“The city was a sprawling beast, all chrome and shadows, whispering of secrets and forgotten magic.”
— Describing the dystopian setting where the main character, Kael, lives.
Archivist's Choice
Thieves Like Us
Stephen Cole (2012)
Genre
Fantasy / Mystery / Science Fiction / Young Adult
Reading Time
450 min
Key Themes
See below
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A brilliant teen hacker joins a crew of talented outlaws, including a one-eyed locksmith and a human lie detector, to globe-trot for ancient artifacts that promise immense wealth or eternal life under their enigmatic benefactor.
Synopsis
Jonah Wish, a computer hacker, is recruited by Nathaniel Coldhardt to join a team of young outlaws. This group includes Patch, a locksmith; Motti, an electronics expert; Con, a charmer; and Tye, a human lie detector. Coldhardt sends them on missions around the world, from secret underground centers to exotic places, all to find ancient artifacts. These relics are said to offer immense wealth or eternal life, putting the team in danger as they uncover secrets and face betrayals. As they learn more about Coldhardt's reasons and the artifacts' power, Jonah and his allies must consider the ethics of their actions and decide where their loyalty lies, finding a truth that could change their lives forever.
Reading time
450 min
Difficulty
Medium
Pacing
Fast
Mood
Adventurous, Mysterious, High-stakes, Intriguing
✓ Read this if...
You enjoy fast-paced adventure stories with a diverse cast of talented teens, ancient mysteries, and a blend of fantasy and sci-fi elements.
✗ Skip this if...
You prefer hard science fiction or high fantasy without modern tech, or if you dislike YA narratives focused on a found family of outlaws.
Plot Summary
The New Recruit
Jonah Wish, a fifteen-year-old computer genius in New York City, finds his life changed after the Coldhardt Group, a mysterious organization, hacks his computer and offers him a job. Intrigued, Jonah accepts and flies to a lavish, underground conference center. There, he meets Nathaniel Coldhardt, the leader, and the other members of his teen crew: Patch, a one-eyed locksmith; Motti, an electrical systems expert; Con, a master of persuasion; and Tye, a human lie detector. Coldhardt explains their mission: to find and retrieve ancient, powerful artifacts for unknown reasons, hinting at great wealth and eternal life.
First Mission: The Eye of Horus
The team's first mission takes them to Cairo, Egypt, to get the 'Eye of Horus,' a legendary artifact. Coldhardt gives them detailed plans and high-tech gadgets. Jonah's hacking skills disable security systems, while Patch's lock-picking opens ancient chambers. Motti handles complex wiring, Con distracts guards with his charm, and Tye ensures no one is betraying them. They navigate booby-trapped tombs and outwit rival treasure hunters, getting the Eye of Horus. Despite the success, Jonah feels uneasy about Coldhardt's true purpose.
The Serpent's Tooth
Their next target is 'The Serpent's Tooth,' hidden deep in the Amazon rainforest. This mission is harder, as they face the harsh jungle and a rival organization led by Silas, who also wants the artifacts. During a tense fight, the team is almost caught, and Motti is injured. Jonah uses his hacking skills to create a diversion, letting the team escape with the artifact, but the close call shows the real dangers of their work and makes Jonah question Coldhardt's motives more. The team starts to bond through these shared dangers.
A Glimpse of the Past
Back at the base, Jonah, suspicious, hacks into Coldhardt's private files. He finds fragmented journals and ancient texts that show Coldhardt's deep, almost obsessive, personal connection to the artifacts. It seems Coldhardt's family has searched for these items for generations, believing they hold the key to reversing a genetic condition or achieving immortality. Jonah also finds hints of a past tragedy involving Coldhardt's loved ones, which seems to drive his relentless search. This discovery adds complexity to Coldhardt's character, making him seem less villainous and more desperate.
The Oracle's Scroll
The team's next assignment is to ancient ruins in Greece to get 'The Oracle's Scroll.' This time, Silas's group is waiting for them. A chase through historical sites shows the team's individual talents under pressure. Con's charm is tested against Silas's persuasive tactics, and Tye's lie-detection is important in finding traps and double-crosses. Jonah's quick thinking with a rigged ancient mechanism helps them escape Silas's ambush, but it reveals that Silas understands the artifacts' true power more than they first thought. The rivalry grows, becoming a personal vendetta.
Betrayal and Alliance
After the Greece mission, tension within Coldhardt's team rises. Tye, using his ability, starts to notice inconsistencies in Coldhardt's explanations, doubting his true intentions. Meanwhile, Silas makes an offer to one of the team members, trying to turn them against Coldhardt. This leads to internal conflict and a near-betrayal, which Jonah stops by revealing some of his findings about Coldhardt's desperation. Surprisingly, Silas, seeing an opportunity, proposes a temporary alliance with the Coldhardt Group to get a particularly dangerous artifact, suggesting a common enemy or a greater threat.
The Heart of Atlantis
The temporary alliance between Coldhardt's team and Silas's group targets 'The Heart of Atlantis,' an artifact thought to be deep in the ocean. This mission is the most dangerous yet, requiring advanced submersible technology and coordination. Jonah's hacking skills are vital for navigating ancient Atlantean systems, while Patch and Motti work together to bypass complex underwater defenses. The combined teams face environmental hazards and unforeseen automated guardians. The mission forces Coldhardt and Silas to cooperate, revealing their shared knowledge and hinting at a larger conspiracy around the artifacts' origin and purpose. They get the artifact, but their vehicles are significantly damaged.
The Truth Revealed
With many artifacts collected, Coldhardt calls a meeting with the team, including Silas. He reveals the full truth: the artifacts are parts of a powerful ancient device designed to manipulate life itself, capable of granting immortality but also causing immense destruction. He confesses his true motivation: to resurrect his family, lost to a catastrophic event linked to one of the artifacts years ago. Silas, it turns out, is also driven by a similar loss, but believes the device should be destroyed, not activated. The revelation creates a deep divide in the group, as some sympathize with Coldhardt, while others fear the consequences of his desperate plan.
The Final Piece
The final artifact, 'The Key of Eternity,' is in a heavily guarded, remote fortress. Coldhardt, determined to complete his device, and Silas, equally determined to stop him, race to get it. Jonah and the team are caught in the middle, forced to choose sides. The fight at the fortress is chaotic and intense, involving advanced security, rival agents, and traps. Jonah uses his hacking skills to disable the fortress's defenses, while Patch, Motti, Con, and Tye work together to overcome physical obstacles and outwit adversaries. The team's loyalty to each other is tested as they deal with the moral questions of their mission.
The Device Activated
In the climax, Coldhardt gets The Key of Eternity and activates the ancient device. The fortress is filled with a blinding light and surges of energy. The team sees the device's immense power, as it starts to warp reality and manipulate life forces. Coldhardt is consumed by the process, seemingly achieving his goal but at a terrible cost, as the device's energy threatens to spiral out of control. Silas, realizing the danger, tries to shut it down, but the device is too powerful. Jonah, using his hacking skills and a desperate plan, tries to interface with the ancient technology, hoping to stabilize or disable it before it destroys everything.
Aftermath and New Beginnings
Jonah, with his team's help, overloads the ancient device, causing it to collapse rather than explode, saving the world from its destructive potential. Coldhardt's fate is unclear; he is either consumed by the device or changed in an unknown way. Silas, having seen the chaos, acknowledges the team's bravery and leaves, hinting that similar threats may arise. The team is left to recover, shaken by their experiences but united by their shared ordeal. Jonah, now an experienced operative, realizes the world is more complex and dangerous than he imagined, and his skills will be needed again, perhaps under a new, more ethical banner.
Principal Figures
Jonah Wish
The Protagonist
Jonah evolves from a reluctant recruit into a leader who questions authority and makes difficult ethical choices to protect the world.
Nathaniel Coldhardt
The Antagonist/Mentor
Coldhardt's arc reveals the tragic origins of his obsession, culminating in a desperate act that leads to his ambiguous fate.
Patch
The Supporting
Patch grows more trusting of his teammates and learns to voice his concerns about their dangerous missions.
Motti
The Supporting
Motti becomes more assertive and confident in his abilities, especially after facing personal injury during a mission.
Con
The Supporting
Con learns the limits of his charm and the importance of genuine trust and teamwork.
Tye
The Supporting
Tye grapples with the burden of her ability and learns to trust her instincts even when the truth is painful.
Silas
The Antagonist
Silas evolves from a straightforward rival to a reluctant, temporary ally, driven by a shared, greater threat.
Themes & Insights
The Allure and Danger of Power
The ancient artifacts are immense power, able to grant eternal life or cause destruction. Coldhardt's desperate search for this power, driven by personal tragedy, shows how even good intentions can lead to dangerous obsession. The team sees the destructive potential of these relics, like during the device's activation, forcing them to face the ethics of using such power. The theme explores whether power corrupts, or reveals desperation, and the responsibility that comes with controlling it.
“''Absolute power corrupts absolutely, but sometimes, absolute grief drives one to seek it, regardless of the cost.'”
Family and Legacy
Coldhardt's quest is driven by his family's legacy and his desire to resurrect them, showing the deep impact of loss and how far someone might go to defy fate. The artifacts themselves are often tied to ancient civilizations and their legacies. This theme also appears in the bonds formed within Jonah's 'found family'—the team—who, despite their different backgrounds, become a united group, relying on each other as a new kind of family. Coldhardt's choices are deeply rooted in his family history and the burdens passed down through generations.
“''Some legacies are burdens, others, desperate hopes whispered across generations.'”
Truth and Deception
With Tye, who detects lies, and Con, who masters deception, this theme is central. Coldhardt first hides his true motives, forcing Jonah to hack for the truth. The team constantly navigates a world of double-crosses, hidden agendas, and misdirections, especially with Silas. Jonah's journey is about uncovering layers of deception to understand the true nature of their mission and the artifacts, highlighting the importance of discernment and the dangers of blind trust, especially with powerful individuals.
“''The truth is rarely simple, and often, it's buried under layers of what we wish to believe.'”
Identity and Belonging
Each member of Coldhardt's team is an outcast or prodigy with a unique, often isolating, talent. Jonah, a hacker, finds belonging and purpose within this group. The story explores how these individuals, brought together by a benefactor, form their own identities within the team and find a place where their skills are valued. This theme also touches on how their dangerous missions shape who they are and what they believe, leading them to question their roles and Coldhardt's goals, strengthening their collective identity.
“''We were a collection of broken pieces, but together, we formed something whole, something dangerous.'”
Plot Devices & Literary Techniques
The MacGuffin (Ancient Artifacts)
A collection of mysterious, powerful objects driving the plot.
The ancient artifacts—such as the 'Eye of Horus,' 'Serpent's Tooth,' 'Oracle's Scroll,' 'Heart of Atlantis,' and 'Key of Eternity'—function as the primary MacGuffin. They are the objects of desire for all factions, driving the entire plot forward. Their specific powers and origins are gradually revealed, but their initial purpose is simply to propel the characters into various dangerous missions. They serve as a catalyst for conflicts, alliances, and the eventual revelation of Coldhardt's and Silas's true motivations, symbolizing immense power and the ultimate stakes of the story.
The Enigmatic Mentor
A powerful, mysterious figure who guides the protagonist with hidden motives.
Nathaniel Coldhardt embodies the enigmatic mentor trope. He recruits Jonah and the team, providing them with resources and missions, but keeps his true intentions and the full scope of the artifacts' power shrouded in secrecy. This device creates initial intrigue and trust, which is then gradually eroded as Jonah uncovers Coldhardt's desperate, personal motivations. The mentor's ambiguity forces the protagonist to question authority and make their own moral judgments, ultimately leading to a confrontation where the mentor becomes an antagonist.
The Rival Organization
An opposing group with similar goals, creating conflict and revealing deeper truths.
Silas's rival organization serves as a crucial plot device. Initially, they are simply antagonists providing external conflict and raising the stakes of each mission. However, as the story progresses, the rivalry evolves, revealing that Silas shares a similar personal history and understanding of the artifacts' true nature. This device allows for temporary alliances, highlights the moral complexities of the central conflict, and ultimately expands the scope of the threat beyond just Coldhardt's personal quest, hinting at a larger, global danger posed by the ancient device.
The Underground Base
A high-tech, secret headquarters symbolizing power, secrecy, and isolation.
Coldhardt's lavish, high-tech underground conference center serves as a symbolic and functional plot device. It represents Coldhardt's immense wealth and power, his desire for secrecy, and the isolation of the team from the outside world. It's a place of training, planning, and refuge, but also a cage that initially limits the team's understanding of their missions. The base's hidden nature reinforces the theme of truth and deception, as Jonah's efforts to hack into its systems are key to uncovering Coldhardt's secrets.
Critical analysis
Notable Quotes
“Sometimes, the only way to find the truth is to get your hands dirty, even if it means breaking a few rules.”
— A mentor figure advising Kael on his investigation into the missing artifacts.
“The air shimmered with residual energy, a phantom echo of power that had been unleashed and then abruptly silenced.”
— Kael examining the site of a magical disturbance.
“Trust was a luxury Kael couldn't afford, not in this city, not with a bounty on his head.”
— Kael reflecting on his isolated existence and the dangers he faces.
“The ancient texts spoke of a power that could reshape reality, a power now lost to all but whispers and legends.”
— Kael researching the history of the lost artifacts and their capabilities.
“He moved through the crowded market like a ghost, his senses honed to every flicker of movement, every hushed conversation.”
— Kael demonstrating his stealth and observational skills during an infiltration.
“The past wasn't just history; it was a living, breathing thing, constantly reaching out to grasp the present.”
— Kael realizing the profound impact of past events on his current predicament.
“Even in the darkest corners, a flicker of hope can ignite, if you're brave enough to carry the flame.”
— A moment of encouragement between Kael and his unlikely ally, Lyra.
“The truth, when it finally revealed itself, was far more intricate and dangerous than any lie.”
— Kael uncovering the conspiracy behind the missing artifacts.
“Magic wasn't just spells and incantations; it was the very fabric of existence, waiting to be understood.”
— Kael's evolving understanding of magic beyond its practical applications.
“He was a thief, yes, but he was also a protector, a seeker of justice in a world that had forgotten its meaning.”
— Kael's internal monologue about his true motivations and identity.
“The whispers of the forgotten gods were growing louder, demanding to be heard, demanding their due.”
— Hinting at an ancient, awakening power that poses a threat to the city.
“Every lock had a key, and every secret had a way of being unearthed, given enough persistence.”
— Kael's determined approach to solving the mystery.
“The line between hero and villain was often blurred, painted in shades of grey by the choices one made.”
— Kael contemplating the morality of his actions and the people he encounters.
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Key Questions (FAQ)
'Thieves Like Us' follows Jonah Wish, a brilliant computer hacker, as he joins an elite team of teenage outlaws assembled by the enigmatic Nathaniel Coldhardt. This crew, including Patch the locksmith, Motti the electronics expert, Con the mesmerist, and Tye the lie detector, embarks on high-stakes missions to acquire ancient artifacts.
