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    The Lies of Locke Lamora
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    The Lies of Locke Lamora
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    The Lies of Locke Lamora
    Audiobook22 hours

    The Lies of Locke Lamora

    Written by Scott Lynch

    Narrated by Michael Page

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    An orphan's life is harsh—and often short—in the island city of Camorr, built on the ruins of a mysterious alien race. But born with a quick wit and a gift for thieving, Locke Lamora has dodged both death and slavery, only to fall into the hands of an eyeless priest known as Chains—a man who is neither blind nor a priest. A con artist of extraordinary talent, Chains passes his skills on to his carefully selected "family" of orphans—a group known as the Gentlemen Bastards. Under his tutelage, Locke grows to lead the Bastards, delightedly pulling off one outrageous confidence game after another. Soon he is infamous as the Thorn of Camorr, and no wealthy noble is safe from his sting.

    Passing themselves off as petty thieves, the brilliant Locke and his tightly knit band of light-fingered brothers have fooled even the criminal underworld's most feared ruler, Capa Barsavi. But there is someone in the shadows more powerful—and more ambitious—than Locke has yet imagined.

    Known as the Gray King, he is slowly killing Capa Barsavi's most trusted men—and using Locke as a pawn in his plot to take control of Camorr's underworld. With a bloody coup under way threatening to destroy everyone and everything that holds meaning in his mercenary life, Locke vows to beat the Gray King at his own brutal game—or die trying.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Audio
    Release dateMay 18, 2009
    ISBN9781400180516
    Unavailable
    The Lies of Locke Lamora
    Author

    Scott Lynch

    Author of the internationally best-selling Gentleman Bastard sequence, Scott has been nominated for the World Fantasy Award, the Locus Award, the Campbell Award, and the Compton Crook Award. He received the British Fantasy Society Award for Best Newcomer in 2008. Scott was born in 1978 in St. Paul, Minnesota, the first of three brothers. At various times he was a dishwasher, a waiter, a graphic designer, an office manager, a prep cook, and a freelancer/self-publisher in the gaming field, before accidentally selling his first novel in 2004. After training at Anoka Technical College in Minnesota in 2005, Scott joined his local fire department in St. Croix County, Wisconsin and served as a paid-on-call firefighter for eleven years. In 2016, Scott moved to Massachusetts and married his longtime partner, famed SF/F writer Elizabeth Bear.

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    Reviews for The Lies of Locke Lamora

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    • 5/5
      This was my second time reading Scott Lynch’s fantasy heist novel, The Lies of Locke Lamora. This time around, I was reading it as part of a group read, which was one of the first times I’ve read a book in weekly increments over the span of a month.When Locke Lamora was a young orphan, he ended up in the hands of Father Chains – a conman who focused his energy on training up a group of orphan thieves, the Gentlemen Bastards. Years later and Locke and the Gentlemen Bastards are raking in a fortune, right under the nose of both the nobility’s secret police and the overlord of the city’s criminals. Yet everything changes when a man known as the Grey King begins battling for power within the criminal underworld.“Someday, Locke Lamora,” he said, “someday, you’re going to fuck up so magnificently, so ambitiously, so overwhelmingly that the sky will light up and the moons will spin and the gods themselves will shit comets with glee. And I just hope I’m still around to see it.”“Oh please,” said Locke. “It’ll never happen.”As I’m sure I’ve mentioned before, I adore heist plots and con-artist protagonists. I’m a sucker for those sorts of stories. Add in my favorite genre (fantasy), and you’re guaranteed to have a book that will draw my attention. And in this case, I was absolutely riveted, even in a reread. It’s got good writing, fantastic world building, and plenty of witty dialog. Even though it’s actually pretty dark – there’s torture and death and all sorts of horrible things going on – it doesn’t feel as grimdark as many recent entries to the fantasy genre, perhaps due to the humor.The Lies of Locke Lamora is set entirely within Camorr, a city of canals with a culture reminiscent of Italy. Camorr is just such a well crafted setting. I’ve talked before about how the best fantasy settings have a sense of vividness that makes them feel like they could come right off the page. Camorr has this in spades. It’s got a distinct culture and society that’s realized down to details like the food and monthly festivals and traditional, shark-killing female gladiators. Camorr completely avoids the “generic fantasy” feel.While I really love The Lies of Locke Lamora, it wasn’t entirely perfect. During the group read, we talked a lot about women in the book (or lack thereof) and their position in Camorr. The good news is that a lot of the background characters of all sorts are female, from guards to alchemists. There are also a couple of reoccurring but more minor female characters who are well developed and do end up effecting the plot. However, among the Gentlemen Bastards themselves, there are no women. I wasn’t super bothered, perhaps due to the scale of the story. The Lies of Locke Lamora isn’t an epic fantasy novel, and it’s more focused on the fates of a small group of characters (the Gentlemen Bastards) than even the fate of the city as a whole. I still notice the lack though. There’s also a female character who’s death could be considered fridging (although given everything else that happens, I don’t really know how she could have come out of it alive). It still merits noting.The book’s other flaw is that at times the extensive use of split time lines, flashbacks, and interludes throw off the pacing. For most of the book, the timeline carries between Locke as a boy, learning from Chains and becoming one of the Gentlemen Bastards, and the present day where he’s pulling off a con on a nobleman. Then there’s various other interludes as well. On one hand, I did like how these sections interrelated to the present timeline, and many of them were engaging. However, I think near the end especially they threw off the pacing of the book. Where they all really necessary? Could some have been cut, condensed, or moved earlier?The Lies of Locke Lamora is able to go from light hearted scenes that make me laugh to shocking and painful twists. If there’s one thing I’ve taken from this reread, it’s that The Lies of Locke Lamora is a book about the cycle of revenge. Yet it’s a continual joy to follow Locke as he so magnificently gets himself into and out of trouble. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy heists.Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
    • 4/5
      A hard review to write, too, since The Lies of Locke Lamora was our residency read this go around, and since I've already discussed the book in class, it's rather hard to drum up my thoughts all over again for a review. Oh well.It's a pretty easy book to describe: Robin Hood meets Ocean's Eleven with a splash of fantasy. The world-building is particularly well-done, even if Lynch sometimes seems to get more wrapped up in the world than the story. The characters are fun and entertaining, though I never felt attached to any of them, and the distance therefore didn't compel me to buy the next book in the series. Still, I can see why so many people love it, and why it's made such a splash in the fantasy community. I'm going to keep my eye on Lynch's work on the future, even though I'm not in a tremendous hurry to read it.The full review, which doesn't include spoilers, is in my journal. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome. REVIEW: Scott Lynch's THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORAHappy Reading! :)
    • 4/5
      I wanted to like this book more than I did. The world-building is excellent. I was reminded strongly of Lankhmar, created by Fritz Leiber. A couple of the characters reminded of Fafhrd and Grey Mouser. This line could easily have come from their mouths: "Think of what we do as, ah, a sort of secret tax on nobles with more money than prudence."The downside is that the swearing and vulgarity reached heights even The Game of Thrones didn't reach. In Martin's series, the words felt as though they were normal. In this book, there is no doubt that they are, for the most part, not really needed. I also had trouble liking Locke Lamora until over halfway through the book. His "sidekick," Jean, I felt a bit closer to. As in George R.R. Martin's books, I need to learn not to fall in love with characters as people die. Lots. The only saving grace is this philosophy: "It is one thing to kill in a duel, to kill in self-defense, to kill for vengeance. It is another thing entirely to kill simply because you are careless." And carelessness leads to Bad Things.If you like buddy novels, fantasy, and especially Martin's Game of Thrones series, I think you might well like this book. It had a good story, a fascinating city to learn about, and characters that I cared about, although they weren't the focus of the tale. It says a lot that in spite of the language, I bought the second book in the series.Recommended with the caveat that if vulgarity offends you muchly, this isn't the book for you. But if you like a good story and a fascinating world, you might well try this book.
    • 5/5
      It took a little effort to get into it, but it's worth it. The writing style is sharp, funny. The narrative jumps around a little--both in setting and time--making it difficult to latch on. Like trying to ride a wild fire hose. And there's a lot of world-building that has to occur. But once you get past that, this book is on par with The Name of the Wind. And that's a damn good book. At first I was intimidated by its long length. But it's worth it. You get really invested in the characters. (Minus points for having so few women). And it's fun as hell to follow a main character who's a cad and a thief, not a noble hero. But he's still loyal to his friends and never acts unfairly. And unlike The Name of the Wind, it's not so much a series of vignettes but a plot that tapers down then weaves up everything back together. So in some ways, it's even better. It reminded me a lot of the world of Dishonored. But whereas the tie-in books for that are churned-out junk, this is the kind of world-building, atmosphere, and character development we're all looking for. Don't get me wrong, it's less assassins and more Errol Flynn. One of the few flaws is that it gets pretty complex. Everyone's got two, maybe three identities going at one time. But it's not much harder than following the MCU--who everyone is, what their roles are. Some people might think it takes a while to get to the good stuff. I say there's good stuff up front, and better stuff as it goes along. This is a slow burn novel. It takes its time with character development and puts plot-building in the background. But that doesn't mean there isn't tension and wanting to learn more. I personally like books that hinge on the relationship between characters and how those dynamics affect what happens next. In fact, I'm writing one right now (so maybe I'm biased).
    • 5/5
      This is indeed one of the best books I read this year: well- written, intriguing and full of amazing characters on both sides of the fence.
      *IF* there is truly a "fence", because Scott Lynch's characters all sit on the indefinite border between the shifting definitions of "good" and "bad", and belong to neither category, which makes them more interesting, real and believable.

      The book is full of surprises, starting with the imaginary world where the action unfolds: not the usual medieval-like setting that seems to be the norm in fantasy literature - even considering the many variations there are - but rather a place more like 17th Century Venice, both in landscape descriptions and in social customs.

      Then there is the main character: not a strong, brawny hero on a selfless quest, but a slight-bodied, flawed thief. And yet it took me no time to become very attached to him and his Gentlemen Bastards - his little band of scam artists.

      The biggest surprise came from the tone of the book, though: from a light-hearted and fun story about the Gentlemen Bastards latest job, and the flashback peeks into their individual pasts, it turned into something more serious and dramatic, with some heart-wrenching, painful moments.

      "Compelling" is a good definition for the first volume of this saga, and I more than look forward to the next books.
    • 3/5
      It's a good story. I just found it not particularly well told. I loved the characters though - Locke Lamora, the liar, Jean Tannen and the Wicked Sisters, the Twins, Bug, Father Chains. I don't think I could slog through a sequel.
    • 5/5
      Out of all of the post-GRRM-"ish" fantasy authors, I think I like Scott Lynch's world the best (though I think Rothfuss's is the objective best). This was even better on a re-read.
    • 5/5
      Really wonderful fantasy tale with great characters. The first half is a bit slow but the characters kept me reading. I even shed a tear or two for a few of them as the story starts to turn grim. I'm excited to read the next one in the series.
    • 4/5
      Locke Lamora is an orphan living in the city of Camorr, an old city built on the even older ruins of an alien race's city. As an orphan, he's almost fortunate to get taken into the Thief Maker's gang, be taught the skills of a street thief, and subsequently be sold to Father Chains. Chains teaches his carefully selected family of orphans to be highly skilled con men--the Gentleman Bastards.

      As an adult, leader of the Gentleman Bastards after the death of Chains, Locke enjoys both his "work" and his position as the leader of a small but reasonably well trusted gang in the criminal underworld ruled by Capa Barsavi. Then other gang leaders, of more powerful gangs, start turning up dead in unlikely and unpleasant ways. Someone has declared war on Barsavi, and Barsavi calls on Locke to help him deal with the problem.

      With a major con game under way, the duke's intelligence chief finally on his trail, and Barsavi dangling marriage to his daughter as an inducement to Locke, he's got an awful lot to juggle, and he and his friends are soon struggling to keep all the balls in the air.

      Then Locke discovers that the mysterious enemy, who calls himself the Gray King, has something far more evil than just taking control of the Camorr's criminal underworld.

      This is a complex, detailed, lived-in world. Locke, his friends, and his principal enemies are well-developed characters with strengths and weaknesses, and even the most minor characters are more than just placeholders. The plot is nicely developed and quite intriguing.

      Recommended.

      I bought this book.
    • 4/5
      I had read the great reviews for this book, but you still never know what to expect as the high reviews of a book can often lead to a let down. This was not the case with the Lies of Locke Lamora. I really enjoyed this book and would give it a 4.5 out of 5 rating. This book has fantastic world building, a realistic take on what a hard city life would look like for orphan boys and thieves, and characters that you love even with their flaws. The format of having a chapter with the current story line alternate with a chapter from the past was great for the most part, but did drag a bit toward the latter half of the book. Overall a great read and a series I will love to continue.
    • 5/5
      This book was so good! I barely had time to read the past week, but all I wanted to do was find out what was going to happen to Locke next! This world was crafted very well and I loved the world building style that was done. The interludes were great. I really enjoyed how we got to know the characters and I already love them. The plot was so twisty and so good! I cannot wait to read the next one.

      Full review to come :)
    • 3/5
      I'd heard a great deal about this book before finally picking it up. And, indeed, it's a good fantasy novel, told in that present/past split that I like so much. The characters are engaging. The world descriptions intense, sometimes overwhelming the rest of the story. On the whole, I liked the book, liked the Gentlemen Bastards, but got overwhelmed by the details of the world. Part of that is that with this book, my reading was confined to bedtime, after long, full days, and I could only keep my eyes open/brain engaged for about 20 minutes max (and if I fell asleep reading, I had to work through the details I remembered to find my spot in the book again.) Not an ideal circumstance to read a meaty fantasy, but life doesn't always present ideal circumstances.The Lies of Locke Lamora was a World Fantasy Award finalist in 2007.
    • 4/5
      This book started off very slowly. I almost stopped reading it, but since the reviews were so good I trudged on. I am glad I did because the last 1/3 of the book was excellent. Hopefully, now that the background, history and character are all established the next book will be a solid 5 star.
    • 4/5
      A group of elite con artists, calling themselves The Gentleman Bastards, relieve the wealthy inhabitants of a fantasy city (reminiscent of medieval Venice) of their riches, but get in over their heads when the mysterious Gray King and his magician, The Falconer, involve the group in a plot to overturn the current leadership of the city's underworld. Great world-building and engaging, flawed, and funny characters make for a wonderful reading experience and it didn't take many pages for me to decide that I would read this series to the end no matter what (books 2 and 3 are currently out as well). Granted, the structure with the time shifts is sometimes a little tricky as it takes you out of the story line and dumps you back in without much warning, but it is a debut novel and I will forgive a lot, especially when the characters are all so interesting and unique. I really liked that Lynch keeps me on my toes when it comes to which characters are allowed to "bite the dust" - it's not that many writers that will sacrifice main characters to make a story all the more poignant and, although I was heart-broken a few times, I have to applaud the courage as it raises the stakes in the story to a level where it is almost impossible to stop reading. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys good characters and a great adventure story.
    • 4/5
      Really enjoyed this one. Very detailed world and characters. Especially enjoyed the way the backstory was placed at the most critical moments of the current story.
    • 3/5
      As a young orphan, Locke Lamora exhibits certain traits critical for success as a thief but he can also be trouble. A blind "priest" takes him on as a criminal protege, teaching him how to act, speak, and dress in any situation. He trains with other boys-turned-master-criminals but Locke stands out as the one who can plan highly elaborate schemes of deception. The narrative moves back and forth between the current multi-staged con and the developmental incidents (labeled as "interludes") that made Locke and his friends what they are. The tone can be bleak, as they are living in very hard times and often putting themselves in danger. Readers experience plenty of violence, torture, and bloodshed along with the characters. The ending resolves the major plot questions but leaves some avenues open for future adventures. This story will appeal most to readers who enjoy clever scheming and adventure provided they have the patience for interludes into detailed backstory and complex world-building.
    • 4/5
      Great book.
    • 4/5
      Very strange.
    • 5/5
      I enjoyed this read a lot.
      All the plot twists!!!!

      Just when you thought you knew what was going on...Lynch throws you a lovely surprise. The pacing is fantastic.

      The only qualm I had was towards the end. Won't say too much - don't want to spoil. There's a part in the tower that I found very frustrating. A little too frustrating and cliche. That's all.

      Once that part was over with, everything was dandy again.

      I definitely want to read the second one now.

      Oh yeah! The world building is brilliant! There's a lot but it's not overwhelming and well spread out throughout the book.
    • 3/5
      Well, as thieves are not my favorite characters, this book was probably never going to make it as a high star for me. Perhaps if I just really loved the character... I love the symmetry of the name Locke Lamora and the way it rolls off the tongue but Locke as a character didn't quite endear himself to me. The story was a good one though with good twists and intrigue. The world building was good too although I didn't see it go anywhere to completion. Supposedly this is the first in five books, but I doubt I will take the time to pick the next book up. However I am glad I finally got to it.
    • 4/5
      At 722 pages - this book was long. Very Very Long - but luckily, its lots of fun. Well crafted, well written, with very likable characters. While the themes and tone is completely different, the world building reminds me a lot of the game of thrones world, very well though of, with lots of details about the different countries and how they all fit together.There is not a boring part of this book- it all works together, coming together nicely at the end. Its not afraid of killing off characters for narrative reasons. The Gentlemen Bastards are fun - a group of thieves living the good life - they enjoy being con artists, the money they receive is nice, but not the point.The book also doesn't shy away from the darker aspects of a feudal like society. There is no easy ride, and punishment is swift, often times with lots of pain and torture before being killed.Overall, a big book that has incredible world building but also well written, fully realized characters.
    • 5/5
      This book was so wonderfully rich. Within the first 50 pages I knew I'd be adding Lynch to my favorite fantasy authors list along with Jacqueline Carey, George RR Martin, and Pat Rothfuss. Locke and his band of Gentlemen Bastards have a place in my heart. They steal from the rich, and keep for themselves. They have a strange sense of honor for thieves and I love it. This book was wonderfully lighthearted at times and heartbreaking at others. I wouldn't say there were plot twists really, but events don't always unfold the way one would expect. Anyway, this book was pretty excellent and I'm excited to read the next in the series.

      P.S. I pictured Jean Tannen as a young Stephen Fry, which made him all the more endearing.
    • 4/5
      A splendid swashbuckling tale of a delightfully amoral gang of thieves and rogues, headed by the irresistible Locke Lamora. It was hard to believe that I was reading a first novel- the plotting was taut, the time-shifts and chapter breaks were excellently timed, each of the characters had a clear and distinguishable voice, and the story was just plain clever. The world-building was nicely done, and left plenty of room for future fleshing out, should the series require. I want more Locke Lamora books, right away! I'm glad to see there's a second one waiting for me, and a third promised early next year.
    • 5/5
      Loved, loved, loved this book!!!! What a fun romp this was. So happy I did not have to wait to start the second book! Had a wonderful week with the Gentleman Bastards!
    • 4/5
      This was a beautiful book with a fuckin' ugly ass cover (which I should sy right away is NOT the cover that they show here). I'm in a few online groups for people who like the sort of things that Neil Gaiman, China Mieville, George R.R. Martin, Peter Straub, Elizabeth Hand and their ilk are writing. I still haven't see a good label for that group.

      The New Wave Fabulists. I hate that one. But they brought it on themselves.

      The New Weirdist. I might hate that on even more.

      Somewhere along the line, in reference to Meiville I think, I heard someone use the term "elf-less" fantasy.

      I like that. Elf-less fantasy, and Alien-less sci-fi.

      Anyway, in one of these Elf-less fantasy groups I started seeing the title "The Lies of Lock Lamora" occurring. People loved the book. Compared the author, Scott Lynch, to Mieville, and highly recommended it.

      So I went out to find it. New even. I didn't even mess around with the used book stores.
      I found it.
      I looked at the cover.
      And I put it's ugly ass right back on the shelf.
      Seriously.
      I Imagined myself sitting in the corner at a coffee shop with that shiny pastel mess of a foil frakkin' trading card held in my hands, and I just couldn't do it.

      Some time passed. I was in a book slump. I caved in and bought it, but only to read at home before bed.... with the lights out, and a very small reading light. Partly so that not even I would have to look at that cover, and partly because with even a very small light hitting that book, it reflected like an over-amped disco ball.

      You know what? It was a damn good book. The more distance I have from it, the more I'm finding faults, but over all, it was a very good book.

      It's the story of Locke Lamora. Orphaned, taken in by thieves (the Oliver Twist references can't be accidental) and eventually becoming the leader of a small group calls the Gentlemen Bastards.

      The book keeps an edge to it. It's brutality lends a feel of realism. In the tradition of low-fantasy there are no fairies or dragons. There is magic, but it is rare, subtle, and nearly insurmountable. Locke

      Lamora is always the underdog. Always just getting by on his wits, and always on the verge of ruin.

      The story clips along very nicely, and despite my initial promise to only read it in the dark under a blanket, i found myself taking it out in public and sneaking in a chapter of two whenever I could.

      I think I may have blinded a nun and a group of children on a field trip when the sun glinted off the cover, once a large plane mistook me for a runway, and occasionally ships at see will use a signal lantern

      to try to communicate with me. But it might just have been worth it.

      Here are my complaints.
      1) This is a male-centric book to the extreme. It wasn't until after I read it and started thinking about it a bit that I realized there are no strong female characters in this book. There's a pair of sisters who wear S&M gladiator gear and fight sharks..... but they don't count. This is a book about a group of guys that do guy things and get in fights with other guys.

      2) The ending was weak. Everything flowed and progressed nicely in what was a surprisingly believable fashion up until the ending. Which felt hobbled together, rushed, and random. There is a sequal, Red Seas Under Red Skies, which I probably won't read primarily because I found the ending of this book to be so weak. On the plus side, the ending was short. I'd say lest than 10% of the entire book is spent on the final scenes.

      3) The world building was uneven. In about the first third of the book you are leaked little bits about the world that Locke inhabits. Mostly through dialogue or little bits of narrative. That worked well, and I found myself fascinated with this world. In about the second third, the author introduces brief little passages that tell you about the history or geography of the world, and then tie it in with the following scene. That worked too, but it felt a little choppy.

      In the final third of the book the author says fuck it, and interjects excursuses that feel like textbook lessons and weren't related to the story in any way i could discern. These I resented. Luckily there weren't many.

      In the end, anyone who is interested in this new movement (you know, the elfless fantasy and alienless sci-fi referenced above) should pick up this book and a nice little book cover (kittens and flowers if need be, or i've heard you can make your own with paper grocery bags and markers).

      If that sort of things doesn't appeal to you, you should pick this up anyway. Not to read, you won't like it. But just in case you're stranded on a tropical island and you need to signal an airplane before the smoke monster eats you.


    • 3/5
      I'd give it a 3.5 if I could. Lots of fun, great descriptions of food, enjoyably rascally thieves, AWESOME old lady (I love old ladies!)...but somehow just a bit tedious in places.
    • 5/5
      Honestly, I've always had a preference for roguish characters so when I found this book I had was pretty excited to get to it. Fortunately, Scott Lynch didn't disappoint me.

      The Lies of Locke Lamora follows, in a twisted path, the evolution of Locke from a small, but crafty, orphan into a skilled thief and con man. Locke is an immensely likable character that I couldn't help but root for throughout his trials and tribulations. Thankfully he is also teamed up with some equally likable fellow such as his master "Chains" and his friends Jean, Bug, and the twins Carlo and Galdo.

      The majority of the book is focused on Locke's adult life however there is some time spent giving the reader a better feel for how Locke thinks by illustrating some of his childhood schemes as well as much of the skills that Chains teaches the rag tag band of thieves. Chains, it seems, dreams of smarter thieves who get their prize handed to them instead of thieves who have to take their prize from their mark. To that end Chains teaches the boys a variety of languages and dialects, math, reading, writing, proper etiquette for a variety of scenarios, the arts of disguise and cooking, and much much more. Most importantly he teaches the boys to think and to work together - the two skills that help them get out of more than one troublesome situation.

      Not only are the primary thieves likable characters but the primary targets of our thieves are also interesting and, quite frankly, likable as well. However, not everyone in the story is a charming and endearing person. Locke (and quite a few others) have their own sets of enemies to deal with and these various "bad guys" add an additional dimension of intrigue to the overall story arch. I was happy to be surprised by the outcome of a few different scenarios during the book and equally happy when those scenarios led to even darker turns in the story.

      Supposedly this is the first book of seven. Hopefully Lynch manages to keep the level of his story telling and character development to the high standard he debuted with. If so Locke and Jean could supplant Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser as my favorite pair of miscreants in fiction.
    • 3/5
      The lies and deceit took center stage in this story. Only Jean and Locke garnered anything close to full character development. Nearly all the other characters were reduced to plot devices. The fantasy elements played bit parts with the exception of the unbelievably powerful Bondsmage.

      The profanity in the dialogue at times put me off. I just find obscenities distracting in contemporary or dark fantasy. Curse creatively, please, just don't re-use the same old expletives I overhear in 'real' life. The violence, while graphic, complemented the lies superbly. The citizens of Camorr could teach the Klingons a few creative things about revenge.

      I felt compelled to complete the story, vainly pursuing relevant truth through the morass of deception. While much was revealed during the denouement, I felt no remorse for any of the characters, found none of them redemptive or regretful and resolved to wash my hands of this series and its characters.

      If you like lots of political intrigue, revenge simmered and savored for decades, plot twists straining credibility and a cast of characters making a mad dash for malignancy, this is the story for you.
    • 5/5
      Fuck me. What an awesome book. I'd been hearing about it for a while but only just got the time to pick it up. And now kick myself for not doing it earlier. This was such a great book. It started a bit slow but was still immensely enjoyable. Jumping back and forth between the present and the past to find out how Locke and the other Bastards got to where they are. Locke was such a great character. A conman like no other. Smart, wily and arrogant. And it was great that he was such a shit fighter. It would have ruined the story if he was perfect at everything.

      From about half way through this book really gripped me and I couldn't put it down. As things started coming together I had to know what happened next. And I wasn't disappointed. Slowly everything started making sense. When it was all revealed it was glorious and I wanted to know how it all panned out. Herein lies my one issue with this book. It ended too quick. After all the build-up to finding out who the Grey King was and after the deaths of most of the Bastards the ending was too quick and too easy. I was looking forward to seeing Locke slowly pull the rug out from under the King only for it to be yanked out as quick as possible. It felt like the author had run out of smart ideas. It was a good ending but it could have been a great one. It almost cost it the fifth star.

      But I had to give it to it. This was one of those supremely enjoyable books that come along far too infrequently. And there is still more to be uncovered. Where is the female Bastard? What happened between her and Locke? And just who really is Locke Lamora? I'll have to get on to the sequel as soon as I can and hope to find out.
    • 5/5
      "1984" made me a fan of dystopian/speculative fiction.
      "Eye of the needle" made me a fan of world war/ espionage thrillers.
      "The Gulag Archipelago" made me a fan of historical non-fiction.
      "Pillars of the earth" made me a fan of historical fiction.

      On the other hand, I didn't encounter a book in the past that would have made me a fan of the epic fantasy genre. Sure, I read fantasy; I have had my fills of Tolkiens and Rowlings (and these books are great and I like them) but I needed one book from the genre which would make me crave for more.

      This is that book.