Reviews

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

mturner2'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

4.75

an_aim's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

tsunni's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional lighthearted sad 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? It's complicated

4.5

Starts slow, but hooked me about halfway through. Scott Lynch takes his time with overly detailed descriptive prose, and frequent flashbacks and interludes that constantly interrupt the main plot, most of which doesn’t quite rear its head until halfway through. I wasn’t a huge fan of the constant back and forth in timeline, but the characters and the interesting glimpses into their childhoods and training make up for it. 

The characters absolutely carry the story for me, making up for the world building which goes a bit longer winded than I enjoyed. The Gentlemen Bastards, the main characters, are an extremely charming group of young adult brats/thieves that won me over with their camaraderie and cleverness. Locke Lamora, the main protagonist, is really well written and never crosses into annoying with his cleverness; the rest of the main cast all have their own moments and everyone is super likable in their own way. The main antagonists are a little more 2 dimensional; I wish there was a bit more time devoted to making them more complex. 

The story gets dark and emotional in several parts but those moments feel well earned. The second half picks up a lot and I ended up finishing it pretty quickly once the main plot gets going. I already miss the Gentlemen Bastards, looking forward to book 2.

trin's review against another edition

5.0

This book took me forever to read—through no fault of its own, I think. It's a fast-paced fantasy set in a world I am ACHING to read an entire history about; you can tell Lynch has really thought about this society and this city and this landscape he's created, and he doles out information about it in little bite-sized bits that leave you hungry for more rather than rolling your eyes at dialogue of the "Well, Locke, as you know it's been seventeen years that we've known each other; we of course met after you escaped from the plague and my parents died in a fire..." type. You really get to know Locke and his fellow Gentleman Bastards, the finest Camorri con men; their banter is fantastic, and you really do care about them. I think my biggest problem with this book is that it's incredibly, shockingly violent: there are numerous descriptions of torture that still make me shudder if I chance to think about them (...dammit). I keep wanting to say, "This would make a fantastic movie!" but I'd be honestly afraid to see some of this stuff on screen. Still, the novel is exciting, full of creativity and verve and sharp wit, and the relationships between the characters, especially Locke and Jean, make the "gah!" moments well worth it. I've already gotten my hands on the sequel, [book: Red Seas Under Red Skies], and am most pleased.

ramtinaat1377's review against another edition

4.0

نیمه اولش تجاوز به اعصاب بود ولی نیمه دومش خدایی خیلی خفن بود. من در شرایطی هستم که تقریبا برای ۸ ساعت در روز، هیچ کاری ندارم و موبایلم هم دستم نیست و اگه این شرایط برقرار نبود، احتمالا به تهش نمیرسیدم.ولی الآن که رسیدم راضیم

morgensternreader's review against another edition

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

4.5

lobsterjohn's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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

5.0

dreaming_ace's review against another edition

4.0

This was a fun adventure in a well crafted world which was a remarkable quick and engaging read for its 722 pg length. A fun story.

veraann's review against another edition

5.0

I received a copy of this from the Good Reads FirstRead Giveaway.

I absolutely loved reading this book. It had a lot of action and was a great adventure. The writing had a smooth flow and a fast paced, this over 700 page book went by fairly quickly. Great start to a series of fantasy books. The thieving Locke cracked me up and was a very slippery fellow, but not too slippery as to stay out of troubles.

thebard223's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad 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

5.0