Sanctuary: An Epic Novel of Thieves' World

I was excited there was a new Thieves World book. That ended quickly. The protagonist was a clod and not likable. Book is sloooow plodding, plus I get it. It's not the same Sanctuary. IIf the author mentioned that one more time!!!If I had to read the word pud or old pud one more time I would have stopped reading. Lynn Abbey is better than this. Very disappointing. Will give the other books a chance despite this one.

*spoiler alert - if you haven't read any of the previous anthologies, and plan to, some of the information below could be considered spoilers* Way back in the 1980's, several authors entered into an ongoing collaboration on a fantasy series which eventually came to be called Thieves' World. Long before the gritty, realistic and, perhaps, perverse protagonists written by GRR Martin, Robert Jordan, Greg Keyes and R. Scott Baker written in revolt of so-called "stock characters" so prevalent in fantasy, Robert Asprin and Lynn Abbey's world was populated with heroes but predominantly rogues in the "cess pit of the Empire", the city of Sanctuary. For those overdosed on the stock characters promulgated by, predominantly, the success of Tolkien, the denizens of Sanctuary were all too human (even if not completely human, themselves) in their desires and pursuit of self interest. Several parts the rankest districts of Rome, and a large part main street Sodom and Gomorrah, one always knew when starting a chapter that you would meet only the most interesting of characters in the pages to come, surrounded by their only slightly less fascinating fellows in a city where one had to be smarter and more devious than everyone else just to make it through the day, else end up meat in a gutter or, worse, a pawn in the schemes of the more competent manipulators in the city. Imagine New York, with all the water, sewage, subway and financial services shut down for a day (and the resultant frustration and madness), and you have every day in Sanctuary. In contrast to the popular and prevalent high-medieval settings of the day, Thieves' World was, at latest, analogous to the late pre-Christian Roman Empire. As one would expect in a series with several authors, each composing a separate chapter in the several thousand pages of the story, the writing could be uneven at times. Regardless, it was never a case of too many cooks spoiling the soup. While it would be inaccurate to say Thieves' World wasn't filled with stock characters, initially, it was what the various authors turned these main points of view archetypes into that kept readers coming back for more. The heroic, undefeatable soldier became the serial rapist (and closet homosexual), while the wicked witch/necromater became the façade of a coquettish mage with a (very, very) deeply buried heart of gold. The slaver/crime boss became the patriot, the shape-changing mage with immeasurable power a pawn to his anyone who fed his sex addiction, and the benevolent but tough-as-nails mage as belonging to a monastic doomsday cult and a transsexual lesbian. Sadly, the series stopped rolling out installments in the mid-1990's. *spoilers for previous anthologies end here* In Sanctuary, the novel by Abbey from 2005, we return to the mean streets of an even more ravaged city for a much needed update. The cult of the mother goddess, Dyreela, has been expelled and, seemingly, eradicated, allowing the denizens of Sanctuary a ten

Lynn Abbey has resurrected Sanctuary from Thieves World again. She has started a new series based on the old and needed a crossover book to bring the old readers up to date and try and fill in the back ground for the new readers. The only character from the "old" series is Molin Torchholder and he is in trouble. He has enlisted a new character named Cauvin and his younger brother Bec to help him. The book revolves around a cult of murderers that has returned to Sanctuary from the past and they are out to kill Molin. At this point in the book, Molin is very old and the past is in the distant past with all of the old characters gones with the exception of one that makes a brief period at the end of the book. "Sanctuary" is a very good crossover from the original series to the new. While the book nevers goes into great detail about the past, the reader is getting a nice thumbnail that covers the general storyline. As all brief descriptions, much is left out for brevity, but the very base is there. Abbey has done a good job of making the new book read like the old series and that could not have been easy. The old characters are mentioned, but much like all history they are not really remebered right except by those of us that read the original series. I suggest that you read or reread the original series because you will be surprised how much you forget, but if you do not want to return to the past you do not need to either. Highly Recommended.

Shared worlds often suffer from the problem of a major theme emerging and all the stories turning to that theme, even if that means sacrificing something along the way. Somewhere around the sixth book or so of the Thieve's World series, I felt that some of what I enjoied most about the stories had been lost as an overall story arc developed.When I bought Sanctuary, I was not optimistic, but I remembered the early stories fondly enough to take the risk. Boy, am I glad I did! Not only did I enjoy the book once I got into it, but the flashbacks to Sanctuary's past make me think that I should go back a read all the stuff I mssed in the original series.

I'm a big fan of the original series, Thieves' World, which ended with its twelfth book over a decade ago. When I'd finished the last page of the last book of Thieves' World, I'd experienced for the first time what I would come to judge all other books by. That bittersweet feeling of a triumphant conclusion to a great story mingled with slight sorrow at the parting with its characters. So I started Sanctuary with apprehensions. One of them being that this book was written by a single author, while Thieves' World was a shared-world-anthology by multiple writers which created a uniqueness with universal appeal. The other issue that troubled me was that inside flap had informed me that my favorite characters were no longer around.Just like any place a person comes to love, I wasn't sure I'd like going back when the very things I'd enjoyed the most had changed.However, Abbey skillfully proves true that "the more things change the more they stay the same". As with any famous city, or in this case, infamous city, Sanctuary pulses with a life all her own. Previous generations leave their mark and the new rise up only to soon become part of the legend themselves. Whether this is a return visit or your first time in this notorious city, be wary. The reader is quickly seduced by the sinful charm of Sanctuary's intriguingly seedy taverns like the Vulgar Unicorn, the shadowy allies of the Maze, and her dangerous ghettos such as the waterfront district.If you're a fan of Thieves' World, you're sure to enjoy your return visit as much as I have. If you haven't read Thieves' World, this book is great introduction. It's a whole new story in a dark, old city. Abbey gives you just enough history so you'll learn a little of what your getting into while the veterans get a reminder. Keep your money-purse close, dagger closer and trust few. Sanctuary has no mercy, even more so for visitors.

Sanctuary has a long history of war, but to the residents of today that is in its glorious and ignominious past. The heroes and villains are dead with one exception Lord Molin Torcholder, keeper of the secrets. However, he too nears the end as evil has returned and mortally assassinated him.Before he dies, Molin must name his successor and transfer his power and secrets to this individual so that Thieves' World regains its equilibrium. Molin depends on Cauvin and preadolescent Bec aided by Soldt to complete his quest. However, their enemy Dyareela, the Mother of Chaos, is a powerful opponent seemingly stronger than the dying Molin and his trio of saviors as her followers are growing rapidly.SANCTUARY is an exciting Thieves' World entry that is more for long time fans though a newcomer with perseverance and stamina will relish the full effect of the tale and want to read the myriad of sword and sorcery anthologies and novels previously published. The story line is loaded with action yet contains strong characters, especially Cauvin and Bec. Though the history lessons of this realm provide background material for the novice visitor, it slows down the impact of the plot for the experienced traveler. With patience, new and old readers will enjoy Lynn Abbey's latest Thieves' World journey.Harriet Klausner