Name: The Lies of Locke Lamora
Rating: 4.3625 (360 reviews)
ISBN: 9781400190515

Scott Lynch

Set in a fantastic city pulsing with the lives of decadent nobles and daring thieves, here is a story of adventure, loyalty, and survival.

The Lies of Locke Lamora

Tawny ✨

‘Good lad,’ Jean said. 'Glad to hear it. But just what is it that you won't screw up?’

Bug sighed. ‘I make the signal when Salvara's on his way out of the Temple of Fortunate Waters. I keep an eye out for anyone else trying to walk past the alley, especially the city watch. If anybody tries it, I jump down from the temple roof with a longsword and cut their bloody heads off where they stand.' 

‘I said I distract them any way I can. You going deaf, Jean?'

They say that the Thorn of Camorr can beat anyone in a fight. They say he steals from the rich and gives to the poor. They say he's part man, part myth, and mostly street-corner rumor. And they are wrong on every count. Only averagely tall, slender, and god-awful with a sword, Locke Lamora is the fabled Thorn, and the greatest weapons at his disposal are his wit and cunning. He steals from the rich - they're the only ones worth stealing from - but the poor can go steal for themselves. What Locke cons, wheedles and tricks into his possession is strictly for him and his band of fellow con-artists and thieves: the Gentleman Bastards. Together their domain is the city of Camorr. Built of Elderglass by a race no-one remembers, it's a city of shifting revels, filthy canals, baroque palaces and crowded cemeteries. Home to Dons, merchants, soldiers, beggars, cripples, and feral children. And to Capa Barsavi, the criminal mastermind who runs the city. But there are whispers of a challenge to the Capa's power. A challenge from a man no one has ever seen, a man no blade can touch. The Grey King is coming. A man would be well advised not to be caught between Capa Barsavi and The Grey King. Even such a master of the sword as the Thorn of Camorr. As for Locke Lamora ...

The Gentleman Bastard Sequence, Book One

Couldn't get into it. Didn't care about the cast. The writing style is jarring.

robinthehoo

Fantasy meets crime caper in the first book of a landmark, enduringly popular epic series about a roguish group of conmen, which George R. R. Martin has called “fresh, original, and engrossing . . . gorgeously realized.” An orphan’s life is harsh—and often short—in the mysterious island city of Camorr. But young Locke Lamora dodges death and danger, becoming a thief under the tutelage of a gifted con artist. As leader of the band of light-fingered brothers known as the Gentlemen Bastards, Locke is soon infamous, fooling even the underworld’s most feared ruler. But in the shadows lurks someone still more ambitious and deadly. Faced with a bloody coup that threatens to destroy everyone and everything that holds meaning in his mercenary life, Locke vows to beat the enemy at his own brutal game—or die trying.

Absolutely INCREDIBLE! One of the best fantasy novels I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Every element of the plot, characters, and the world align in just the right ways. 

Paige Leitner

Vowing to bring down the crime boss running the city, a group of Gentlemen Bastards, led by Locke Lamora, sets out to beat the Capa at his own game, taking on other thieves, murderers, beggars, prostitutes, and thugs in the process.

ploral

I love the found family trope so it's not surprising that I enjoyed their relationship with one another the most. Jean's my favourite character. He stole my heart right away.

I absolutely loved this book. These characters are going to stay with me for a long time. I'd recommend this book to everyone. It's really good.

Holy hell!

Brilliant narrative flow! This book changed my life, my interview style, my social skills...its incredible read it! You’ll love Locke!

A. D. Knapp

Loved this one. Took me a bit to get my head back in a fantasy space (been the better part of a decade since I read any fantasy), but once I acclimated, this book really grabbed me. 

I know it's been described as Ocean's Eleven in a fantasy setting, but I don't think that goes far beyond the surface. A more apt description might be: what if the droogs from A Clockwork Orange had received a proper criminal education and been set loose on a fully realized world out of a Michael Moorcock fever dream?

I think my only complaint would be that I would have liked more of the light-hearted heist high-jinks of the early part of the novel before the serious business kicked off in earnest. Just would have enjoyed a little more time with the Gentlemen Bastards original roster. It's a half-hearted complaint at best though, as this was one of the more enjoyable reads I've had in a while. Highly recommended.

Vicky  Nuñez 

Nothing beats reading a great book in a brand new world and this is a really good book with great worldbuilding. 

Locke Lamora is an orphan and a thief, for him stealing comes as second nature. It comes so easily that it makes the Thiefmaker think it seems unnatural. All of the other orphans plan simple schemes, but his grand theatrics bring more attention to him than necessary. 

The story jumps between this younger Locke and a older one more experienced who is now the garrista or leader of a gang named Gentleman Bastards. They plan intricate scams behind which Locke is the mastermind. 

It is fun and incredibly well written and paced and you'll love every moment of it. 

This is one of those books that spoiling it might be a sin, so just go and read it. Seriously, you'll love it.

fira

Mitch Stewart

Fantastic book, with surprising twists and a epic finale. Didn't really get into it until 50% through, but it was worth it 100%!

I can understand how it can work for a lot of people. But I still try to figure out how this could be considered one of the best fantasy books of all time ? In Reddit and all ?

It can be read like a historical fiction. That’s how the world building felt to me. Too familiar, not imaginative enough. Nothing mind blowing really

And the plot well, a lot of drama but nothing coherent imo.

One thing for sure characters love to keep their real name a secret for some reason. This is the only reason why I’m willing to give book 2 a try

Amira BEN

Meh
I can understand how it can work for a lot of people. But I still try to figure out how this could be considered one of the best fantasy books of all time ? In Reddit and all ?


It can be read like a historical fiction. That’s how the world building felt to me. Too familiar, not imaginative enough. Nothing mind blowing really


And the plot well, a lot of drama but nothing coherent imo.


One thing for sure characters love to keep their real name a secret for some reason. This is the only reason why I’m willing to give book 2 a try

Teeeeeesha

Similar to six of crows but with more cussing. This book gives you found family and cunning plans and high stakes. The characters were lovable but it's quite a slow read. But it's amazing.

Michael Springer

Ocean's Eleven was great and everything, but know what would've made it cooler? If the setting had been during the late middle ages, possibly the Renaissance. Better yet, a fantasy world version of the Renaissance with an intricate system of magic and a complex set of political conspiracies to add some flair. And what if the city was built upon the ruins of an earlier city, and the earlier city was built by some enigmatic science fiction creatures that have since disappeared? 
 
And if instead of a handsome, tepid and understated George Clooney in the lead, we had a short guy who can't swordfight a whit, and has a bit of an anger management issue? And he drops unexpected one-liners that make you literally laugh out loud while you're in the breakroom at work and suddenly everyone is looking at you like you're psycho? What if the character went to the Mel Gibson school of Masochism, requiring he gets beat to a bloody pulp and stabbed and drowned in horse urine...oh, I don't know....several times per story arc? How about this character (we'll call him Locke) is absolutely fallible and occasionally screws up on a cosmic level? The kind of screw-up that would get someone less clever killed in mere seconds? And what if, improbably, this protagonist somehow escapes and still--in a manner of speaking--wins? 
 
That sounds like fun. But, it COULD end up a little predictable. So, the author should be a recent graduate of the George R R Martin School of Bumping Off Prominent Characters (Yes, these schools do exist). And the con game Locke is building should hit tons of snags that continue raising the stakes and drawing in new, more dangerous characters, increasing the risk until you just can't stop reading even to put out house fires for the last couple hundred pages. And then, when somehow the Gentlemen Bastards emerge on the other side, coated in their own blood and the blood of others, triumphant, you put the book down and say "Wow." 
 
Furthermore! How about, even though the book is the first book in a ridiculously long series, this hypothetical book is a complete story! (For those of you who read a lot of Very Long Fantasy Serieses, this may be a foreign concept. It may help to wiki the words "climax" and "resolution.") When you finish this one, you aren't forced to keep reading in order to find out how the conflict is resolved. You actually know. That sounds pretty cool. 
 
Well, it is cool. It is witty, profane, violent, over the top, and frequently hilarious. I can't believe this is Scott Lynch's first novel, and I can't wait to read more. This is an incredibly fun adventure novel. Find yourself a copy and read it.

Colleen

Somewhere between 3 and 4 Stars

I came across The Lies of Locke Lamora on Goodreads. I was intrigued by the premise although I am hesitant about Sci-Fi and Fantasy books overall and about stories whose descriptions compare them to movies. Still, the book has very good ratings and I like to mix up my reading list, so I checked it out.

I was only mildly interested at first. The story jumps around a lot, and it took a long time for the different threads to start to weave together in any sensible way. The point where I really got interested was nearly halfway into the story which is a long way considering it is not a short book. The first half was good enough to keep me reading but not captivated. Unfortunately, by that time my copy was due back to the library, and I had to wait several weeks for my hold to come back around. 

The Lies of Locke Lamora is told in intervals between the present and flashbacks (mostly to Locke's childhood but also to the history of the world). As I mentioned, it was hard to keep track of things initially. Although the non-chronological format was done fairly well and did not bother me as much as it often does. 

The story was set in a made up world which was vaguely eighteenth century Europe but with magic. The magical angle does not really come into play until about one-third into the story. Part of why I had trouble getting into the story was that Lynch built an incredibly detailed world that was so detailed that it was hard to keep track of. Frankly I stopped trying to keep all of the countries, languages, family trees, events that occurred outside of the story, and fictional religions straight after a while. And I started enjoying the story more once I did that. Admittedly, most of those details do tie into the story later on in rather satisfying ways. However initially at least, they are boggling to keep track of. The reader is plunged into a rather dense, particularized world that in the beginning seems to be much more clear in the author's mind than on the page. For example, many characters are described as having particular accents. Since these are accents of made-up countries and are only briefly described, it was extremely hard to picture was they were supposed to sound like. And although much detail is given about the city where most of the story takes place, somehow I never got a clear mental image of it other than as I mentioned something vaguely European. 

Of the many, many characters, I initially liked Locke least of all which is not a great thing considering that he is the main characters. At first I only liked him in the flashbacks. I rather enjoyed that little thieving, pugnacious Denis The Menace type character. His grown up self was rather self-absorbed and cared more about playing part during their cons than he did anything else. And admittedly I have an inherent distrust of actors (real or fictional) so that did not endear me towards his character. It was the surrounding characters that drew my attention. Locke's character did improve as the story went on though.

Something else to mention: this book as an absurd amount of swearing. Possibly more swearing than any book I have ever read. I was not repelled by it the way I was in The Good Luck of Right Now. But I do feel compelled to mention to any potential readers that these characters swear worse than angry sailors although it does offer some... shall we say, creative profanity.

I did greatly enjoy the snarky humor in the book. Surprisingly I chuckled quite a bit and even laughed out loud a few times. Not that I would call it a comedy by any means. But there are some rather brilliant one liners and lots of snappy dialogue.

The plot really did keep me guessing. Although part of that was that the author withheld critical information and doled it slowly at peak times. It is rather hard to predict what is going to happen when it involves background history that you have no idea happened or the actions of characters you have not been introduced to yet. Still the last bit turned into quite a page turner.

I would give the first half of the book three stars and the second half four stars, but I settled for giving the book four stars overall. It was certainly good for a debut book. And I will definitely check out the next book in the series.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 3 Stars
Writing Style: 4 Stars
Characters: 3 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 4 Stars
Level of Captivation: 3 Stars
Originality: 4 Stars

Apiecalypse Jen

Anyaconda

So so good! I'm just concerned that book 4 still isn't out yet after years. I can't deal with another amazing series not being continued in a timely manner.

The Lies of Locke Lamora introduced Locke Lamora and his gang of con-artists to a global readership which was delighted to embrace these witty, inventive and hugely imaginative fantasy novels. Beautifully written and cunningly plotted these novels count both George RR Martin and Joe Abercrombie amongst their fans. And now, following the success of Joe Abercrombie's First Law and Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn boxed sets, fans of this series can now own the first three books in a collectable, beautiful and sturdy presentation box.

The Gentleman Bastard Sequence: The lies of Locke Lamora

Fatima Kadri 

4.5 stars but I’m rounding up because this book deserves it

Prashanth Srivatsa

That feeling you get after sitting 12 hours straight, all through the night, finishing this beast of a novel, and then sighing as you are left with memories of this crazy, yet beautiful world created by Lynch. Utterly engrossing and laugh out loud funny, this is a stunning debut.

menna

i can't believe scott lynch woke up one day and said "hm what can i do that will make menna cry like a fucking baby?" and then he went and wrote chapter ten of this fucking book.

the book was a roller coaster from the start BUT CHAPTER TEN OMG CHAPTER TEN IS WHERE ALL THE SHIT REALLY HIT THE FAN (technically end of chapter 9 but still) AND IT JUST KEPT HITTING IT MORE MORE AND THEY NEVER GOT ANY BREAK (someone pls just hug these boys im begging)

this book follows a con man who's also a priest (yes you read that right) along with his gang and let me tell you,, i would let locke lamora con me of every penny i have with a smile on my face YOUR HONOR I LOVE THIS MAN.

the friendship between the gentleman bastards were everything i could've possibly asked for and more!!!!!! i love how much they love and look out for each other and make fun of each other all the time!!!!

(view spoiler)[“I would have given it all to keep Calo and Galdo and Bug alive. i would have given it all, had you put it to me like that!”
“What thief does not fight to hold what he has?”
“One that has something better,” said Locke. “The stealing was more the point for us than the keeping; if the keeping had been so fine, we would have found something to fucking do with it all.”
THIS QUOTE BROKE ME SO MUCH I CAN'T (hide spoiler)]

also can someone get me into locke's mind for a just a second?? i just want to see what it's like,,, this man has schemes and ideas SO GOOD he leaves me in AWE everytime he does something!!!!!

my only complaint is the writing, it can get so over-detailed sometimes i feel like banging my head against a wall

Jamieson

“Someday, Locke Lamora,” he said, “someday, you’re going to fuck up so magnificently, so ambitiously, so overwhelmingly that the sky will light up and the moons will spin and the gods themselves will shit comets with glee. And I just hope I’m still around to see it.”
“Oh please,” said Locke. “It’ll never happen.”


the lies of locke lamora is one of those books I see recommended for high fantasy fans so often it feels almost like a staple. There is apparently going to be seven (I think) books in this sequence, but even though the lies of locke lamora came out in 2007 there is only 3 books out so far. So we could be waiting a while

I have lots of mixed feelings about this book. The fact I had to restart it three times is not great. The is literally the FIRST book I've ever had to restart and reread the beginning all over again. But once I got past 150 pages I really liked it, and the plot is mind blowingly good. But I don't know if it was good enough to make up for the 150 pages of actual struggle town. 

  

  
  

  



  WHAT I LIKED


🌟 the characters. throughout this book I found myself growing more and more attached to these characters. Locke, Jean, Calo and Galdo and Chains were all so interesting and well written. Locke is an interesting character because he's not a typical, badass hyper masculine fantasy hero, but he's incredibly smart and charming and his backstory is very interesting. I really liked learning the backstory of Jean and even though he's dead in the present of the story, Chains was a character I was super interested in. 

One thing about the characters Sam from ThoughsOnTomes points out, which I agree with, is that it was great how willing they were to express emotion and deal with their emotions in text. I liked that the characters cried, got emotional, were open about their feelings for eachother. I hate when characters don't show emotional, especially male characters and I think how much emotion and the trauma the characters were dealing with impacted this story made it feel much more authentic and made the characters feel way more complex and developed. 

🌟  worldbuilding  this is both a pro and con for me it's going on both lists. But pro wise, time the worldbuilding is so detailed and complex, and there are so many fantastical and outlandish elements to the city that are explained in a way you can really picture the world and the atmosphere. 

🌟 plot So this is basically about a group of thieves who have to pull off this incredible con for the most dangerous man in the city, and then a whole bunch of other shit happens to them. When the plot really gets going it's impossible to put down. Plus, some of the groups tricks and the plot twists are mind bending. I definitely think people are right in saying this reads like an adult Six of Crows. Mind was blown. 

🌟 group dynamics and found family There is a heavy emphasis on the Gentleman Bastards and their relationship and history with eachother which I loved. I also really liked the found family aspect, I love that trope and it was done so well here. I liked how we got to see the flashbacks of the groups as children so you really understood how those relationships had developed and why each character was so important to eachother

🌟 this book GOES THERE this may be a con for some people, but I kinda liked how this book was quite graphic and violent and bloody. There was lots of stabbing. I think the violence was not ... nice to read ... but it also felt right for the book? and I think it definitely felt right in this world to have that violence. Plus, I liked there was really tough consequences for the actions people took in the book. 


  WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE


🌟 worldbuilding 'twas both the best of times and the worst of times. The world building is complex, but it's at the expense of the action. Like I said, the first 150 pages was excruciating for me, and thats because it's all bogged down in explaining the world. It felt very info dumpy at times, and the emphasis on description was way too much at times. Honestly you can skim entire pages without missing anything. This is the biggest criticism of this book and its honestly so true, the overly detailed description just bogged the whole thing down and bored me. 

🌟 lack of women So I didn't love that one of the only women in the books (at least until the last third) was killed off kinda immediately, and when women who actually have dialogue and an impact on the plot appeared, for me it was way too little too late. I'm sorry if this upsets people (smh grow up if it does) but fantasy that relegates women to the sidelines or erases them is boring. Y'all the real world does that what is even fantastical about this. It just reeks of "this author didn't think he could create a compelling female character, or worse, doesn't think compelling women exist". I would have loved if one of the Gentleman Bastards had been a girl. And while I've heard there is more women in the sequels, that doesn't change the fact they were nowhere to be seen in this one. 

🌟 lack of diversity in general there is barely ANY diversity in this book, and definitely none in the main characters. What a waste dude, we could of had it all. I really think it just sucks when fantasy worlds act as if the only people who exist are white, allocishet, able bodied and neurotypical people smh. COME ON IS THAT ALL YOU CAN COME UP WITH HOW BORING. Again, don't come at me with "but the sequel!" we're talking about THIS book dude. 
 
🌟 the interludes I loved the flashbacks, but I didn't like how they were incorporated most the time. The interludes at the end of the chapter took me out the moment and destroyed the tension of the chapter. I didn't feel motivated to keep going because I had to get through an interlude that wasn't relevant to the present first. 

🌟 the swearing I don't find swearing annoying or bad or anything like that in books - I just didn't like the swearing all the time in this? Sometimes it annoyed me idk why


  The galleon rode south before the winds of the storm, and the last few glimmers of Falselight faded behind them. The lights drew down into the darkness, and then they were gone for good, and rain swept in like a wall above the surface of the sea


Overall, The Lies of Locke Lamora is an excellent debut, with some pretty compelling characters and a plot that when it gets good, gets good. But I also think it's far from perfect. The first 150 pages was honestly ......... not great. And the lack of diversity is disappointing and frankly inexcusable. 

While this book has many strengths, and I definitely want to continue because by the time I had finished it I was hooked, I also am hoping for quite a bit of improvement from the next one. Which concerns me because I have heard around this is the best one. 

Overall, this is a pretty solid fantasy, and I do recommend it because the plot is that fantastic after the first section, and the characters are awesome! I just don't think it's perfect and thats okay we can critique things!


  “There’s no freedom quite like the freedom of being constantly underestimated.”

I can’t get over how good this books was !!! It was slow at the beginning but as soon as I got into it I couldn’t put it down, the plot twists and the characters had me in a chokehold and I can’t wait to get straight into the next one! Also have to add that I love love love Jean Tannen <3

Sade A

JUSTICE IS RED!!!!!!!!!

Every once in a while, you come across a book that will make your emotions go bat shit crazy; You usually know you've reached this point when you start talking to your kindle in my case or a physical copy of your book- they can't hear you but that doesn't mean your're not yelling clues at the hero or thinking up ways to grind a villain to dust. i mean, how dare these villains!!!

The lies of Locke Lamora starts out slow in some ways and i have to say Scott Lynch's penchant for over describing things really didn't endear me to him. In one case he describes the foods on a table for more than 2 paragraphs, other times, it was the description of a building or the town, which just went on FOREVER!! It's not necessarily a bad thing but the author's version was in more ways than one, overkill. Thankfully though this is few and far between so it's more like a minor peeve.

The writing and plot though, more than makes up for any negative thing you may get from this novel. Scott Lynch weaves a story filled with colourful casts, dry humour and often tongue in cheek descriptions.
"No prudence was out. Bug had to win. The presence of that rubbish pile made a great and glorious stupidity very possible" or this 

"Rude Trevor had a great many other nicknames...to say that he was an intemperate, murderous lunatic would wound the feelings of most intemperate, murderous lunatics"
and that's just a really teensy portion of what you can expect.

This isn't some clean story where the heroes don't get dirty or the Villains are some sort of bumbling fools, who came to play. There's blood, there's tension that just ratchets up from 0-100 that's going to leave your head spinning. It gets ugly and it is glorious.

So really though, without giving too much away enjoy Locke Lamora where in his words "Thieving is an honest trade, when you look at it like we do. We can work really hard at it sometimes"

Rachel Kanyid

What. I have no words.
This was fantastic.

If you are a fan of Sanderson, Rothfuss, Martin, Tolkien, Jordan... ANY kind of high, or epic, fantasy? You should definitely read this!

There is a lot of language, and a fair amount of graphic violence, so I would warn anyone under the age of 18 to ask permission first from parents, but it is a phenomenal story!

I love heist stories. Been a fan of The Italian Job, Ocean's Eleven, Leverage, etc, for years. So plopping a great heist story into a medieval, magical high-fantasy realm? That just rubbed me exactly the right way. I felt how I would assume a happy kitten napping in a warm window on a summers day would feel as I made my through this book. 

I did not want to put it down. 

It was fantastic.

Ryan LaFerney

Set in a world styled heavily after medieval Venice, The Lies of Locke Lamora is a riveting yet slightly flawed fantasy. In the world Lynch has built, Mob style crime lords run Camorr while the nobility ignore the majority of what goes on below. Canals separate the city of Camorr into over a dozen islands, each with their own style, population, haunts and stereotypes. Lynch has a flare for description, which often leads to excessive and tedious detailing as well as beautiful passages. 

The story itself focuses primarily on one Locke Lamora (andhis best friend and grifting partner Jean Tannen). Locke was once an orphaned boy who is now criminal mastermind in the style of Danny Ocean (from Ocean’s 11). Lynch uses an interesting and familiar narrative device: the old story within a story trick– using chapters and interludes to time jump us – from Locke’s formative years as a petty thief and his education into the master criminal he would become to the criminal he became, in the middle of his crews most daring job to propel the story. Sometimes this works; sometimes it slows down the pacing right when the story is getting good. Also, it's a bit chaotic.

But things aren't great for The Gentleman Bastard’s, as Lamora’s crew is named. Amidst conning the nobility, keeping it a secret from everyone including their boss and the law, Camorr falls under the influence of the Gray King, who may be the only man in Camorr who can take on Locke...which leads to a rather enthralling duel during the climax.

If you like swashbuckley adventures of sorts, with an Oceans-13 bent, this might be for you. I happen to be a big fan of this kinda thing. And while I certainly enjoyed this book, it took its time to weave it spell. Don't give up on it though! The last 50 pages are so are well worth the investment as Lynch gives us a dramatic payoff and duel between the Grey King and Locke.

My two gripes with this book are as follows. 1. Lynch's obsessive use of “swear” words. I'm not sure that the abundance of swearing was necessary or even appropriate to certain situations within the book. I think that swear words could of been employed a bit more effectively if they were used for only dire situations/threatening characters. 2. Lynch occasionally switches points of view. It's a bit annoying.

Another thing that bothered me was the occasional light-hearted tone of the book. Dark themes and violence would happen on one page and on the other comedy! It seemed to me that none of the characters were affected by the slaughter that was going on around them and that Locke was a heartless bastard. However, we come to find out that indeed, all the violence does take an emotional toll on these characters after all during the climax of this book, which changed my perspective on the tone shifting throughout. 

This is a great swashbuckling, gritty, adventurous romp full of dark humor. Not for the feint of heart.

Elyse Peter

This book was a solid fantasy read. It is as advertised- a really neat setting (medieval Venice-inspired, renaissance-y, canal-crossed city) with included some charming characters. It only dragged at a few parts, in my opinion, and largely the interesting world that Lynch has crafted was enough to keep me sucked in. 

My one complaint, which perhaps will fall on deaf ears to fans of this series, is the lack of female characters. I *know* there's a couple of them that play fairly important roles in the story, but they don't get much page time and it felt like a missed opportunity to have an interesting band of guys as our central characters and not have a single female in the group. Maybe a superfluous complaint, but I'm pretty sure I would have enjoyed this book more if any of the main characters was a bit more...relatable. Just my opinion. 

I've heard rumours that the second book might feature at least one more prominent female? So might give the sequel a chance and see how that goes...

Amani Zaha

Two months ago, I googled some iterations of "fun witty adventure books reddit" and more than once, The Lies of Locke Lamora popped up as a recommendation in the reddit threads. I found the title on goodreads, read the blurb, and decided to start reading it. I got through about 50 pages of this brick of a book.

Then I didn't touch it for two months.

Usually if I leave a book unread for such a long stretch of time, I end up throwing in the towel. However, flash forward to a couple days ago. Yet again faced with the endless dilemma of What Do I Read Next, I once again picked this up and dusted it off (figuratively—I had a digital copy), in an attempt to evade having to sift through my 'Want to read'-list. And BOY am I glad I did that!! (!!!)


"Bug," Calo said, "Locke is like a brother to us, and our love for him has no bounds. But the four most fatal words in the Therin language are 'Locke would appreciate it'."

"Rivaled only by 'Locke taught me a new trick'," added Galdo.

"The only person who gets away with Locke Lamora games—"

"—is Locke Lamora—"

"—because we think the gods are saving him up for a really big death. Something with knives and hot irons—"

"—and fifty thousand cheering spectators."


Where do I begin.

This book is a wild ride. It's a roller coaster except the ride just seems to keep picking up speed, so you grasp the handles for dear life and wait for it to slow down just a little, anytime now, and why is it still going so damn fast? All the while you're barrelling along the rails at furious speeds and the wind is pummelling your face and you're just trying to hold onto life and just when you think that no human could take any more of this your cart screeches to a halt, the safety bar knocks the air out of your lungs and you're left slumped in your seat.

I may be exaggerating, but this book really does feel equivalent to watching a bowstring being slowly pulled taut and anxiously anticipating its release — for the duration of about three fourths of the book's 750 pages. The Lies of Locke Lamora is one of those books that just seem so perfectly crafted — intricate storylines seamlessly woven, characters incredibly compelling, world-building rich and colourful, and prose sharp, witty, vivid. I think Lynch aced all of this, and especially so the pacing (and build-up of tension) when considering the length of this story.

I would understand anyone who finds this too long, however. The chapters detailing the present are preceded by "interludes", which provide backstory/significance to locations or new supporting characters that are introduced in the chapter. While I didn't feel that the interludes affected my interest in the story (I imagined them the way a new scene in a movie may 'fade into view'), depending on a reader's preference and general interest in the story, that may be a dealbreaker.

"We are released from one complication," said Locke, "and flung headlong into another. And this b-tch has teeth."

Then of course there are the lies, tricks and heists that the gang pulls off. They make the story wild and unpredictable and so, so fun to read. Honestly, this felt like watching a movie packed with suspense. And perhaps more importantly, the dialogue is funny. It is witty and fast, and the insults (of which there are many) so outrageously creative. The chemistry among our main cast — Locke and his friends — only made the banter more enjoyable to read. 

"But you didn't die."

"Clever lad," said Chains, "to deduce that from such slender evidence after living with me for just three years."

Or this one.

"Galdo Avrillaigne," said Locke. "I am from Talisham."

"You write?"

"Why, all the time," said Locke, "except of course when I'm wrong."


Conclusion: a Very Good Read. Might add this to my favourites, but I'm holding off on that until I've finished the next two books in this series. (I rarely read series, but Lynch has me feeling confident that I will not be disappointed.)


"It must be nice to be righteous; from where I'm standing it looks like f-cking lunacy."

The Lies of Locke Lamora

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