Den of Thieves

Hmmm... what does it say that I've read yet another book that I consider to be more enjoyable than it deserves? I picked up Den of Thieves without any advanced knowledge, I was just looking for a roguish fantasy book (which seems to be an increasing percentage of the fantasy genre, actually).

I see plenty of things I consider flaws in the book. The explanatory flashbacks, while not a crime individually, are overused for my taste. The pacing feels off - like I'd read through fifty pages and suddenly wonder why no progress had really been made toward the challenge apparent on the horizon. The thiefy guildmaster seems just a little too in control to me, some circumstances around the big bad wizard don't make much sense, and the knight is agonizingly inflexible (though this will appeal to some people). All told, I think it could have been pared down some and been better for it.

That said, none of this actually stopped me from being interested and reading on. Overall, I enjoyed it and shall probably look for the sequels when they're released (rather close together later this year, apparently). Malden isn't a perfect protagonist to me, but he's good enough and I'd like to see more of the setting and see what happens to some of the people. The fact that the series is named after the so-called "Ancient Blades" indicates there definitely should be some new people and possibly settings in the future.