Review by Dave Lawson

Synopsis: Phrai joins a crew to pull off a dangerous heist. Little do her fellow thieves know that the end of their job is just the beginning of hers.

Reviewer’s note: This is my first foray into Lily Ann Crow’s world, so I came in with no prior knowledge beyond seeing a Facebook post that this novella was up for the SFINCS novella award. 

Review:

Phrai is a thief. Or is she?

She’s just joined a crew planning to pull off an elaborate heist, but she has a larger scheme planned, something she’s keeping secret from her new team. 

The novella brings the reader right into the story with an action-packed opening scene where we meet Phrai and her colleagues as they attempt to complete their heist. After some well-done combat, the scene ends as we reach a climactic moment. 

We then jump back to the day before when Phrai meets the crew. Here, Crow gives us more details about a really enjoyable supporting cast: Javieth, the handsome leader; Korro, the muscle; Hinz, the driver; Nuri, the “acquisition specialist”; and Whitt, the master of disguise. All the characters have distinct personalities, and Crow’s descriptive prose shines. 

Phrai herself is a vibrant and complex character, someone I enjoyed following, especially as the story progresses and we learn more about her skills. She has that glorious bit of snark the best characters have, as well as strong motivations for her actions. She has the potential to be a fantastic character long term, so I’m not surprised to see she’s one of the main characters in Crow’s full-length novels in the same world.

Speaking of the world, this seems to be a low fantasy setting. No references to magic, but hell, there’s a lot of magic in Crow’s world-building. For such a short piece, she provides a rich setting. Imagery that brings the city to life, almost as if you were there in the action. One of the most astonishing parts is that she creates a card game, something I’ve always enjoyed in fantasy novels. While reading this section, I wondered why she used several pages of a sixty-four page novelette to focus on a card game, but by the end, it made perfect sense, and I loved every minute. 

The only qualm I have connects to the card game scene, just because it takes the reader out of the heist action and may confuse some readers or cause them to disconnect from the story. I enjoyed it, but I could see how some might not. 

Crow’s prose is descriptive but never flowery, and the dialogue is realistic and compelling, and at the end of the story, I wanted more. I will be checking out the full-length novels that take place in the same world. 

So, while Phrai may or may not be a thief, she and the rest of this clever cast of characters steal the show in The Wolf in Thief’s Clothing. For fans of heists, wit, and fast-paced mischief. Or just Fantasy fans as a whole. This is a great one. 

Dave Lawson is an Oklahoma-based Fantasy novelist, who lives with his wife and their energetic dog, Rowena. He received an MFA in Fiction Writing from the New School and has published some literary fiction. His debut fantasy novel, The Envoys of War, comes out in August of 2024. He thinks swords are cool because, well, they are.