Pherus is the misshapen grandson of two powerful lords. One of them, Erondites, hates the Eugenides, King of Attolia, and wants to undermine his efforts to become High King. When Eugenides asks Erondites to send his heir to be one of his honored attendants at the palace, Erondites sends Pherus believing that Eugenides will send him back and ask for a different attendant. Instead, Eugenides accepts Pherus and protects him from the unkindness of the other attendants even though he believes that his mind is as weak as his body. Pherus has always pretended to be an idiot in front of strangers, but he is intelligent and an astute observer. People feel free to speak their secrets in his presence, and he comes to understand the inner workings of the court better than anyone. When the Medes threaten to conquer the smaller Attolia and its allies, Pherus must choose whether he wants safety in the home where he grew up, or glorious danger by declaring danger by returning the loyalty his king has shown to him.
This is the sixth and final story in The Thief series. This series has a very complicated plot and because it has been about 10 years since I read the first one, I had forgotten a lot of the backstory. I should have re-read them all before reading this one, but I was too impatient. Despite being lost a lot of the time, I really enjoyed Ms Turner's whit. She is so cleaver with her characters, her dialog and her plotting. As with her other books, there are a few scenes that are utter gems! I am currently teaching a writer's group of upper grade school age children. Next week I am supposed to teach them about creating strong, interesting characters. No one is better than Ms Turner in making endearingly flawed characters. I also think she did a satisfying job of gathering up and giving a satisfying ending to all the subplots from the series. So, hurray for her. I don't know how many people still read this series, but they should. (480 p. 2020)
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