jnikkir
Written on Mar 28, 2014
-----------------------------
How can I adequately explain the awesomeness of this book...? The Lies of Locke Lamora is... Well -- and forgive me in advance for this but it's the only way I can explain it -- Lies of Locke Lamora is what would happen if a mix of Robin Hood and Leverage had a book-baby with the High Fantasy genre... and then abandoned it with the Mafia in some kind of alternate-universe Venice. Does that sound somewhat brutal and harsh? It should. This book is pretty dang brutal at times.
But is it also awesome? Yes, it most definitely is, in every way possible -- worldbuilding, characters, plot, pacing... It is all so excellent.
The worldbuilding in Lies is unique, detailed, intriguing, and most importantly, immersive. Most of Lies takes place in Camorr, a city that reminds me a lot of Venice -- except less romanticized and a lot darker. It's a city of spindly bridges and waterways, where the canals are filled with all manner of nasty creatures, and the streets with all manner of nasty cutthroats. But it's also a city of rough beauty, lit by alchemical glowing lanterns and unearthly, shining Elderglass towers.
As for the characters -- my words fail me. The Gentleman Bastards are the heart of this book. There are the twins, Calo and Galdo; the young apprentice, Bug; the brawn (with a heart of gold), Jean; and our disarmingly average-looking mastermind, Locke. I love them all. Love. The twelve-year-old Bug is hilarious and earnest and just wants to make his little family of thieves proud. Calo and Galdo are everything you could want from a pair of identical twin thieves -- they're charming, loyal tricksters who are scary-good at cards. ;)
But Locke is really the one who holds my heart, just because he's the type of character that I will always and forever adore. He really does have a Robin Hood vibe... but without the whole giving-to-the-poor thing. He's out for himself and his friends -- in it for the love the con -- and it is glorious.
Jean (not like "Gene", but like the French "Zhaun") is also amazing, and his and Locke's friendship is just... wow. It's not super prominent in this first book, but as the series continues (yes, I've finished book 2 already, shut up), you see how the two of them share this deep sort of friendship... the sort of friendship I've wanted to read about for a long time, but which is apparently extremely rare in the books I usually decide to pick up.
Anyway, the Gentleman Bastards specialize in confidence schemes: long-running cons that depend on flawless disguises, lots of time and preparation, and great acting. These schemes haven't caught on with many thieves in this world yet: Most thieves in Camorr are the sneaky types... or the rob-at-knife-point types. So the Gentleman Bastards are able to stay under the radar -- not only from the people they're stealing from, but from the other thieving gangs as well, who all think they're just average, normal thieves. (Ha. Hahahaha.)
The Lies of Locke Lamora starts out following the Gentleman Bastards on their latest scheme -- charming yet another Don of Camorr out of half his fortune. But soon, they find themselves in over their heads, caught in a war between the Capa of Camorr (the leader of all the Camorri thieves) and another criminal, almost more legend than human, who's said to be indestructible -- the Grey King.
I don't want to give anything about the plot away, because it starts to get spoilery pretty fast, but I will say: Scott Lynch has a serious talent for making a fairly hefty book feel like a mash-up of the best "caper" scenes from Ocean's 11, or Leverage -- but, admittedly, Lies is quite a bit more violent than either of those examples. There's lots of scheming, complex disguises, and a web of lies that threatens to ensnare even the ones doing the lying...
The heists in Lies are mind-bogglingly wonderful, not just as they unfold throughout the book, but also in the payoff at the end. You know how, in things like Ocean's 11 or Leverage -- any good heist-movie, really -- there's always that awesome scene where pieces of the puzzle, heretofore unknown, are revealed, and everything starts to come together? Well, the payoff of the reveals in Lies, and the results of Locke's schemes, are ridiculous. If I could start labeling books "Heist Fantasy" (shut up, it's totally going to be a thing), Lies would set the bar and define the genre. I can't even explain how much I adored the reveals in this book, and the payoff at the end. Suffice it to say, I loved it so much that I didn't even consider reading something other than the sequel after I turned the last page -- not because there was a cliffhanger (there wasn't), but because I needed more heist-fantasy-awesomeness, immediately.
I think a lot of this book's awesomeness came from the level of intensity that it was able to set up quickly, and then maintain. You can even track this in a completely scientific manner (shut up), through my Goodreads status updates. I was hooked from the beginning by the dialog, characters (hi, Bug!), and schemes that were already blowing my mind. But over half of this book was just pure intensity, starting around 47%...
Once things started getting out of hand for Locke and the Gentleman Bastards, there's really no turning back, or dialing-down of the craziness. There were sections where I literally couldn't handle it. Literally. I had to stop reading just to whisper-yell at the book to please stop, what is going on, I cannot handle you right now.
In conclusion...
With books like The Lies of Locke Lamora, it's almost impossible for me to "review" them with any sort of objectivity -- so take this "review" as more of a "please read this" entreaty. ;) Books like this are rare finds for me. Lies was a reading experience of the best kind -- a complete immersion into this world, a journey with these characters, and a nonstop avalanche of emotions -- good, bad, exultant, heartbroken, and above all, supremely satisfied.
If you're looking for your next adult fantasy read (again, strong language and violence in this one), and if you happen to be a fan of heists, thieves, or just really great adventure, pick up The Lies of Locke Lamora. I cannot -- cannot -- recommend it highly enough.
"Richer and cleverer than everyone else!"
- The motto of the Gentleman Bastards
--
There were books involved...
