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A review by scarletsnake
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
I liked this but definitely did not love it. I love the setting and worldbuilding but found the plot and characters mediocre.
So, despite how it starts, this is not a heist story or a story about confidence games. The main cast might be con men, but this is a gang/mafia revenge story. The villain is not defeated by the protagonist's clever plan but by a brutal sword fight between the two. That is not to say that the fact that Locke, the protagonist, is a con man is not important to both his character and the plot. Not being a heist story is not bad either. I found the early chapters that focused on that to be some of the most boring and poorly paced. I brought this up because I saw a lot of other reviews comparing it to heist movies. That and how the story starts gave me the wrong impression and left me a little disappointed with how action-heavy it all was.
I am not sure I can explain why I find the characters and plot lacking. Not much good, I can say; not much bad. Thankfully the worldbuilding picks up the slack. The city of Camorr and its glass was fascinating. A setting that heavily integrates alchemy into everything and has more magics, but they are rare and mysterious. With such a great reason for that rarity. A lot of wizards formed an evil mage guild and eliminated all competition.
Reading the summaries of the next two books in this series leads me to believe that I will not enjoy continuing. It sounds like the action keeps up or increases, and Sabetha, the only female member of Locke's gang, does not make an appearance until book 3. She is away in another city or lost in both the stories present and all flashback scenes. This was my biggest disappointment, as I felt the main cast really needed some diversity.
So, despite how it starts, this is not a heist story or a story about confidence games. The main cast might be con men, but this is a gang/mafia revenge story. The villain is not defeated by the protagonist's clever plan but by a brutal sword fight between the two. That is not to say that the fact that Locke, the protagonist, is a con man is not important to both his character and the plot. Not being a heist story is not bad either. I found the early chapters that focused on that to be some of the most boring and poorly paced. I brought this up because I saw a lot of other reviews comparing it to heist movies. That and how the story starts gave me the wrong impression and left me a little disappointed with how action-heavy it all was.
I am not sure I can explain why I find the characters and plot lacking. Not much good, I can say; not much bad. Thankfully the worldbuilding picks up the slack. The city of Camorr and its glass was fascinating. A setting that heavily integrates alchemy into everything and has more magics, but they are rare and mysterious. With such a great reason for that rarity. A lot of wizards formed an evil mage guild and eliminated all competition.
Reading the summaries of the next two books in this series leads me to believe that I will not enjoy continuing. It sounds like the action keeps up or increases, and Sabetha, the only female member of Locke's gang, does not make an appearance until book 3. She is away in another city or lost in both the stories present and all flashback scenes. This was my biggest disappointment, as I felt the main cast really needed some diversity.