An orphan’s life is harsh — and often short — in the mysterious island city of Camorr. But young Locke Lamora dodges death and slavery, becoming a thief under the tutelage of a gifted con artist. As leader of the band of light-fingered brothers known as the Gentleman Bastards, Locke is soon infamous, fooling even the underworld’s most feared ruler. But in the shadows lurks someone still more … ambitious and deadly. Faced with a bloody coup that threatens to destroy everyone and everything that holds meaning in his mercenary life, Locke vows to beat the enemy at his own brutal game — or die trying.
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About a third of the way into this book, I was thinking “this is really fun and I love the worldbuilding, but this character is so competent! what could possibly go wrong for him?”
How hopelessly naive, in retrospect. Locke Lamora, nimble wit and various skills notwithstanding, found himself in one heck of a pickle by the two-thirds mark. Lynch …
My favorite book of all time! The most unique characters I’ve ever read, with fascinating world-building, one hell of a clever story, and twists and turns that gave me whiplash! I’ve read this book five times and still love every word.
All books and stories are composed of words. THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA is a beautiful tapestry of language. I make it a point to not read genre fiction filled with unpronounceable names. To this point, the title character, Locke Lamora, has a name that is utterly pronounceable, even sonorous, however, at first sight it did evoke Scottish tarns and …
This is a great fantasy adventure with enough unique elements to make it interesting. I couldn’t get to the next page fast enough wanting to find out what would happen next.
This is a great heist book in a wonderful fantastical setting. The writing is exquisite and witty. Magical.
This is the kind of book that, when you finish it, you hunger for the next one. Lucky for you, the next one already exists. I had to wait for it.
As a writer, Lynch’s Gentleman Bastards inspired me to create characters with deeper friendships, greater reliance on each other. Without question one of my all time top 10 favorite books.
A great series
I’ve described The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentlemen Bastards #1) by Scott Lynch as ‘The Godfather meets Renaissance Venice – with magic!’ If that premise made you excited, stay like that. The book is every bit as amazing as it sounds, and then some.
The Lies of Locke Lamora follows the Gentlemen Bastards, a group of highly skilled con artists who …
I am so glad I picked this book up, basically on a whim. Basically, it’s about the life of Locke Lamora, grand thief, and con artist, with his band of accomplices, the Gentlemen Bastards. Which is just an awesome name. They aren’t alone though because this city they’re in, Camorr, has an entire criminal underground run by a man they call the Capa, …
The Lies of Locke Lamora, the first book in the Gentlemen Bastards series, is one of the best fantasy books I’ve ever read, and the whole series meets that standard. Really smart, beautifully crafted.
Maybe a broader statement to start, my expectations were not met. Not by Locke, not by plot, not by anything. This story was overall, unenthusing. I didn’t feel a bond to any characters in this the entire length of time it took me to read. I felt the author was pushing what his characters should be on the reader rather than actually accomplishing …
Unlike anything else I’ve ever read before! The story is intricate, and all the story lines weave together in a seamless manner. The characters are likable, and the two timelines the novel uses simultaneously are both very engaging.
If you’re looking for a unique and funny fantasy book. This is the one. Hilarious one-liners, check. Entertaining situations, check. Action, check.
From the first page, I was hooked and just needed to know what would happen next!
The Lies of Locke Lamora has been on my to-read list for a while — I’m glad I finally got to it.
*** What to expect
A wonderfully-built “heist” style adventure, with a dark turn towards the end. Locke Lamora is a thief, a con-man swindling the rich out of their money, in a roughly Renaissance-ish fantasy world.
The work is in the scale of epic …
This book. I don’t even know where to begin. Scott Lynch has created unforgettable characters. I love Locke: he is sassy and smart-assy, too smart for his own good, and impulsive. I loved reading his journey from child to adult. But Jean is by far my favorite character. I always love the loyal best friend character, and Jean fills this role …
Sort of like Ocean’s Eleven in a medieval fantasy world. Really cool and original
Ocean’s 11 in a fantasy world, with fantastic dialogue and an interesting plot. It’s one of the few books I actually re-read.
Wonderfully written and intriguing plot.
I loved this book. The characters are fantastic. I used to always recommend The Name of the Wind as my favorite fantasy book, but I would say this one is now.