This novel of adventure perfectly blends characters and action. Although there are sword fights, Gen does not like fighting and would rather rely on his wits to escape from an enemy. He has even taken a pledge "not to take a sword by the hilt unless my life was in danger." It is his cunning and cleverness, not his skill with a sword, which allow Gen, Sophos, and the magus to escape Attolia's prison and flee into Eddis.

Turner, in The Thief, has created a complete set of gods and goddesses as well as myths about the creation of the world. The magus tells the story of Earth's creation, how she made Sky, and how together they created humans. Gen later takes up the tale and relates the story of the birth of Eugenides, the god of thieves. He tells how Eugenides stole the thunderbolts from...