“He could tell her he loved her. He ached to shout it out loud for the gods and everyone to hear. Little good it would do. Better to trust in the moon’s promises than in the word of the Theif of Eddis. He was famous in three countries for his lies”
- Megan Whalen Turner, The Queen of Attolia
I know this quote doesn’t match up with the scene but it’s so sweet and one of my favorite lines from this book which is truly one of my favorite books and I have read more times than I can count!
I got my brother hooked on the series years ago. He’s the current DM for his friends’ D&D group, and wants to run a campaign loosely based on The Thief.
Obviously, he can reread the book for inspiration, but are there any blogs/sites that organize some of the world-building information for reference?
Many thanks!!!
Sounis is the original fansite for QT. The Tags are helpful for finding relevent information. Also, try Eugenides Wiki.
Studying Greek, Roman, and Byzantine history might also be helpful for inspiration.
If I remember correctly, I think what we were laughing about was Gen saying he didn’t have time to go back for “another lamp and pry bar” (p127) after he lost the first pry bar Pol gave him in the labyrinth. How many pry bars does he think Pol has?
A critical analysis would imply that the magus and Pol had picked one up recently in one of the towns they bought supplies from or Pol was just carrying it the whole time in his pack. They probably specifically brought one for Gen and as a useful tool in general, but I doubt they brought more than one.
I do love comparing Pol-prepared-with-prybar to Costis-prepared-with-sewing-needle. Those soldier boys!
Queen’s Thief Appreciation, Day 4: Conspiracy of Kings – books/characters as things my friends and I have said
The fact that Sophos used force in the end despite being the so-called bunny of the series is simultaneously devastating and funny, especially since we’re used to sneaky sneaky politics and scheming from Gen. (Not that Sophos wasn’t veritably sneaky in his own right.) It was completely unexpected and yet right!
“The king’s attendant on duty that day was Ion, standing patiently in a corner. He cleared his throat politely and said, ‘His Majesty’s wardrobe is a gift from My King.’ ”
Part 2/2 of the one-two punch that is every scene written by miss Megan Whalen Turner… the Window scene, in this case. I just LOVE tonal shifts, and she writes hers so flawlessly – subtle yet striking. I love it and I want to hug Pheris and I am so happy that now he has several parents now who love him. Also, I’m endlessly in love with the depictions of this scene by Emily and Sheb and you should DEFINITELY check them out
So I’ve been working on THIS monstrosity: one of my favorite scenes of Return of the Thief, it had me and my sisters in fits. It includes so many wonderful things – best bros sophos & gen committing minor acts of harassment to show affection, eugenides pulling a very thiefly parkour move, the attendants being Shook, the royal four having fun, attolia laughing (my heart!!), a striking tonal change at the end, and of course, the reference to Dite’s infamous catchy tune sung loudly & proudly by its main object of ridicule.
It’s got all your basic moving parts: Gen and Irene heading up to the crenellations,
Phresine loving on baby Hector while baby Eugenia drops a stolen earring that matches her dad’s (with her mountain goat plushie nearby),
Helen and Sophos just being stupid cute with their wee heir, while the Magus still studies his map and Pol’s sword leans on the wall beneath the three countries’ banners,
Your pantheon of deities, with the Great Goddess at the center,
Teleus and Relius enjoying each other’s company while Pheris (now with mobility aid!) ignores them (also there’s a pigeon),
Costis and bespectacled Kamet with a plate of nut cakes, and a familiar author in the background with her stack of six books,
And, finally, our long-awaited elephant, while two of Gen’s attendants search for their king.
It is the “A Conspiracy of Kings” day! Finally! I have finished my fan art for my first Queen’s Thief appreciation, a happy Sophos fan art because why not? Right? This scene deserves a lot!
Also this is the scene where he got his nickname Bunny (Zec/Zeckush)! I think it is very cool so that is why I decided to make a fan art out of this scene.
Anyways, “Be blessed in your endeavors.”
Shout out to @meganwhalenturner because this series is everything you could have wanted.
Note : Here’s a bonus Gen fan art in case you missed it!
