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moriaine's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
agriffin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
czreads's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
ez_claire's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Read the second half in one sitting. It’s now 4am and I am dead / positive
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexism, Suicide, Death, Child death, and Death of parent
asriram's review against another edition
5.0
This book was fantastic. Every moment of the novel had me on the edge of my seat as I was reading, frantically trying to figure out and anticipate what was going to happen. Both subplots were handled masterfully, and the flashbacks worked perfectly to tell a cohesive story with the narrative in the main plot. Overall, an easy 5/5 stars for me, and I can’t wait to get the opportunity to read the next novel.
cosmichokum's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
mmmlysaght's review against another edition
5.0
The Lies of Locke Lamora took me way too long to read, because I was so anxious for the characters at every turn that I had to put the book down for my own safety; the characters were that engaging and the plot that well-paced. Scott Lynch is an amazing storyteller, as evidenced by the fact that I was neither bored nor impatient during the many interludes and tangents that often interrupt tense moments of the main narrative.
His world-building is probably the strongest part of this tale. It is always refreshing to read a fantasy novel that is not a tired colonial-nostalgia glorification of either Asian or Victorian culture – or, worse, a confused mix of the two (I’m looking at you, Jaida Jones). Lynch’s reliance on Italian for linguistics and basic organization is just that: basic. The world he creates with these constituent elements is rich and unique, and full of its own (admittedly many) flaws and corruptions and wonders.
The most telling of his world-building successes is, I believe, the biggest risk: the Eldren. The inclusion of an alien civilization in what is otherwise a renaissance-era European court intrigue could have fallen easily into the ‘trying too hard’ category. Instead, the Eldren and their glass legacies make for a vivid and unique landscape that enhances the character’s world, rather than detracting from it.
It doesn’t help that Locke and his merry band are witty and charming and I ended up bleeding my heart out for each one. Locke’s transformation, from the Shade’s Hill orphan to the moment of the final confrontation, is the right blend of dramatic and consistent. Lynch clearly understands his characters and crafts them well, but doesn’t let the plot fall prey to simple character development (and now I’m looking at Katherine Addison)
I bought the sequel within minutes of finishing the last page, and I would recommend this to anyone with a taste for intelligent writing and intricate plots.
Pros:
- World-building
- Linguistic consistency
- Charming characters and personalized dialogue
- Great pace
Cons:
- Too few female characters, but the ones he had were great
His world-building is probably the strongest part of this tale. It is always refreshing to read a fantasy novel that is not a tired colonial-nostalgia glorification of either Asian or Victorian culture – or, worse, a confused mix of the two (I’m looking at you, Jaida Jones). Lynch’s reliance on Italian for linguistics and basic organization is just that: basic. The world he creates with these constituent elements is rich and unique, and full of its own (admittedly many) flaws and corruptions and wonders.
The most telling of his world-building successes is, I believe, the biggest risk: the Eldren. The inclusion of an alien civilization in what is otherwise a renaissance-era European court intrigue could have fallen easily into the ‘trying too hard’ category. Instead, the Eldren and their glass legacies make for a vivid and unique landscape that enhances the character’s world, rather than detracting from it.
It doesn’t help that Locke and his merry band are witty and charming and I ended up bleeding my heart out for each one. Locke’s transformation, from the Shade’s Hill orphan to the moment of the final confrontation, is the right blend of dramatic and consistent. Lynch clearly understands his characters and crafts them well, but doesn’t let the plot fall prey to simple character development (and now I’m looking at Katherine Addison)
I bought the sequel within minutes of finishing the last page, and I would recommend this to anyone with a taste for intelligent writing and intricate plots.
Pros:
- World-building
- Linguistic consistency
- Charming characters and personalized dialogue
- Great pace
Cons:
- Too few female characters, but the ones he had were great
amblygon_writes's review against another edition
5.0
So I'm very late to this party. Scott Lynch and The Lies of Locke Lamora have both been familiar combinations of sounds to my ears. I probably heard about Scott Lynch when I first started reading Tom Lloyd and Joe Abercrombie, and then I kept hearing about his book because apparently it's a pretty big thing in the fantasy world. However, I'm not always convinced; I get nervous about things like 'best-seller' and 'best since [insert name of famous fantasy author]' - they can't all be the best, can they? They can't all be the next Big Thing, can they? But, I should probably get over whatever this issue is because it's hindering me from accessing some amazing books! (Ahem, this precise thought pattern happened before I finally picked up The Name of the Wind...Alhough I have to admit that this dilly-dallying does have one advantage; it means I came to this series with the whole trilogy already published, and a book four as well it seems, and I came to Rothfuss's series with two books published. Makes for some delicious binge-reading.)
Anyway, on to the book itself. I actually started this in August 2015, but, for some reason, the beginning just didn't hit me. At all. I forgot about it and read a bunch of other stuff. Come 2016, I was running out of stuff to read and didn't quite feel like another ebook splurge, so I thought, since I've bought the whole trilogy already, I might as well try a little bit longer (I generally don't put down books unless they are absolutely terribly). So I started right were I left off, and I got hooked.
The world is so exciting. The culture, the people, the atmosphere - it's all there. This place is really awesome! I love the characters; their words bite and their swords sing. They're flawed, interesting and personable. Inside, I laugh with them and I cry with them. I absolutely love the plot twists and the exquisitely executed plots of Locke Lamora (my favourite part is shadows visiting a noble at night - what a sumptuous surprise). I had some small issues with some choices of wording and style decisions at the start (they may have continued throughout the book, but at this point, I was so drawn in, I didn't notice). I also felt that there was a little too much repetition going on (parts being played out from multiple POVs - glad this seems to have been dropped in the second book). Ooh, also, have to mention the great descriptions of food: not over-the-top (and not pages and pages of feast descriptions and waddling either), but enough to get me salivating and feeling the moment with the characters.
So yeah, tldr, it's awesome, why did it take me so long to get to this?!
Anyway, on to the book itself. I actually started this in August 2015, but, for some reason, the beginning just didn't hit me. At all. I forgot about it and read a bunch of other stuff. Come 2016, I was running out of stuff to read and didn't quite feel like another ebook splurge, so I thought, since I've bought the whole trilogy already, I might as well try a little bit longer (I generally don't put down books unless they are absolutely terribly). So I started right were I left off, and I got hooked.
The world is so exciting. The culture, the people, the atmosphere - it's all there. This place is really awesome! I love the characters; their words bite and their swords sing. They're flawed, interesting and personable. Inside, I laugh with them and I cry with them. I absolutely love the plot twists and the exquisitely executed plots of Locke Lamora (my favourite part is shadows visiting a noble at night - what a sumptuous surprise). I had some small issues with some choices of wording and style decisions at the start (they may have continued throughout the book, but at this point, I was so drawn in, I didn't notice). I also felt that there was a little too much repetition going on (parts being played out from multiple POVs - glad this seems to have been dropped in the second book). Ooh, also, have to mention the great descriptions of food: not over-the-top (and not pages and pages of feast descriptions and waddling either), but enough to get me salivating and feeling the moment with the characters.
So yeah, tldr, it's awesome, why did it take me so long to get to this?!
fugater096's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
The Lies of Locke Lamora definitely lived up to the very high expectations that I had for it! While not being exactly what I expected, it was riveting from beginning to end! The only thing that threw me off a little was the jumping around in time. However, once I was used to that, I really enjoyed reading the flashback moments. If you’re looking for an exciting book that has great heist scenes, amazing character work, and just enough magic to keep you guessing, this book is definitely for you!