“Here’s the only piece of advice I have about being eaten. Try, and I cannot stress this enough, to go in feet first.”
Enigmatic and somewhat haphazard Joe Thorne is a wannabe thief, struggling to prise himself out of his job as an overgrown chimney sweep. After taking work in the large furnaces of the alchemy district, he developed a distinctive cough with magical qualities.
Ever the opportunist, when the moment comes to break into the realm of thieves and vagabonds, he leaps on it, but his chances are scuppered by one almighty sneeze.
From this expulsion comes a journey to a mystical island, shrouded in ancient tradition. Valleys of crystalline rivers, arching forests deeper than the eye can fathom, and not a tavern in sight.
Joe is devastated.
Swept up by a lost love, a frog-man (or is it a man-frog?) with amnesia, and a sentient handkerchief, they embark (Joe, somewhat reluctantly) on a quest to solve a mysterious disappearance which still shrouds the island.
If you enjoy bite-sized adventures, a bit of whimsy and a smattering of adventure, The Gentleman Thief is the novella for you.