Who will be the last thief standing?

Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Magical Realism, General Fiction

• Pages: 220
• Ages: 15+
• Published by Owl and Zebra Press in March, 2015.
• Available in paperback and e-book, for $9.99 and $2.99.

BOOK CLUB RESOURCES:

We fully endorse you taking The Night of One Hundred Thieves to your book club, no matter how big or small. Feel free to contact the author at contact@devontrevarrowflaherty.com or use the resources on this site to your advantage. Sure, they are copyright (c) Devon Trevarrow Flaherty 2015 and all, but you have the author’s permission to copy and distribute the questions and information as you see fit, within some sort of reason, that is. Go ahead: make copies for your reading group!

*WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR YOUR ANSWERS TO ANY OF THESE QUESTIONS. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO POST IN COMMENTS OR SEND AN EMAIL TO contact@devontrevarrowflaherty.com.

1. Is there a main character? Did the many characters work for you? Why or why not?

2. When and where does this story take place? What can we gather from the narrator in the Foreword?

3. Have you read Benevolent? If so, how does The Night of One Hundred Thieves relate to Benevolent? Does that make these two books part of a series? How so?

4. The author has said that Kentwend is a character in this book. (PS, Kentwend is the capitol city inside the kingdom of Northwyth). The reader finds themselves sometimes moving very rapidly through the town, sometimes at the same time as another scene or spotting other characters. Did you notice any parallel scenes? Any simultaneous ones? Is the town a character?

5. What is the genre? What is the voice? It is common for the genre? What did you like about it?

6. Who were your favorite characters? Cecily? Nora? Conover? The Sage? Stephen? Who did you love to hate? Blaise? Nikeas? Kyros? Farrah? Which was your favorite relationship? Tarquis and Maram? Conover and Cecily? Teva and Nikeas? Lykus and Hilary? The Queen and The Angel (and King Jaden)?

7. What was Lykus’s and Hilary’s relationship about? Discuss it at its various stages.

8. Did you notice the symbolism of women in windows? How is this carried through? How does it come to a head in the final scenes?

9. Explain the relationships between the Travelers. How did you react to each of them? How does this play into how you felt about the ending?

10. Who is The Shadow? When do we discover this? What other names does The Shadow go by and how were they indicative of his/her final triumph?

11. Who ended up with the ring? Could we see it coming? How or how not?

12. Did you enjoy the ending? Was it justified? In fact, how many endings were there? What clues do we have in the final scenes as to the future of the many characters?

13. Discuss the titles of the sections in relation to the flow of the story. Did it flow? Did you notice the passing of the year?

THE STORYKEEPER TALES:

The Night of One Hundred Thieves is the second novel in an unconventional series called the Storykeeper Tales. It is unconventional, first, because you can read each book on its own. Second, you may never even know that they are a series. Third, you could read them in whatever order you want, and understand each of them. Fourth, they are not all the same genre. However, they are meant on a certain level to work together, and to be read in a particular order, which is the result of readers of Benevolent wanting more of the of Northywyth legends. Benevolent appeared in 2013, followed by The Night of One Hundred Thieves in 2015. There are three more in the series, which will be published after 2016.

The first book–Benevolent–was written, cliche-style, from what Devon knew: a youth in the suburbs of Detroit, travel to Israel, and a bursting amour for humanitarianism and academia. However, since Devon is also a great lover of magic realism, the Northwyth legends and the resulting characters made it into the last drafts of Benevolent. The Night of One Hundred Thieves is simply an expansion of one of the legends from Benevolent, written as a sort-of experimental fantasy novella (which technically, by the last edit, was a proper novel). The experimental part comes in at the lyrical style and the inclusion of forty main characters.

The last three are going to be basically as follows:

• A novel set in Russia, during the same time period as The Night of One Hundred Thieves (which is basically medieval times). It has one main character and is a head-story about Alexander’s discovery of who he might be and who he is. The theory is that he is the abandoned son of a distant, powerful queen and an angel. But he’s living the life of a mysterious peasant with no past. Can he find the old woman who can give him his story, and how far is he willing to go to get to her?
• A book of macabre fairy tales, set in the Wood of Branderby. One is already written: a piece called “Trecora” about a solitary woman who makes braided hair pieces for a living and is visited one ominous night by a man with his long-haired “wife” slung over his shoulder. Another of the stories will be based on the Magician and the Woodsboy from Benevolent.
• A science fiction book about the descendants of Gaby and Mikhail and the outcome of the severed seed.

THE MAP:

THE CHARACTERS:

THE THIEVES

Agnes the Chambermaid – Agnes is The Queen’s chief chambermaid. She becomes Lulu’s chambermaid when The Queen dies.

Aren, Farrah’s Lackey – Aren is a jack-of-all-trades, general thug, and petty criminal for Farrah the Barren.

Berenice the Healer – Berenice appears in the legend version of the Northwyth stories found in Benevolent. He is a principal Kentwend healer and potion master and the cousin and confidant of Daina the Drunk’s Wife.

Blaise the Traveler – Blaise is the unofficial leader of the Travelers making their way to Kentwend, Northwyth for the royal grave robbing.

Bricteva – Bricteva is the sister Triplet. She is a street performer, singer, and dancer.

Brom – Brom is one of the brother Triplets. He is a street performer and contortionist.

Butrus – Butrus is one of the brother Triplets. He is a street performer and magician.

Daina the Drunk’s Wife – Daina is Cecily’s neighbor and Berenice’s cousin. She was once much closer with Berenice and still uses her ample talent at potion-making to cover Berenice’s failings.

Drakon the Traveler – Drakon is one of the Travelers making their way to Kentwend, Northwyth for the royal grave robbing.

Farrah the Barren – Farrah is an Outer Circle widow of a courtier. She now runs a racket in the black market, illegal trades, and high-class robberies with the help of her lackey, Aren.

Herman the Soldier – Herman is Stephyn’s brother, an accomplished soldier in the King’s army, and usually on castle duty. He is a family man with slim means to support an extended family.

Hero the Player – Hero is one of a group of play actors in Kentwend.

Hilary the Concubine – Hilary appears in the legend version of the Northwyth stories found in Benevolent. She is a new addition to the Old Harem and despises her life as a concubine. She makes unlikely friends with Lykus the Cupbearer after the death of her only friend, Meng.

Irene the Courtier – Irene is Maram’s best friend and daughter of the Third Courtier. Her and her family’s future is grim, thanks to the machinations of Farrah the Barren.

Kori the Farmer – Kori is one of the Band of Farmers and a friend of Rufus the Baker.

Kyros the Advisor – Kyros is one of the advisors to King Jaden. He has been waiting for a promotion in housing and status for a long time and eventually turns to Farrah the Barren for help.

Laurent the Farmer – Laurent is one of the Band of Farmers. He acts as their spokesperson, as a small but articulate member.

Linos the Farmer – Linos is one of the Band of Farmers.

Lykus the Cupbearer – Lykus appears in the legend version of the Northwyth stories found in Benevolent. He is older and more careful than his new friend Hilary the Concubine, but is willing to risk everything for friendship and the promise of youth.

Manno the Farmer – Manno is one of the Band of Farmers. He is a real brute in size, used to intimidate opponents of the Farmers.

Maram the Courtier – Maram is a courtier of the Outer Circle and Irene’s best friend and supporter through the Third Courtier’s demise.

Musa the Traveler – Musa is the only woman in the group of Travelers making their way to Kentwend, Northwyth for the royal grave robbing. She is admired by Seti, soothing to Raban, and abused by Blaise.

Nikeas – Nikeas is the youngest, unmarried son of The Queen and King Jaden. He wants desperately to inherit the throne and is fed up with his station as the youngest son. His only true friend is his youngest sister, Teva.

Nora the Girl Widow – Nora is a peasant, widowed as a teenager during her honeymoon. She is blackmailed by Farrah the Barren and Aren, Farrah’s Lackey, for patronage and favors.

Otho the Farmer – Otho is one of the Band of Farmers. He is a real brute in size, used to intimidate opponents of the Farmers.

Panther the Pickpocket – Panther built his career on following the crowds entertained by the freakish Triplets. He moves in their circles as their closest friend and ally.

Raban the Traveler – Raban is one of the Travelers making their way to Kentwend, Northwyth for the royal grave robbing. Raban is hulking and remedial, protected by his cousin, Seti, and tender toward Musa, the only woman in the group.

Rufus the Baker – Rufus is Cecily’s stepson. He is sulky and dim but family-oriented and capable of compassion.

Seti the Traveler – Seti is one of the Travelers making their way to Kentwend, Northwyth for the royal grave robbing. He is Raban’s cousin and protector and Blaise’s greatest challenge.

Stephyn the Old Acolyte – Stephyn is one of the helpers of the Head Saint, too old for his station. He is being shifted into his brother Herman’s household, against both of their wishes.

Tarquis the Secret Pirate – His real name is Tarquis, but at the time of the legend, he was known in Kentwend as Merek. Tarquis is a traveler through Kentwend, a pirate hiding out as he changes lives across a continent.

Theobald the Taverno – Theobald owns the Tavern where the thieves converge to make their plans. He is also the royally appointed provider of the soldiers’ evening mess and mead.

THOSE WHO WERE NOT THIEVES

The Angel – The Angel is an original character from the Northwyth legends as told in Benevolent. The Angel was once involved with The Queen but was separated from her by his immortality and purpose. He may have fathered a secret love child.

Brando the Heir – Brando is the oldest son of The Queen and King Jaden and therefore the heir of the throne of Northwyth. He lives in the castle with his family and the next in line, his son Felix.

Cecily the Baker’s Widow – Cecily is the Widow of the former Baker and stepmother to his grown children, including Rufus. She still believes in magic, despite herself, and is shyly in love with her close friend, Conover the Storykeeper.

Conover the Storykeeper – Conover is Kentwend’s official and royal Storykeeper. A peasant who is secretly in love with Cecily the Baker’s Widow, he has been asked to sire a successor to his position.

Dion the Oracle – Like the Farmers’ Almanac of ancient times, Dion foretells weather, births, deaths, couplings, social affairs, strange occurrences, and royal movements, among other things. He is friends with Conover and Cecily, a force to be both admired and feared.

Fedel the Heir’s Wife – Fedel is the wife of Brando, the heir to the throne of Northwyth.

Felix the Next Heir – Felix is a teenage prince, a grandson of The Queen and King Jaden, and son of Brando and Fedel. He is the second in ascendancy to the throne of Northwyth.

The Head Saint – The Head Saint is the chief holy man of Kentwend, where he performs religious rites, attends the dying, and leads ceremonies, among other things.

Ingrid the Tutor – Ingrid is Princess Lulu’s chaperone and tutor. The two have only recently arrived in Kentwend to further Lulu’s education in ladyship.

Jaden the King – Also known as Jaden the Great in the original Northwyth legends. He came to his kingship through marriage to The Queen, when he was just a brave and talented soldier.

Lulu the Princess – Lulu is a princess and granddaughter of The Queen and King Jaden. She now lives at the Castle with Ingrid, her chaperone and tutor, in order to receive a lady’s education.

Osmund – Osmund is a child, a prince, and the second son of Brando, the heir to the throne.

The Queen – The Queen of Northwyth is a figure in the original Northwyth legends and the central figure of most of the stories. She is legendarily brave, wise, steady, and beautiful, and some of the stories portray her as larger than life or even magical.

The Sage – An original character to the Northwyth legends, The Sage has longevity, as well as telepathic powers and great wisdom. He is allied to The Queen.

Teva – Teva is a princess, the youngest, unmarried daughter of The Queen and King Jaden. She lives in the castle, resembles her mother, and is fiercely loyal to Nikeas despite his jealousy.

On The Starving Artist (the author’s blog):

• Lit 101 (Among other things, my answer for why Stephen sometimes thinks in one word sentences)
• The New Narrative Mode (Mostly on the subtleties of Narrative Mode and POV, using Hundred Thieves as an example)
• Happy New Year! (A look back on 2014 and goals for 2015, including the progress of Hundred Thieves)
• The Hard Way (About the editing process and Hundred Thieves, and what still needs to be changed)
• My Writing Process Blog Tour (Devon’s writing process, obviously, and what she was working on at the time, including Hundred Thieves)
• Novel ou Nouvella? (Is Hundred Thieves a novel or a novella? Technically? In spirit? Well, at the time, it was much shorter)
• Paying Attention (How all details point toward developing a character, and how this played out in a particular sentence in Hundred Thieves)