Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - The Lies of Locke Lamora

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The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

26 reviews

mikhoest's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

While I think it does rely a bit on the second book to give this story its full weight, The Lies of Locke Lamora is still such a great introduction to this series. Having failed to enjoy some other books that tried to go for a similar mood, I've come to appreciate all the things this novel gets right.

The world is cool and unique, with a strong atmosphere and tons of little cultural touches that bring it to life. Camorr is an unforgettable place. I'd hate to live there, but I feel like I could read a hundred books about this twisted, layered version of Venice. I love concepts like elderglass, the alchemical drinks, the strict social orders and the nuanced religions.

The characters are fun and lovable. Locke proves himself to be more heroic than I had expected, but even if he were as much as a 'bastard' as he claims to be, I think I'd still have fun reading about him. His charisma is magnetic. The others are great, too, and their interactions are pure gold.

The main plot takes a bit to kick in, but only because we first have to be treated to an absolutely beautiful scam by Locke's gang, in which they pretty much pull out a nobleman's wealth with one hand, while pushing it with the other. That is some Better Call Saul-grade chicanery, and I ate it up. The rest is a revenge-driven power struggle between Camorr's major players, with the surprising angle that Locke is not one of them. He and his gang are just pawns in a bigger game, which is one of my favourite things about the plot.

The regular flashback sequences took a bit for me to get used to, but the book is written that way for a reason. A lot of moments are given extra meaning in the context of Locke's childhood. It also works really well for setting up jokes.

I've never read a better 'thief fantasy' story, and I doubt I ever will. Not with this kind of imagination poured into it, at least.

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rangerwing75's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I’ll be frank and admit that the only reason I wanted to read this was because of Murphy Napier constantly singing its praises, and I trust her judgment on good books.

And holy hell was she right.

The dialogue was the best part of this book. The characters are witty and filled with all kinds of colourful insults and threats.

The world is so so detailed. Like. It’s clear a lot of care was put into crafting this world. However, I found this could be a bit of a detriment at times. There’s a lot to remember, because everything impacts the plot in some way, and I struggle with grasping detail sometimes.

My only other big gripe is that there were times when the plot dragged. When it dragged, it dragged hard. I’m also not so sure how I feel about the interludes (which is just a fancy term for the flashbacks). Yes, they provided the necessary information for what was to come, and I don’t think there was a better way to have gone about it, but it just wasn’t something I personally enjoyed.

Overall, solid book. Locke and Jean’s friendship is top tier. Be mindful of the constant threats to cut off people’s balls.

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leanne_miron's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny tense fast-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

4.0

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lvl52_grant's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny 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

5.0

This book had me caught up as soon as I opened it. I love all the thieving bastard criminals in it, and even a few of the stuck up nobles. It's been on my periphery for years, but now it's one of my all time favorites.

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bluejayreads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book was recommended to me by a friend (the same friend who recommended Circe, funnily enough). And like I do with most recommendations from friends, I didn’t really pay attention to what the book was about, just threw it on my to-read list and picked it up with no expectations and no real idea of what it was even supposed to be about.

I have to take a small detour here and talk about Leverage. Leverage is a TV show featuring a bunch of variously-skilled former criminals (and one insurance investigator) who use their various criminal skills in brilliant and elaborate plans to take down criminals that the law can’t or won’t touch. I adore the show. It’s hands-down my favorite show ever and the only show I’ve loved enough to enjoy fandom content. And if Leverage was on the more dubious side of morally gray, set in a Venice-flavored fantasy world, and led by a teenager who belongs in the definition of “confidence game,” you might get something like The Lies of Locke Lamora.

I don’t know how to write a review of this book except to say that it is really, spectacularly good. It is long, even for a fantasy book, but it needs every single word of that length because there is just so much going on always and constantly. That was the overwhelming feeling I got from reading – that everywhere I looked and even in the background, there was so much going on. The action never stops, it just swings back and forth among perspectives and times. The main story of Locke and company pulling their scam and running up against the Grey King is interspersed with bits from Locke’s past, from the history of the city and nation, and other things happening in Camorr at the same time. And it’s not just Locke against the Grey King, oh no – that would be far too simple for the audacity of this book. There are no less than five, and arguably up to eight, different factions fighting for their own goals for their own reasons (and two of them are Locke himself).

A large part of what makes this book so hard to review is that the details are revealed in layers. It starts out with a crew of talented thieves and grifters preparing to run an elaborate con on a pair of nobles. Okay, I thought, A fun and adventurous heist story. Cool. And then the story begins to peel back the layers to all the competing factions, all the factors at play in Camorr, all the plans set in motion and beginning to come to a head, and suddenly the highly entertaining and audacious heist is one of the least interesting parts of the story.

Everything is happening all the time and you’re constantly getting more information and nothing is ever what it seems. You may have gotten through three twists and finally think that you’re at the truth of something finally and you’re probably wrong. Very few solid answers are available to any but the most perceptive reader (definitely not me) until the very end. And I adored it. It was somehow both incredibly dark and a ton of fun, full of plot twists, overlapping schemes, audacious plans that somehow delightfully work, and steady slow reveals that felt like repeatedly handing me puzzle pieces and requiring me to figure out where they went while I was still receving more puzzle pieces.

I didn’t know going in that this was a series, but you’d better believe I’m reading the next book. And I very much hope that it’s more of the same.

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triforception's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This shit slaps. Locke Lamora starts out weirdly slowly - I didn’t break page 100 on my first attempt, but once you get over the prologue and first little bit, it absolutely grabs you and does not let go. It’s paced in some ways like a rollercoaster - the tension rachets up further and further and further until it explodes and you’re in free-fall, just for it to start ramping things up again even higher.
The writing is clever enough that it can be almost annoying in places, almost as though it were being written by the protagonist, who is a wonderfully arrogant and frustrating and loveable little shit. Speaking of these characters, they’re very effective at provoking the intended reaction from the reader. Locke Lamora is competent enough that his arrogance is justified, but vulnerable and susceptible to failure enough that he never comes off as invincible (and this boring). His companions are all likeable in their own way, and the book is excellent at making you attached to this (fairly morally dubious) gang of criminals, and very very good at making you hate and fear their enemies. The lack of diversity is a bit disappointing- while the book features formidable female characters, none of them are main protagonists and there are no LGBT characters to be found. That said, The Lies of Locke Lamora is a dryly funnny, often very dark, always extremely exciting fantasy novel and I look forward to picking up the sequel.

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