The Lies of Locke Lamora

[Karana Majin]

I was not eager to start this book, because I knew someone who had told me that they found it hard to get into.

 

Well, I didn't!  I was captivated early on.  I couldn't stop reading, but I dreaded the ending!  Wow, this book rocked.  The characters were great and the plot twists and turns were fun to ride along with!

 

I think I remember Werthead posting that this would be a series?  Is this true? And does anyone else think the author looks completely freaky in the picture on the back flap?  LOL!

 

I didn't want this book to end.

[Cadsuane]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lies_of_Locke_Lamora

 

Looks like the second book came out this past summer.

[Niamh Sedai]

I loved The Lies of Locke Lamora. I was reluctant to read it because I didn't wish to start yet another incomplete series but after being poked and prodded, I finally bought it (At Euromeet actually  ;)) and I throughly enjoyed it- the plot was funny, the characters were brilliant and I liked the mix of humour and darkness. Red Seas Under Red Skies is book 2 and I also enjoyed that though I am still undecided as to which of the two I like the most so far!

 

I can't wait for the rest of The Gentlemen Bastard Sequence.  :)

 

Scott Lynch's website has more info. www.scottlynch.us

 

 

[Werthead]

It's an excellent series. Book 1 was before I started the blog, but I reviewed the second volume, Red Seas Under Red Skies, last summer.

 

It's a seven-volume series, although the first two books at least stand alone. The remaining books are:

 

3: The Republic of Thieves (summer 2008)

4: The Thorn of Emberlain

5: The Ministry of Necessity

6: The Mage and the Master Spy

7: Inherit the Night

 

Apparently in Book 3 we will finally meet a much-referenced but so far unseen character, in flashback and in the present-day storyline.

[Werthead]

By the way, if you liked Lynch I immediately and unreservedly recommend Joe Abercrombie, whose first trilogy is nearly completed (I just reviewed Book 3, which is out in March in the UK and September in the USA):

 

1. The Blade Itself

2. Before They Are Hanged

3. Last Argument of Kings

 

The series is published by Gollancz in the UK and Pyr in the USA.

[Verbal32]

Please, Werthead, stop!!  For the love of all creatures, big and small!  Stop!

 

At this rate, you will have ensured that I NEVER complete the reading list I have set for myself.  Almost every time I read a post of yours, I end up adding more books to the list.  Many of the recent ones I've read have come after reading a good recommendation from you.

 

I've been saving Martin for last, but I'll never get to him at this rate!

 

Curse you!!!  ;)

 

P.S. - Obviously, this is all a joke.  Werthead, I bow down to your excellent recommendations and reviews.  I am heretoforth (is that a word?!) a loyal follower of your blog.

[Cadsuane]

I happened to stop by the bookstore the evening this thread was posted, and I remembered to pick this up. I'll probably get started at Christmas when classes are over and my office building is closed.

[Kivam]

Great news werthead - I was wondering when sabetha would show up.

[Werthead]

After a bit of a delay (looks at the dates above and coughs), Book 3 has been confirmed for publication on 10 October 2013.

[Suttree]

After a bit of a delay (looks at the dates above and coughs), Book 3 has been confirmed for publication on 10 October 2013.

[Suttree]

Another excerpt from the book, not sure if it is new but I haven't seen it...

 

http://io9.com/an-exclusive-chapter-from-republic-of-thieves-by-lies-468507382

[Suttree]

Can not WAIT for this release. Been far too long, congrats to Scott for getting past a tough period to get this finished.

 

http://thewertzone.blogspot.com/2013/05/cover-blurb-for-republic-of-thieves.html

[Werthead]

The Gentleman Bastard #3: The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch

 

 

 

Locke Lamora is dying, poisoned by an enemy during his previous con. However, he receives an offer from the least likely source imaginable: the Bondsmagi of Karthain, his sworn enemies. In return for saving his life, they want him and his stalwart companion Jean to help their allies win an election in their home city. The only problem is that the rival faction has the same idea, and has hired the one person in the world who can match Locke in a battle of wits: his former lover, Sabetha.
 

The Republic of Thieves has finally arrived, six and a half years after the publication of the previous book in the series, Red Seas Under Red Skies. The medical and personal problems which have afflicted Scott Lynch's writing have been well-documented elsewhere and seem to be resolved, with the next book in the series, The Thorn of Emberlain, reportedly already nearing completion and hoped for publication in late 2014. Hopefully this is the case, because The Republic of Thieves marks the end of the 'stand-alone adventure' phase of the series and the arrival of what appears to be a somewhat more serialised mode of storytelling.

Like its two predecessors, Republic is divided into two storylines. We have a present-day storyline set in Karthain and featuring Locke and Jean trying to win an election in which they are opposed by someone who knows them better than they know themselves. We also have a lengthy flashback to when the gang were teenagers and sent to work in the city of Espara, where they find themselves trying to stage a play (the Republic of Thieves of the title) despite their director being in prison. The book alternates between the two storylines as it progresses.

Both storylines are entertaining, though the flashback one is arguably the stronger of the two. The secondary characters in the theatre company and city of Espara are more strongly-defined and the escalating catastrophes of things going wrong and then getting worse is quite compelling (overcoming the weakness that we know the 'regular cast' survives because, hey, flashbacks). The current-day storyline, set in Karthain, is hampered by the fact that no-one (not the Bondsmagi, Locke or Sabetha) seems to really care who wins the election. There's some interesting (if more broadly-defined) characters featured in this section and the various vote-winning ploys are amusing, but the lack of stakes makes this storyline flag a little. The alternating structure is also not entirely successful: the chapters are quite long and involved, so you're just being absorbed into one storyline when the other resumes, and then the same problem recurs. Reading the flashback chapters as one self-contained novel and then the present-day storyline as one chunk does improve this issue and restores some pace to both narratives, which otherwise tend to bog-down mid-book. There is a large focus on the Locke/Sabetha relationship in both timelines, which tends to get a little repetitive and isn't helped by the 16-year-old Locke and Sabetha discussing relationship issues with impressive and not entirely convincing maturity, which in thankfully isolated moments threaten to the turn the novel into a fantasy version of Dawson's Creek, though Lynch manages to avoid it becoming too annoying. These discussions also later provide important groundwork for the development of their relationship in the present day storyline.

On the plus side, Lynch delves into Locke's psyche a lot more than in previous books and we get closer to finding out what makes him tick. He also lifts the veil on the Bondsmagi, and we learn more about their history, culture, beliefs and organisation. The story about how the Bondsmagi will save Locke in return for helping them out in a minor issue seems rather thin, and it's rather a relief to find that there is more going on than meets the eye. In particular, the closing chapters of the book (and the twist ending) do explain a series of oddities in three volumes to date. There are some complaints that, as a heavily-trailed character, Sabetha is disappointing but if anything this appears to be deliberate. Whilst intelligent and highly capable, Sabetha isn't the paragon Locke lionises her as, and discovering there is a plot reason why Locke is so unhealthily fixated on her is a relief. In fact, there is an argument for readers to read the last few chapters to discover the spoiler and then read the novel knowing about it, as it makes a whole bunch of decisions earlier on more comprehensible than if read cold. Fans of Jean will appreciate that he gets some very good development in the flashback chapters, but will be less impressed that he seems to be sidelined in the present-day story.

Both the twist and another subplot in the book (reports coming in of a brewing civil war in the Kingdom of the Seven Marrows) seem to mark an end to the stand-alone nature of each novel. It looks like that, from now on, the plot of each book will lead into the next (as Republic's apparently does into The Thorn of Emberlain). Those who were expecting and even hoping for this series to consist of isolated, repeated heists and capers may be disappointed by this, whilst those who have dismissed the series for being a bit lightweight for the same reason may be moved to a reappraisal. Whilst some may mourn the loss of the 'Fantasy Ocean's 11' approach to the series, I think it's interesting and healthy for an author to evolve his story and characters from book to book and not be trapped into doing the exact same thing for ten books running, and The Republic of Thieves certainly does that.

With The Republic of Thieves (****) Lynch has delivered a book packed with his trademark sharp dialogue, wit and cunning plotting, and with big improvements in worldbuilding and the portrayal of characters' emotions. It's a transformative book in the series, raising the stakes and making it more clear what the series (and the potential sequel-series Lynch has mooted) will actually be about. There are pacing issues and reading the two narratives as separate novels rather than one big intertwined one may be a better idea, whilst the stakes of the story are somewhat murky and only revealed at the end. However, this is  a step-up in quality from Red Seas Under Red Skies, even if it doesn't match the enjoyability of The Lies of Locke Lamora. The novel is available now in the UK and USA.

[elffern]

It rather does seem that Lynch's arc is showing, in this book, with that definite sense of 'to be continued'. It was a very enjoyable read, and I can't wait for his next one

[Werthead]

Good news: Lynch and his publishers are both confident that The Thorn of Emberlain will be published in Autumn 2014.

[Theodora]

Hi guys,

 

I don't want to read through your posts because of possible spoilers - this series was mentioned to me but I would like to know, how is the magic system, if there is such. And if you could compare it to another fantasy, what would you say. For example Martin, The Malazan Book of the Fallen and WoT (My favourite) - more realistic, cruel or more childish, more detailed world or not?

 

Thank you

[Werthead]

There hasn't been much on the 'magic system' so far. None of the main characters can use magic, only supporting ones and antagonists. That said, the third book does reveal a fair bit more info than we had before.

 

As for comparisons, Lynch has a similar sense of humour to GRRM (think of Tyrion's black sense of humour). There isn't much similarity to MALAZAN at all. With WoT, the comparisons might be the lifelong friendships forged in childhood and the characters living in a world filled with ruins from an earlier time, though this is more prevalent in Lynch's work. Certainly if you like Martin, Jordan and Abercrombie, or old-school authors like Fritz Lieber, you should like Lynch.

[Theodora]

Thank you, Werthead, I will try it, as soon as I have the opportunity. I am not into Elves and dwarves, no offense, just not my faves, but I would like some magic. I am really sorry for being so ignorant but I have not read Fritz Lieber but Jordan and Martin, yes! So i will try it, as soon as I could find it for my Kindle.

 

Tyrion is one of my faves, so definitely a score there I will report back

[Werthead]

There's no elves or dwarves in Lynch either :)

[elffern]

It's kinda like if hustle, or leverage was set in a slightly alternate  (I want to say steampunk, but that's not the right word at all) universe, but more drama and all that. I'm not entirely sure I'm going it justice with that description though

[Werthead]

LOCKE LAMORA TV show in the works.

It's also looking like THORN OF EMBERLAIN is going to be delayed (not the biggest surprise in the world), but right now only to March or so.

[damandred]

hope this gets made. Love the gentleman bastards.

[SaccaraBird]

Oh that is such a great book! I've only read the first and second as apparently the third get's a bit irritating though...

[Arsis]

I would love a gentleman bastard t.v. show. Even if it means delaying emberlain.

[damandred]

Oh that is such a great book! I've onl

 

y read the first and second as apparently the third get's a bit irritating though...

I thought the third better than the second, though both were not as good as the first.