Storm Thief by Chris Wooding

Storm Thief Chris Wooding Date: 2006-09-01   —   Book product page Rating:

Rail and Moa are petty thieves living on the island of Orokos and subject to the sudden changes that the probability storms bring-streets that move, rivers that overflow, life that turns to death.  Rail struggles to breath because a long ago storm damaged his lungs, and Moa has been an outcast for as long as she can remember.  But at least they have each other, and now they have stolen an object with strange powers--its wearer can walk through walls.  Any thief would want it, but other people want it too, and will do anything to get it from them.  So Rail and Moa go on the run, trying to avoid being caught while worrying about when the next probablity storm will hit.  Along the way they encounter a creature not effected by the storms, an underground gang that is trying to escape the island, and the very secrets of the probablity storms themselves.

Wooding has really outdone himself with his imaginary world.  Again, as in The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray, this world seems familiar and yet it is completely unknown.  The dens of thieves could be straight out of Dickens.  Vago, a golem like creature created to fight the probability storms and the Revenants are truly both creepy and unique as is the climatic scene where Rail and Moa discover the secrets of Orokos.  Very suspenseful in places, but perhaps a little bit preachier than absolutely necessary, still, the idea that the citizens did this to them selves is certainly a lesson that deserves to be heard. 

tags: stormthief  chriswooding  yafiction  speculativefiction  

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