I present Among Thieves by Douglas Hulick. Possibly one of the coolest books I’ve read this year.

First of all, the cover. This is fucking cool, people. Dark, mysterious, sexy, awesome costume. WANT.

Next, the opening. Dude is thrashing the hell out of someone for information. We *like* this torturing bastard. What’s more, it’s probably the evillest thing we get to see him do. Intriguing way to start a book. WANT.

Then, the story gets started. There are stolen relics and uncanny immortal emperors and portable magic tricks that can kill you. Most of all: fantasy gang wars. Kind of like a medieval Goodfellas. The hero is resourceful, smart, courageous yet sensible, funny and sexy. A wise guy. You’d love to be his friend. You’d hate to be his enemy. WANT.

Down sides, if there were any? I tend to skim fight scenes, when there’s nothing happening but the fighting, and I suspect this author knows a bit too much about sword fighting for his own good. There’s a gritty authenticity to the sword scenes that’s admirable, but still, there’s action at the expense of emotional tension. Which is a pity, because when the fights *do* get emotionally tense – especially towards the end of the book, where friends are in danger and the stakes are really raised – it’s excellent, gripping stuff.

So yeah. Among Thieves. YOU WANT. And the best thing is: the sequel, Sworn In Steel, is already out. Happy days 🙂