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A review by soartfullydone
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Why did I wait over a decade to read this book? Fool! Imbecile! Everything you love was right here the entire time!
Thieves and rogues! Organized crime! Weird religions! (Fantasy) Italians! High personal stakes! The hubris of man! Genuinely comedic writing! Politics interwoven with history! A sprawling city divided by street gangs, merchants, and the privileged rich!
Not to mention the colorful cast of characters. Scott Lynch's character work is truly impeccable. Father Chains, my beloved. Also, Locke isn't hot, but he is hot, y'know? Even the lowliest unnamed guard with the briefest page time feels like he inhabits the world Lynch has created.
And what a world it is! At no point in time did my mind race with unanswered questions because the world-building was hollow or forced. Lynch provides either historical-esque descriptions that explain some aspect of the world (and immediately shows you after why that information is relevant) or he just plain shows you from the start and expects you to keep up. Even though the setting is largely contained to the city of Camorr, it's still believable that a larger world exists out there.
The fact that this mass market paperback was 722 pages, yet it never once felt that long speaks so much to its intrigue and pacing. There were days when I just flew through this because the scenes were so dynamic and engrossing, the words and pages flowing past like water in a brook.
And this was a debut novel?? A debut? And you still weren't afraid to take things from me, Lynch? You went there, as bold as brass and the ruthless gangsters you so lovingly crafted, and I can only mentally tip my cap to you about it. My bar for what I will accept for debut works but also works in general keeps raising higher and higher due to writers like Lynch. I'm not even sorry about that. Like, git gud tbh
Thieves and rogues! Organized crime! Weird religions! (Fantasy) Italians! High personal stakes! The hubris of man! Genuinely comedic writing! Politics interwoven with history! A sprawling city divided by street gangs, merchants, and the privileged rich!
Not to mention the colorful cast of characters. Scott Lynch's character work is truly impeccable. Father Chains, my beloved. Also, Locke isn't hot, but he is hot, y'know? Even the lowliest unnamed guard with the briefest page time feels like he inhabits the world Lynch has created.
And what a world it is! At no point in time did my mind race with unanswered questions because the world-building was hollow or forced. Lynch provides either historical-esque descriptions that explain some aspect of the world (and immediately shows you after why that information is relevant) or he just plain shows you from the start and expects you to keep up. Even though the setting is largely contained to the city of Camorr, it's still believable that a larger world exists out there.
The fact that this mass market paperback was 722 pages, yet it never once felt that long speaks so much to its intrigue and pacing. There were days when I just flew through this because the scenes were so dynamic and engrossing, the words and pages flowing past like water in a brook.
And this was a debut novel?? A debut? And you still weren't afraid to take things from me, Lynch? You went there, as bold as brass and the ruthless gangsters you so lovingly crafted, and I can only mentally tip my cap to you about it. My bar for what I will accept for debut works but also works in general keeps raising higher and higher due to writers like Lynch. I'm not even sorry about that. Like, git gud tbh