A Fantasy Hardboiled (Volume 2) - Ratcatchers - Volume Two

Thief continues the hard boiled style established by Colville in Priest. Negotiating the convoluted workings of the underground armed with his wisdom and experience while relying upon the intelligence of others, Heden strives to live his moral-driven life.

I can sense the larger world at play here and it feels so real! This trumps game of thrones in my opinion in terms of political intrigue in a fantasy world. It nails the complexity and giving the reader a view into most of the parties involved without being overwhelming.

This book perfectly ties into the first. Seamlessly transitioning from Priest to Thief, this book is just plain amazing. I actually leapt off my couch and literally started cheering in excitement when I finished it. I cannot wait for Fighter.

Will edit on a proper device. To surmise thus book was the first I've read in a few years, and I could not put it down. I've tried to finish a few books since college and none really grabbed me. This series did and I finished both in a week.

A sequel that surpasses its predecessor is no small feat. Colville's world grows exponentially deeper in this continuation of his story. We need the next installment like it was yesterday. I'm certain it'll be worth the wait.

Matthew Colville is an amazing fantasy story teller. He let's you uncover the complexity of his world for yourself rather than spoon feeding it to you. There is drama, ethos, action, and humanity encompassed In a wonderful tale. I can't recomend him enoug
h as an author and I look forward to the realese of book 3.

Very few books anymore suck me and bind me to finish them like this one has. It has all the elements of a classic hardboiled fantasy paired with masterful writing style. Suspense, dialogue, fighting, characters you want to believe are real. I offer a most high recommendation for thief and anticipate the next volume with eagerness

Even with some of the background being a bit lacking (my opinion), I found the story engaging. The characters had color and some depth. There was a touch of... dirt or grit to hit, giving it some "reality". Worth tje time spent.

(Minor Spoiler Warning)

The troubles in Thief took what was a "good" book and made it simply "OK," such that I'm a bit shocked the reviews for Thief are higher than Priest (in my opinion, a much better executed book).

Colville is a very good writer, which makes it all the sadder that this book suffered as it did.

Pros-
He's great at world building, characters, and dialogue--really aces!

Cons-
The story really meandered in spots; a tighter edit & more beta readers would help.There is a LOT going on in this book between all the different plots and layers of evil and corruption that need fighting, and a tighter focus would help.

The male lead's emotional arc was a little bipolar in spots, often unjustly so (e.g. handsomely rewarding a brothel madam who sent a girl to die, and be raped, in jail at the orders of the story's Big Bad; or raging at the death of another character, whom Heden chastised in a previous book for raping said girl in jail while she was defenseless). The character Heden is a bit of a mess in this book.

The Ultimate Evil Weapon that has everyone in a panic from the start is completely neutered by the 3rd act, killing any fear or tension of it at all.

The Stage Boss / Big Bad "The Count", whom we see strut around being a REALLY evil bastard the whole book is dispatched in an entirely anticlimactic way, killing any catharsis for the reader to see them get their comeuppance.

Ultimately I'm glad I read it. Thief is loaded with characters and information that I'm sure will be critical as the narrative moves along, but it was incredibly disappointing to see how it wandered and fizzled out in the end.

I'm looking forward to Fighter (Teagan???).

Heden is a remarkably relatable and full bodied character of a like that I seldom see in fantasy. Despite being functionally powerful, even to a near God like level, his inner struggles and insecurities leave him vulnerable and human. I literally cannot recommend this book enough.

Very pleased with the book, a delicate blend of pulp fantasy and profound observations on motivation and psyche. Will read it again when I have time, enjoyed it thoroughly and the author felt worth listening to.

Matt Colville has done it again! His storylines are engaging, so much so that I dread the end of my lunch hour. Not because I have to go back to work, but because it means putting down my book. The characters are flavorful and witty. I look forward to the next book in the series!

I though Priest was an amazingly focused read, the entire story was dedicated to the protagonist. thief does a great job expanding on the world and taking the story to even wilder places than I could have imagined. I can't wait for the third installment.

Originally bought the book to show support for Matt's YouTube show. I have not been able to put these books down. Such a rich story, I enjoy all of the mysterious hint to past adventures in Hedens life. I cannot wait for Fighter to come out.

Great book, easy read. I love that his style is right to the point, not spending pages and pages describing the way the lace on someone's gloves looks or the history of the land the tea some is drinking. Everything written moves the plot forward or gives us valuable insight to a character. Can't wait for fighter!

If you love a good med/fant world as I do you will blissfully immerse yourself in these stories only to surface with the realization it was the dream you'd like to live in. I enjoy his writing style.

I picked these up at the behest of the author who I follow on YouTube for fantasy RPG-related content. I was surprised and pleased at the quality of the first two volumes of the ratcatchers series and I look forward to more.

Great novel. Needs a bit more editing by I genuinely enjoyed every sentence. Sometimes in books I find myself wanting to skip some of the fluff but never a Colville book, and the reason is simple. There's no fluff, just great content.

SPOILERS:

A very drunk small boy has only ever known one trade: stabbin'.
He gets in over his head when he plays Chess™ against someone much taller than him (they can see the board better).

I think I enjoyed Priest more, I felt Aimsly character could have been drawn out a little bit more but I enjoyed it never the less.
There were some seriously tensed moments!
Once again, thank you so much Matt! Looking foreward to read Fighter!

Can't express how much I enjoyed reading Colville's second book - the characters were intriguing and their challenges daunting. I eagerly await Fighter and have been advising my personal friends and acquaintances to pick up this good read.

Once again, Colville keeps the tension running till the very end, gives you characters to root for, and sets the stage for an even bigger adventure. I'll be happy to have this one sitting on my shelf.

Good fantasy novel. If you enjoy action and multiple points of view in a story you will enjoy. Different from priest in that there seemed to be more fighting scenes. But the story progressed at a similar pace.

I greatly enjoy Colville's storytelling. The fast-paced, yet descriptive narratives he uses in his youtube channel translate to this novel. I thought this one was better paced than Priest, as Heden and the thief character navigate the criminal underworld. The characters were fun to follow. These are deeply flawed people, but I found them relatable. It helps that they are incredibly badass and use their powers in creative ways to defeat whatever problem is in front of them.

This might be a point of view thing, but it seemed to me the all of the female characters are sexualized in some way. The prostitutes' attractiveness is constantly commented on (they are awesome and more competent than Heden gives them credit for. I am convinced that the ending of Priest would have been happier if one of them had been sent along to solve the mystery). All the other women in the narrative throw themselves at men (mostly Heden) and either beg to run away together or die horribly (thinking of Lady Isobel from Priest). Are there no lesbian or asexual women in this world? I'm hoping that this problem will fix itself in Fighter where Teagan, a gay man will probably take on a point of view role. I doubt he'll need to comment on women's sexy legs!

Overall, they are fun fantasy books and I'm looking forwards to seeing how all the plot threads weave together in Fighter!

Colville continues to impress with the second book of tge trilogy. The writing itself feels much more consistent and confident throughout 'Thief', compared to 'Priest'.

A small change of focus and themes is exciting. Here we explore a more classic part of the Ratcatchers story, exploring elaborate political plots. While the focus is shifted the book does still stay true to the very compelling inner journey of Heden the main character. This time allowing us some glimpses into the inner workings of other characters aswell.

Overall there are a lot mote character in this part, many if which are extremely charming to the reader for different reasons, leaving you wanting more in many different directions.

Overall this is a step up purely in writing for Colville. 'Thief' also proved that this story deserves a trilogy and I can't wait for 'Fighter' to come out.

The book was very engaging and a good sequel to Ratcatchers Vol.1. The world building is done in this volume make me eager to see where this series goes. The main criticism I have with the book is that the titular Thief in the book is a secondary character that is largely tangential to the plot. This book continues to expand on the protagonist of the first book, while the thief introduced in this volume is just one of a cast of characters that gets fleshed out in this book. This cast of characters is interesting and all have a role to play in the book. The thief barely gets much more of role in the book then other characters not named in the title. This is largely still a book about the Priest of volume 1, but it is still a very well written and interesting book about the Priest.

Once again Matt delivered an interesting story. The problem is that we are still missing the background. The events that lend weight to character motivation are clouded by being unexplained. We learn only a little more and it fills in a few gaps but he introduced plenty more to take their place.
And now with the addition of the next member of the group I wonder if they are all going to join as enemies that he just hadn't killed yet. Which is what it feels like for Aimsley.
This was a book called Thief and he played a part but he deserved a bigger role. He contribution was considerable but it felt like it was only for his own ends. Heden found a different way in. Heden fought alone on the bridge. Heden alone with the alchemist.
I'll still read the next one and see if the complex politics doesn't kill it for me completely.

Collville's second novel vastly out paces the first. Thief's languid and wildly erratic early exposition give way to sophisticated plot and character developments as it suddenly accelerates to a breakneck speed when Colville finds his footing. Overall, it's a good read. Hopefully, the author will change his mind and finish the series, granting a deserved conclusion to his fans who have stuck with him.

Went from 47% of the book read to 100% in one day. I am addicted to this series as Aimsley is to alcohol. Can't wait for fighter which I know is pretty far in the works. But then what will I do after that. This great work tugged at my heartstrings and created such a diverse cast of meaningful characters. This is a master piece of Matt Collvile and will be a hallmark in my literature.

I was curious how Matthew Colville would be able to do the original story justice, but Thief is a phenomenal continuation. green continues to be a strong protagonist, and the supporting cast, Aimsley, Vanora, the Abbott, Hapax Legomenon, etc all richly enhance the narrative. The fights are even better in this book than the first (Heden vs. shadow assassins...PRICELESS). I'm such a huge fan of this series so far, and can't wait to read Fighter!

I like Colville's writing style, his dialogue seems natural and fluid. Also, the slang of his world needs little to no explanation to figure out based on its context in the story. Like the previous book (Priest), this is a self contained story but it still fits into the greater narrative of his saga.

This book is one of the most natural feeling fantasy books I have ever read. The world is subtlety fleshed out over two books giving you a great glimpse of a complex persistent world.

Read it.

If you ever pleated D&D or Pathfinder this is a must read.

Colville is a huge D&D guy, which is how I became aware of his books, but the generic tropes that fuel the average fantasy novel are absent in Colville's works. Each character has depth. The good guys are flawed. The bad guys have streaks of compassion and humanity. I can't wait to read Fighter, and I feel that I cheated myself by devouring Priest and Thief so quickly.

I think of the two I liked Priest a little better, though maybe because it was first. This book is filled with lots of intrigue and action. Not your usual heroics either. I read several other reviews that listed some plot points that disappointed them and I have to say for me, I thought they fit nicely and we're exactly what was needed. As I said not your usual heroics.

I don't like how often the f bomb is dropped, but that is my personal opinion. Matthew Colville does an amazing job of making his world believable. His use of psychological effects drew me into the characters, even Garth. I also really enjoyed seeing his use of politics, especially after watching his YouTube videos. If you read the first book read this too, it makes what Heden goes through worth it. If you haven't read Priest yet, you should read that first to fully understand.

I've loved D&D since I was 11, and quickly got into Dragonlance, and the Drizzt series, but while they were fun reads, they didn't live up to the game. Priest lived up to it, but since it was so isolated from the rest of the world in setting you don't really notice. Thief fixes that. It really feels as if you could look up at any moment and you'll be at the game table, waiting to act. Thief is all the things the Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms books should be, and just a general step up from the first book.

This series has been one of the best fantasy series that I have read in a long while. A magic system that seems familiar to me, yet is new in its own ways, characters with backgrounds that I want to know more, twisting plots, and good action, all make me excited for his next book. Hopefully at some point he will release some prequels as well, detailing the adventures of some of the characters.

It's not perfect; some of the flaws from his first book are still present, some of the tone and pace can be a little uneven, and occasionally I feel like there are details in the author's head which he should have written down. However, in the end, this is a very strong book and left me craving the next entry in the series.

I so sincerely wish that Matt could find the time to take the experience and nuance from Thief back in time to writing Priest. Compared to his first novel, Colville drastically switches up the pace and tone to convey the progress of Heden and introduce the party rogue. While Priest set-up Heden's internal character well, the pacing and flow of Coleville's work make Thief worth the purchase of both. Happy reading and tha ks for the read.

Again, a compelling, incredible story with some fascinating characters in an updated vein of old high fantasy. The one downside I see is a lack depth and differentiation for the female characters. Still an excellent book and a very fun read.

For some reason, despite their differences, I keep coming back to Brandon Sanderson's The Stormlight Archives as a similar series. Both feature protagonists that we meet later on in their careers, yet at the same time, they seem to really come into their own, and overcome their Tragic Flaws in the events of these novels. Really good books.

Matt Colville seems to have captured the great wonder of traditional fantasy. While this is by no means a replacement of the classic fantasy novel it is joyful trapse through a fantasy world that will not disappoint.

An absolute steal of a book to be found under Kindle Unlimited. It is an outstanding and thrilling fantasy novel by an author who has created a world that is rich and fulfilling for the reader. Can't wait for Fighter and whatever else follows. Well worth triple the cover price.

This book series harkens back to the old pulp-fantasy books of the 80s and 90s. Great gritty fantasy with interesting characters and just enough story to continuously draw you deeper into the rabbit hole.

Story moves quick, development is sound. Overall excellent characters, politics, and consistency. The only negative I have is that the references to past events and people have a tendency to be unexplored. I don't believe it is a demerit, but its a bit odd.