High fantasy, feuding wizards, and the classic why-did-I-drink-so-much plot device, and you’ve got the recipe for “A Year and a Day.” I don’t read a ton of high fantasy, so I was interested to see how this would go.
Turns out I was able to immerse myself in the high fantasy setting pretty quickly, all though some of the more imaginative elements feel imaginative for the sake of being imaginative. Which, maybe isn’t inherently bad, but it strained my suspension of disbelief.
This story is about a retired thief living in a world under constant barrage by the powerful wizards that are vying for dominance over the land. The humor is good, and the rogue’s band of thieves and accomplices make for an interesting ensemble. It reads like a high fantasy “Ocean’s 11.” (If you’re not familiar, Ocean’s 11 is a movie about an ensemble cast of high-profile actors all working together to pull off an absolutely outrageous heist–preferably of the impossible nature, and that’s exactly what this story is).
By the end of the story you end up pretty familiar with the characters, and the setting, and are pretty interested in what troubles they might be able to get into later. I enjoyed it and would recommend reading this one.
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