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A review by justgeekingby
Thief Mage, Beggar Mage by Cat Hellisen
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Thief Mage Beggar Mage tells the story of Tet, a former priest-mage who through no fault of his own ends up cursed by the gods following the events of a relic being stolen from his temple. Over the course of the novel his story unwinds, and we learn that there is more to Tet than even he knows. What is clear is that he has angered the gods, and they have taken it out on his flesh. They have carved it into his body, leaving him with terrible chronic pain.
Other disabled readers may be thinking that this is beginning to sound awfully familiar right about now and to begin with that was my concern as well. But Hellisen has not used disability has a plot device. Instead, she has written a diverse fantasy novel with an LGBTQIA+ disabled protagonist and secondary character. At every stage Tet’s pain is recognised and described accurately, including how someone with chronic pain and problems with their knees would move and navigate the world around them.
Tet is the beggar mage mentioned in the title, and Dohza, a wonderful character I dare you not to fall in love with, is the thief mage and a below-the-elbow amputee. While Tet’s chronic pain has limitations for him, neither character lets their disability stop them from doing things. This is especially true for Dohza who is the greatest thief in the kingdom, and it was brilliant to see this in a fantasy novel where usually disabled characters are relegated to the realms of topes, that’s if they exist at all!
The world building of Thief Mage Beggar Mage is very clever and intricate, and I enjoyed following the story as it unwove. I am not familiar with The Tinderbox by Hans Christian Andersen, so many aspects of the story were a surprise to me. While I did overall enjoy this novel I found that the pacing and the feel of Thief Mage Beggar Mage was not quite to my liking. It is more akin to epic fantasy and that can be a hit or a miss for me. This is a personal preference and not a criticism of the book or the author.
Other disabled readers may be thinking that this is beginning to sound awfully familiar right about now and to begin with that was my concern as well. But Hellisen has not used disability has a plot device. Instead, she has written a diverse fantasy novel with an LGBTQIA+ disabled protagonist and secondary character. At every stage Tet’s pain is recognised and described accurately, including how someone with chronic pain and problems with their knees would move and navigate the world around them.
Tet is the beggar mage mentioned in the title, and Dohza, a wonderful character I dare you not to fall in love with, is the thief mage and a below-the-elbow amputee. While Tet’s chronic pain has limitations for him, neither character lets their disability stop them from doing things. This is especially true for Dohza who is the greatest thief in the kingdom, and it was brilliant to see this in a fantasy novel where usually disabled characters are relegated to the realms of topes, that’s if they exist at all!
The world building of Thief Mage Beggar Mage is very clever and intricate, and I enjoyed following the story as it unwove. I am not familiar with The Tinderbox by Hans Christian Andersen, so many aspects of the story were a surprise to me. While I did overall enjoy this novel I found that the pacing and the feel of Thief Mage Beggar Mage was not quite to my liking. It is more akin to epic fantasy and that can be a hit or a miss for me. This is a personal preference and not a criticism of the book or the author.
Content Warnings