Books › Jimmy the Hand
Jimmy the Hand
400 pages
A nostalgic, fast-paced romp through the shadows with a charming rogue who discovers the world is much darker than the city sewers.
What it feels like
Reading this feels like slipping back into the golden age of classic fantasy adventure, guided by the genre's most endearing young rogue. The narrative moves at a brisk, swashbuckling clip, matching the quick wits and nimble fingers of its protagonist. It balances a wry, adventurous tone with a mood that grows increasingly shadowy and perilous as the stakes escalate from simple pickpocketing to surviving ancient, hidden evils. The prose is straightforward and action-oriented, designed to keep the pages turning rather than lingering on heavy exposition. It is a deeply nostalgic experience that will delight readers who love a clever underdog, found family dynamics, and the thrilling tension of a street-smart kid realizing he has stumbled into a game far larger and deadlier than he ever imagined.
- Mood
- shadowy
- thrilling
- nostalgic
- perilous
- Tone
- adventurous
- wry
- suspenseful
- earnest
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- survival by one's wits · coming of age · hidden darkness · loyalty and trust · loss of innocence
- The writing
- Accessible and action-driven, prioritizing narrative momentum and sharp character banter over ornate world-building.
- The arc
- Moves from the cocky bravado of a street-smart urchin to a sobering confrontation with true, life-threatening darkness.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love classic, swashbuckling fantasy and have a soft spot for charming, quick-witted rogues getting in over their heads.
Content notes
- fantasy violence
- peril
- child endangerment
About the book
Jimmy the Hand, boy thief of Krondor, lived in the shadows of the city. The sewers were his byways and a flea-ridden, rat-infested cellar his home. Although gifted beyond his peers, he was still but a nimble street urchin, a pickpocket with potential. Until the day he met Prince Arutha.Aiding the Prince in his rescue of Princess Anita from imprisonment by Duke Guy du Bas-Tyra, Jimmy runs afoul of Black Guy's secret police. Given the choice of disappearing on his own or in a weighted barrel at the bottom of Krondor's harbor, Jimmy flees the only home he's ever known, venturing south to the relatively safe haven of Land's End. Suspecting that the rural villagers have never encountered a lad with his talent and nose for finding wealth—other people's wealth—he's fairly optimistic about his broadening horizons. But Jimmy is completely unprepared for what greets him.For Land's End is home to others who tread the crooked path, and more, to a much darker secret: a dangerous presence unknown even to the local thieves and smugglers. And Jimmy's youthful bravado and courage will plunge him deep into the maw of chaos and even—if he isn't careful—death.
Description from Open Library.
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