It Takes a Thief by Walter M. Miller
The novel follows the story of a professional thief, known only as "the Cat," who is hired by a mysterious organization to steal a valuable artifact from a powerful and dangerous criminal. The Cat must use all of his skills and cunning to outwit the criminal and his henchmen, while also dealing with the mysterious organization's own agenda. Along the way, he discovers secrets about his own past and the true nature of the artifact he is trying to steal. The novel is a thrilling adventure story, full of suspense and intrigue. It is also a commentary on the nature of crime and justice, and the power of secrets and lies. It is a classic of the crime fiction genre, and is considered one of Miller's best works.
By Walter M. Miller · First published 1952 · Genre: Crime Fiction, Mystery, Thriller · 10,611 words
First lines
"The ancient gods, our Fathers, rode down from the heavens in the Firebirds of the Sun. Coming into the world, they found no air for the breath of their souls. "How shall we breathe?" they asked of the Sun. And Sun gave them of His fire and beneath the earth they kindled the Blaze of the Great Wind. Good air roared from the womb of Mars our Mother, the ice burned with a great thunder, and there was air for the breath of Man."
A thief, he was about to die like a thief.
What this Textopian page supports
It Takes a Thief is listed on Textopian as a novel by Walter M. Miller, dated 1952 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Novel
- Author: Walter M. Miller
- Date: 1952 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Crime Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Adventure
- Length: 10,611 words
- Structure: 1 section, 278 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for It Takes a Thief by Walter M. Miller
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
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Discussion starters
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Genres
- Crime Fiction — The title of the book, 'It Takes a Thief', implies a criminal element, and the plot follows a thief as he attempts to steal a valuable item.
- Mystery — The plot follows the thief as he attempts to uncover the truth behind the item he is trying to steal, creating a mystery element.
- Thriller — The plot follows the thief as he attempts to steal the item while evading capture, creating a thrilling element.
- Adventure — The plot follows the thief as he embarks on a journey to steal the item, creating an adventurous element.
Tags
Fiction · Mars (Planet) · Science fiction · Short stories · Thieves · air · around · asir · away · back · big · came