The King of Attolia

The King of Attolia is a young adult fantasy novel by Megan Whalen Turner, published by the Greenwillow Books imprint of HarperCollins in 2006. It is the third novel in the Queen's Thief series that Turner inaugurated with The Thief in 1996.[1]

The King of Attolia
First edition cover[1]
AuthorMegan Whalen Turner
Cover artistVince Natale[1]
CountryUnited States
SeriesQueen's Thief[1]
GenreYoung-adult fantasy, political fiction
PublisherGreenwillow Books/ HarperCollins[1]
Publication date
February 2006
Media typePrint, audiobook
Pages387[1][2]
ISBN0-06-083577-X
OCLC57754053
LC ClassPZ7.T85565 Ki 2006[2]
Preceded byThe Queen of Attolia 
Followed byA Conspiracy of Kings 

Setting

The books are set in a Byzantine-like imaginary landscape, reminiscent of ancient Greece and other territories around the Mediterranean. The action takes place in the countries of Eddis, Attolia and Sounis. The character's names are also Greek, and references are made to actual Greek authors. The gods of Turner's pantheon, ruled by the Great Goddess Hephestia, are her own, and her world possesses items such as guns and pocket watches.

Plot

Eugenides, is a former Thief of Eddis. He lost his one hand but he gets married to the Queen of Attolia. Through his marriage he unites two fighting countries and brings peace to his kingdom. Then he begins his new role as a king. He appears to sleep during important briefings, makes sloppy remarks, wears ridiculous clothes and refuses to be more than a figurehead, letting the Queen rule as she has always done. The Attolian court resents him as a young foreign upstart who appears to be an ineffectual fool.

The story is told largely from the point of view of Costis, a young soldier in the Queen's Guard. When the king insults Teleus, Captain of the Guard, Costis loses control and knocks the king down. He expects to be executed, but the king spares his life and makes him into a reluctant confidant. Costis finds the king obnoxious and conniving, but slowly begins to have some sympathy for him. Costis also sees the king as a young man far from his mountain home in Eddis, married to the beautiful but ruthless Queen.

The plot twists through an assassination attempt and political intrigues involving the traitorous Baron Erondites and his sons, Relius, the Queen’s master of spies, and Eugenides's old enemy, Nahuseresh of the (fictionalized) Mede Empire. Costis discovers there is more to the king and gains a clearer understanding of the young man’s abilities, motives, and relationship with the Queen. Costis finds his own life and reputation at risk, and the fate of three nations hinges on Eugenides internal struggles. Should Eugenides accepts his own destiny as the King of Attolia?

Reviews

The King of Attolia received starred reviews from School Library Journal, The Horn Book, Kirkus Reviews, and Library Media Connection, as well as positive reviews from other sources. It was a School Library Journal Best Book, an ALA Top 10 Best Book for Young Adults,[3] was on the Horn Book Fanfare list, the New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age list, and the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Masterlist.

Queen's Thief series

References
  1. The King of Attolia title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database. Retrieved 2015-11-03. Select a particular edition (title) for more data at that level, such as a front cover image or linked contents.
  2. "The king of Attolia" (first edition). LC Online Catalog. Library of Congress (lccn.loc.gov). Retrieved 2015-11-03.
  3. American Library Association (2007). "2007 Best Books for Young Adults". Archived from the original on 2011-02-13. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
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