5 STARS!

Wow, this was an amazingly good read. Full of action, mystery, thieving, and so many plot twists; there was never a dull moment. I loved the authors writing style. The story, characters, and the world were full of interesting well thought out layers. Everything had depth, even the minor details /characters. This is a book you can truly get lost in, I did. I truly don't have any criticism that I can give. This will definitely be one of my favorite reads of the year and I cannot wait for the next installment.

*On a side note, I don't read Epic or High Fantasy. Among Thieves was my first foray in this genre. It just never appealed to me before. I picked up this book after reading a glowing review written by a friend. I thought I'd at least give it a try, but I honestly didn't expect I'd have much interest. HA, I couldn't have been more wrong. So, my sincere thanks to Mr. Hulick for writing such a wonderful book. Because your book, I will now be shopping for books in the Fantasy genre. :)

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After a long time thinking that my standards for fantasy might be a little too high, this book comes along.

Setting: This book looks only superficially like a European fantasy. There are certainly European or English flavorings, but everything is a little bit different from the religion to the general philosophy of the people. Hulick certainly knows enough about his culture to paint a perfect picture for his audience.

Plot: This is one that will keep you guessing. There is more political intrigue than in any other similar book I have read in the past half of a decade. Enough to make you want more, but not so much that you think the author is just throwing things at the audience.

Characters: OK, there are perhaps a few too many characters, but only by a handful. Since it's fewer characters than many similar books I am not going to complain too much.

If you love books about swashbuckling, swindling, and magic this is for you. (also check out with a single spell by Lawrence Watt Evans)

Now the Bad news: Book two is taking forever to get here.

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I floved* this book. An interesting and unusual plot - without the usual fantasy tropes. Unpredictable yet not overly complicated. Intriguing characters and a believable story. Fantasy but it still reads like a story you'd see in drug gang battles - just with magic.

Be sure to read Hulick's introduction on the the use of thieves cant.

* a term I learned on PBS!

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