The Thief and the Wild, by Seann Barbour
5 Aug 2024The Book
Synopsis:
New Alms is a city of sin and vice, populated by all manner of criminals. The ruling Cerenite priests can barely keep order; not that they—or anyone else for that matter—ever try too hard. It's a den of cutthroats and thieves, and there ain't many thieves out there as talented or as skilled as Jackson Balor.
When Jackson's hired by a priest to steal an old mask, he thinks it's just another job. But that's before he sees the blasphemous shrine it's housed in, before he starts getting followed around by bugs and birds and three-eyed cats, before he finds out that the mask was a vessel for the Wild God Ferengris, and that by filching it, he's invited the Enemy of Civilization to take up residence inside his head.
Now to save his own mind, Jackson's gonna have to team up with the very Wild cult he stole the mask from and take it back from the Cerenite Temple. But the priests have their own plans for the Wild God's artifact. They have their own ambitions for New Alms—and Jackson's about to learn that there ain't no room in their design for no-good criminal scum like him.
My Review
The Thief and the Wild is a fast-paced and fun, adventurous steampunk fantasy novel, written by Seann Barbour. Jackson was hired for the job of his life, but as it was revealed, it was only the start of a big adventure in the city of New Alms, a run against time in this city full of cutthroats and thieves if he wants to avoid becoming the vessel for the god of the Wild.
When a Cerenite priest hires Jackson to steal a mask, he doesn't doubt much; the best thief of New Alms, so it should be a simple job. However, what he didn't know was that this was only the beginning of an adventure to recover the mask for a second time from the hands of the Cerenite priests, avoid becoming the vessel of Ferengris (god of the Wild), and save the city where the people he loves reside.
An adventure that is not exempt of humour and jokes that season this heist story that will take us to explore the heart of New Alms, a peculiar city that has developed in peculiar ways as a consequence of its origin.
Apart from being a thief, the other word that could define Jackson is kindness; he uses the money to maintain a good life for his family and those that are close to him. The apparition of Ferengris in his life will be a shock, and the equilibrium with the god of the Wild will be a difficult one. It is easy to empathize and relate with him, and that's probably one of the best points of this book.
We have between hands a fast-paced story, which doesn't get dull for a single moment; paired with a low fantasy world with steampunk touches, leaving the spotlight to Jackson and his fight to get rid of Ferengris (and save New Alms). Particularly, I could have understood a slightly longer book in exchange for some more details.
Said that, The Thief and the Wild is a really competent novel, perfect to devour while enjoying of the struggles of Jackson to keep himself away from madness. Barbour has a particular voice that pairs well with this kind of story, and definitely, I enjoyed reading it.
