The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastards, Book 1)
"Remarkable . . . Scott Lynch's first novel, The Lies of Locke Lamora, exports the suspense and wit of a cleverly constructed crime caper into an exotic realm of fantasy, and the result is engagingly entertaining."--The Times (London) An orphan's life is harsh--and often short--in the mysterious island city of Camorr. But young Locke Lamora dodges death and slavery, becoming a thief under the tutelage of a gifted con artist. As leader of the band of light-fingered brothers known as the Gentleman Bastards, Locke is soon infamous, fooling even the underworld's most feared ruler. But in the shadows lurks someone still more ambitious and deadly. Faced with a bloody coup that threatens to destroy everyone and everything that holds meaning in his mercenary life, Locke vows to beat the enemy at his own brutal game--or die trying. Praise for The Lies of Locke Lamora "Fresh, original, and engrossing . . . gorgeously realized."--George R. R. Martin "Right now, in the full flush of a second reading, I think The Lies of Locke Lamora is probably in my top ten favorite books ever. Maybe my top five. If you haven't read it, you should. If you have read it, you should probably read it again."--Patrick Rothfuss, New York Times bestselling author of The Name of the Wind "A unique fantasy milieu peopled by absorbing, colorful characters . . . Locke's wit and audacity endear him to victims and bystanders alike."--The Seattle Times
"A true genre bender, at home on almost any kind of fiction shelf . . . Lynch immediately establishes himself as a gifted and fearless storyteller, unafraid of comparisons to Silverberg and Jordan, not to mention David Liss and even Dickens."--Booklist (starred review) "High-octane fantasy . . . a great swashbuckling yarn of a novel."--Richard Morgan
"A true genre bender, at home on almost any kind of fiction shelf . . . Lynch immediately establishes himself as a gifted and fearless storyteller, unafraid of comparisons to Silverberg and Jordan, not to mention David Liss and even Dickens."--Booklist (starred review) "High-octane fantasy . . . a great swashbuckling yarn of a novel."--Richard Morgan
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Community Reviews
A well-told story about a gang of thieves, The Lies of Locke Lamora checked all the boxes. Great world-building, fun multidimensional characters, twists, tension, stakes, and a spot of humor. But, I didn't connect to it, it's probably me and my current mood. I did enjoy it and will venture on to the next book in the series eventually.
Just wow. Hilarious, intriguing, wonderful characters, an interesting setting. I would recommend you listen to the audiobook. While every character is amazingly narrated, Chains & the Thiefmaker are absolute gold.
This was a book club read and I loved it. It was not an easy start for my logical brain, but I found a way to work through the first three chapters - that's when the adventure captivated me and lead me into a fantastical dark world. I love Lynch's descriptive style that tantalized the senses. When I open a book and see a double paged map layout I usually close the book and move on. I spend way too much time flipping back and forth when places are mentioned so I can follow along on the map. This book is filled with mention of here and there but I forced myself not to care about spacial relationship and it worked. Just read the story is the advice I'd give to those of like mind. Stop trying to 'understand' words that have no meaning or titles that mean nothing... just read the story.
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