First Line Friday No. 20

I have returned!  I know you all were just dying to read more of my garbledygook.

Hence, I have brought some awesomesauce words (from someone else) and present them here for you as a belated holiday present.

Enjoy.

"I didn't know how long I had been in the king's prison.  The days were all the same, except that as each one passed, I was dirtier than before.  Every morning the light in the cell changed from the wavering orange of the lamp in the sconce outside my door to the dim but even glow of the sun falling into the prison's central courtyard.  In the evening, as the sunlight faded, I reassured myself that I was one day closer to getting out.  To pass time, I concentrated on pleasant memories, laying them out in order and examining them carefully.  I reviewed over and over the plans that had seemed so straightforward before I arrived in jail, and I swore to myself and to every god I knew that if I got out alive, I would never never never take any risks that were so abysmally stupid again."

-- From The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

The Thief is one of my all time favorite books.  I didn't care as much about the rest of the series (it was a superb standalone novel) but this book turned me on my head and taught me a thing or two about how to tell a good yarn.

Reasons to keep reading:

1.  Who is our mysterious narrator?
2.  Why is the narrator even semi-sure about the chance of getting out of prison?
3.  What did the narrator do?
4.  What are the narrator's pleasant memories?
5.  Who are these gods the narrator is talking about?

This book got its inspiration from the sunny lands of Italy and Greece, the rolling hills full of olive trees, the dusty roads full of travelers, the simple food, the old pantheons, and the stories we tell ourselves and others that might be true or might be...embellished (or bereft of helpful information).

The story of Gen is one I return to time and again, even though I've read it dozens of times.  The surprises are shocking (I mean, you have no idea and then BOOM!  Something you NEVER EVEN CONSIDERED happens!), the action jarring, the mystery astonishing, the characters (some of them) endearing.  You feel as if you're a comrade by the end of it, sharing in this tale of adventure.

There's something legendary about this book...it belongs with the old tales, when faith and magic and mystery were all shrouded together. 

You should read it.

See you on Monday for a review!