Awards, Reviews, and Editions. The Queen of Attolia
Greenwillow Books, 2000.
288 pages, ISBN 0-688-17423-X $15.95Booklist Top 10 Fantasy Books for Youth.
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Blue Ribbon List (Best books of 2000).
New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age, 2001.
Parents' Choice 2000 Fiction Gold Award.
Parent's Guide Honor Award, 2000.
A Chosen Book of the Cooperative Children's Book Center, 2001.
The Horn Book (starred review)
A tense opening plunges the reader into a harrowing escape scene, as the Thief slips through secret passages and races desperately across the countryside - where both hero and reader are slammed to a sudden and unexpected halt in the darkness. Already we sense, from this first chapter, that Eugenides is a master of stealth maneuvering and should have evaded his pursuers - but something has gone horribly wrong. In the shocking scene that follows, Eugenides's hand is chopped off by order of the ruthless Queen of Attolia, and the maimed Thief is sent home to Eddis as a cruel message. Those readers already attached to Gen from The Thief may suffer with him through his painful recovery but will never doubt it; newcomers will soon be engaged by this complex young man as they follow him through the fictional Mediterranean landscape, brilliantly drafted by Turner in the previous novel and here recalled as stage for a complicated web of political intrigue, military strategy, and star-crossed love. In order to save his country from ruin and takeover, Eugenides must return to Attolia and attempt to steal his greatest prize yet, the cruel queen herself, while still battling his profound fear, rage, and the predilections of his heart. The intricate relationships between the three small nations of Eddis, Attolia, and Sounis - and the powerful Mede empire that would swallow them all - demand ample concentration, but the highly developed imaginary world is fully realized and as palpable as the Eddisian gods and goddesses who play a substantive role in shaping Eugenides's fate. The intense read is thoroughly involving and wholly satisfying on all fronts, as the novel's pacing quickens to a dramatic political climax, then slows appropriately for the more intimate conclusion.
Kirkus Reviews (pointered review)
In this intense, intelligent sequel to The Thief (1996, Newbery Honor), war breaks out among three Balkanesque countries, engendering a series of crafty maneuvers and terrifying, high-stakes gambles. The uneasy balance between mountainous Eddis and larger neighbors Attolia and Sounis tips when Eugenides, the Queen of Eddis's official Thief, is captured by the ruthless young Queen of Attolia, and has his right hand struck off. Reprisals escalate, until Eddis is attacked on two sides and, ominously, troop ships from the huge Mede Empire approach. Turner creates a complex web of intrigue, hidden motives, feints, and counterfeints, focusing on the Queen of Attolia, who, while playing a dangerous diplomatic game with the scheming Mede Ambassador, has been driven to the ragged edge of sanity by the bloody-mindedness required to hold power in her turbulent country, and on Eugenides, whose deep-seated love for her struggles with stark terror after what she has done to him. Events move to a tight climax as the Ambassador seizes on a pretext to land his troops, and under his very nose the queens of Eddis and Attolia form an alliance to drive them back into the sea. Readers will be spellbound, not only by the plot's ingenious twists and turns, but by the powerful webs of humor and sorrow, differences and commonalities, love and loyalty that bind this memorable cast together. (Fiction. 11-15)
Publisher's Weekly (starred review)
This spellbinder of a sequel to the Newbery Honor-winning The Thief is every bit as devilishly well plotted and grandly conceived. As it opens, Eugenides the thief has fallen into the clutches of the queen of Attolia, who still seethes from his besting of her (relayed in The Thief. Unwilling to execute him, lest she start a war with the queen of Eddis (Eugenides's cousin and rulter), she orders his hand cut off. The drama is high, and the action grows only more engrossing. As Eugenides tries to reconcile himself to the amputation, war breaks out, involving Attolia, Eddis, and Sounis, tiny countries modeled on ancient Greece and other Meditterranean nations. For the most part, Turner eschews battle scenes, although she executes these with flair. Instead, she emphasizes strategy, with brilliant, ever-deceptive Eugenides a match for Odysseus in his wiliness and daring, perpetually catching readers by surprise. When, fairly late in the novel, Eugenides decides tht he must wed the fearsome queen of Attolia in order to achieve a more lasting peace - and that he loves her - it requires a certain leap of faith to accept that his terror of her coexists with his desire. But Turner's storytelling is so sure that readers will want to go along with her - and discover whatever it is that Eugenides will do next. Ages 10-up.
Parents' Choice (Gold Award)
In this amazing sequel to the award winning novel The Thief, little is as it appears. The wars and rumors of wars are played out against a backdrop of court intrigue worthy of the Byzantine Empire. Eugenides, while up to his old tricks as the official Thief of Eddis, is captured by the queen of a neighboring country, Attolia. In a horrific scene Attolia's beautiful harsh ruler has the man's right hand cut off. A wretched, sick shell when she returns him to his queen and country, his recovery is protracted and haunted. Yet, humanity is discovered in the most unlikely places, and gods worshipped in a dilatory manner prove real. A 2000 Parents' Choice® Gold Award.
Book, May-June, 2000. Recommended Children's Reading.
The strong-willed queens of Attolia and Eddis maneuver for power and to protect their lands in this fast-paced sequel to the stellar Newbery Honor Book The Thief. Eugenides, the Thief of Eddis, has always been able to break into any locked room or guarded palace to spy for this queen, but as this novel opens, the gods turn against him. The Queen of Attolia seems to have ruined his life, yet a plot twist sets the obvious on its head and leads to an unexpected conclusion. Scheming, spying, thieving, and fighting fill the pages of this cleverly plotted, enjoyable tale.
Voice of Youth Advocates
Reviewing codes: 5Q (Hard to imagine it being better written); 4P (Broad general or genre YA appeal); J (Junior High); S (Senior High).
How can you be a one-handed thief? That's what Eugenides, the royal Thief of Eddis, wonders when the Queen of Attolia orders his hand cut off - after he survives the first brutal, fevered months. Long after he is out of mortal danger, however, Gen still has to find the answer to his question and to regain his confidence and his ability to laugh. He struggles with himself against a backdrop of war - the countries of Eddis, Attolia, and Sounis all fight externally as Gen wages his internal battles. Back in Attolia, the young queen who maimed Gen fights with herself too, tortured by the fact that she tortured a boy, even as she battles corrupt courtiers and sends armies to attack neighboring countries. This book is as much her story as it is Gen's.
A stand-alone sequel to the Newbery Honor book The Thief (Greenwillow, 1996/VOYA June 1997), featuring several of the same characters, this rich, layered tale is immensely satisfying. The setting draws on the ancient Mediterranean world, but the countries and the pantheon are Turner's own. Complex characters and a complicated and sinuous plot, and references to gods and goddesses and their stories all enrich the novel, making the reader want to reread for all the details and resonances missed on the first go-round. This is a story to savor, one of those books a reader will race through to find out what happens, at the same time never wanting it to end. - Reviewed by Rebecca Barnhouse.
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (Blue Ribbon List)
"The Queen's Thief" has been captured by the ruthless queen of a neighboring country waging war on his homeland: Eugenides (Gen, from Turner's The Thief, BCCB 11/96) has been betrayed to his enemy, the Queen of Attolia, by his gods. His suffering and redemption, the military strategy involved in waging war on three fronts, and the limited options open to a disputed ruler determined to hold her throne are three convergent threads of this character-driven novel. Gen is an enigmatic individual with hidden motives; his love for Attolia, while not obviously foreshadowed, is convincing, as is his close friendship with the Queen of Eddis, for whom he thieves. The rival queens have a solid physicality; their enmity is clearly explained, and their rapprochement is no more than hinted at. Eddis fights for her kingdom as Attolia fights for hers, using any available weapon to win; Attolia regrets her apparently barbaric decisions, but even Eddis understands the bitter necessities that rule her foe's actions. More complex than its predecessor, this sequal is also thematically darker, with a more densely layered setup. While the pace is not swift, it is steady as a heartbeat, pulsing toward an inexorable conclusion. There's a slight arrhythmia when Gen blackmails Attolia into a promise of marriage, but Turner's resolution is both unexpected and convincing. Fans of The Thief are a few years older now, and they may well appreciate the subtleties of Gen's continuing story.
Kepler's Books, May 2000.
With precise prose and an excellently crafted plot, this is an enrapturing read for both children and adults.
Joe Monti, reviewer, Barnes and Noble's Explorations: The Best in Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Graphic Fiction, April/May 2000.
Many readers may be familiar with Ms. Turner's previous novel, the Newbery Honor award-winning The Thief. Quite simply, this was the best fantasy novel I read in 1997! Which leads me to explain why we have reviews of children's literature gracing these fine pages - because these books have mass appeal beyond their targeted audience.
There is precedence from Watership Down and The Hobbit, to modern titles like the Redwall series, to The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife, and of course, the Harry Potter series. What is also widely known, but seldomly expressed, is that many adults, particularly fantasy readers, actively seek children's fantasy novels. Not because these books hold simple pleasures; if anything, they ring true and pure. Turner's The Thief and this novel, its direct sequel, belong in this group.
The Queen of Attolia is actually a more mature work, and a more complex novel than its predecessor, and that's saying a lot. (Although children under 10 may find it too complex, I'm afraid.) Without spoiling too much, I will say that this novel begins in a similar vein to its prequel as we follow Gen, The Queen's Thief, infiltrating a castle by night. However, the book quickly takes a more serious turn as Gen is caught and seemingly abandoned by his Gods.
Here's where the strength of this book lies. It is extremely difficult to have a successful sequel to a singular piece of art, unless you try not to imitate or repeat, but build upon the foundation in a new and singular way. That's exactly what Turner does here as Gen is forced to reinvent himself and save not only the kingdom of Eddis, but himself and the Queen of Attolia. This is a brilliantly plotted, lushly characterized sequel filled with adventure.
Caron Mitchell of Kid's Center in Tucson, Arizona.
Despite a shockingly brutal beginning, this second tale of the Thief of Eddis is a charming one, set in a fictional land as richly detailed as our own. The empire of Sounis and the queendoms of Eddis and Attolia become as familar as the medieval European lands of which they remind the reader. Eddis' future looks bleak as her surrounding nations wage war, each threatening to unite Eddis and Attolia and protect his country. Engenides's youth and intelligence draw the young reader in, as does his brilliant plan to "steal" the Queen of Attolia. Gen, as he is known, is prepared for anything - except perhaps for the beautiful Queen he must kidnap. The novel is perfect for older readers who have become impatient with the rodent characters in the Redwall series, yet are not prepared for the graphic nature of adult fantasy books.
Amazon.com Reader
The Thief was notable for the wry humor of its narrator, Gen, who revealed so much about himself while still keeping his story's twist ending in store for the reader. In The Queen of Attolia, Gen (who prefers to be addressed by his full name, Eugenides, as befits his position as Queen's Thief of Eddis) finds his humor under severe strain as the uneasy political balance between the three countries of Sounis, Eddis, and Attolia finally explodes under the pressure of the encroaching Mede Empire. An ill-fated foray into Attolia's palace loses Eugenides his hand and Eddis' reprisal - war - seems to be the response the Mede Ambassador and his Emperor have been waiting for. Three small countries will either ally or fall, and at the moment none of them are at all concerned with alliance. "What can a one-handed man steal?" If he's very, very clever, he just might be able to steal peace.
It has to be hard, being the sequel to a Newbery Award-winning book, but The Queen of Attolia manages admirably, in part by being different from its predecessor without losing the familiar context of characters and setting. A third-person narrative allows the reader to view the situation from the perspectives of various characters - mostly Eugenides and the Queen of Attolia - but also distances the characters; fortunately, Megan Whalen Turner maintains such detail in her descriptions that many third-person passages feel like first-person narratives. There are changes to deal with in familiar characters as well. The war tests everyone, Eugenides the most: formerly quick-tongued and irrepressible, he responds to his loss by withdrawing into himself, often bitter at what he sees as his failure and the gods that have abandoned him; you miss the adolescent Gen of The Thief. The magus of Sounis betrays one alliance in hopes of salvaging another. Even the queen of Eddis, as beloved as she is unbeautiful, is not even sure whether or not her actions are as honorable as she first thought them. It's a sure sign that the author is doing a good job when you hurt in sympathy with the characters! But all is not lost: while there's much to endure before peace comes to Eddis and Eugenides both, there is also a very good story. Turner keeps the tension high and never lets the political intrigue outweigh the interactions between the characters, and there's even a tale of the old gods which serves as a kind of mirror to the action in the latter part of the story. (Also a twist halfway through which changes everything you thought about Eugenides' motives; it works, too.) All in all, like The Thief, The Queen of Attolia is one very good story of a convincing place that never was and people who, fictional or not, truly matter.
American Library Association Booklist
Gr. 5-8. Gen, the likable, slippery rogue of The Thief (1997), is back slipping easily through the secret passages and back rooms of the Queen of Attolia's palace. This time, to his amazement and dismay, he is caught because Attolia's guards seem to know his escape route as well as he does. Badly beaten and flung into a dank dungeon, he awaits his fate. Meanwhile, the Queen of Eddis cuts off the flow of water to Attolia, demanding the safe return of her thief. When Gen is returned alive but minus his right hand, the Queen of Eddis releases the water but orders her border troops to confiscate the goods of the next ten Attolian traders. Thus, war escalates between the two kingdoms, egged on by the unctuous, manipulative Mede ambassador to the Attolian court, whose nation covets both Attolia and Eddis. There's a great deal of political maneuvering and battling as well as individual angst on the part of the two queens and Gen, until Gen finally emerges from his self-imposed isolation to take part in resolving the conflict - by stealing the Queen of Attolia herself. Turner maintains her well-created world and believable characterizations in a tale (once again including only the slightest touch of magic) that is best suited to readers of the first one.
Author's note to The Queen of Attolia
The landscape of Attolia and Sounis and even Eddis are much like the landscape that surrounds the Mediterranean sea. I have taken bits and pieces of the region and its history and fitted them into my story, but the story is fiction. Nothing in it is historically accurate. The gods and the goddesses in my book are not those of the Greek or any other Pantheon. I made them up. The Mede Empire is also my own invention.
In the real world there have been many empires that have risen and fallen while attempting to surround and control the Mediterranean Sea. The Phoenicians, the Egyptians, and the Myceneans were some of the earliest. The Persians, in the fifth century B.C. tried to extend their empire to the Greek Peninsula and failed twice. They were defeated at the battle of Marathon and then at the battle of Salamis. The Romans managed to hold the Mediterranean for five hundred years and in the process exported their gods and insisted they replace at least officially the gods native to different parts of their empire.
After the Romans came the Byzantine Empire and the Islamic States, the trade empires of Italian City states and the Ottoman empire which did not disappear until the twentieth century when the powerful nations of the european continent contrived to defeat and divide it.