The past and future of Sanctuary hang in the balance in this tale of intrigue, politics, magic, and sacrifice from veteran writer Lynn Abbey.

Life in the city of Sanctuary has moved on from the days of Jubal and Tempus, and the epic adventures of gods and men are already degrading into myth and superstition. Molin Torchholder, who carries the only living memories of these times, knows that the future of Sanctuary depends on preserving them. With assassins on his trail, Molin must prepare a successor to hold and protect the secret truths of Sanctuary. And Cauvin, a survivor of the cruel pits of the Bloody Hand, will have a series of difficult choices to make as he is drawn deeper into Molin's desperate struggle.

Readers new to Sanctuary (the core setting of numerous Thieves' World stories) will find enough backstory to make this novel accessible. Fans should be delighted with the wealth of historical references, new and familiar characters, and high adventure that Abbey weaves together. --Roz Genessee


From Publishers Weekly
Fans of Thieves' World will relish this sprawling epic, rich with sword and sorcery archetypes, from one of its cocreators. Those not so well-acquainted with the original 12 landmark collaborative anthologies, the subsequent graphic novels or game, however, may find it difficult to immediately access the magic. Touted as the book that unlocks the many secrets of Thieves' World, it relies on far too many history lessons to pad the plot; as a result, the action drags. Happily, Abbey's deft characterizations of Cauvin, a young man who once served the Bloody Hand, and Bec, his nine-year-old foster brother, an imaginative imp who adores him, brighten the story considerably. Both serve the ancient and wise Lord Molin Torchholder, who wishes to turn over his power and the city's secrets before he dies. Sanctuary, once a place where heroes reigned, is now a tawdry place where evils long thought dead have arisen. Lord Torchholder, mortally wounded in an assassination attempt, hopes Cauvin and little Bec, with the help of Torchholder's faithful friend, Soldt, will make Sanctuary a true haven again by fighting the bloodthirsty Dyareela, the Mother of Chaos, and her minions, who may include Cauvin's beloved childhood sweetheart, Leorin. "The Torch" is passed after much convoluted machination - and after 10 years, the gates to this famed city are reopened, assuring all that more adventures are just around the corner.Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
When an assassination attempt leaves Molin Torchholder near death, the aging former priest of the war-god Vashanka and longtime possessor of the history and secrets of the city of Sanctuary seeks a successor to carry his burden of hidden knowledge. His search leads him not only to a youth named Cauvin, a survivor of an era when the vicious cult of the Bloody Hand ruled Sanctuary, but also to the realization that danger still threatens the city. The originator of the popular "Thieves' World" novels, the first shared-world fantasy environment, has returned to a world where vice and decadence coexist with heroism and self-sacrifice in a heady blend of atmosphere and adventure that should appeal to fans of the original series as well as newcomers. Highly recommended. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
The grim city of Sanctuary in the Thieves' World series is the scene of this freestanding companion to editor Abbey's hefty novel Sanctuary [BKL Ap 15 02]. A volume of stories, it opens with stonemason Cauvin inheriting guardian Molin Torchholder's memories and thereby becoming the man who knows where all the bodies--not to mention treasure, amulets of power, arsenals, and so forth--in Sanctuary are buried. His acquired recollections thereafter provide quite a tour of contemporary Sanctuary, beginning with Mickey Zucker Reichart's "Home Is Where the Hate Is," about a crippled orphan thief who wangles himself into an order of priestesses' good graces, and ending with sorcerer Jake the Rat and his lady adopting a stray dog in Raymond E. Feist's "One to Go." In between are duels of magic, of steel, and of wits, and quite a panorama of Sanctuary history. Most noteworthy among the historical glimpses is Andrew Offutt's "Role Model: A Tale of Apprentices," in which a youthful wanna-be becomes a real potential heir. Much good reading, here for the taking. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Review
“ Fans of Thieves' World will relish this sprawling epic, rich with sword and sorcery ... and after ten years, the gates to this famed city are reopened, assuring all that more adventures are just around the corner” - Publishers Weekly

“Good news for all heroic fantasy fans.” - Booklist

“Although this is primarily an adventure story, and a pretty good one at that, it is also a richer and more detailed novel ... the book is both more ambitious and more rewarding than most similar fantasy adventures, as well as providing a nostalgic return to the Thieves' World”-- Science Fiction Chronicle

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"The Age of Ranke and the reign of Kadakithis, the occupation of the Beysib, the war of the gods, and even the erstwhile Renaissance are all in the past. Memories of heroes and villains, glory and savagery, have all been relegated to the shadows of yesteryear as present-day residents once again apply themselves to the task at hand, survival." "Only Molin Torchholder, architect of the city's glory and master of her secrets, knows the truth, and he is dying...but not until he passes on the city's hidden history of empires come and gone and blood shed for reason and naught. Aiding him are a lowly laborer named Cauvin, himself a survivor of one of the city's darkest moments, and a young boy named Bec." So many secrets and so little time, and as the chronicle of the past unfolds, even darker forces return, whose presence may jeopardize the very survival of a city of many masters that has refused to die.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Fans of Thieves' World will relish this sprawling epic, rich with sword and sorcery archetypes, from one of its cocreators. Those not so well-acquainted with the original 12 landmark collaborative anthologies, the subsequent graphic novels or game, however, may find it difficult to immediately access the magic. Touted as the book that unlocks the many secrets of Thieves' World, it relies on far too many history lessons to pad the plot; as a result, the action drags. Happily, Abbey's deft characterizations of Cauvin, a young man who once served the Bloody Hand, and Bec, his nine-year-old foster brother, an imaginative imp who adores him, brighten the story considerably. Both serve the ancient and wise Lord Molin Torchholder, who wishes to turn over his power and the city's secrets before he dies. Sanctuary, once a place where heroes reigned, is now a tawdry place where evils long thought dead have arisen. Lord Torchholder, mortally wounded in an assassination attempt, hopes Cauvin and little Bec, with the help of Torchholder's faithful friend, Soldt, will make Sanctuary a true haven again by fighting the bloodthirsty Dyareela, the Mother of Chaos, and her minions, who may include Cauvin's beloved childhood sweetheart, Leorin. "The Torch" is passed after much convoluted machination - and after 10 years, the gates to this famed city are reopened, assuring all that more adventures are just around the corner. Agent, Jonathan Matson. (June 19) FYI: Abbey and her ex-husband, Robert Lynn Asprin, created Thieves' World more than 20 years ago. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal