The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastard, #1) in /r/Fantasy Discussion Group

May 04, 2009 Sherwood Smith added it

Shelves: fantasy

This is a pungently Rabelaisian picaresque novel beginning with an orphan, Locke Lamorra, being sold by the Thieftaker to the "Priest of Thieves, Thief of Priests." This priest, Father Chains, brings Locke into his trained group of scammers called the Gentleman Bastards. The story unfolds moving back and forth from the present (Locke's latest and biggest scam) to the past (how he grew up and took over the Bastards)—until he comes up against a new and very dangerous opponent, the Gray King.

Rabela ...more

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Sep 30, 2019 Rinaldo rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, united-states

4.15/5

If you ask me, The Lies of Locke Lamora is heist fantasy meets gangster/mafia genre. Featuring the titular thief Locke Lamora and his Gentleman Bastard crew, this book tells the crew's deeds in pulling an elaborate con while trying to survive a major gang war. The tropes like gangster family, tribute system, and revenge plots remind me a lot of movies like The Godfather and Goodfellas (I especially suspect the term Right People in the book is a tribute to the latter).

I have a conflicted re 4.15/5

If you ask me, The Lies of Locke Lamora is heist fantasy meets gangster/mafia genre. Featuring the titular thief Locke Lamora and his Gentleman Bastard crew, this book tells the crew's deeds in pulling an elaborate con while trying to survive a major gang war. The tropes like gangster family, tribute system, and revenge plots remind me a lot of movies like The Godfather and Goodfellas (I especially suspect the term Right People in the book is a tribute to the latter).

I have a conflicted relationship with this book. The first half of the book forme is a middling slog with really fascinating bits of worldbuilding, while the third quarter is where things start to pick up and build to a crescendo, and the last quarter is an excellently orchestrated chaos with sweet, sweet epilogue. Pacing is surely a subjective thing since contrary to the popular consensus, I feel the majority of the book is a slog it sent me to a reading rut (it took me 5 weeks with 6 Cradle books and 1 literary fiction -Tiger! Tiger!- in between to get rid of the rut).

The mood and plot of this book are a mixed bag for me. I guess I'm a bit of SFF traditionalist in a sense that I prefer good or even goody two-shoes heroes compared to the 'selfish' ones. Some elements in this book are too close to cynical/grimdark outlook to my taste. On the other hand, I really enjoyed the camaraderie shown by Locke and his friend. The worldbuilding is dense but almost always enjoyable with a lot of focus on canal cityscapes and alchemy, and the climaxes are satisfying. It's also always delightful to see how Locke, a unique blend of Cleric and Rogue archetypes, always tries to bullshit his way out different situations; a breath of fresh air compared to usual combat-heavy fantasy fare.

Humour-wise, I enjoyed most of Locke's inventive insults, but for some reasons, the "Nice bird, arsehole," line fell painfully short for me. At this point, I feel popular fantasy one-liners in general are personally underwhelming, like the infamous "Ashaman, kill," from Wheel of Time and the ubiquitous "Witness," from Malazan Book of the Fallen. I'm not quite sure if it's a matter of expectations (since I learned about those lines through osmosis, even when they were spoiler or context-free) or if it's just my affinity with one-liners in general. I'm curious about my future reaction to "Honor is dead," in Stormlight Archive.

In any case, despite my complaints, I still feel that The Lies of Locke Lamora is a great heist-gangster fantasy with tight plot, likeable cast, and fascinating worldbuilding. I'd recommend this book for any heist fantasy aficionados or SFF readers who enjoy snappy dialogue in general. ...more

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Apr 26, 2012 Michael Underwood rated it it was amazing

Shelves: speculative-fiction, my-friends-books, influences

I read this book very close to publication, thanks to connections at Random House. Reading it for the first time was a revelation. The plotting is amazingly sophisticated, the writing immaculate, and the whole story contains an infectious sense of fun that lingers years after reading.

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Jul 09, 2010 Jeff Raymond rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-fantasy-and-horror, books-i-own-on-kindle

A fun fantasy crime caper. A bit longish at times, and the back-and-forth between time periods (the story covers both Locke’s start as a thief and a present-time situation) was a little frustrating at times, but still something I’m glad I read and intend to continue.

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Sep 04, 2008 Dave rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, humour, fantasy, sf, thriller, crime

Michael Page's narration of this is superb. He nails the rapier-sharp dialogue and exchanges. Even though there are some plot conveniences this is still a masterpiece. I hope Lynch returns to these characters and world. ...more

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