Master criminals are not your run of your mill heroes, and confidence tricksters are not your run of the mill master criminals. Therefore, it's fitting that a book focused on the exploits of a rather exceptional confidence trickster is rather exceptional itself. Such a book would be very easy to get excited about, so here is my Overly Excited Opinion of The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch.
If you've heard of The Lies of Locke Lamora, you've probably heard the following, "It's like hustle (if your British)/Oceans 11 in a fantasy world." But what does that actually mean, because I'm sorry, but Locke would run rings around Danny Blue. The story begins when a young Locke Lamora is taken in by the Thiefmaker and turns out to be too much trouble for him; at which point Locke is sold to the enigmatic Father Chains, who morphs Locke and his other young prodigies into the greatest thieves Camorr has every seen, the Gentleman Bastards. Fast forward a fair few years and we join Locke and his crew at the start of their biggest ever heist. But, Camorr is full of whispers of the Grey King, a thief killer terrorising the underworld of the city. Will Locke be able to make his biggest ever score without getting caught by the city guard or the Grey King? Well, I'm not going to tell you, so if you want to find out, read the darn book. If that doesn't excite you as a concept, I apologise as I've not done a very good job of explaining myself. However, the plot at the heart of The Lies of Locke Lamora is simply brilliant and laid out in such a beautiful way that it will grip you and keep you guessing right until the end. Scott Lynch shows himself to be the master of pacing, and knows exactly the right pace at which to give you information so you work things out with the characters. Yet he also when he needs to deliver the perfect rug pull. Be warned, once you've got into the story you will not want to put the book down. I had one morning where I was so engrossed during my morning commute that I had to find a quiet spot to stand in at the station so I could get another 5 to 10 minutes of reading in.
The plot isn't the only rich aspect of the story. The characters are some of the most distinctive and fully realised that I've seen in a long while. The Sansa twins, extraordinary cooks and gamblers, but not great ideas men. The quiet and lovely Jean who you do not want to get on the wrong side of. Capa Barsavi head of the criminal underworld who dotes on his daughter. Doña Sofia a lady of Camorr with incredible alchemical skill. Then, there's Locke, master actor, compulsive thief, sharp, intelligent, but pretty rubbish in a fight. There's something so refreshing in the imperfect protagonist. I know Game of Thrones does it too, but it's rare for a title character to have flaws as clearly defined and clearly debilitating as Locke's. Not only does it make him real, it makes him utterly compelling and ensures that you never feel he is completely safe.
The lynch pin of the story is Scott Lynch's exceptional style and it's not surprising this, his first novel, caused such a (well deserved) stir when it came out. From snappy, realistic dialogue to captivating descriptions of the quirks of Camorr, the writing is glorious. Thinking about structure, The Lies of Locke Lamora stands out with temporal jumps galore. Such jumps could have been jarring, but are crafted and woven into the story so well that they feel natural.
The Lies of Locke Lamora is a staggeringly brilliant book. It's gritty world, morally ambiguous characters and their incredible escapades jump off the page and deep into your imagination. It made me gasp, cry and laugh which hopefully gives you a hint of how deeply I enjoyed it. If you want a white knuckle ride of a fantasy novel that will grip you hard and pull you into it from the the start The Lies of Locke Lamora is definitely for you. If you don't want that, well I think you must be mistaken, so read The Lies of Locke Lamora and experience the thrill of a fantasy adventure with a difference.
After considering the various aspects of the novel I decided to The Lies of Locke Lamora a score of 9.7 out of 10 and I issue a call to buy it now in the name of the Crooked Warden with your ill-gotten... I mean legitimately earned gains.
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