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Thieves' World, 2nd Series #3
Enemies of Fortune
Empires rise and fall, but Sanctuary lives on.
Sanctuary, a lawless city governed by evil forces, powerful magic, and political intrigue where survival is an unexpected bonus.
A recent storm has left a ship filled with exotic cargo and arcane secrets wrecked off the shore of Sanctuary in this second of a new series of shared world anthologies. Thieves' Enemies of Fortune continues the story with tales of necromancers and assassins, urchins and knaves, and of course, thieves. This unexpected booty leads to boons and curses for the world-weary residents … as well as the usual power struggle among factions wishing to take deadly advantage at any new turn of events.
All new stories by Lynn Abbey, Stephen Brust, C.J.Cherryh, Jeff Grubb, Mickey Zucker Reichert, Dennis McKiernan, Andrew Offutt, Robin Wayne Bailey, Diana Paxson, Jody Lynn Nye, Selina Rosen, and Jane Fancher.
Sanctuary, a lawless city governed by evil forces, powerful magic, and political intrigue where survival is an unexpected bonus.
A recent storm has left a ship filled with exotic cargo and arcane secrets wrecked off the shore of Sanctuary in this second of a new series of shared world anthologies. Thieves' Enemies of Fortune continues the story with tales of necromancers and assassins, urchins and knaves, and of course, thieves. This unexpected booty leads to boons and curses for the world-weary residents … as well as the usual power struggle among factions wishing to take deadly advantage at any new turn of events.
All new stories by Lynn Abbey, Stephen Brust, C.J.Cherryh, Jeff Grubb, Mickey Zucker Reichert, Dennis McKiernan, Andrew Offutt, Robin Wayne Bailey, Diana Paxson, Jody Lynn Nye, Selina Rosen, and Jane Fancher.
353 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 2004
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261 people want to read
About the author
Lynn Abbey
146 books192 followersLynn Abbey began publishing in 1979 with the novel Daughter of the Bright Moon and the short story "The Face of Chaos," part of a Thieves World shared world anthology. She received early encouragement from Gordon R. Dickson.
In the 1980s she married Robert Asprin and became his co-editor on the Thieves World books. She also contributed to other shared world series during the 1980s, including Heroes in Hell and Merovingen Nights.
Abbey and Asprin divorced in 1993 and Abbey moved to Oklahoma City. She continued to write novels during this period, including original works as well as tie-ins to Role Playing Games for TSR. In 2002, she returned to Thieves World with the novel Sanctuary and also began editing new anthologies, beginning with Turning Points.
In the 1980s she married Robert Asprin and became his co-editor on the Thieves World books. She also contributed to other shared world series during the 1980s, including Heroes in Hell and Merovingen Nights.
Abbey and Asprin divorced in 1993 and Abbey moved to Oklahoma City. She continued to write novels during this period, including original works as well as tie-ins to Role Playing Games for TSR. In 2002, she returned to Thieves World with the novel Sanctuary and also began editing new anthologies, beginning with Turning Points.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 17, 2013
Thieves' World: Enemies of Fortune edited by Lynn Abbey, is the 2nd book in the new Thieves' World short story anthology series (not to be confused with the 12 books in the original Thieves' World anthology series.) For those who don't know, Thieves' World is a series in which each book has short stories all set in the same fantasy world, written by different authors. The only restriction is that while authors can make use of each others characters (and are encouraged to), they can't kill them. In the original series, this often led to authors causing all sorts of mayhem to each others characters, without killing them off, such as imprisoning them, torturing them, framing them, etc. The series is set in the cess-pool of a city, Sanctuary, an independent city state which is remote from most other countries, but relatively weak on it's own, and often conquered by various outside parties. Basically, imagine Sanctuary as the worst a fantasy city has to offer, and with all of the assorts ruffians, smugglers, mercenaries, necromancers, slavers, and of course, thieves, that you would expect in such a city.
In this volume, the a central event has links to many of the stories - a treasure laden ship has sunk not far away, and many of the items scavenged or washed ashore have turned up in the city. Aside from this, the stories are relatively independent, which doesn't in any way make them un-enjoyable. The stories range from average to good, with a few that are excellent, and stand above the rest. Many of the stories are about small events, even though they are important to the protagonists, which is a refreshing change of pace from most fantasy stories that eventually revolve around epic quests to save the (city, kingdom, world, or multiverse.) The stories I particularly liked were Lynn Abbey's "Good Neighbors" about one of the tragic lives of a typical resident of Sanctuary, Dennis L. McKiernan's amusing "Pricks and Afflictions" and the always entertaining escapades of the half-hairless, lisping, and well endowed dwarf Rogi, and the stellar "Man from Shemhaza" by Steven Brust. This last story is a gem all on it's own - one of the best short stories I've ever read, and has large implications for Sanctuary in future volumes.
As for future volumes, this book was published in 2004, and unfortunately, there's no next book in sight. I hope that something is able to be put together soon, since it's been a joy to re-visit Sanctuary for a few books, after the first series ended, and I'm hopeful that I'll be able to read how some of the storylines begun in this book play out.
In this volume, the a central event has links to many of the stories - a treasure laden ship has sunk not far away, and many of the items scavenged or washed ashore have turned up in the city. Aside from this, the stories are relatively independent, which doesn't in any way make them un-enjoyable. The stories range from average to good, with a few that are excellent, and stand above the rest. Many of the stories are about small events, even though they are important to the protagonists, which is a refreshing change of pace from most fantasy stories that eventually revolve around epic quests to save the (city, kingdom, world, or multiverse.) The stories I particularly liked were Lynn Abbey's "Good Neighbors" about one of the tragic lives of a typical resident of Sanctuary, Dennis L. McKiernan's amusing "Pricks and Afflictions" and the always entertaining escapades of the half-hairless, lisping, and well endowed dwarf Rogi, and the stellar "Man from Shemhaza" by Steven Brust. This last story is a gem all on it's own - one of the best short stories I've ever read, and has large implications for Sanctuary in future volumes.
As for future volumes, this book was published in 2004, and unfortunately, there's no next book in sight. I hope that something is able to be put together soon, since it's been a joy to re-visit Sanctuary for a few books, after the first series ended, and I'm hopeful that I'll be able to read how some of the storylines begun in this book play out.
April 17, 2020
To the best of my knowledge, this is the last collection of Thieves' World stories, and probably the last there will ever be - an excellent set of stories, great sword-and-sorcery fantasy fiction. I'm sad to have reached the end of the road - but what a great trip it has been! If you have a love of fantasy fiction, you could do much worse than to pick up any volume of Thieves' World and start reading!
December 4, 2020
Sadly it appears this will be the last of this highly enjoyable series. I've read everyone of them and all these authors write so damn well it's hard to believe they're held in higher esteem in the literary world. I guess I'll have to solace myself with finding other work by these authors when I can. Lynn Abbey in particular seems to deserve better recognition. Her characters are very three dimensional and I'd like to read more about them.
July 3, 2021
3 and 1/2 stars really. Enjoyed all of the short stories in here, particularly the first five or six stories, but I most enjoyed with how they dealt him one way shape or form with the mysterious shipwreck that took place in the initial story and how “out of time” that chase went. I am going one day to reread all the Sanctuary novels but in the meantime I still have a few offshoot novels based on the Sanctuary stories to keep me busy in the meantime. I can’t wait!
December 7, 2019
Stories are a bit up and down, some stronger than others. But, it always a please to stroll through the streets and alleys of Sanctuary.
May 16, 2022
The final Thieves' World collection, and the series falls to the ground with an ignominious thud. I defy anyone to read this book and tell me what's going on.
May 3, 2025
Sad, this was the last. Just getting invested in the new characters.
March 8, 2013
Not completed. I've tried to finish this a couple of times but having got a quarter of the way through and still not quite knowing what is going on I have decided to give up.
April 27, 2013
See book 1
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews