Storm Season by Andrew J. Offutt] [cover ar...

The Beysa once said to Hakeim that he knew “…so much about Sanctuary and so many of its citizens…,” – as have we. We the readers have watched Sanctuary suffer through politics, religion and magic, and have seen its economic revival – as has Hakiem. We the readers know dozens and scores of tales of the city – as does Hakiem. But over the past decade – from 1979 to 1989 – we and Hakiem have grown to be more and more alike.

In Abbey’s story, her Walegrin appears to get a (gasp!) happy ending, and in Asprin’s end-piece, entitled “To Begin Again,” it seems that Hakiem, Jubal, and Zalbar (all of whom are characters from the very beginning of the TW saga) will be leaving Sanctuary behind for other lands.Īnd if Hakiem is leaving Thieves’ World, how can it not be the end? Asprin’s Hakiem has been the Storyteller, and we the readers have been his audience. But it’s hard to read this book and not feel that Abbey and Asprin had a pretty solid idea that the end was nigh. Silver, Paxson notes that she felt that the series ended abruptly, and that if she had known that Sky were going to be the last book, she would have wrapped up the storyline of her character, Lalo the Limner. And of course, Lynn Abbey and Robert Asprin, co-creators and more recently co-editors (or as Offut once referred to them, mommy and daddy of the TW family) have their say Abbey penned “Web Weavers” (for all intents and purposes, the last story in the book) and Asprin wrote the Introduction and a final piece that is essentially this collection’s Afterword. Cherryh, and Robin Wayne Bailey are joined by relative newcomer Jon DeCles and brand-new contributor Duane McGowan.

The lineup on authors for this collection is an interesting one longtime members of the TW community Andrew Offut, Diana L. The final book of the twelve-volume series is Stealers’ Sky, published in December of 1989.

Storm Season by Andrew J. Offutt] [cover ar...