Title: Thief of Hearts
Author: Trent Hergenrader
In: The Mammoth Book of Dieselpunk (Sean Wallace)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Dieselpunk
Dates read: 28th April 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: The way it raises your hopes, only to dash them on the ground.
Hieronymus loves his city and he loves his people. Years of experience in thieving have helped him to provide for them. Yet, when someone decides that they want to use his talent, he might find that something far more important is about to be stolen from him.
The title of this story suggests that it’s going to be some kind of romantic tale. A story of love and passion in the midst of a war. And one that involves a thief. Well, only the thief part of this story is really correct. It was a pleasant surprise to have this tale unfold around me, with absolutely no idea of what to expect.
I love that this story has revenge at the very end. But it also makes the protagonist learn an important lesson – that maybe his love for his country is seriously misplaced. And his own wealth and fortune have caused him to seriously misplace his priorities in life. After all, what good is the liberation of a country if everyone in that country is starving and unable to find a way to put food on their tables in the morning?
Earth and Skye 
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