Take a Thief by Mercedes Lackey

This is a tale that I had hoped for and was not disappointed. The story of Skid who is the best friend of my favourite character Talia.

In this story we see the past of Skid and his life in Exiles Gate. Seeing the hell of his real family and then seeing him with Bazie and the Boys. You see what he has missed even if he does have to work when he is with Bazie. I think it filled a void in his heart.

I always had a soft spot for the former thief as he was such a good hearted person despite what his profession was. I think it shows that your upbringing doesn’t necessarily change your personality for the worse. Nature vs nurture definitely happens.

It is also nice to see other favourite characters such as Alberich the weapons master as well as see were Skif learned his ability with thrown knives. Also we’re he got the hidden sheaths for his knives.

The story created another character I loved which is Bazie who was a thief in Karse and had to join with the Tedrels as he was caught being a thief. I would love more of his story and to see how he lost his legs as well as how he fell in love with Valdemar.

The story had similar feel to other books by this author especially with revenge as a standard part of the plot. It really is what made this author so damned good. I think that the revenge motivation she does better than most. Her first story of Valdemar series was of revenge.


I always like the side characters from other main books and getting to see them in their own full story. Skif isn’t only seen here but seen in many other books. The arrows series he is in all three of those books, plus take a thief his own sad story, then the winds series he is a main character with Elspeth and again we see him in the mage storms books as well as a side character again

I would definitely recommend this book especially for those who are more of the casual reader as it isn’t part of a trilogy and there are seldom stand alone books with Valdemar.

Here is the blurb to entice you further

Mercedes Lackey’s triumphant return to the best-selling world of Valdemar, Take a Thief reveals the untold story of Skif–a popular character from Lackey’s first published novel, Arrows of the Queen.

Skif was an orphan who would have died from malnutrition and exposure if he had never met Deke the pickpocket. By the time he was twelve, Skif was an accomplished cat burglar. But it wasn’t until he decided to steal a finely tacked-out white horse, which was, oddly enough, standing unattended in the street, that this young thief discovered that the tables could turn on him–and that he himself could be stolen!