The Dungeoneers is a book by John David Anderson, the author of Sidekicked and Minions.
The world is not a fair place, and Colm Candorly knows it. While his parents and eight sisters seem content living on a lowly cobbler's earnings, Colm can't help but feel that everyone has the right to a more comfortable life. It's just a question of how far you're willing to go to get it.
In an effort to help make ends meet, Colm uses his natural gift for pickpocketing to pilfer a pile of gold from the richer residents of town, but his actions place him at the mercy of a mysterious man named Finn Argos, a gilded-toothed, smooth-tongued rogue who gives Colm a choice: he can be punished for his thievery, or he can become a member of Thwodin's Legions, a guild of dungeoneers who take what they want and live as they will. Colm soon finds himself part of a family of warriors, mages, and hunters, learning to work together in a quest to survive and find treasure—but the true danger may come from within the Dungeoneers themselves.
This book contains examples of:
- An Adventurer Is You: Successful dungeoneering is built around an optimized party that can work well together. Colm's party consists of himself, a rogue, Lena, a barbarian, Quinn, a mage, and Serene, a druid. Later, Ravena the ranger helps them out as well.
- Bittersweet Ending: Finn's plan has been foiled, he's been turned into a statue, Colm's friends and teachers are safe, and the ultimate treasure is also safe. Colm works to keep his family well-fed in secret, but can't bring himself to face them because leaving again would be harder.
- Broken Pedestal: Colm has this happen with both Tye Thowdin and Finn, neither of whom are as great as they seem at first.
- The Fighting Narcissist: Lena the barbarian is completely full of herself, though she feels she has to be proud to live up to her family's reputation.
- Inept Mage: Quinn has little control over his fire powers at first. It's not helped when he eats cinnamon rolls with anti-magic icing, rendering him useless until it gets out of his system.
- Insistent Terminology: Finn is adamant about being a rogue, not a thief.
- Master of None: Ravena is a powerful ranger who's good at a lot of things, but isn't great at anything.
- Master of Unlocking: Colm can pick any lock once he sets his mind to it. Finn uses this to his advantage.
- The Mentor: Finn, who takes Colm under his wing and teaches him the art of thievery.
- Speaks Fluent Animal: Serene, as well as other druids, can speak to animals.
- Taken for Granite: Among many other punishments, this can happen to those that fail to properly unlock the ultimate treasure.
- You Can't Go Home Again: Colm realizes at the end of the book that Finn was right. Once you live the life of a rogue, you see every treasure as an opportunity for more.
