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Scott Lynch: The Lies Of Locke Lamora

Litany

Litany

Active Member
This was a pressie from RaVeN if anyone remembers him at all. Maybe not, but his scent still lingers on the air. I recommend a powerful disinfectant.

Well, what a good book it was. Locke is an orphan who grows up to be a 'gentleman' thief conning nobles out of their ill-gotten gains. But there's a secret peace that all the criminals agreed to stick to which was to not rob the nobles. So he's a bit norty really. Also there is some other norty chap sneaking about and bumping off criminal gang members. And of course their lives are set to collide with consequences of whatever description.

It's set on a planet that was long ago occupied by aliens, so it gets put in the sci-fi/fantasy sections, but it's really more like a comedy crime caper set in Venice. Overall the feel of the city was as if China Mieville kicked all the aliens out and lightened up a bit, but the story is a lot more cheery and there's none of the long rambling descriptive passages. He manages to convey the atmosphere of the city with a very light hand.

For a debut novel it's fantastic. Some of the characters are a little one-dimensional, and the dialogue can be trite in places, but overall it's a ripping good read. It won't make you think too hard and it has the George R.R. Martin seal of approval. It's apparently going to be a series (7 books. Ooer), but this reads as a stand alone novel and doesn't leave you on any sort of cliff hanger.

It's that particular sort of book that reads like a film but not in a bad way.
 
Litany said:
This was a pressie from RaVeN if anyone remembers him at all. Maybe not, but his scent still lingers on the air. I recommend a powerful disinfectant.
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Are you gonna spray me with something nasty?

From RaVeN and has GRRM seal of approval? I don't think you can beat that sort of combination. No sir!

Thanks!

ds
 
I loved the Lies of Locke Lamora - my favourite 2006 release. Scott Lynch is both very good at humour and at powerful emotive moments. The best way I can think to describe the book is that it's fun, but it also has a lot of serious elements to it and Lynch is willing to do the unpredictable and to let his characters suffer. It's especially remarkable for a debut.
 
He seems to be - he's aiming to get one book published a year, which means writing each one in 8 months. He already has put some excerpts from the next book up on his blog.
 
Just finished Red Seas Under Red Skies and, while it was full of pirates, it was a little weaker than it predecessor. Still worth the reading of, and I'll certainly be getting the next one in the series, but there was too much sailing and complication and angst and not nearly enough caper. When they finally get back to finishing the job it's all over too soon.

The fun of the previous book was in the scamming and the fibs while the emphasis in this book is more on the bad mojo following them about.
 
I look forward to read him(the book are not available where i live-the next time a friend will bring it to me)
Scott Lynch,James Barclay,and Joe Abercrombie are friends,and sort of the young bloods in Fantastic.
Have any of you read The blade itself by Joe Abercrombie ?
 
I haven't. I've got a James Barclay waiting to be read though. They were selling Dawnthief for a quid in the bookshop yonks ago as part of a promotion, but there are so many books and so little time. I'll stick The Blade Itself on my wishlist for now.
 
Litany, from what I've heard, let the Dawnthief hang in there just a while longer. Seems to be a bad read.

The Blade itself I can heartily recommend. Fun reading, definitive in the league with Scott Lynch and seemingly Patrick Rothfuss wo gets rave reviews for Kingkiller Chronicles (Haven't read that one yet).

I'll finish Abercrombies Trilogy as soon as the third is out in paperback. Until the next Scott Lynch (Republic of Thieves is the third, next year) is out that'll do just fine.

Somehow Logen Ninefingers makes me think of Conan though ;)
 
I've started Dawnthief and so far it's not terrible. It's formulaic and a tad heavy handed on the exposition but it's ok.

There's a chap called The Unknown Warrior, which is daft, and there's this band of mercenaries that have travelled the length and breadth of the country but don't know the first thing about politics but it's readable and it's keeping me entertained so far. It was worth my 99p.
 
Litany said:
I've started Dawnthief and so far it's not terrible. It's formulaic and a tad heavy handed on the exposition but it's ok.

There's a chap called The Unknown Warrior, which is daft, and there's this band of mercenaries that have travelled the length and breadth of the country but don't know the first thing about politics but it's readable and it's keeping me entertained so far. It was worth my 99p.
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I had the same feelings about the book.The worst is they spend their time saying how tough they are and keep on getting killed.The worst in the barabrian guy,a pain is the ...the all way.
But as you say it can be read.I had to stop half the way with the segond on,just had enough.
Have you read anything by David Gemmell?Glen Cook?The stuff of legend
 
saliotthomas said:
The worst is they spend their time saying how tough they are and keep on getting killed.
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:D

The retirement party was like something straight out of Lethal Weapon.

'We're rich and retired everything is great.'
'Who is this beautiful woman?'
'Oh noes! I am dead!'
'Grrr! This retirement is over. TO THE MAX!'

I've read a bunch of Gemell, no Glen Cook though. I like K. J. Parker. Lots of fighting.
 
The black company by Glen Cook is great.One of the best fantasy i read i a while.Compared to them(black company)the Raven a a bunch of sissies.
I'll try parker.
 
Litany said:
I've started Dawnthief and so far it's not terrible. It's formulaic and a tad heavy handed on the exposition but it's ok.

There's a chap called The Unknown Warrior, which is daft, and there's this band of mercenaries that have travelled the length and breadth of the country but don't know the first thing about politics but it's readable and it's keeping me entertained so far. It was worth my 99p.
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It was the beginning that put me off Dawnthief. Went back to it after someone recommended that I stuck to it. It is readable with elements that are different to a number of fantasy series. OK a lot of time is spent on physical descriptions rather than character development but anyway...
The magic system's pretty well written, and the scenes with the dragon are awesome. There are other bugbears that I have with this book but it's not a bad book. The author has learnt a lot from this book however and it's worth having a look at some of his later books.


As for George R.R. Martin, book 4 or ASoIaF was a bit of a letdown compared to Storm of Swords but hopefully the next book will get the series back on track and will encompass some of the more interesting characters (if it ever gets finished).



Anyway back to Lies of Locke Lamora


direstraits said:
Glowing tribute from a fellow fantasy reader. I'm definitely looking out for it.

Thanks, Brys.

ds
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Have you gotten around to reading it yet? Based on what you've enjoyed previously I'd say you may want to take a look. I really enjoyed this particular story when I read it just after Christmas. Very readable story about a lovable rogue recruited into a thieves guild that doesn't respect the law as laid down by either the local authorities or the local crime boss. Loved the sense of mischief that the author manages to elicit in the book which is partly caper driven. I guess the tendency to use flashbacks in the first half of the book can be offputting to some people but it does add to the flavour of the book, allowing the author to pull off some fancy tricks later on.
"I don't have to beat you. I just have to wait til Jean gets here"
. Overall not 'high brow' literature but a great well paced pulpy read.
 
No, not really, fluffy. I've had this on my wishlist for a while now, as you've probably noticed, but I keep putting it off as I'm getting wary about getting hooked, then cursing because the other books not out yet.

I'm not really missing it though, as I've still quite a pile on my TBR. I'm in the middle of a Pynchon, of all things.

I'll get back to fantasy soon enough - I've got Erikson, Bakker, Glen Cook (Black Company book 1!) to look forward to.

Speaking of Cook, I do have Dawnthief, which was recommended to me by someone here, I think, when I complained about the lack of books with interesting magic battles (don't ask). I've not read it yet, but will definitely do so (if for nothing else to be seen in public with a purple book).

ds
 
I never reported back after finishing Dawnthief. I'm a terrible person.

It was very, very daft. I was laughing at things I don't think I was supposed to be laughing at. I enjoyed it though, but probably for all the wrong reasons. if I see the sequels for cheap I might buy them, but I won't be reading them at full price any time soon.
 
direstraits said:
Were the battles scenes funny?
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Direstrait,The magic is maybe the best in Dawnthief,the battles are bad.You get those guy saying they are the Raven,the deadliest warriors ever,and in the first few skirmishes,they lose 3 out of 7.....Scarry.That is maybe what made litany laugh,it got me upset.I love real heroes,like Druss the legend,any smalltimer in Gemmell as more to him than the main charactere in Barclay.I read the two first but gave up on the segond 10 page before the end(a bad sign)

Gleen Cook is great,the black company is dealdly,warriors with the sense of humour of veterans.The magic is also brillant because it meanly turn around two black drawves from a far away tribes who join the company in the early days.Alway bickering at each other they creat turmoil of magic,firework when steath is recoired,great stuff.
Cook is a master in fantasy,he write it like hard boil crime.He is the closest to Guy gavriel Kay in is tone,very different though.

By all mean,place Barclay at the very bottom of your TBR
 
It's all very in-the-nick-of-time and isn't-that-a-handy-coincidence. I can't really say what in particular made me laugh without spoiling the book, and I do think it's worth reading if you aren't planning on taking it too seriously and if you already own it.
 
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