'One of my top ten books ever. Maybe top five. If you haven't read it, you should' Patrick Rothfuss, New York Times bestselling author of The Name of the Wind
'Fresh, original and engrossing' George R.R. Martin, the phenomenon behind A Game of Thrones
They say that the Thorn of Camorr can beat anyone in a fight. They say he steals from the rich and gives to the poor. They say he's part man, part myth, and mostly street-corner rumor. And they are wrong on every count.
Only averagely tall, slender, and god-awful with a sword, Locke Lamora is the fabled Thorn, and the greatest weapons at his disposal are his wit and cunning. He steals from the rich - they're the only ones worth stealing from - but the poor can go steal for themselves. What Locke cons, wheedles and tricks into his possession is strictly for him and his band of fellow con-artists and thieves: the Gentleman Bastards.
Together their domain is the city of Camorr. Built of Elderglass by a race no-one remembers, it's a city of shifting revels, filthy canals, baroque palaces and crowded cemeteries. Home to Dons, merchants, soldiers, beggars, cripples, and feral children. And to Capa Barsavi, the criminal mastermind who runs the city.
But there are whispers of a challenge to the Capa's power. A challenge from a man no one has ever seen, a man no blade can touch. The Grey King is coming.
A man would be well advised not to be caught between Capa Barsavi and The Grey King. Even such a master of the sword as the Thorn of Camorr. As for Locke Lamora ...
Readers can't get enough of Locke Lamora:
'Original, engrossing, emotional, and devastatingly impactful; this extremely well-written tale of avarice and brotherhood is a treasure of gold, and you will want your share of it' Novel Notions
'A rewarding read, well written, and entertaining. I'd recommend any fantasy fan to give it a try' Mark Lawrence, Sunday Times bestselling author
'It is witty, profane, violent, over the top, and frequently hilarious. I can't believe this is Scott Lynch's first novel, and I can't wait to read more. This is an incredibly fun adventure novel. Find yourself a copy and read it' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'You guys, this story is unreal. It's so morally wrong that you don't even want it to be right. It's that luring, that gritty, that bold . . . its masterfully chaotic - so many subplots, so many characters, so much world-building. theres never a dull moment . . . its intricately woven - no movement, no scene, no word is insignificant. Everything is so interconnected on so many levels. I straight up got chills in some parts' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'A love child of Ocean's Eleven and The Godfather. With blood, deaths, betrayals, money, and drowning in horse urine . . . and it's SO. GOOD' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'It stole hours of sleep. It wrapped me in cozy myth. It gave me the blessing of feeling like a kid again, snuggled up with a book, wondering how the hell 10pm became 4am. Find. Buy. Consume' Pierce Brown, bestselling author of the Red Rising series
'I mean seriously, I loved all those characters and their cunning and deceiving ways. XD Throughout the entire book I never knew what to expect and there were about a ton of "Oh, sh*t!" moments that were shortly followed by "Jeez! NO!" and "What happened now?" exclamations' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Originally published on my blog.
The Lies of Locke Lamora sounded like the perfect book for me. I love thieves, I love imperfect characters, I love schemes and acts and the whole scene, and so I went crazy and bought books one and two together (they were on sale, though).
Probably a big mistake, because from page one, Locke and I were a story of hardships and struggle, and eventually - a bad breakup. The first time I opened the book, I stopped after the prologue. It was probably a combination of my mood and the time of the day I read it, but I just couldn't keep my head straight with the names, times, and locations. I was oh so confused, and I couldn't get a fixed image of all the scenery and world as I was reading--and there was a lot of those.
So I put it down, very dejected, to say the least. I picked it up again eight months later after seeing a favorable review from a much loved reviewer, but I had no real illusions. I put my goal at reading one chapter per day. And yes, it was easier. I wasn't confused, and I guess that's why I think my confusion originally came from a combination of things unrelated to the book, but I had also given up on the world as a whole and decided to just focus on what we were seeing (or reading) at any given time because I just couldn't follow.
There were so many parts of just describing stuff, and telling us stuff (a lot of it about the world, and not the plot), and those I just couldn't take. I wish there were more conversations and things actually happening, because those I did enjoy. They were just so overshadowed by the descriptions and world building it's not even funny!
At page 153, when I was still struggling through every page, I lowered my goal to two/three chapters a week. Quite frankly, my only propose while reading this book was to finish it. Because I had already gotten book two. Because I wanted to love it so desperately. Because I wanted to prove to myself that this book would not beat me.
But it did. Because the moment I lowered my page count, it became more and more difficult to pick it up at all. And so, ten days later, I had only read 10 new pages of the book. And the worst part was I kept giving up after mere sentences. I just couldn't do it! Add to that that I knew what was going to happen in the broadest sense of the word, as I read a few spoilers to see if it was even worth continuing and I came to the realization - why am I reading a huge book I'm not enjoying? Why am I wasting time fighting with a story that doesn't appeal to me? With characters that I've failed to become attached to?
Because I can honestly say I didn't connect or relate to Locke, the twins, Jean, or anyone. Sure, they were kind of cool. Very cunning. Joked a lot. But that didn't exactly made me feel anything toward them. I didn't particularly root for them, and I didn't feel much when they encountered difficulties.
I have so many books I want to read. So many stories that are for me, and here I am, with one that's not. No thank you. It was depressing me, honestly.
Originally published on my blog.
Reading updates
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Started reading
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3 September, 2014:
Finished reading
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3 September, 2014:
Reviewed