Take a Thief is my favorite book by Mercedes Lackey. Following in the tradition of Valdemar and the Heralds, she has created a new character with a very down-to-earth feel about him. Skif is a servant in his Uncle’s inn, and is mercilessly driven in his chores. With little free time and even less food, Skif is lucky to be alive.

His luck increases however, when he is accepted as part of a gang - a gang of thieves. His life goes on in better style for a while, with food and companionship from the other boys in the gang. He learns how to "work" a crowd for maximum profit, and even learns the fine art of laundry snatching! He eventually becomes a fully fledged thief, and even believes that his life is perhaps finally settling down.

Then his home, along with his crippled mentor and all the members of his gang burns down in suspicious circumstances. Grief stricken, he leaves the area, only to find himself lost and hungry in a strange neighborhood. Seeing a loose white horse, he attempts to steal the beast - only to have the plot turn around as the horse runs away with Skif still on its back! The book progresses much faster from here, and Skif soon finds himself the only thief to have ever been Chosen by one of the Companions of Valdemar.

I find Mercedes Lackey’s books very similar to Anne McCaffrey’s writings, with a little more humor and fun. This book is not part of a series, and can be read as a story within itself. While Skif turns up in a few of the author’s other books, this is my favorite of all his adventures. I definitely suggest reading this book first out of all her tales. If you don’t like this novel, you won’t like any of her other books.

Title: Take a Thief
Series: Valdemar
Author: Mercedes Lackey
Reviewed: CL2 Uruva