An Interview with Douglas Hulick, Author of “Among Thieves”

There has been quite a bit of online buzz surrounding the imminent release of Among Thieves, the first in Douglas Hulick’s Tales of the Kin fantasy series. I first wrote a post that mentioned Among Thieves back in August last year, when very little information was available, but a tantalising recommendation from Brent Weeks (a favourite author of mine) was doing the rounds. Weeks described Among Thieves as “an unalloyed pleasure” and “The kind of story that reminds you why you love to read.” Ever since reading this, I’ve been keeping my eyes peeled for more information and, luckily, I was also able to get a copy of the book early. Equally good news, the book has lived up to my expectations.

Anyway, my thoughts on the book are for another post. Doug Hulick luckily had some spare time recently, and he was kind enough to answer the questions I sent him. So, without further ado, here are his thoughts on writing, novels, and why walking into the fantasy section of a bookstore is not unlike walking into a modern coffeeshop…

“Among Thieves” by Douglas Hulick (Tor)

The Tales of the Kin begin

Drothe is a Nose, an informant who finds and takes care of trouble inside the criminal organization he’s a part of. He also smuggles imperial relics on the side.

When his boss sends him to Ten Ways to track down who’s been leaning on his organization’s people, Drothe discovers hints of a much bigger mystery. Someone is trying to stir up trouble between lower-level criminal organizations, including the one Drothe belongs to. And there’s a book rumored to contain imperial glimmer (or magic) that a lot of very dangerous people seem to be looking for - including two crime bosses known as the Gray Princes.

When Drothe discovers the book, he finds himself holding a bit of swag that can bring down emperors, shatter the criminal underworld, and unlock forbidden magic…that's if he can survive long enough to use it.

I’ve been waiting for this novel for what feels like a very long time, ever since the artwork, synopsis, and glowing endorsement from Brent Weeks appeared on the internet. It’s always a fear with highly-anticipated books that they won’t live up to expectations. Such was definitely not the case with Among Thieves: This was a pleasure to read – full of intrigue, colourful and realistic characters, and a fast-paced, action-packed plot.

Upcoming: “Among Thieves”, by Douglas Hulick (Tor)

I wrote a post a little while back highlighting some upcoming books from Tor/Macmillan that had caught my attention, one of which was Douglas Hulick’s Among Thieves, the first in his Tales of the Kin series.

At the time, I only had the synopsis:

Among Thieves follows the morally ambiguous Drothe. He’s a Nose, an informant who finds and takes care of trouble inside the criminal organization he's a part of.

When his boss sends him to Ten Ways to track down who's been leaning on his organization's people, Drothe discovers hints of a much bigger mystery. Someone is trying to stir up trouble between the lower-level criminal gangs. And there's a book rumoured to contain forbidden Imperial magic that a lot of very dangerous people seem to be looking for - including two very powerful crime bosses known as the Gray Princes. When Drothe discovers the book, he finds himself holding a bit of swag that can bring down emperors, shatter the criminal underworld, and unlock forbidden magic…

Now, however, the artwork has been revealed! And here it is, for your viewing pleasure:

Personally, I think it’s pretty cool. Sure, it has many of the elements that have come to define almost all new fantasy novels (man in shadows, a sword, dark tones, and even – for those who’ve read and liked Stuff White People Like – a fancy, flowing scarf), but I really like it.

If the cover is not enough to whet your appetite, here’s what bestselling author Brent Weeks (a favourite of mine) had to say about the novel:

“Among Thieves is an unalloyed pleasure: a fast-moving, funny, twisting tale in an evocative setting with great characters. The kind of story that reminds you why you love to read. This book may just give you that feeling you had the first time you read Rothfuss or Abercrombie: Oh hell yeah, there’s new talent in the game. Read this book. No really, read this book.”

For me, this is one of the most eagerly anticipated novels of 2011 (along with the sequel to Col Buchanan’s Farlander).

I wonder who I could bribe for an early copy…