A Book Review: The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch (The Gentlemen Bastards Sequence #1)

Take a look at the image sitting at left hand side of the screen. The image is the cover art for a book called The Lies of Locke Lamora. Don't you think it looks gorgeous?

The conventional wisdom says: Do not judge a book by its cover.

That is true. But some books tell stunning stories, stories that deserve to be covered in gorgeous artworks. This is the certainly the case for an enchanting story known as The Lies of Locke Lamora, and only a handsome book cover can do this novel justice.

I think it suffices to say, this novel is sitting high up on my ever-growing list of favorite books. But what is The Lies of Locke Lamora? Let me provide a short description: Try to imagine Catch Me if you Can (the movie) + grimdark fantasy, set in a fictional world resembling the late renaissance.

Does this interest you? If so, feel free to continue reading my non-spoiler review.

Synopsis:

Built on the ruins of a forgotten race, Camorr is an island city teeming with a rife populace and grand architectures. On the surface, the city is exuberant with trades. The street corners and its shadowed recesses, however, belong to the underworld crime bosses.

In Camorr, an orphan is usually destined to live a short and harsh life. Locke Lamora is an orphan, who, with his quick wit and talents for thieving, made a narrow escape from death and slavery at an young age to be apprenticed under Father Chains, a master thief.

Father Chains passed down the arts of thievery to a selected group of orphans, collectively known as The Gentlemen Bastards. Under his tutelage, Locke grew up and became a con man extraordinaire, leading The Gentlemen Bastards and pulling off case after case of ingenious cons. In Camorr, not a treasure vault, and not a wealthy noble, is immune from Locke's bite.

Under Locke's brilliant leadership, he knitted The Gentlemen Bastards into a close family, the wealth they “acquired” from unsuspecting nobles grew into a king's ransom. Meanwhile, to the eyes of Camorr's most dangerous crime boss, Locke and his brothers successfully passed themselves off as nothing more than petty thieves. The Gentlemen Bastards were having a great time, until an ambitious and dangerous individual, hiding in the shadows and cloaked all in gray, began pulling strings of devious plan, shaking Camorr' foundation.

My thoughts on this book:

We have seen the fantasy genre tell stories of great battles, national conflicts, political intrigues, dragons, wizards, and mighty heroes. But there aren't many fantasy stories about heists. In this regard, The Lies of Locke Lamora, the debut work for author Scott Lynch, stands out as a unique gem because it is a story about a heist and revenge. This story, flavored with occasional humor, also possesses a clever plot, and it is layered upon excellent worldbuilding and vivid characterization.

When it comes to the worldbuilding, Scott Lynch colored his fictional world, one that resembles the renaissance Venice, with rich and picturesque details. I like this fictional world, it is vast in scope and fascinating with its liveliness; from the buzzing city streets in Camorr, its renaissance inspired architectures, its fascinating culture, to the cloak-and-dagger atmosphere surrounding the city's criminal underworld, the world of Locke Lamora came springing to life under Scott Lynch's superb worldbuilding. This is a fictional world that will deeply capture a reader's imagination, worthy of multiple revisits.

The Lies of Locke Lamora features a multitude of characters. Locke and his best friend, Jean Tennan, play the roles of protagonists. Both Locke and Jean are likable and memorable characters, and Scott Lynch portrayed both of them with masterful skills.

Locke, cunning but fiercely loyal, possesses little martial prowess. This characteristic made Locke stand out from the galore of fantasy heroes who are usually great warriors. In a physical combat, Locke cannot fight to save his own life. However, Locke's virtue lies in his formidable power as a con man and a mummer. In sum, this book probably has more than 50 pages worth of sequences where Locke tried to con his way out of perilous situations and dangerous ordeals. Those breathtaking sequences, cleverly conceived and brilliantly written, are among of the most entertaining “action” scenes I have ever encountered in a book. I lost count of the times when I breathed sighs of relief when Locke successfully conned his way out of dangers.

On the other hand, Jean Tennan, Locke's fellow Gentlemen Bastards, is depicted as a loyal friend whose personality and skill sets complement Locke's own. Jean, who is more serene than Locke, is a skilled thief as well as a formidable fighter. He is the “tank” in their finely established organization. Jean has a heart-warming friendship with Locke, and he plays a pivotal role in this book.

Aside from Locke and Jean, the story also features support characters. All support characters are memorable and noteworthy. However, the support characters who stood out the most, are the other members in the Gentleman Bastards, namely the twin, Calo Sanza and Galdo Sanza, as well as a 12 year old boy called Bug. When I was reading this book, I found myself growing very fond of these characters as the pages moved. The antagonist in this book, whose identity I will not reveal in this review, is portrayed brilliantly as a cunning and dangerous individual. Let me just say, as the Gentlemen Bastards clashed course against their antagonist, it produced a intriguing tale bursting with surprises and twists that will keep you at the edge of your seat, furiously turning the pages until the story reaches the final page.

I wish to make a note about the style of narration found in this book. Scott Lynch employed an interesting method of storytelling. That is, every single chapter consists of two major parts. One part follows the plot that is taking place at the present time, where the second part describes the “flashbacks”, taking readers to the past and revealing how Locke and his fellow Gentlemen Bastards grew up. One might expect, such a storytelling method may cause confusions, or losing the sense for urgency in the transitions between chapters. But in The Lies of Locke Lamora, this method of storytelling worked exceedingly well. By telling a story this way, Scott Lynch not only mounted suspense and urgency for the main story, but he also provided background information without having to use a slow build up at the beginning of the book. In other words, Scott Lynch's story is fast-paced, but it is also rich with details. I admire the storytelling in this book, I think Scott Lynch told this story in a very clever and effective way.

The Lies of Locke Lamora received overwhelmingly positive reviews. Many readers and critics consider this book as one of the finest fantasy novels of the 21^th century. I heartily agree with all these positive assessments. This book marks the beginning of The Gentlemen Bastards Sequence, a series running at the length of 7 books. Having said this, The Lies of Locke Lamora can be read as a stand-alone novel because there is no loose plot left untied at its ending. The sequels, as I understood, embark readers on completely new episodes in Locke and Jean's adventures. This means, if you try this book and do not find it to your liking, then you won't feel obliged to reading the sequel. However, if you read this book, and like me, you become spellbound by the charms of this series, then you would have discovered a treasure grove. In other words, this is a win-win situation with little to loose. So if you haven't read The Lies of Locke Lamora, then what are you waiting for? It is time to dive in and experience the magic of Scott Lynch's brilliant novel. I especially recommend this book to fans of Robbin Hobbs and Patrick Rothfuss.

Until the next time, happy reading! I am off to read the sequel, titled Red Seas under Red Skies.

P.S. I have attached a link (below) to a stunning fan-made trailer for this book. I believe this trailer captured the vibe for The Lies of Locke Lamora accurately and beautifully. Enjoy!