Thieves' World: Enemies of Fortune

Many moons ago a fantasy anthology written by many top authors was conceived and Thieves World was born. The idea was that the City of Sanctuary would be the base with the various characters from the authors inhabiting this place. The idea was that the characters could be borrowed among the authors and you would get various perspectives of each character from different points of view. What the anthology turned into was a wonderful rollicking mess and one of the most important antholgy series to ever have been written for the fantasy world. The final book from the original series was published in 1989. 13 years later and Sanctuary rises again under Lynn Abbey's editorial control. This time it is a more mature version of theives world. The stories are every bit as good as the original, but a bit more polished this time around. Abbey must have learned hard lessons from the first anthology. There is a better focus and the story line is more organized. While the first anthology is going to be hard to match, the second anthology is starting off right. The second book, "Enemies of Fortune" is very very good. There isn't a bad story or filler here. The book has both light and very dark stories. You feel bad for the various characters and yet laugh at them too. You find both love and gallantry among the denizons as well as honesty among thieves. The stories warn of the dangers of drug use "Good Neighbors" as well as not kidnapping the wrong woman "Protection". My personal favorites are "Ghost in the Pheonix" a light hearted story about possesion and "The Man from Shemhaza" which is anything but lighthearted. "Enemies of Fortune" shows there are growng clouds for the future, which makes me want to read the next book before it is published. For those of you who have not read the original series, buy them if you can or at least read "Sanctuary", which will provide you a working knowledge betweent the old series and the new version. Highly Recommended.

I just picked up this book and have enjoyed it greatly. Thieves' World and the city of Sanctuary are such rich settings, and these authors explore that setting to great effect. I've only read about half the volume thus far, but highly recommend it based on what I have read. You'll enjoy this especially if you enjoy the whole 'shared world' concept (like I do). The stories are solid and the characters well-written. I strongly recommend the stories by Jody Lynn Nye, Robin Wayne Bailey, the 2 by CJ Cherryh & Jane Fancher, and Selina Rosen. And by all means, if you enjoy these stories, check out these authors' other works. Each one has a unique and entertaining style. Congratulations and a hearty 'thank you' to Lynn Abbey for reviving the wonderful and engaging Thieves' World!