Draft:A Thief Among the Trees

• Comment: You have just been told that Goodreads is NOT a reliable source, so adding it is pointless. Theroadislong (talk) 20:39, 30 April 2025 (UTC)

• Comment: We base articles on what reliable, independent sources say. Her own book is primary source, Theroadislong (talk) 19:55, 30 April 2025 (UTC)

• Comment: Goodreads is not a reliable source (see user-generated). User reviews can't be used. S0091 (talk) 19:50, 30 April 2025 (UTC)

---

A Thief Among the Trees

Author	Sabaa Tahir
Cover artist	Sonia Liao
Language	English
Series	An Ember in the Ashes
Genre	Young adult, romantic fantasy
Publisher	Archaia
Publication date	July, 2020
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (hardcover
Pages	144
ISBN	978-1-68415-528-8 Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: checksum
Followed by	A Spark Within the Forge

A Thief Among the Trees is a young adult fantasy graphic novel by United States author Sabaa Tahir with Nicole Andelfinger & Sonia Liao. The story is attributed to Sabaa Tahir, the script to Nicole Andelfinger, and the art to Sonia Liao. It was published by Archaia (Boom Studios) in July 2020. It is a standalone prequel story in the An Ember in the Ashes series. The story focuses on Elias Veturius, one of the point-of-view characters in An Ember in the Ashes, and two other members of his team of "Fivers," or fifth-year students at Blackcliff Academy: Helene Aquilla, his best friend in An Ember in the Ashes, and Octavius "Tavi" Fortus, another classmate who wears a beaded band for luck, as they work to obtain vials of poison from Isle South, which is an isle in the South.

Plot

Elias, Helene, and Tavi are assigned a mission from Blackcliff Academy, understanding that if they fail they will die. Sailing toward Isle South, they debate the best way to approach the camp where the poison, extracted from the skin of salamanders, is to be obtained. Ultimately they decide to approach from the North, expecting the landing site to be deserted and to get in and out in one night. This is a mistake, as six Martial soldiers ambush them. Zak and Marcus, competing Blackcliff students, arrive shortly after, taking advantage of the ambush to enter the forest unscathed. Team Elias swims out to sea to escape the ambush and are separated. The following morning, Elias revives on the West Shore.

Before re-uniting with Helene and Tavi, Elias discovers a Martial prison camp and learns that the Martial soldiers on the Island are testing the poison on young Scholar children. The team makes camp for the night and Helene leads them to a supply outpost based on intelligence she received from Rallius, an "Older soldier who has a soft spot for upstarts."

Elias and Tavi have a discussion about the evil of the Martial Empire and the humanity of the Scholar children. Tavi suggests that they help the Scholar children but Elias vetoes the idea, giving priority to the success of their mission. Tavi hypothesizes that the supply for the poison is dwindling, so the Empire is trying to dilute the poison to make it last longer, based on his father's experience as an apothecary diluting various mixtures when supplies are scarce.

Helene rejoins Elias and Tavi, and they are ambushed by fellow classmates Dex, Demetrius, and Faris, who tie them with rope, Elias and Tavi to a tree and Helene to a large boulder. That night, Helene frees herself and her teammates and argues for murdering Dex, Demetrius, and Faris in their sleep, but Elias and Tavi overrule her and they instead negotiate with their classmates to team up to obtain the poison.

Tavi again tries to persuade Elias to help the Scholar children, pointing out that Elias is a leader that the others will follow. Elias again refuses, and the group travels to South End. They attack the camp but Elias, Tavi, and Faris are captured. Titus Sisellius offers Elias two vials of poison and a boat to leave the island if he kills one of his friends, but Elias refuses.

Sisellius tortures Tavi, breaking his band of beads, beating him, and cutting him on his left forearm. Helene, Dex, and Demetrius burst in and the two teams gain the upper hand. Tavi destroys the remaining supply of poison, surreptitiously pocketing six vials. Elias incapacitates Sisellius but Tavi persuades him not to kill him.

The two teams return to the dock and Dex, Demetrius, and Faris leave. Marcus and Zak ambush Elias, Helene, and Tavi, taking one of their vials of poison and leaving in the remaining boat.

Tavi proposes further distilling more poison to make a third vial. Tavi spends the night distilling the poison while Helene spends some time alone and Elias scouts the camp, learning that it is vulnerable to attack. Elias agrees to help Tavi attempt to rescue the Scholar children. Tavi examines the scratch on his left forearm, realizing that he has been poisoned and is dying, but keeps this information to himself.

Sisellius and his forces use dogs to track Elias, Helene, and Tavi. Tavi refuses to run, revealing his condition and announcing his intention to help the Scholar children. Tavi gives Elias the 3 vials of poison and the broken beaded band, asking that Elias tell his father what he did.

The Martial soldiers attack Elias and Helene at the beach, but Elias again defeats Sisellius, again not killing him, and just as Martial reinforcements arrive to overwhelm Elias and Helene, the fires started by Tavi draw the Martial soldiers away, allowing Elias and Helene to escape.

Upon their return to Navium Garrison, learning that the facilities on Isle South are being at least temporarily shut down, Elias and Helene debate whether the Martial Empire is responsible for Tavi's death, or whether they are. Knowing he will be severely punished, Elias returns the broken beaded band to Tavi's father in Montium, outside Navium, telling him that Tavi spent his last moments saving lives. Tavi's father reminds reminds Elias, "don't let them destroy your spirit." They hug, and Elias begins the return journey, saying to himself, "My spirit is the one thing they cannot touch..."

Characters

Elias Veturius -- The future "finest soldier at Blackcliff Military Academy," still growing into his role. His pastimes include saving damsels in distress and betraying his best friend every chance he gets.

Helene Aquilla -- the only female in the same class as Elias at Blackcliff Military Academy and his best friend.

Octavius "Tavi" Fortus -- the third member of the team with Elias and Helene.

Fortus -- Tavi's father, first name not given. An apothecary living in Montium, outside Navium.

Marcus -- an arrogant bully destined to become the next Emperor of the Martial Empire.

Zak or Zacharias -- twin brother of Marcus, who tries to be a moderating influence on his brother.

Dex -- Blackcliff Academy Fiver working with Demetrius and Faris.

Demetrius -- Blackcliff Academy Fiver working with Dex and Faris.

Faris -- Blackcliff Academy Fiver working with Dex and Demetrius. He obtains a blow gun from one of the Martial soldiers on Isle South.

Titus Sisellius -- top Martial soldier on Isle South. His pastimes including poisoning little Scholar kids and blackmailing Blackcliff students into murdering other Blackcliff students.

Reception

The Hollywood Reporter^[1] -- “An Ember in the Ashes has such a rich world and history — truly the best part of any fantasy story,” Liao explained. “The setting may be restricted to a single island, but from the characters and story you can tell there’s a greater world beyond.”

ComicsBeat^[2] With five months still until the release of A Sky Beyond the Storm, the fourth book in the Ember in the Ashes series, readers can whet their appetite for a new story set in the Martial Empire in a few short weeks, as A Thief Among the Trees: An Ember in the Ashes Graphic Novel is due in bookstores on Tuesday, July 14th, and in comic shops the following day.

Fanbase Press^[3] -- "Get ready for action, espionage, and a full fantasy world. If you are looking for a good YA book or an intro into one of the bestselling YA series of the last decade, pick this up."

Doom Rocket^[4] -- "Obviously fans of the books are going to be delighted to experience stories from Tahir’s world, though the experience may prove just as different for them. The Ember books are told from first-person perspective, but I would say that Thief is strongest in silence. I found myself feeling for these characters in spite of the distance I felt from them. It’s less intimate than being privy to their thoughts, but sharing silence with someone you care about is not a moment without power."

New Yorker^[5] "Even before Bookforum’s announcement, it had been a tumultuous year for American literary magazines. In the spring, it emerged that the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, which had been The Believer’s steward since 2017, had sold the magazine to Paradise Media. The company, which also owned a sex-toy-review Web site, paid a reported two hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars in cash. According to the university, the magazine had been consuming too many resources from its campus literary center, the Black Mountain Institute. The Believer’s Web site published a listicle of dating sites, to widespread mockery, before being sold back to its original owner, the publisher McSweeney’s. In November, Astra Magazine, a literary magazine produced by a new publishing house owned by a Chinese media company, announced that it was shutting down after just two issues. In both instances, a larger organization had apparently determined that the work of scouting young writers, seeking out stories, and commissioning criticism was not a priority. Nadja Spiegelman, Astra’s former editor-in-chief, told me that companies and readers alike underestimate the resources it takes to sustain literary magazines. “It doesn’t have a business model,” she said. “People see this as a public good, a service,” she continued."

Publication History

This graphic novel was published in July 2020.

References

1. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/an-ember-ashes-fantasy-series-getting-graphic-novel-trilogy-1244284/
2. https://www.comicsbeat.com/a-thief-among-the-trees-ember-in-the-ashes-gn-preview/
3. https://fanbasepress.com/press/reviews/comics-reviews/item/11079-a-thief-among-the-trees-an-ember-in-the-ashes-hardcover-review/
4. https://doomrocket.com/required-reading-130-a-thief-among-the-trees-ogn/
5. https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/bookforum-and-a-bleak-year-for-literary-magazines?