Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 03/15/2017 *Starred Review* Kamet, the high-ranking slave of a politically important master, is nothing if not pragmatic about his circumstances. “When a man is murdered, his slaves are tortured,” he explains dispassionately. “If any confess, then all are executed whether they share in the guilt or not. No one will buy them and they can hardly be freed—what a temptation that would put before the enslaved population. In the case of a poisoning, where the administration of the poison is unclear, the slaves are put to death on principle.” It’s a horrifying, if not altogether unsurprising, perspective; of course, slave owners wouldn’t view their slaves as people. It’s the conclusion Kamet comes to at the end of this speech that is startling. “The Medes,” he says of the people who own him, “fear little in quite the way they fear their own slaves.” For Kamet, slavery has been his life since he was stolen by the Medes from his homeland, Setra, as a child. But he has little desire for a different life; as a secretary and house slave, he is educated and well cared for, and he is being groomed to become the personal slave for the emperor himself. Kamet has authority in his master’s household, and ambition enough to seize what power he can. When a man comes from the nearby kingdom of Attolia and, claiming to be sent by the Attolian king, offers Kamet his freedom, Kamet finds the idea laughable; Attolia, he believes, is a backward country, and freedom there is worth very little to him. “There is freedom in this life and there is power,” he thinks, “and I was ambitious for the latter.” But Kamet loses all choice in the matter when his master is poisoned. Forced to flee, he joins the Attolian, escaping the city and embarking on a treacherous journey with a companion whose friendship he resists, heading toward a country he hates and a life he does not want. In Attolia, a man who is both a king and a thief waits for Kamet’s arrival, and he has more invested than Kamet knows. Kamet’s story stands alone, though existing fans of the Queen’s Thief novels will certainly recognize some familiar places and people. Though he barely appears on the page, Turner’s original hero and titular thief, the clever and charismatic Eugenides, is very much a presence, and his machinations, as they often do, shape the course of Kamet’s story. But even more than plot twists and political intrigue, what is so welcomingly familiar and so wholly real here is the depth of the characters and the tenuous, frightening instability of the world around them. In his element, Kamet is arrogant and vain; in the clutches of a larger world, he becomes frightened, thoughtful, often kind, and, at times, incredibly strong. There is fantasy that is an escape and fantasy that is a mirror, and this, astonishingly, is both. Kamet’s flight into the unknown is hair-raising and filled with danger, but his world is seething, poised on the brink of war. Relations between countries are strained, loyalties are tested, and ordinary people brace for a period of darkness. Still, though, all is not hopeless. Despite his ambition, Kamet, like his captors, knows that oppression is not sustainable, that tyranny is ephemeral, and that in times of change, one slave—one man—can make all the difference. This world, its people, and its gods remain as fiercely alive as they were when The Thief first stole hearts as a 1997 Newbery Honor Book. For newcomers, this is a worthy introduction; for loyal readers, it will be like coming home. - Copyright 2017 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 04/01/2017 Gr 7 Up—Kamet is a slave poised to become one of the most powerful men in the Mede Empire thanks to his master's close relationship with the Emperor. While he knows the limitations of his life as a secretary and slave, Kamet is ambitious and eager for the chance to help shape the Empire and wield his influence until one whispered conversation changes everything. No longer safe, Kamet embarks on a journey that will take him farther than he once thought possible. Traveling away from the seat of the Mede Empire, Kamet finds an unlikely ally in an Attolian soldier far from home and realizes that sometimes choice and freedom can be much more important than power or influence. Turner returns to the "Queen's Thief" series in this fifth installment, which moves beyond the familiar borders of the countries of Eddis, Attolia, and Sounis. This novel is filled with characters readers will learn to love, including several from earlier volumes. Kamet's transformation from a circumspect and scholarly secretary to a man in control of his own fate is immensely satisfying, as is the way his story intertwines with other threads from the series. His pragmatic first-person narration brings a fresh perspective to familiar places and people while expanding the world. This clever book is both a stand-alone introduction for those just discovering Turner's characters and a way to move the series forward to what promises to be a stirring conclusion for longtime fans. VERDICT Now is a great time to purchase the entire series for your library. A must for fantasy readers seeking titles rich with intrigue and politics.—Emma Carbone, Brooklyn Public Library - Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.