Thieves' World: Enemies of Fortune FROM OUR EDITORS
The Barnes & Noble Review
Thieves' World: Enemies of Fortune is the newest short story collection based on the wildly popular fantasy realm created by Lynn Abbey and Robert Lynn Asprin in the late 1970s that has spawned dozens of anthologies, novels, and role-playing games. Included in this collection are new stories by C. J. Cherryh, Mickey Zucker Reichert, Dennis L. McKiernan, Jody Lynn Nye, and Steven Brust.
The realm of Thieves' World revolves around Sanctuary, a lawless city inhabited by outlaws, assassins, rogue magicians, necromancers, and -- of course -- plenty of thieves! "Widowmaker" by Cherryh and Jane Fancher follows Jarez Camargen, captain of the pirate ship Widowmaker, as he obsessively pursues a ship filled with invaluable supernatural cargo to the very ends of the Earth -- with disastrous results. Reichert's "Deadly Ritual" pits a disfigured orphan named Dysan against a mysterious man who is plotting to resurrect a malicious cult. "The Ghost in the Phoenix" by Diana L. Paxson and Ian Grey is a mystery of sorts about a widowed inn owner and her twin son and daughter, who try to understand how and why their lodge is suddenly haunted by the spirit of a foreign sorcerer.
Fantasy fans who enjoy breakneck-paced stories with dangerous surprises around every corner should definitely book a visit to Sanctuary -- a forsaken metropolis filled with corruption, twisted desire, and dark magic where absolutely anything is possible. The 12 stories included in this raucous anthology will surely entertain readers of sword-and-sorcery adventure. Hooded cloak and poison-tipped daggers not included. Paul Goat Allen
FROM THE PUBLISHER
"Sanctuary, a lawless city governed by evil forces, powerful magic, and political intrigue, where survival is an unexpected bonus." In this second of a new series of shared-world anthologies that continues its story with tales of necromancers and assassins, urchins and knaves, and, of course, thieves, a storm has left a ship filled with exotic cargo and arcane secrets wrecked off the shore of Sanctuary. This unexpected booty leads to boons and curses for the world-weary residents...as well as the usual power struggle among factions wishing to take deadly advantage at any new turn of events.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
The grim city of Sanctuary and its often grimmer inhabitants provide plenty of fantasy fun in Thieves' World: Enemies of Fortune, an all-original shared-world anthology, edited by Lynn Abbey (Thieves' World: Turning Points). Standouts include Robin Wayne Bailey's "Protection," in which Lord Spider's mistress gives the term "catwoman" a whole new shade of meaning, and Andrew Offut's "Dark of the Moon," in which Lone is deceived in gruesome fashion by a lovely girl who isn't what she seems. Agent, Jonathan Matson at Harold Matson Co. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
The wreck of a ship laden with exotic cargo off the coast of the city of Sanctuary-haven of thieves and outcasts-attracts the greedy, the curious, and the opportunistic. This latest anthology set in fantasy's grittiest burg features tales by such noted contributors as Jody Lynn Nye, Dennis McKiernan, and Andrew Offut. Of the 13 stories, readers are treated to the likes of Mickey Zuchert Reichert's tale of a sinister ritual gone terribly wrong ("Deadly Ritual") and Andrew Offut's tragic story featuring Shadowspawn's prodigy Lone and a deadly love ("Dark of the Moon"). A good choice for most fantasy collections and essential for the many fans of the "Thieves' World" series, both old and new versions. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Second collection in a revived fantasy series of magical malcontents, scheming underlings, and charming criminal lowlifes in the lawless, pseudo-medieval town of Sanctuary. Could what began as a subversive, pun-filled, street-smart sendup of the solemn heroics-and Swinburnean language-of high fantasy be getting a bit desperate? About half of these 13 linked stories show the series' returning characters, with a few new ones, in grim situations that neither end in cliffhangers nor have enough loose threads to demand continuation. "Widowmaker" and "Legacies," by C.J. Cherryh and Jane Fancher, respectively, set up the premise: a ship that's filled with magical cargo, has a dead but still animate wizard and a captain whose luck has run out, sinks just outside Sanctuary's harbor. In "Good Neighbors," editor Abbey uses a magical wand stolen from the ship to inspire another get-rich-quick dream for Changing House denizen Perrez. An intricately locked box found on the ship is used as part of a plot to kill a highly placed vizier, in Dennis L. McKeirnan's "Pricks and Afflictions." Jody Lynn Nye's "Consequences" draws the ethical, dignified Pel the Healer into treacherous palace intrigue when he attempts to cure Sanctuary's ruler, Arizak, of a gangrenous leg. Linguistic detective Heliz Yunz learns why a fiery hell has been swallowing employees of the Vulgar Unicorn tavern, in Jeff Grubb's "Malediction." The effeminate Kaytin and his sword-wielding girlfriend Kadasah fail to win the love of Kadasah's scheming father, in Salin Rosen's "Gathering Strength," but they learn to get along when the Thieves' World equivalent of Viagra saves their relationship. A song and "Dark of Moon" is Andrew Offutt's wrybut overdone account of the orphan thief Lone, who falls in love with Janithe after saving her from hoodlums-only to discover, given his lover's feeding habits, that he rescued the wrong person. The references to earlier stories may cause newcomers to stumble, as may unexplained aspects of the setting, but the recurring characters here work a winning charm.
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