The Lies of Locke Lamora

This is not something I would usually read, but the title The Lies of Locke Lamora caught my attention. Once I started reading, I had to keep going as I needed to discover what new messes Locke and his friends could get into and escape from against all odds.

It's a roller coaster ride with some very unexpected twists. Under the intrigue and terror that ensues is an odd, dry sense of humour that serves to leaven out the intensity. I'm waiting for the fourth book to drop—The Thorn of Emberlain.

Scott Lynch builds a lush world where Locke Lamora and his gang of Gentlemen Bastards operate alternately hidden from the civilized and the criminal.

Having grown up an orphan, saved from slavery by a master con artist, he holds Camorr and its denizens in more than some disdain until someone with higher, more devious intentions threatens it all. Camorr and its characters are richly developed as the Gentlemen Bastards find themselves contorting through plot twists as they try to save themselves and the city.

The first book in the Gentleman Bastard series, The Lies of Locke Lamora follows a young thief raised by a con artist.

He and his fellow youngsters live one half of Robinhood’s creed: stealing from the rich… and giving to themselves, eking out a life in the underworld of a fantasy city similar to Venice. Every character in the story is a rogue, a thief, or a ne’er-do-well. There’s plenty of banter and hijinks, and you’ll root for the Gentleman Bastards, even though they aren’t exactly walking the straight and narrow.

As a warning, the series is still currently unfinished,… show more.

The Lies of Locke Lamora is an expertly crafted fantasy novel that will leave you feeling like there is more going on than meets the eye. The story follows a group of thieves in a fantasy world who pull off elaborate heists and scams, but they soon attract the attention of powerful enemies. The book is filled with layers of clues and mysteries that keep the reader acting as a detective to solve the threads of mystery throughout. Lynch's writing style is engaging and the pacing is perfect, making it hard to put the book down. The book is also… show more.

Welcome to Camorr, the city of prosperity and thieves where you’ll be down to your skin if your hair wasn’t stuck on your body. While thieves and heists are a huge part of the story, this world is filled with the subtleties of black magic where your true name could be your end, and anyone regardless of economic status is a victim. It’s up to a band of thieves to protect their assets and their lives. 

Reminiscent of a Dickens novel, Lies is a stylishly written jaunt into a rotting canal city packed full of gangsters, tricksters, and strange Eldren ruins. It follows a tight crew of young, talented shysters as they attempt to pull increasingly elaborate and dangerous confidence scams on the nobility, and end up embroiled in the sinister plot of a madman named the Grey King. There are no true battles here. The conflict inhabits a much narrower, more personal level. It’s concerned with intimate back alley backstabbings, rooftop chases, and tense confrontations with despicable gang bosses. A barrel of horse urine stands… show more.

I first read The Lies of Locke Lamora in high school and I fell in love with the story immediately. The story follows a group of young thieves scamming their way through a Venice-inspired fantasy city. The characters follow the first half of Robinhood’s rules: They steal from the rich… but they keep their haul instead of giving it away to the poor. They’re not squeaky clean, but they are lovable. Their motivations aren’t necessarily pure, but they are believable. The story takes a dark turn when a larger threat looms, threatening to end life as the gang knows it.… show more.

Well, there can be no list of best fantasy books for dark humour and light entertainment without Locke Lamora and his Gentlemen Bastards. Set in the canalled city of Camorr, the life of Locke Lamora keeps you sprinting, guessing, laughing, gasping, as the twists and turns bring you from banter among the bastards to sudden betrayals, to ingenious plans, to gruesome deaths, and everything in between. Once you read (and love) this book, you can skip at least half of the next one, skimming through all the sailing knowledge you’ll never need, but the third is a return to top… show more.

This is the book I think about when I think of adventure fantasy. A surreal, Venetian-like city, an orphaned boy who is adopted by a gang of thieves, and a story that grabs you by the neck and just won’t let go. Locke Lamora and his brothers in pickpocketing are far more than they seem: pulling off schemes the rest of the criminal underworld would give their left hands for...if they knew of them. When a shadowy figure upends that underworld, Locke and the crew find themselves square in the crosshairs caught in the deadliest subterfuge of their lives. Foul-mouthed,… show more.

These are the character you would like to be. They are tricksters, rogues, assassins, and thieves, all rolled into one. The Gentlemen bastards is a series of heists (and one rigged election) in a world where your enemies are mages and all you have to rely on are your wits.