Scan barcode
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 against another edition
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!
hg_510's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
The book started slow but picked up in the middle and couldn’t wait to get to the end to see what would happen. Can’t wait to see if there’s a follow up to this book.
tinytrashqueen's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Torture
Moderate: Animal death
kbrown's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
eesh25's review against another edition
5.0
Having heard great but non-specific things about this book (I was avoiding spoilers), I was both excited and a tad wary. I didn't know what to expect, though I knew there were a lot of flashbacks. Yet, for the first time ever, the flashbacks didn't bother me at all! Like, not even for a second. It was surprising for sure.
The story follows a group of thieves, with Locke Lamora as the focal point. Locke is the leader of a gang of men who call themselves the Gentlemen Bastards. In the long-ass prologue (which is so much fun), we see how he came to be in the gang at age six. And throughout the novel, we see various stages of his training via flashbacks.
In the present time, with Locke in his twenties, he and the other Gentleman Bastards are running their cons and having fun. And the book does the triple job of introducing the Gentlemen Bastards and how they function, letting us get familiar with the city of Camorr because it's very important to the plot, and later immerses us in the main conflict of the novel. It involves the crime boss of Camorr, Capa Barsavi, and a mysterious figure called the Gray King, who seems set on taking Barsavi down.
Now, there a lot else I could say in terms of plot because there's a lot to know, whether it's about the Gentlemen Bastards or about Camorr. I can't talk about the Gray King, of course, because that whole thing is a giant fucking spoiler. Instead, I'm gonna move on and tell you everything I love about the book.
First of all, it's hilarious. The characters are all sarcastic little shits. Kinda crude, but they're criminals so what'd you expect? Besides, their blunt way of saying things is half the fun. They're also very smart. I adored the camaraderie between the Gentlemen Bastards (can you tell how much I fucking love that they call themselves Gentlemen Bastards?), and each individual character was fantastic. My personal favourites were Locke and Father Chains. In fact, Father Chains is responsible for a line that I felt was so brilliant, I wrote it down.
Another thing I loved was the atmosphere. This book is set entirely in a single, and not very large, city. And Lynch makes the city come to life. Whether it's the descriptions of places or of the lives of the people in the city, the reader gets a feel for what Camorr is at its core, and it elevates the whole experience of the story.
Everything that happened with the Gray King was also very well done, but again, I can't talk about it.
And finally, before I get to the narrator, I wanna talk about the swearing. Because it's something special. And I think the best way to tell you how special, is by telling you how someone on the book's Goodreads asked how bad the swearing was, and a person answered, "This book elevates profanity and vulgarity to an art form." I couldn't have said it in a better way. Scott Lynch wins at profanity.
And now, at last, the narrator. Michael Page has done a phenomenal job with this audiobook. I think this might be my favourite audio performance so far. The voices he uses for each character and the way he chooses which words to emphasize. It's just so good.
I honestly believe I would have loved the book less had I not listened to the audio, though it likely would still have been a five-star read. The audio almost made me restart the book right after I finished it. So I will definitely be listening to the next however many books I read in the series, as long as Michael Page is the one narrating them.
...And I think I've said all I wanted to say. I loved this book. It was interesting, it had heart, it was entertaining as hell, and I highly recommend it.
The story follows a group of thieves, with Locke Lamora as the focal point. Locke is the leader of a gang of men who call themselves the Gentlemen Bastards. In the long-ass prologue (which is so much fun), we see how he came to be in the gang at age six. And throughout the novel, we see various stages of his training via flashbacks.
In the present time, with Locke in his twenties, he and the other Gentleman Bastards are running their cons and having fun. And the book does the triple job of introducing the Gentlemen Bastards and how they function, letting us get familiar with the city of Camorr because it's very important to the plot, and later immerses us in the main conflict of the novel. It involves the crime boss of Camorr, Capa Barsavi, and a mysterious figure called the Gray King, who seems set on taking Barsavi down.
Now, there a lot else I could say in terms of plot because there's a lot to know, whether it's about the Gentlemen Bastards or about Camorr. I can't talk about the Gray King, of course, because that whole thing is a giant fucking spoiler. Instead, I'm gonna move on and tell you everything I love about the book.
First of all, it's hilarious. The characters are all sarcastic little shits. Kinda crude, but they're criminals so what'd you expect? Besides, their blunt way of saying things is half the fun. They're also very smart. I adored the camaraderie between the Gentlemen Bastards (can you tell how much I fucking love that they call themselves Gentlemen Bastards?), and each individual character was fantastic. My personal favourites were Locke and Father Chains. In fact, Father Chains is responsible for a line that I felt was so brilliant, I wrote it down.
...men piled into the room with crossbows, and shot those poor idiots so full of bolts that a porcupine in heat would have taken any one of them home and fucked him.To be fair, part of the credit goes to the narrator for his flawless delivery, but more on that later.
Another thing I loved was the atmosphere. This book is set entirely in a single, and not very large, city. And Lynch makes the city come to life. Whether it's the descriptions of places or of the lives of the people in the city, the reader gets a feel for what Camorr is at its core, and it elevates the whole experience of the story.
Everything that happened with the Gray King was also very well done, but again, I can't talk about it.
And finally, before I get to the narrator, I wanna talk about the swearing. Because it's something special. And I think the best way to tell you how special, is by telling you how someone on the book's Goodreads asked how bad the swearing was, and a person answered, "This book elevates profanity and vulgarity to an art form." I couldn't have said it in a better way. Scott Lynch wins at profanity.
And now, at last, the narrator. Michael Page has done a phenomenal job with this audiobook. I think this might be my favourite audio performance so far. The voices he uses for each character and the way he chooses which words to emphasize. It's just so good.
I honestly believe I would have loved the book less had I not listened to the audio, though it likely would still have been a five-star read. The audio almost made me restart the book right after I finished it. So I will definitely be listening to the next however many books I read in the series, as long as Michael Page is the one narrating them.
...And I think I've said all I wanted to say. I loved this book. It was interesting, it had heart, it was entertaining as hell, and I highly recommend it.
ravenslanding's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. Well done.
This story is a trip. I am normally not a fan of split timeline stories of any sort, or of stories that start with the protagonist as a child. But Lies is fast moving, easy to follow despite the rich new world, and very twisty. Hit right in the feels. Loved the found family and bonds of brotherhood.
I found it very gripping as an audiobook, and made pretty quick work of it that way (but if you have littles, they are thieves who swear lots). I think I look for comfort fiction in my paperbacks these days, so I had a hard time reading Lies in paperback for long periods. I also liked Locke a lot better my second time starting in because I wasn't confusing him with another underworld orphan from a different book that I didn't like at all.
I think this one will be a fun one to read again.
This story is a trip. I am normally not a fan of split timeline stories of any sort, or of stories that start with the protagonist as a child. But Lies is fast moving, easy to follow despite the rich new world, and very twisty. Hit right in the feels. Loved the found family and bonds of brotherhood.
I found it very gripping as an audiobook, and made pretty quick work of it that way (but if you have littles, they are thieves who swear lots). I think I look for comfort fiction in my paperbacks these days, so I had a hard time reading Lies in paperback for long periods. I also liked Locke a lot better my second time starting in because I wasn't confusing him with another underworld orphan from a different book that I didn't like at all.
I think this one will be a fun one to read again.