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.

This is a very good fantasy, centering on a band of con artists and thieves led by the infamous Locke Lamora. The book is very convoluted and fast paced, with incredibly planned heists and lots of action. There are also a lot of great characters that grow a lot during the book, and the dynamics in the group is very good. I loved the book.

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.

As I’m sure you’re aware The Lies of Lock Lamora is more of a heist book than fantasy, but it’s still a great read. It took a while for me to get used to the chapters alternating from the present to flashbacks. Yet once the formula sinks in the book flows wonderfully and tells a tale of an expert thief who’s bitten off more than he can chew. While the fantastical city of Camor and its occupants are purely fictional, aside from a few scenes and characters. There’s very little deep fantasy in the book. Yet wile I found both the city and the characters fun and enjoyable. I found myself, not knowing as much as I would liked to in the end. While Camor is a fascinating city and perfect for the story being told, It’s obvious that some of the details about the mystical city are left out; intentionally either to make it more mystical or be revealed in other books. The hierarchy of the city is a great and it’s fascinating to see young Lock succeed as well as fail in his theft with his fellow Gentleman Bastards. He’ll find his way out of one situation only to wind up in a worse one later. And all his endeavors are chained together very well. However, despite the frequent flashbacks, I often didn’t get to know Lock and his companions as well as I would have liked to. Once again, though there are other books that I’m sure will explain more of who he is as a character. But in the end, Lock is a fun swashbuckling thief who gets out of a situation as quickly as he gets into them and is definitely worth your time. If you haven’t given the book a shot I highly recommend it.

Wow! What a ride this wonderful story is. First, to make things clear, you will see a lot of comparisons to this ala Robin Hood, Ocean's 11, etc. While it definitely shares some similarities, it is important to make clear that this is a unique story and you will not finish the book thinking it is something you've already experienced. The world is unique and brilliantly described, the characters are interesting, and the technical aspect of the writing is very sound. The book's strongest suit however is the wonderful dialogue. The characters have sharp tongues that are clever and witty and conversations are fluid and interesting. Some authors seem hesitant to include cursing, or try to invent new terms which rarely have the same impact. There is no shortage of swearing here, but it is not just thrown in without purpose. It fits perfectly with the characters and adds humor while most importantly maintaining believability. We're dealing with the underground world of thieves, so it is relieving to see the honest dialogue you would expect. I do not think it would be a stretch to say that this was the most entertaining read I can remember, and certainly the most I've ever laughed while reading a book. The structure of the plot is fairly standard for a fantasy novel, the first half is mostly introduction and then the action begins to pick up steadily as it progresses towards the conclusion. It is unique in that is not quite the common telling of age story and instead shows the characters as they're growing up mixed in with current plotline in the present. While I think this will strike some as odd at first, it does the job well and reminds me a bit of the Name of the Wind and the use of the frame. Both authors (Scott Lynch and Patrick Rothfuss respectively) used a unique mechanic in their debut and I find it absolutely adds to the experience. The plot itself is exciting and will have you turning the page for more. I found some character identities a bit predictable before their reveal, but most of the time I had no idea what was coming next or how a situation would get resolved. My only complaint would be that at times the MC's tolerance for a beating seemed perhaps a bit unrealistic, but this is a small issue. The plans of the MC will confuse you at first, but leave you smiling and remarking on their brilliance at the end. In one breath you'll call a character a crazy bastard, and in the next you will be laughing at his genius. The wonderful comradery will leave you wishing you were part of devious group yourself. Truly, these emotions are the draw of any thief/heist story and the Lies of Locke Lamora does not fail to deliver.

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.