Thief's Magic

by Trudi Canavan

Overview

Forget what you know about the nature of magic.

In a world where an industrial revolution is powered by magic, Tyen, a student of archaeology, unearths a sentient book called Vella. Once a young sorcerer-bookbinder, Vella was transformed into a useful tool by one of the greatest sorcerers of history. Since then she has been collecting information, including a vital clue to the disaster Tyen's world faces.

Elsewhere, in an land ruled by the priests, Rielle the dyer's daughter has been taught that to use magic is to steal from the Angels. Yet she knows she has a talent for it, and that there is a corrupter in the city willing to teach her how to use it — should she dare to risk the Angels' wrath.

But not everything is as Tyen and Rielle have been raised to believe. Not the nature of magic, nor the laws of their lands. . . and not even the people they trust.

AN EPIC NEW FANTASY ADVENTURE BEGINS.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316209250
Publisher:	Orbit
Publication date:	05/05/2015
Series:	Millennium's Rule , #1
Pages:	608
Sales rank:	207,218
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.70(d)

About the Author

Trudi Canavan published her first story in 1999 and it received an Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Short Story. Her debut series, The Black Magician Trilogy, made her an international success and five of her novels have been Sunday Times bestsellers in the UK. Trudi Canavan lives with her partner in Melbourne, Australia, and spends her time writing, painting and weaving.

Editorial Reviews

03/10/2014
Australian fantasy author Canavan (the Traitor Spy trilogy) introduces a restrictive magical culture to open the Millennium’s Rule trilogy. Tyen, scholar and ambitious archaeologist, uncovers an ancient magic tome, a font of potentially dangerous information, forged from the body of an unwilling woman named Vella. Rielle struggles against the strictures of polite society, where inborn magical gifts can too easily lead to arrest and assault, and where women are expected to submit to loveless arranged marriages. Tyen’s empathy for Vella, and his desire to protect her from the machinations of others, force him to flee. Rielle’s desire for love and a self-directed life similarly sees her cast out from the ranks of the powerful, consigned to a fate few would seek. There is much to recommend in Canavan’s new venture; Tyen is a bit dull, but Rielle’s story entrances. This trilogy launch does not so much conclude as stop, leaving readers eager for the next two volumes. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"Delightful... a vivid and enjoyable experience."—SFX Magazine on Thief's Magic

"The darling of the fantasy fiction scene returns with a magical new trilogy to delight loyal readers and newcomers alike....Canavan cleverly keeps you guessing...definitely an inviting introduction to the series."—SciFi Now on Thief's Magic

"Rielle's story entrances... leaving readers eager for the next two volumes."—Publisher's Weekly on Thief's Magic

"Will hook readers immediately and they won't be able to put this thrill-ride of a book down."—RT Book Reviews on Thief's Magic

"This captivating tale has already been hailed by critics as a 'must for lovers of good fantasy."—Marie Claire (Australia) onThe Magicians' Guild

"Her [Canavan's] magical world is brilliantly conceived."—RT Book Reviews on The Magician's Apprentice

From the Publisher

"Her [Canavan's] magical world is brilliantly conceived."

RT Book Reviews on The Magician's Apprentice

"This captivating tale has already been hailed by critics as a 'must for lovers of good fantasy."

Marie Claire (Australia) onThe Magicians' Guild

Narrators Grant Cartwright and Hannah Norris establish very different voices for the two distinct stories that unfold in the first book of the Millennium’s Rule trilogy. Cartwright has a slight Australian accent, and his youthful, slightly breathless delivery suits the action-packed story of Tyen, a young archaeology student in a world where magic is running out. Running parallel to Tyen's story is that of Rielle, a teenager in a land where using magic is to "steal from the Angels" and anyone who does so must be banished. Norris creates a much quieter atmosphere for these chapters while still making it clear that Rielle's plight is every bit as desperate as Tyen's. Again, the narrative voice sounds Australian, but Norris gives a Middle Eastern lilt to Rielle and those around her. Both story and narration will keep the listener engaged and keen for the next installment. C.A.T. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

JUNE 2014 - AudioFile

2014-04-02
First of a new fantasy series from the Australian author of The Traitor Queen (2012, etc.). In one world, the use of magic results in black trails of depletion known as Soot, until eventually more magic seeps in to replace it. Student sorcerer-archaeologist Tyen Ironsmelter discovers a sentient book named Vella in an ancient tomb. A thousand years ago, Vella was a real woman until transformed by the era's greatest sorcerer. She still has her memories, and she can also absorb the knowledge of any person who holds her. She tells Tyen that magic can be generated by creativity; modern scholars disagree, though it's indisputable that their world's magic-powered industrial revolution is rapidly depleting the magic. Reluctant to give up such a powerful tool to professor Kilraker, his supervisor at the Academy (where, of course, no women are permitted), Tyen conceals Vella—and when Kilraker learns of her existence, he accuses Tyen of theft. Facing ruin as well as the loss of Vella, Tyen steals an aircart and flees. In another world, meanwhile, only (male) priests in the service of the Angels may wield magic. Here, using magic creates Stain, black blobs of depletion that fade only slowly. Dyer's daughter Rielle Lazuli can see Stain, but if she attempts to use magic, she'll be stealing from the Angels. Unwilling to accept a husband selected by her parents, she runs away to live with painter Izare Saffre. From a "tainted" woman, Rielle learns how to wield magic only to become the target of blackmail by corrupt young priest Sa-Gest. Canavan narrates in a pleasant tone of voice, the plotting is plausible and the backdrops reasonably persuasive. Characters, though, tend toward the bland. Despite the lack of sharp edges, Canavan's creation is intriguing enough to tempt patient readers back for more.

Kirkus Reviews