The King of Attolia

by Megan Whalen Turner

Book Overview

Discover and rediscover the world of the Queen's Thief, from the acclaimed novel The Thief to the thrilling, twenty-years-in-the-making conclusion, The Return of the Thief. The epic novels set in the world of the Queen's Thief can be read in any order.

New York Times-bestselling author Megan Whalen Turner's entrancing and award-winning Queen's Thief novels bring to life the world of the epics and...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 006083577X
• ISBN13: 9780060835774
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.28 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 5.9" x 8.6"
• Age Range: 13 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 8 and higher

Customer Reviews

Sent the wrong book, but then sent the right book

I ordered a hardback, and a paperback proof copy came, I contacted support and got no response. A few days later, a like new hardback appeared in my mailbox. I'm happy! 😄

For Adults and YA

I first picked up these books as a teen, and am still rereading them a decade later. Most adult fiction isn't this well written. Each sequel maintains the quality and integrity of the series. I'm a voracious reader, and a teacher, and I swear to you this is the best fiction I've ever read.

YA Series

I read the first book in the series, 'The Thief,' back in high school. It's a good series. Readers will enjoy following the journey of the intriguing protagonist, Eugenides.

The story of the Thief through new eyes.

I keep dreading the day when a sequel in this series will be disappointing, but so far each one is as good as the next. Turner makes you fall in love with new characters and keeps you wrapped up in the old ones. Eugenides is just as sassy and tricky as always, and I love watching Costis and the other Attolians figure out how to deal with him.

A well-written book that will capture the interest of any reader!

Gen the Thief of Eddis... is now King of Attolia!

Third in a series of books beginning with 'the Thief', by Megan Whalen Turner. In 'the Thief', Gen was a witty, nimble thief, always on his toes and ready with a comeback. It seemed nothing could bring his wit or cleverness down. In 'the Queen of Attolia', Gen lost his right hand, then stole the Queen of Attolia. Now he is married to her, and has become the King of Attolia. But the troubles are far from over for our clever thief. Made ruler of a land whose people don't trust him, and a court who thinks of him as a joke, Eugenides must face the ambition of the barons, the treachery of the court, the 'harmless' tricks of his attendants, and all those who regard him with disdain, without his friends behind him. He's all alone in the bloodsucking court, with a wife who, in the minds of her people, only married him because she was forced to. Although the book continues the adventures of the former Thief of Eddis, it focuses mainly on one member of the guard, Costis. In a moment of anger Costis knocks Eugenides over with a punch, putting the squad leader's life at stake. But the king visits him while he's thinking over his fate, and some time later Costis finds himself, relieved of his position, but still alive. Costis is later made a lieutenant of the king's personal guard, an action many regard bitterly. He thinks of it as the king's personal joke, but he may soon realize Eugenides is far from laughing. Although Costis shares his comrades' opinions about the king, he who stole their queen and couldn't rule to save his life, he finds himself gradually realizing he's been underestimating the clever thief. 'The Thief' was also a children's book; Queen of Attolia left that behind with a spectacular flare of political manipulation plus action; and now King of Attolia sneaks up from behind to offer a clever twist of court intrigue and drama that is exciting as well as enthralling to read. With adequate (but not elongated) descriptions and interesting dialogue, it doesn't get boring and is hard to put down. This may not be for young children to read, holding some mildly offensive language etc., but I did manage to read it to my 10-year-old sister with relative ease. I'm not sure, but King of Attolia very well could be better than the two before it, and it definitely ranks high in my list of the best books in the world. It was worth the long wait, and we can only hope that this will not be the last book Megan Whalen Turner writes about our friend, the King of Attolia.

Utter Satisfaction from Gen's Third Story

I have been an enthusiastic fan of Megan Whalen Turner's stories about Eugenides since the first page of The Thief. It and The Queen of Attolia demonstrate Turner's keen plots, full-fleshed characters, and delicious control of language. It was exciting to learn that there was to be a third book--with optimism that it could measure up to its predecessors. There is no need to fear disappointment from this book. Every line was sheer pleasure, but for knowing it brought the end a line nearer. Eugenides and his Queen are written with satisfying complexity and understanding, measuring up to and perhaps surpassing their characters in previous books. Other well-known characters--Sounis' Magus, Eddis, and references to an endangered Sophos--draw away from the fairly intimate main setting of the Attolian court and are welcome reminders of old friends. The new central character Costis is a genuinely good man whose slow coming around to the king leaves the reader saying, "Yes, NOW you understand why you have to like him; he's GEN." It is particularly interesting to note his and others' views on subjects which the readers have previously experienced through other eyes; for example, one soldier comments that it was probably Eddis' idea that Gen marry Attolia--although we know she was in fact violently oppossed. For those who prefer the political and personal intrigues of the stories there is also nothing to fear; the same complexity demonstrated in Gen and Attolia is practiced in the plot, which unravels with Turner's trademark precision. All of my hopes were more than lived up to, and this may very well be my favorite of the three. Not only that, but it simply shouts sequel--so here's hoping a fourth is forthcoming, as soon as possible and as good as this.

I'm speechless (well, almost)

I loved The Queen of Attolia, so much so that I was both thrilled and apprehensive when I heard about The King Of Attolia -- thrilled at the prospect of reading more about Eugenides and Attolia, but at the same time apprehensive that it wouldn't live up to the wonderful QoA. Well, me of little faith. The King of Attolia is even better -- so much so that it felt like a series of little gifts, each more surprising and wondrous and heart-stopping than the next. Turner is now neck-and-neck with Diana Wynne Jones as my favorite writer ever. This book is unbelievably great, and in it, Eugenides becomes a character for the ages, and not just in YA fiction. I don't know if Turner plans to tell more of his story (and Attolia's, and Eddis's, and that of the wonderful Costis), but I wish she would! I want to know if Eugenides fulfills Teleus' prediction -- and I want to know about his and Attolia's children! Surely this is the mark of a great series -- leaving the reader wanting - no, craving -- to know more.

Gen is Back!

Gen from The Thief is back, with all his bravado and brilliance; his complaints, manipulations, and hidden kindnesses. But Eugenides has matured in this third book of his adventures. He is now king and husband, although his guards despise him, his attendants mock him, and the queen...well, no one is sure how the queen feels. Megan Whelan Turner again shows her brilliance by introducing a new character as narrator. Costis is a stoic, ethical and unsophisticated guard who resents the upstart king and believes him weak and inept. Eugenides, as usual, keeps his true nature hidden, while we (readers who know Gen well) gleefully wait for the delicious come-uppance we know will come to all who cross him. What Ms. Turner does really well is unfold events in a way that require us to interpret the characters' actions, often necessitating a second reading. We must fill in blanks with our own guesses as to the significance of events. At first, the merest glimpses into Eugenides' relationship with the queen leave us wanting more. We begin to see the tenderness between them, and their fears are slowly exposed. He is not ashamed to admit that he is still afraid of his wife for what she has done to him and may yet do. She is afraid, too, not of him, but for him, as he takes unnecessary risks with little care for himself. The queen's character subtly changes as Eugenides' love, and trust in her goodness, help her learn to rule with mercy and wisdom rather than cruelty. Eugenides has changed, too, and is more empathic after his terrible stay in Attolia's dungeon, and when a character is tortured because of his treachery, Eugenides is there to comfort him and ease his recovery. The gods playfully show their presence, and people who appeared briefly in The Queen of Attolia are fully fleshed out. In typical fashion, no one is quite what he or she seems. As seen through Costis' eyes, Eugenides is almost supernaturally gifted with cleverness and physical agility, and we begin to see a quality of true greatness in him. Although he resists it as long as he can, he is eventually forced into a decision that may change the course of history. Filled with humor and emotion, this book does not stand on its own quite as well as the first two, but it is wholly satisfying to those of us who have clamored for more. The uncertainty of a much-loved character's fate and the threat of invasion give us hints of more yet to come. The climactic sword-fighting at the end of the book has us cheering for Eugenides, and for his decision. Long live the King of Attolia!

Excellent! Worth the wait!

I was so excited when I learned that there would be a sequel to 'The Thief' and 'The Queen of Attolia'. I was filled with anticipation for months, and when I finally got my hands on a copy of 'The King of Attolia', I practically devoured the poor book. And I must say, it was well worth the wait. Megan Whalen Turner writes well, but her style will never be described as poetic or lush. Instead, her prose is matter of fact and to the point, describing settings without trailing on forever, and capturing moods skillfully. She excels at writing believable, humorous dialogue; some of it was so funny that I found myself laughing out loud. Ms. Turner's plots and characters are what make her books so wonderful. Just as the plot of 'The Queen of Attolia' was very different from the plot of 'The Thief', 'The King of Attolia' possesses new themes and characters, while continuing the main storyline. I have noticed that Ms. Turner is distancing herself from Eugenides with each book: 'The Thief' was from his point of view, 'The Queen of Attolia' was third-person, but often from his point of view, and 'The King of Attolia' is third-person, but from the point of view of his guard, Costis, who is in nearly every scene. This technique makes sense. In 'The King of Attolia', Eugenides is a married man, and deserves some privacy. The book mainly focuses on how Eugendies is perceived by the Attolians. Nearly all of them despise him. They love their queen, and they think that Eugenides is an undignified, unkingly idiot, who has humiliated Attolia by marrying her. Attolia wants Eugenides to step into his position of kingship, but Eugenides never wanted to be king, only to marry her, and he is digging in his heels and resisting her every effort. His attendents hate him, he is homesick, and, being Eugenides, he hasn't a chance of getting through the entire book (or even the first half of the book) physically and emotionally unscathed. Most of the story lines are neatly tied up by the end, but, I must warn you, some of them are left dangling, and I am already panting for another installment in the series. I appreciate the way Ms. Turner takes the time to think up unique plots for each of her books, so I will try to wait patiently, but it's already difficult. I love Ms. Turner's books the most because of the characters. Costis is interesting and conflicted, but nothing like Eugenides. Though he is in nearly every scene, he is by no means the main character. He serves as the witness through whose eyes the reader views the real main characters: Eugenides and Attolia. He sees more of their private life than most people, but we can only guess at what happens between the two of them when he is not watching. (Intriguing hints about their wedding night are sprinkled here and there, but nothing inappropriate for younger teens/adolescents.) Eugenides has matured a lot (and suffered a lot) since he first appeared in 'The Thief', but he remains the same marvelous, in