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The Thief of Kalimar
An epic adventure in the world of speculative fiction.Ramagar was a thief--a thief of thieves. One night he became the owner of a prize beyond his wildest dreams, taking he and his partner, Mariana, upon an incredible journey to free a once-proud land shrouded in darkness for centuries.
- GenresFantasy
382 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
12 people are currently reading
151 people want to read
About the author
Graham Diamond
33 books47 followersIn 2015 Venture Press Ltd, UK contracted to reissue seven of Graham Diamond's most noted titles. Among them was THE HAVEN, Diamond's renown cult classic. Others include the EMPIRE PRINCESS series:
LADY OF THE HAVEN; DUNGEONS OF KUBA, THE FALCON OF EDEN, THE BEASTS OF HADES.
In addition, the two part SAMARKAND and SAMARKAND DAWN were released to new worldwide audiences.
Graham Diamond began writing as a fantasy and science fiction author. He was born in Manchester, England, after World War II, and his family moved to the United States when he was a young child. He was raised in New York City, on the Upper West Side, and graduated from the High School of Music and Art. He attended CCNY in NY, and the Art Students League of New York.
He worked for the New York Times as a production manager in Editorial Art for many years. He has also taught creative writing in New York and California.
-Wikipedia
LADY OF THE HAVEN; DUNGEONS OF KUBA, THE FALCON OF EDEN, THE BEASTS OF HADES.
In addition, the two part SAMARKAND and SAMARKAND DAWN were released to new worldwide audiences.
Graham Diamond began writing as a fantasy and science fiction author. He was born in Manchester, England, after World War II, and his family moved to the United States when he was a young child. He was raised in New York City, on the Upper West Side, and graduated from the High School of Music and Art. He attended CCNY in NY, and the Art Students League of New York.
He worked for the New York Times as a production manager in Editorial Art for many years. He has also taught creative writing in New York and California.
-Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 6, 2019
An inspiring journey – but for all the wrong reasons. Being able to predict each and every twist and turn of the unravelling journey instilled in me a great wonder. Can I see the future? Am I sage? A dash of magic sword, a pinch of buxom dancing girl, a dollop of burly desert dweller mixed with a romp through Baboon Land (guess what you find there) to the salty seas and you have a delicious and familiar recipe for adventure.
The feat in publishing such a rote fantasy tale filled me with confidence: that I too could write such a novel – and if there is anything The Thief of Kalimar has taught me – it is that anything is possible... if I believe.
The feat in publishing such a rote fantasy tale filled me with confidence: that I too could write such a novel – and if there is anything The Thief of Kalimar has taught me – it is that anything is possible... if I believe.
May 12, 2020
I had a copy of this and this is one of my favorite.. i keptrre reading this..
all in one.. romance, friendship, adventure, fantasy and self worth. when you read this as if you feel like that you are watching a movie in a 3D cinema..
all in one.. romance, friendship, adventure, fantasy and self worth. when you read this as if you feel like that you are watching a movie in a 3D cinema..
April 3, 2018
Colorful and original. Graham Diamond brings to life a world of fascinating characters. Fun and filled intertwining plots for readers of every age.
December 19, 2019
Rolicking swashbuckler, very cinematic. A really fun read but could easily have filled two books!
April 20, 2025
Starts out good but then begins to drag. I would not recommend.
August 19, 2016
Premise
: Ramagar, the self-styled Thief of Kalimar, and his partner Mariana, accompany a mysterious stranger on a quest to free the land of Speca from its dread conquerors.
About : This is an older book, originally published in 1979; but Endeavor Press is republishing it, along with several other books by the author, Graham Diamond, whose book The Haven apparently has a cult following.
I confess to some confusion about why Endeavor republished this one. I think a lot of men must have read and enjoyed it as youngsters (which I gathered by reading the Amazon reviews, not through Goodreads where the current overall rating is a rather low 3.25), so perhaps Endeavor expects these nostalgic readers to buy copies for old times’ sake. Fortunately or unfortunately, stories and storytelling have changed a lot since 1979, and this book had little staying power, at least to my tastes.
I enjoyed the first half of this book quite a bit more than the latter half, even though none of it is really “my style” (by which I mean, “has a fast-moving, but character-driven plot and atmospheric prose”). In the beginning, the middle-eastern feel attracted me, and I found myself subconsciously nabbing books about Sindbad and Aladdin from library shelves.
But when the story leaves Kalimar for the north, all the charm stays behind. Soon after that point (perhaps some 15% later), the cardboard characters and the predictable plot got the better of my patience and I gave up reading this one.
DNF at 61%. Why?
The Characters : They have no personal ambitions; or, when they do have personal ambitions, the plot quickly overpowers them. They also have no consistent personalities—they all hang their heads, sneer coldly, nod gravely and purse their lips in grim smiles. Needless to say, I couldn’t, could not connect with them.
I’m also not sure why this book is titled “The Thief of Kalimar,” since it’s really more about “The Prince of Speca.” (Except, of course, because the former title sounds way more epic and eastern. But the plot revolves around the prince's agenda, not the thief's, so the title doesn’t makes sense to me.) Perhaps the final 39% would have enlightened me, but even that (not so) compelling question won’t convince me to finish this one.
The Plot : It was fun, at first. The heroes mentally and physically overcome a few entertaining obstacles, such as swimming through waist-high sewage; they also outwit a few clever antagonists, such as a terrifying and warlike race of baboons and a bevy of soldiers who, thankfully, do not have the benefit of fingerprint criminal databases.
But after about 50%, I lost interest. The “planning” sessions always go like this: someone suggests a “crazy!” plan; everyone pelts him with baboon poop; the man with the plan points out x, y & z, which clearly make the plan necessary; everyone else grudgingly agrees. I mean, if the scenes were a bit cleverer, I might still enjoy them. But they were too formulaic to keep me interested.
Other Complaints Because I Spent Hours Reading This Thing: (1) The new cover does not fit at all. (2) I would have liked a map. (Maybe the finished version has one?) (3) Feminists, you will hate this book. Don’t even try it. (4) “Over the low wall jumped Ramagar, thief of thieves.” This is an actual sentence from the book. And I respond, “At the book laughed Christy, reviewer of doom!”
Overall : The first half has some nice moments and adventures, but everything goes downhill in the second. I can’t imagine that anyone who has read much fantasy would find this book very interesting. Although…it’s actually not at all inappropriate for children and teens. It might be a bit long for the MG crowd, but if those Amazon reviewers are any indication, boy readers might eat this book up.
Read at your own risk.
If you liked this review, you can read more of my speculative fiction reviews on my blog, here.
About : This is an older book, originally published in 1979; but Endeavor Press is republishing it, along with several other books by the author, Graham Diamond, whose book The Haven apparently has a cult following.
I confess to some confusion about why Endeavor republished this one. I think a lot of men must have read and enjoyed it as youngsters (which I gathered by reading the Amazon reviews, not through Goodreads where the current overall rating is a rather low 3.25), so perhaps Endeavor expects these nostalgic readers to buy copies for old times’ sake. Fortunately or unfortunately, stories and storytelling have changed a lot since 1979, and this book had little staying power, at least to my tastes.
I enjoyed the first half of this book quite a bit more than the latter half, even though none of it is really “my style” (by which I mean, “has a fast-moving, but character-driven plot and atmospheric prose”). In the beginning, the middle-eastern feel attracted me, and I found myself subconsciously nabbing books about Sindbad and Aladdin from library shelves.
But when the story leaves Kalimar for the north, all the charm stays behind. Soon after that point (perhaps some 15% later), the cardboard characters and the predictable plot got the better of my patience and I gave up reading this one.
DNF at 61%. Why?
The Characters : They have no personal ambitions; or, when they do have personal ambitions, the plot quickly overpowers them. They also have no consistent personalities—they all hang their heads, sneer coldly, nod gravely and purse their lips in grim smiles. Needless to say, I couldn’t, could not connect with them.
I’m also not sure why this book is titled “The Thief of Kalimar,” since it’s really more about “The Prince of Speca.” (Except, of course, because the former title sounds way more epic and eastern. But the plot revolves around the prince's agenda, not the thief's, so the title doesn’t makes sense to me.) Perhaps the final 39% would have enlightened me, but even that (not so) compelling question won’t convince me to finish this one.
The Plot : It was fun, at first. The heroes mentally and physically overcome a few entertaining obstacles, such as swimming through waist-high sewage; they also outwit a few clever antagonists, such as a terrifying and warlike race of baboons and a bevy of soldiers who, thankfully, do not have the benefit of fingerprint criminal databases.
But after about 50%, I lost interest. The “planning” sessions always go like this: someone suggests a “crazy!” plan; everyone pelts him with baboon poop; the man with the plan points out x, y & z, which clearly make the plan necessary; everyone else grudgingly agrees. I mean, if the scenes were a bit cleverer, I might still enjoy them. But they were too formulaic to keep me interested.
Other Complaints Because I Spent Hours Reading This Thing: (1) The new cover does not fit at all. (2) I would have liked a map. (Maybe the finished version has one?) (3) Feminists, you will hate this book. Don’t even try it. (4) “Over the low wall jumped Ramagar, thief of thieves.” This is an actual sentence from the book. And I respond, “At the book laughed Christy, reviewer of doom!”
Overall : The first half has some nice moments and adventures, but everything goes downhill in the second. I can’t imagine that anyone who has read much fantasy would find this book very interesting. Although…it’s actually not at all inappropriate for children and teens. It might be a bit long for the MG crowd, but if those Amazon reviewers are any indication, boy readers might eat this book up.
Read at your own risk.
If you liked this review, you can read more of my speculative fiction reviews on my blog, here.
January 2, 2018
Original Review Here
The Thief of Kalimar was originally published in 1979. I discovered it on Netgalley, however, as Venture Press re-released some of Graham Diamond’s titles in 2016. The writing style and type of fantasy has the feel of the epic quest that was predominant for these times.
I expected the title of the book to be a clue as to the main character. Although Ramagar plays his part, he isn’t nearly an important enough character to have the book named after him. Apart from a few chapters at the beginning and some moments near the end, the narration doesn’t follow him: the focus is on Marianna.
Marianna is a strong enough lead: her character has the traditional journey to undertake and fate intervenes to give her role more importance: she is the one to overhear things, to hide the dagger, to be in the right place at the right time etc… Although afraid, she is not a timid woman to be patronised and protected. I liked and connected to her character and thought her development throughout is realistic.
Marianna, however, appears to be the only character you connect with. The mysterious prince/beggar is never given a name; an interesting tactic once you realise, especially considering the part he plays in the story. Homer had the potential for so much, but isn’t given the opportunity to grow. Ragamar is supposedly this incredible thief, yet you never witness his thieving, nor does it ever help them.
Other characters are introduced as the tale unfolds. They are all likeable enough, but they never shone for me. Marianna steals the show, and is worthy of being the main character.
The Thief of Kalimar is slow paced. For the first part of the book, the tension needs to be increased to really hook the reader. I personally connected to the story and the characters when they were at sea, facing danger from all angles and finally understanding the type of quest they are on. In other words, when it started getting interesting.
As with any quest story, there is a lot of travelling. Although I felt for the plight of the land they had set out to rescue, I did feel there were some inconsistencies. For example, no one has returned from those lands alive, yet the characters were remarkably well informed about the threats they may face before they even get there. There is no explanation as to where this information comes from, other than as a plot-device to instil fear into the characters and therefore increase the tension.
Despite the slow pace and the difficulty connecting to some of the characters, I did enjoy this book. It’s the type of fantasy that I love, especially given the overwhelming odds the characters face. There was a clear struggle between good and evil (it’s helpfully named as such as various places as well!), an enemy that is easy to hate and characters determined to give up whatever it takes to succeed. In general, a solid story.
The Thief of Kalimar was originally published in 1979. I discovered it on Netgalley, however, as Venture Press re-released some of Graham Diamond’s titles in 2016. The writing style and type of fantasy has the feel of the epic quest that was predominant for these times.
I expected the title of the book to be a clue as to the main character. Although Ramagar plays his part, he isn’t nearly an important enough character to have the book named after him. Apart from a few chapters at the beginning and some moments near the end, the narration doesn’t follow him: the focus is on Marianna.
Marianna is a strong enough lead: her character has the traditional journey to undertake and fate intervenes to give her role more importance: she is the one to overhear things, to hide the dagger, to be in the right place at the right time etc… Although afraid, she is not a timid woman to be patronised and protected. I liked and connected to her character and thought her development throughout is realistic.
Marianna, however, appears to be the only character you connect with. The mysterious prince/beggar is never given a name; an interesting tactic once you realise, especially considering the part he plays in the story. Homer had the potential for so much, but isn’t given the opportunity to grow. Ragamar is supposedly this incredible thief, yet you never witness his thieving, nor does it ever help them.
Other characters are introduced as the tale unfolds. They are all likeable enough, but they never shone for me. Marianna steals the show, and is worthy of being the main character.
The Thief of Kalimar is slow paced. For the first part of the book, the tension needs to be increased to really hook the reader. I personally connected to the story and the characters when they were at sea, facing danger from all angles and finally understanding the type of quest they are on. In other words, when it started getting interesting.
As with any quest story, there is a lot of travelling. Although I felt for the plight of the land they had set out to rescue, I did feel there were some inconsistencies. For example, no one has returned from those lands alive, yet the characters were remarkably well informed about the threats they may face before they even get there. There is no explanation as to where this information comes from, other than as a plot-device to instil fear into the characters and therefore increase the tension.
Despite the slow pace and the difficulty connecting to some of the characters, I did enjoy this book. It’s the type of fantasy that I love, especially given the overwhelming odds the characters face. There was a clear struggle between good and evil (it’s helpfully named as such as various places as well!), an enemy that is easy to hate and characters determined to give up whatever it takes to succeed. In general, a solid story.
July 20, 2016
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.
I love the cover of this book but after that, just "meh".
The plot was mildly entertaining but I think the characters are where my interest was lost. They are boring....especially Mariana, whom everyone single man desires, who is both stunning and incredibly wise, and is just perfect in everyway. Ramagar isn't much better. He is a thief but of course has a soft heart and fights for the good against the bad while strangely being a one dimensional character.
I'm sure some people will like the adventure and action, it's just not for me.
Also, if I ever hear "lover" or "dancing girl" again, it will be too soon.
I love the cover of this book but after that, just "meh".
The plot was mildly entertaining but I think the characters are where my interest was lost. They are boring....especially Mariana, whom everyone single man desires, who is both stunning and incredibly wise, and is just perfect in everyway. Ramagar isn't much better. He is a thief but of course has a soft heart and fights for the good against the bad while strangely being a one dimensional character.
I'm sure some people will like the adventure and action, it's just not for me.
Also, if I ever hear "lover" or "dancing girl" again, it will be too soon.
August 3, 2016
The Thief of Kalimar almost made it to a four star rating. I just could not connect with the characters enough to give it a higher rating. The story was entertaining and I did finish it without much effort. I think the main thing that bothered me was the two main characters who had flaws but those flaws were overridden by their amazing ability to handle everything and come away with little to no damage. I would recommend this book to other fans of this genre. I am not sure that I will read any more in this series.
November 12, 2014
1988 grade D
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews