The Lies of Locke Lamora (The Gentleman Bastard Sequence)

This is probably my favorite Action/Adventure Fantasy book that I've ever read. Everything about it is just so perfect. It has an interesting world, a unique cast of characters, and a twisty-turny story that is so enthralling it's tough to put the book down. I've read it multiple times, and even when I know what's going to happen I'm still hooked on every word waiting for what will happen next. The Lies of Locke Lamora stars Locke Lamora (of course) as an orphan that grew up in the underworld of the unforgiving City-State Camorr, and in the present day of the story is the leader (Garrista) of the Gentleman Bastards. The rest of the Underworld of Camorr lives under a Secret Peace, where the nobility is not to be touched in any way, but as a priest of the Crooked Warden (The Unnamed 13th God of Thieves and Liars) Locke and his Gentlemen Bastards only go after the nobility. The nobles are pretty large fish to fry, and if it was ever revealed what they really did, every one on both sides, criminal and noble, would want them worse than dead. The Gentlemen Bastards consist of Locke: the master con man, his best friend and muscle of the group: Jean Tannen, the Jacks of All Trades but Masters of None twins Calo & Galdo Sanza, their new apprentice Bug, and former members Sabetha (Locke's former love interest) & Father Chains (father figure, teacher, & their original Garrista). Their lives are good, and while they're setting up a new scheme to steal thousands of gold from a Don, things become complicated when a new power comes into play in the underworld. The Grey King has come calling, he's on a mission of revenge, and his main weapon of choice is a Bondsmagi of Karthain named The Falconer. The odds are already stacked against them, but to make matters even worse, if they were to kill the mercenary magician, the rest of his guild would wipe them and anyone they've ever known from existence. What unfurls from this set up is such a perfect novel with an incredibly strong beginning middle & end, that I would have been fine with it being a standalone novel. Thankfully, the series does continue, and it never stops taking surprising twists and turns. I thoroughly enjoy how Scott Lynch weaves the story in his debut novel, as there's so many different threads to keep track of and bring to a satisfying conclusion. There's the coming of age story told in flash backs to Locke's early life an an Orphan that's too ambitious with his thievery. The con man story where they're still trying to steal the noble's fortune while everything's falling apart. The multi-faceted revenge story of the Grey King, the main villain of this story that could have easily been the anti-hero main character of a different fantasy novel. Then finally the fantasy underworld story that takes place in between everything else. It's all just so masterfully crafted, that this is one of my all time favorite books. I would highly recommend The Lies of Locke Lamora to any fantasy fan, and it would be a decent entry point for someone new to fantasy as the story isn't too epic or difficulty to understand/follow as it mostly focuses on the incredibly interesting characters.

🚨 SPOILERS 🚨 At first, this book reminded me of something Joe Abercrombie might write, but the further I read, the more that impression faded. While—like Abercrombie—Lynch presents anti-heroes navigating a world dominated by the wealthy and powerful, the similarities largely end there. In an Abercrombie First Law novel, your allegiance constantly shifts as the point of view changes; you’re never quite sure who to root for. Here, however, you are always firmly on the side of the Gentleman Bastards, led by the eponymous Locke Lamora. Additionally, while the book contains plenty of violence, it pales in comparison to the brutality of Abercrombie’s battle scenes. Beyond these surface parallels, the two authors’ styles diverge in many significant ways. The narrative alternates between chapters set in the present and interludes depicting events from Locke Lamora’s childhood. Lynch generally does a strong job of transitioning between past and present, often using earlier events to illuminate current ones. That said, some of these elements feel unnecessary to the overall plot. For example, the discussion of Stephen Reynart’s fear of heights seems extraneous, given his minor role as a public authority figure. Likewise, portions of several chapters—and even an entire chapter detailing Locke’s acquisition of an expensive suit for a heist—could have been trimmed or condensed. That chapter, in particular, could have been summarized in a page or less without losing any meaningful context. The characters are fun and likable, and the reader gets a particularly strong sense of both Locke Lamora and his best friend, Jean Tannen. Early in the book, there are repeated references to Sabetha Belacoros, a former member of the Gentleman Bastards who appears to have been integral to the group and possibly a romantic interest for Locke. However, after these early mentions, she all but disappears until a brief reference at the end. Given her apparent importance, I would have liked to see her featured more prominently—either through childhood interludes or in the present-day storyline. The other members of the gang—Locke, Jean, the Sanza twins, and later Bug—are all given significant attention, and it’s clear they endured troubled childhoods even before being taken in by their caretaker, mentor, and criminal trainer: Father Chains, the faux “blind” Priest of Perelandro. Still, aside from Locke and Jean, the backgrounds of the other Bastards are not explored in enough depth to fully understand their motivations and emotional responses. Religion plays a significant role in the world, with twelve traditional gods, each served by a distinct clergy. The Gentleman Bastards, however, are trained in the ways of the nameless thirteenth god, worshipped only by the “right people.” Their irreverent, mocking prayers to this god are often humorous and add a great deal of charm to the story. Character deaths are an expected—and often necessary—part of storytelling, but here they felt somewhat excessive. Bug, the Sanza twins, and Nazca Barsavi - the daughter of the city's crime boss and possible fiance of Lamora's - are all murdered, and Father Chains is already dead by the time the present-day story begins, though we’re never told exactly how he died. Given the relatively small cast of characters, these losses felt especially heavy. As noted earlier, religion is integral to the story, yet the belief systems themselves are not fully explained. I hope Lynch expands on this in later installments, because when he does explore religious themes, they are clever, entertaining, and frequently laugh-out-loud funny. Despite the criticisms above, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was fast-paced, well-written, and highly entertaining, with excellent prose and memorable characters. While this review may sound somewhat contrarian given the rating I assigned, the flaws I’ve noted pale in comparison to the book’s strengths. I would readily recommend it to anyone who enjoys light-magic fantasy, an underdog story, or simply a fun read set in a society that may look vastly different from our own, yet feels strikingly familiar once you get beneath the surface.

FORMAT: Audiobook RATING: ★★★★★ / All the many many many stars! REVIEW: Okay, I think this will actually be a very short review, basically because there are only so many ways for me to say that I loved this book before it gets annoying and redundant. I listened to the audio version (although I also bought the paperback too, but just never got around to it) as narrated by the incredibly talented Michael Page. Seriously talented. I cannot recommend him enough, his narration is everything and so absolutely perfect for this book. The voices, inflections, and differing intensities are just so good. I could fawn for sentences longer but it's probably not necessary, you get the point. This book. Oh, this book. I love it, everything about it. Locke and Jean (pronounced in the French way, just an FYI) have become some of my most favored literary characters. The author, Scott Lynch, has created a vivid and interesting world filled with wonderfully explored characters. The book may technically be in the Fantasy genre but it is not so deeply enmeshed that it couldn't also be listed in other genres. In fact, the fantasy elements are such a light touch that it could almost feel like Historical Fiction...which is why I easily recommended the book to my mom (a woman who doesn't really like fantasy elements in adult stories) and she became so drawn into the book that she couldn't put it down. She devoured it even faster than I did. The author spends just the right amount of words painting us a picture (or pictures) of the fictional city of Camorr but it's truly a character driven book. And the characters are amazing. The dialogue is snappy, witty, heartfelt, and just freaking enjoyable. I laughed and gasped my way through the entire book. It's a grittier Robin Hood-type story but somehow more realistic even in a fantasy world setting. There's also a fair amount of cursing but it feels natural and right for these characters and this world. Funny and heart-racing, I can't wait for more....and luckily there are more books in this series. It's also not a linear time line telling and Lynch does this fantastically. Cutting back and forth in time using "Interludes" to tell the stories of The Gentleman Bastards and how they came to be the genius team of criminals they are is just good storytelling. Not a lot of authors can accomplish this without losing the drive and flow of the story but Lynch nails it. Like I said earlier, I could go on and on. I love this book. You should read it. Now excuse me while I go add this to my list of best books ever.

For several reasons that had nothing to do with the book itself, it took me quite awhile longer to actually get into this than it normally takes me. Once I did however it was hard to put down. The writing was fantastic, completely eliminating that period of adjustment you normally go through while you grow accustomed to a new author's "voice." The characters were entirely original. I at least can't recall a fantasy novel where the main characters were thieves. They're usually a part of the story, but they are generally ancillary characters. The setting was realistic and gritty and fresh and fun and entirely believable. I don't know how widespread my opinion is concerning the homogeneity of most fantasy literature, but while I absolutely love reading it despite that fact, it rarely strikes me as something I haven't seen before. This was completely different in that regard. I can't remember reading anything this unique since The Chronicles of Amber, which as an aside, if you haven't yet read, do yourself a favor and run out and grab it immediately. The only thing that struck me as a possible drawback to this was the city of Camorr was slightly confusing with all its many districts. I never really did feel like I had the foggiest idea of the layout of the city, and any time passages were given describing a particular route being taken I was left pretty much completely bewildered. Maybe that's just me however, I could be an idiot, and regardless it's hardly a big enough complaint to detract from the rest of the novel. But perhaps the author was just a wee bit too ambitious when it came to laying out his main setting. Aside from that, I honestly can't think of anything bad to say, and I'm certainly not going to let something so minor take anything away from my rating. If you like fantasy, or even a good caper, this is definitely one to check out. Even if you're not necessarily a fan of fantasy I would check this one out, as the fantasy elements aren't very prominent. They're definitely their, they just don't play nearly the major role that they do in most "fantasy" novels. I've literally just finished reading this, so I may come back and edit this review further once I've had some time to let my thoughts fully form and I've completely digested everything I've read. Or perhaps I won't, as I seriously doubt anyone reads these anyway. Either way, I seriously doubt my opinion will change much at all concerning the quality of this series, and I encourage you wholeheartedly to give it a chance the next time you're looking for something new to dive into.

The anti-hero is a familiar trope we are all well acquainted with, from gallant Robin Hood to the most modern incarnation of Hook, in Once Upon a Time. We like to be on the side of the one who's doing right, but are endlessly entertained by watching the shady means by which he or she arrives there. The Lies of Locke Lamora is the debut of fantasy author Scott Lynch, and what a debut! I'll save you the synopsis, but I have to impress upon you that this is one of the best fantasy reads you'll pick up, at least between now and the release of The Winds of Winter. I've read a few dissenters that make a variety of claims against this book, because it's scope is limited to one city, or because they couldn't find it in them to care about our main character thief, or even because they actually disliked the dialogue. These are some of Locke Lamora's greatest cards to play. True, the book takes place almost exclusively within the borders of city-state Camorr, a steampunk-Venetian masterpiece in and of itself. Lynch brings it to life, from the taste of ashes to the sickly smell of the Catchfire plague, from the glowing Elderglass to the splash of sharks in the canals. Some books create a vast world; Lynch gives us a deep one. Don't let naysayers fool you; the dialogue is one of this book's shining stars. True, the one-liners and speeches are not what you hear everyday, but that is not why we read fantasy. We read fantasy to taste something different, and, sometimes, to hear dialogue that is snarky beyond the realms of the average tongue. And as for our hero, our anti-hero, Locke Lamora-- he's one of a kind. We've all seen the Rogue with a heart of gold, but Locke is not a trueborn member of this species. Where other heroes are dashing and handsome and dark and tall, Locke has had to make do with being short and plain and skinny, and it's bred a peculiar attitude in him that is endearing and exhilarating to witness. I finished the book half in love with him and I can't wait to read the following novels! All of Lynch's characters, in fact, are glorious, and fulfill the most important tenet an author must observe towards his or her actors: whatever they do, they do it because it is in their nature and ability. But these aren't enough to make a good book. A great setting, excellent characters... A reader needs more. And Scott Lynch delivers, in a suberb writing style that reaches for the level of the masters. When you open to the first page, prepare, because soon you'll be breathing the humid night fog of Shade's Hill, or caught up in the wondrous Shifting Revel. I started reading and couldn't stop. I read it, and I'll surely read it again, because despite the opinions of pessimists I can't wait to sit by the fire with Father Chains on top of the Temple of Perelandro again, or watch Falselight commence and the Elderglass glow. I'd read it again just to see Nazca one last time, or to hear Calo and Galdo's silly bantering. If I had an extra lifetime to enjoy it, I'd never get sick of Jean's loyalty or the Falconer's cruelty. And most of all, I'd never tire of reading about Locke, about our skinny and suspiciously ordinary, yet absolutely extraordinary protagonist. I will not judge this book by what it could have been; I'm swept away by what it is. So I'll read it, and the volumes to come. Because I, like to many before, simply enjoy the occasional story about a thief.

[...] You know that feeling of being stuck on the outside, looking in? Like you're there, but not quite, caught between the bounds of half-knowing and exclusion. That's how I felt when I was reading "The Lies of Locke Lamora," the first installment in Scott Lynch's "Gentleman Bastard" series, at least at first. But, like every story, I'll start from the beginning. I picked up this novel after seeing review after review of fanatic readers raving about it, and I naturally just couldn't resist. There's something undeniably magical about fantasy novels, something that weaves an encompassing world around you until you find yourself enraptured. Unfortunately for me, it took me a little while with the world of Camorr--but better late than never! An orphan's life is harsh--and often short--in the island city of Camorr. But luckily enough, Locke Lamora was blessed by the Thirteen Gods with quick wit and a gift for thieving, dodging both death and slavery. Under the tutelage of an eyeless priest named Chains, Locke flourishes into the Thorn of Camorr, notorious for pulling off the most outrageous of games. Along with his new, light-fingered brothers, the Gentleman Bastards, Locke has even the criminal underworld's most feared ruler, Capa Barvasi, into thinking that they're petty thieves. But when someone called the Grey King begins killing off the Capa's most trusted men--and using Locke in his plot to seize control of Camorr's underworld--a bloody coup is sparked. And as he finds everything and everyone that holds meaning in his mercenary life disappearing before his eyes, Locke vows to beat the Grey King at his own game--or die trying. Arguably the most crucial part of any great fantasy novel is the main character, since, after all, you'll be following him or her across the great span of 500 pages or so. Locke Lamora is undeniably an intriguing protagonist, one with unparalleled cunning and a knack for theatrical thievery. I completely fell in love with his devil-may-care attitude and his thirst for the rush of adrenaline he gets from trickery--even till the very end--but what really made him a great hero was his unwavering loyalty toward his fellow Gentleman Bastards. His adoptive family means the world to him, and this compassionate side to him really gave him his driving force when things were forced to get down and dirty with the Grey King. Chains, Jean, Bug, Calo and Galdo, who make up the gang, are all such instrumental members in creating the dynamics in the Gentleman Bastards, and hearing their banter and seeing their close-knit camaraderie undoubtedly added to the story. The other characters, like Capa Barvasi, the Grey King and the Spider, were likewise well-developed and intriguing to read about, and I think Mr. Lynch has really created an exciting cast of characters in his debut novel. Remember what I said about feeling like you're half-in, half-out? Well that's what I felt as I read the first few chapters of "The Lies of Locke Lamora." I don't know whether I'm explaining it right, but there was a sort of disconnect between myself as a reader and the book I held in my hands, like I just couldn't get into it. The more I read, however, the more I came to realize the reason behind this: the writing style. Don't get me wrong--Mr. Lynch's writing is great, which lends itself to the fantastic and intricate plot of the novel. What comes to mind are the amazing descriptions of the culinary concoctions of the aristocratic parties--imagine miniature palaces spun out of candied jellies and sweetbreads, and a fusion of cooked animals, with the head of a cow and the body of a fish. But there were times when there were just too many adjectives and adverbs lying around, cramping up the descriptions. It's no easy feat to create an entirely new world in any genre, especially fantasy, but I think if Mr. Lynch had toned down on some descriptions, things would've flown a lot more smoothly and sped things up a little. There were times when the sentences and paragraphs were too bogged down with auxiliary words, and I found myself skimming over lots of them as I tried to get to the actual meat of the story. Which, of course, brings me to the plot. The storyline of "The Lies of Locke Lamora" was pretty interesting throughout, but, more than that, extremely clever. I loved seeing the way secrets and plans were revealed as the story progressed, along with the underlying unease that comes with the ever-present tension. Another thing I really appreciated and enjoyed was the way in which Mr. Lynch interspersed the chapters of the main storyline with interludes, jumping back and forth between the past and the present and giving his readers a more solid idea of both Locke's childhood and the world we are presented with. Like I discussed earlier at length, it did take me a little while to actually dive into the story, but it definitely does pick up a few long chapters in, leading up to the climactic ending of the novel! Overall, "The Lies of Locke Lamora" is an intriguing fantasy novel, complete with a dynamic cast of characters, an undeniably clever hero, and an equally clever storyline. While it might not be my absolute favourite novel, it is definitely a solid fantasy story, one that you should definitely check out for yourselves! Rating: 3.5/5

Writers take note: _this_ is how you do dark fantasy. Good character development and complexity. Constantly keeps you engaged and wondering what will happen next. Instead of giving you all the background in the beginning, it alternates chapters from the main story (Locke Lamora and his gang as adults) to their history as children or earlier adults. There are even myths and urban legends from the city's history to enrich the cultural and historical context of some aspects of the story. You get just the depth of background you need for the next chapter, in satisfying little mini-stories scattered throughout a complex and action-oriented story with multiple subplots and complex characters. It is an occasionally frustrating but excellently effective pacing mechanism. The story is clearly a fantasy entertainment piece with its layers of confidence tricks and games and humor, but while parts of it are light-hearted and playful, it is not really a light read. Nobody who gets much screen time is innocent. The story starts out with orphaned children in a den of thieves, and despite showing us their further education and enjoyment of life, it definitely gets progressively darker from there, including some rather graphic scenes of torture, gladiator entertainment, and fights wherein everybody involved gets severely injured. There are psychological tortures, severed appendages, and gruesome deaths both on-screen and off. The main characters do their best to save lives, but do not leave their revenge story with clean hands. Sometimes people are murdered off-screen in painful ways and their corpses desecrated, not because of any culpability on their part but simply to cause pain to their loved ones (in trope language this is called "getting fridged"). In the author's defense, he handles this darkness and violence very well. In a world where the lives of the poor or criminal classes are harsh and come cheap, some of the most badass fighters are women, some of the richest merchants are dark of skin, and men get fridged four times as often as women. People get tortured, but even for women that torture is not sexual in nature. So, while some people are disenfranchised, victimized, and stripped of their agency in the cruelest and most final of ways, it is not done in the manner of the standard tropes prevalent in our culture and doesn't reinforce harmful stereotypes. It is not done in a lazy way. While some of the violence may seem like unnecessarily graphic stage dressing, it's at least not misogynistic, sexually charged, or racially uneven violent stage dressing, and as such it comes as something of a relief. Writers: if these are mechanisms you want to use in your writing, make sure you execute them like Scott Lynch does. Don't get lazy. Here's an example of how to do it well. Readers: This may be a fantasy story, but do not expect a hollywood ending. Everything does NOT turn out okay, there are major losses along the way, it's not just the villains with blood on their hands, and that moment when your mind rebels and you hope for a certain twist, it's not. There is no deus ex machina, and sometimes the cavalry arrives too late. Nevertheless, the ending is still very satisfying, and leaves you curious to see how the protagonists will adapt to their extremely changed circumstances. I normally prefer lighter entertainment, but I'm already 1/3 through the next book in the series.

Let me start by saying that I met Mr. Lynch at the Phoenix Comicon and he was all smiles and incredibly nice. This was a story I was very interested in reading. I will also say upfront that I plan on reading the second book in this series. And I plan on doing it in the near future. So why only 3 stars? Two words: Descriptions. Characters. Now, if you’ve read my reviews you’ll know I’m not into lengthy descriptions. Worked into dialog or a natural scene? Oh hell ya, I love it. A paragraph? Sure. That’s how most do it. Two paragraphs? Okay, I’ll deal. 3 pages? Forget about it. I’m skimming right over that. 3 pages where the tense is switched to present while the rest of the book is in past? Yeah, I’m not skimming, I’m plain skipping. Why? I hate hate hate it when I get pulled out of a story. It’s very easy for me to completely lose myself in a book. I can read for hours without realizing it; missing meals, forgetting about appointments, ignoring appointments, waking up at 4am because I can’t stop thinking about the book, and so on. But when I’m continually pulled from the story, I get very upset. It’s jarring for me. So that alone dropped this book an entire star rating. I probably missed tons of interesting little tidbits from those sections, but I can’t stand info dumps and pages of descriptions. So, honestly, it ticked me off because I know I missed some cool stuff. Let’s tack on to that the flashbacks. I didn’t so much mind it when the went to Locke’s childhood and initiation into the Gentleman Bastards. Those gave me insights into his character and I did enjoy them, though I felt he was extremely indifferent for such a young child. What I did not like was when a scene ended with a reveal and then we backtracked to how it came to be. I already know so going back doesn’t do much for me. I’ve lost the tension, the interest, and the care: I know the end result. On top of the pages of description, there were paragraphs on top of paragraphs of in-depth dialog for the scheme the Gentleman Bastards were attempting. Now, this is going to come down to purely personal preference. I didn’t care much for all the laboring setup of the Don Salvara. It’s just not something that holds my interests. This is something my sister would enjoy. She tends to like all that stuff, which is why we don’t have the same books in our top five. Add this to the all the description and I’m skimming quite a bit. Characters? Ugh! This was the most frustrating part of the book and the one area I walked around spewing my frustration this morning when I finished it. So, let me tell you that I enjoyed the characters. But... they were nothing too terribly special to me. The banter got me to smile a few times, and I like the sense of camaraderie the Gentleman Bastards had. With all my readings and reviews, I’m slowly identifying what draws me to a character. I’ve often said that I like my characters a little broody and internally tormented. That’s definitely true. But what I found enticed me to Locke Lamora (I’m just going to say it here: I friggin love this character’s name) was his vulnerability. And that’s when I realized that I look for that trait in my favorite characters. The vulnerability doesn’t always stem from something traumatic, but it definitely helps me latch on to characters. Now, Locke Lamora is not your average protagonist weighing in at two hundred pounds of nothing but muscle. He gets the crap beat out of him and knows that he’s no physical match for half the people he runs into. I really really liked that about him. So, why did I not latch on to him? I asked myself that same question this morning and discovered why. He lacked a bit of depth to me. He didn’t have quirks. I don’t remember reading how he stood, how his stances were set when he was in trouble, when he was happy. I hardly got an expression from him. He was stone, in my mind. He had no life. However, there was that vulnerability in him that kept me interested in his character. And there were some hints that there’s more of his past that we’re going to learn about in upcoming books. That alone will keep me reading on. The writing was very approachable and I found Mr. Lynch’s voice nothing short of delightful. When I was in a good scene with all my senses firing, I was there and I loved it! Truly gifted with prose. While I did have some beefs with the book, I can’t fault Lynch’s writing. And if you boil down the story, it was very interesting and engaging. So, overall, if you don’t mind some descriptions, I really do recommend this book. I’ll definitely pick up book two at some point and hope to become a little bit more invested in Locke Lamora. And I’ll be ardently recommending this book to my sister.