Shannon C.’s review of The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentlemen Bastards, Book 1) by Scott Lynch
Fantasy fiction released by Spectra 26 Jun 07

I’ve been in a fantasy mood lately, and so have unearthed a few fantasy books from my ginormous TBR to assuage this mood. One of these was Scott Lynch’s debut, The Lies of Locke Lamora. This was a pleasant surprise, and well worth all the hype it generated when it was first published. The book’s charming titular character, the author’s snarky sense of humor, and the dark setting combined into a book I didn’t want to put down.

Locke Lamora is a thief. Not just any thief, but a member (and leader) of the notorious Gentlemen Bastards, thieves who consider it their duty to break the Secret Peace between the crime lords of the city of Camorr and the nobility. We meet Locke as he begins a con of the Don and Dona Salvara, two members of the nobility. But other things are afoot as a man known only as the Grey King attempts to depose the Cappa of Camorr, bringing a reluctant Locke and his equally reluctant friends into his plans, which could have disastrous consequences. We also get interludes describing Locke’s early life and training, which provide tantalizing hints about the fact that there’s obviously more to reveal in Locke’s backstory.

So, as I said, Locke made this book for me. He is definitely a rogue, and despite the fact that I’m not sure I’d want to be alone in a dark alley with him, I adored him. He’s charming, mischievous, and doesn’t spend too much time angsting, and he is saved from becoming a total moral reprobate by the fact that it’s obvious there are things he won’t do and people he won’t screw over. He made being a Gentleman Bastard seem kind of glamorous there for a while, and I was cheering him on .

The other characters are also well-drawn. I particularly liked Locke’s friend Jean, who complements Locke perfectly, and who I can’t help wanting to ship with Locke. (But then, I also kind of ship Sam/Frodo, too, so you might want to take that with a grain of salt.) Besides Jean, the rest of the Gentlemen Bastards are fun, if a bit one-note, with the exception of Father Chains, Locke’s mentor, and Sabetha, the only female member of their gang, who we do not meet in this novel.

The plot is riveting, and the tension ratchets up to a brilliant and satisfying climax. As with all good dark fantasy, not everybody survives, but at least this book actually has a complete ending that ties up most of the loose ends while leaving enough questions to be answered that I want to see where else Mr. Lynch takes the story.

If I have any quibbles, it’s that I would have liked for a bit more from the secondary characters, and I did think Locke and Jean weren’t as proactive as they could have been, but I also think some of that will change as the series progresses.

If you like dark, snarky fantasy, and you don’t mind a bit of a doorstopper, this is certainly a book to try.

Grade: A-

Summary:

“Why, I can smile, and murder whiles I smile,
And cry ‘Content’ to that which grieves my heart,
And wet my cheeks with artificial tears,
And frame my face to all occasions.”
–William Shakespeare, Richard II, iii, ii

The Thorn of Camorr is said to be an unbeatable swordsman, a master thief, a ghost that walks through walls. Half the city believes him to be a legendary champion of the poor. The other half believe him to be a foolish myth. Nobody has it quite right.

Slightly built, unlucky in love, and barely competent with a sword, Locke Lamora is, much to his annoyance, the fabled Thorn. He certainly didn’t invite the rumors that swirl around his exploits, which are actually confidence games of the most intricate sort. And while Locke does indeed steal from the rich (who else, pray tell, would be worth stealing from?), the poor never see a penny of it. All of Locke’s gains are strictly for himself and his tight-knit band of thieves, the Gentlemen Bastards.

Locke and company are con artists in an age where con artistry, as we understand it, is a new and unknown style of crime. The less attention anyone pays to them, the better! But a deadly mystery has begun to haunt the ancient city of Camorr, and a clandestine war is threatening to tear the city’s underworld, the only home the Gentlemen Bastards have ever known, to bloody shreds. Caught up in a murderous game, Locke and his friends will find both their loyalty and their ingenuity tested to the breaking point as they struggle to stay alive…

Download the prologue excerpt and mapshere and read an excerpt of the first chapter here.