Preview of The Thief Summary:

The Thief follows the adventures of a myriad-talented young man named Gen who, after announcing that he can purloin anything, accepts a wager and steals the king's seal, which is in the possession of the magus, a powerful advisor to the king of Sounis. Gen brags about what he has achieved and is then caught, tried, and thrown into the king's prison. Although he boasts that the prison can not hold him, weeks later Gen is still in jail, dreaming of sunshine, and swearing to himself that he "would never never never take any risks that were so abysmally stupid again."

His reverie is interrupted by the appearance of the magus at his cell door. Gen is dragged to the advisor's study, then promised his freedom in return for stealing something for the magus and the king of Sounis. The next day Jen leaves the city with four...