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A review by triforception
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence, and Child death
Moderate: Sexual content and Slavery
Minor: Sexism