache-swirling Bond villain who monologues about how villainous he is for about 10 pages, then gets beaten by a McGuffin. 

As I said, don't read this book if you are looking for a memorable villain and edge of your seat action with high stakes and life and death situations. However, if you are looking for a quick read to take to the beach with you or to your morning commute - this definitely fits the bill. And while I seem critical, I did like it well enough to continue with the series. 

[Alex Cantone · Rating 3 out of 5]

The air was as cold as a banker’s heart, and the evening was heavy with a sense of anticipation – of great opportunities lurking around corners, and magic waiting in the wings. I was on my way to steal a bad man’s luck and make it my own…

In The Best Thing You Can Steal, Judi Rifkin, former wife of arch-villain Frederic Hammer, retains a Master Thief (identity unknown and using the persona of a former Master Thief Gideon Sable), to steal her ex-husband’s most prized possession – a time television – from his heavily guarded vault beneath the streets of London. Sable seeks the assistance of The Damned, the Ghost, the Wild Card and Annie Anybody to help him – all victims seeking revenge on the unscrupulous Hammer.

Fantasy is not my favourite genre, and aside from the guile of main character Gideon Sable, the idiosyncrasies of the gang irked me. Much of the arcane treasures in the story had a biblical/talmud origin, but I found the London setting a bit thin, (spoilt perhaps by the excellent Peter Grant series by Ben Aaronovitch, blending London past and present through the supernatural.)

BUT, I can’t resist a good gadget, so a ballpoint pen that stops time, a compass that points in the direction you need to go, a key that opens all locks and a dimensional door hidden in a loo caught my interest, as did Old Harry’s Place in London’s Soho.

At 186 pages, much of it taken up with Gideon enlisting his crew and their back-stories, I feared this was going to be one of those annoying cliff-hanger tales enticing the reader into the next book. Rest assured, this was not the case, the villain meeting a fitting end. There was enough originality to make this a pleasing read, with hints of a second episode around the corner.

[Leo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've listened a tiney tiny bit of dramatized audiobooks before, but this was the first one I really enjoyed it. Really opened my eyes and ears about this lovely way of experiencing a story. It really is a movie inside your head. This book did very well as a dramatic version. Loved the characters, so fun to listen about and quite funny. The plot was fun and exciting as well and I haven't been able to not think about it after listening to it. Will definitely listen to the second part as well

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such fun! This is the first book I've read by Simon R. Green. A paranormal book about a heist that included a superb cast of characters. Gideon Sable (but not really - he's stolen the name of a person who was considered a master thief) is the ringleader. He wants to gather together a specific group of people to pull off the greatest theft imaginable - to steal the most important item from the worst man in the world. To do this he needs to convince The Damned, the Ghost, the Wild Card . . . and his ex-girlfriend, Annie Anybody to participate in his plan. Only - he doesn't tell them everything.

This was a short novel, but I had a blast reading it. Loved how it was played out and I was certainly surprised! There are some great magical items in the book I would love to have. Very well done Simon R. Green!

Thanks to Canongate Books through Netgalley for an advance copy.

[Oleksandr Zholud · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a heist story set in urban fantasy / hidden magic setting, like say in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. From what I can deduce from other works by the author, it is a part of his grander share universe. Maybe I’m wrong, for this is the first his book I’ve read. I read it as a part of monthly reading for October 2021 at SFF Hot from Printers: New Releases group.

The protagonist is one, who now calls himself Gideon Sable, a name of a famous thief that vanished some time ago. He is a thief and a con man, but of Robin Hood type, stealing from bad people (but not often giving loot to poor). He plans a heist, and as the genre dictates, he gathers a crew of strange people. It includes a brawler, a bard, a rogue and a wizard … ups, sorry, wrong setting, but almost right characters: the Damned, a person, who stole angel’s nimbus and is eternally damned, so tries to beat as many bad guys as he can before going to Hell; a former girlfriend of Gideon, Annie Anybody, who can dress as anyone and who is cursed with charming all nearby machines; the Ghost, who can pass thru walls and, finally, the Wild Card, a guy, who buy his presence makes almost impossible coincidences happen. They are all were harmed by their potential victim, Fredric Hammer, the greatest collector of impossible things.

What follows is a nice easy story, sometimes with juvenile humor (like pants falling off bad guys). One rather rare thing is that instead of ‘pagan’ folklore with elves and goblins, it dwells in Christianity related mythos, with angels, heads of saints and the like, which was a fresh welcome experience. The final solution was unexpected as well. However, don’t expect deep thought or revelations, it is a popcorn for mind, not a wholesome food.

[Cee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay the narration and production of this one is absolutely awesome. The story... was alright. I love heists, so I was intrigued and excited to see this go down. The banter was great, but I really wished there was more of it because it felt like most the book was listening to the backstories of the crew and how they came to be how they are.
I'm not super happy with the fact that Annie Anybody's gift was restored... the way it was. I honestly rolled my eyes.

But it is cute, fun, a little dark, and entertaining. I might read the next one as well.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The Best Thing You Can Steal is a standalone urban fantasy novella (and I hope) the start of a new series by Simon R. Green. Released 6th April 2021 by Severn House, it's 192 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook versions. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

Simon Green will be familiar to many (most?) fans of urban fantasy and this is a good example of the kind of writing we've come to expect from him. There's a large dose of bravado, lots of imagination, cleverly wrought characters who are that little bit extra, and an extravagantly intricate plot full of twists and turns. The denouement was exciting and engaging and the resolution was very satisfying. A one sentence precís would say: Ocean's 11 meets the BPRD with a dash of Neverwhere. It's a not entirely fair assessment, since Mr. Green adds his own inimitable stamp to the narrative, but it's not far off either.

The language is *relatively* clean and would probably rate PG. Vernacular and spelling are UK standard (the author's a Brit, it's set in London - most of the North American audience likely has a favo(u)rite Dr. Who actor - so concessions must be made).

Very entertaining and a quick and humorous read. The author has a definite gift with repartee and I found myself smiling often whilst reading. This series will likely appeal to fans of Charles Stross' Laundry Files, Jasper Fforde, and similar.

Four and a half stars. Well worth a look.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

[Judy Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I unhappily parted ways with Simon R. Green some time back when I just wasn't enjoying his books any longer. This first book in a new series has a title that just screams LOOK AT ME so I did and found myself intrigued. This was fun to read because of the lighthearted way it's written plus I wanted to know how Gideon Sable, master thief, was going to pull off the biggest heist in this magical London setting. Be careful when you walk down those steps to the Underground; you may be going further underground than you will feel comfortable with.

Gideon spends a lot of time finding the people he wants to be members of his crew. Hmm, maybe "people" isn't quite the right word since one of them is a ghost. Each of the members of his new crew have specific magical abilities that Gideon knows will be necessary to steal a whopper of an item from Fredric Hammer, the most dangerous and vindictive man in London. Two crew members are the Damned and Johnny Wilde, the Wildcard, who go a little too far for me into the loveable fuzzball direction before the book is finished but it turned out okay. The final member is Annie Anybody, the ex-girlfriend Gideon just can't get out of his system even though she hates his guts. So, the field is set for a confrontation between the almost good guys and the most awful man in the world.

This book was fun to read, has an interesting concept and will almost surely get even better as the series goes along. I'm willing to stick with it for the next one to see how it develops.

Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House Publishing and Canongate Books for an e-galley of this novel.

[Bonnie DeMoss · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book takes place in the magical underworld of modern London, much like Harry Potter. However, this is an adult story with a darker bend. The protagonist is Gideon Sable, a thief and con-artist, who apparently is not the actual Gideon Sable, but another thief using his identity. He is determined to pull off an elaborate heist and take down an evil collector of rare magical items, Fredric Hammer. Gideon is accompanied by his ex-girlfriend Annie Anybody, who can charm technology, the Damned, who has killed angels and wears their halos, Johnny Wild Card, who knows the truth of reality, and the Ghost, who has long haunted the streets of London. They’ve all been wronged by the collector, who has ruined many lives, and they all have their reason to want revenge.

This is magical realism done well, as we are introduced to each member of the specially selected team, told their story, their gifts, and why they want revenge on Hammer. The character development is superb. Every single member of the heist team is fascinating, and magical London is dark and intriguing. We are kept much in the dark about the narrator, which makes this even more delicious. This is a short but compelling read about magical revenge that will leave you wanting more.

I do feel that $19.49 for the 183 page e-book is too much, but my review is of the book, not the price.

I received a free copy of this book from Severn House via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.

[Jae · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable book to read. The story follows a thief, Gideon Sable (yes thief agenda manifests bc the identity itself is stolen), as he gathers up an unlikely crew of awfully powerful and renowned misfits in their own rights, to take on an impossible heist. Set in a magical London, with supernatural, biblical creatures and artifacts, The Best Thing You Can Steal was a thrilling tale to read about!

The Character work on the entire team was spectacular, all of them had unique and different backstories and they developed as characters throughout the book, which was a great thing to see! The plot itself while nothing phenomenal or brilliantly planned out, it was enjoyable to read about. I think more so than the plot itself, the premise behind the plot and the characters moved the story. And for me personally the ghost, the damned and johnny wilde as characters had a strong hold on me and kept me entertained!! On top of this, the past history between characters was a great tool to maintain tension and intrigue!

I have some nitpicks with the book. As we went chapter by chapter in the first part, and we got the backstories one by one, it felt like the author was running out of things to say with each new character and by the last introduction, the “backstory” was barely a paragraph. I’d have gotten more invested with the characters if these characters were explored with more depth and nuance. As with the romance, i really did not care for it at all and the way it (romantic aspect and ending itself) ended was just disappointing to say the least. Going into the book the idea of a heist had my expectations really high so id have loved if the author had put in better plot twists, more planned out and psychological aspects, because the plot itself fell short on nuance and creating tension. The stakes really weren’t there.

One other thing is, the author had written down these characters to be iconic and legendary from the beginning. So the author set up expectations IN WRITING and TOLD us these characters are a particular thing (exceptionally good at what they do), but there were no exceptional feats done by them in the story. And this would not have been a problem if the author didnt set up expectations for the readers that in most cases would not be met.

With the writing style, i think it’s a difficult writing style to get into, but once i got in, it was an okay ride!

All in all this was an okay read for me, nothing memorable but i don’t hate it!

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Pop Bop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another "Nightside" ?

Simon Green is fun again.

To be clear - I love Green's "Nightside" series, enjoyed "Drinking Midnight Wine", am O.K. with Ishmael Jones, tolerate the Droods, and detest the Carnacki Institute. This new book, with a new lead character, feels very much like the "Nightside" series, and while Gideon Sable is no John Taylor, he's close enough to have made this a satisfying and entertaining read.

To be fair, the book has the Nightside weaknesses. Like John Taylor, Gideon always has some doodad in his pocket that miraculously defeats the evil before him and saves the day. There is never any tension, really, because you know Taylor/Gideon always has a secret trick up his sleeve. But you know what? I don't care. That saves all sorts of complicated plotting and explication. It leaves our hero free to escape and to dive back into some new peril, so the "convenient magical thingummy" actually works for me as a plot device.

And that's fine because this book also has all of the Nightside strengths. A dead pan, witty, hero who is simultaneously self-deprecating and pleased with himself. A magical and fantastic behind, and below, the scenes London. A crew of odd characters who add depth and color and diverting quirkiness to the proceedings. A ridiculous plot that requires our crew to do weird things in weird places for weird purposes. Amusingly villainous villains.

This book is organized around Gideon's efforts to put together a crew to knock off a bad guy's treasure vault. While Green has always been good at creating supporting characters, here he makes a special effort. Indeed a good part of the book consists of Gideon tracking down and recruiting his crew. The effect is that instead of a single padded out plot, we get something that's more like a series of interlinked short stories. That helps to feature the strongest aspects of Green's action/fantasy writing, so I was happy with the approach. Bottom line? Good, clever, amusing fun.

(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

[আশিকুর রহমান · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too easy. Predictable. Weak antagonist. Not-so-cunning-protagonist. No drama or thrill or any kind of excitement. Interesting characters were wasted.
I expected better than this from Simon R. Green. Ain't returning to this series. (Unless #2 receives an overwhelming positive response, which is highly unlikely).

[Alisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this. So nice to be back in Green's worlds. I really hope this is a series.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoy the Nightside series so thought I would love this too. I didn’t. There was no real world building, the plot was too simplistic and to me it read like something the author had dashed off with little thought at all.

[Gökçe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Şehir fantastiği öykülerini çok severim. Simon R. Green'in romanlarını da çok severim. Best Thing You Can Steal de şaşırtmadı. Nasıl özlemişim, Simon R. Green okumayı. Çok iyi geldi.