From the Bookshelf of 2015 Reading Challenge [Closed]…

The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastard, #1)

Scott Lynch

Discussion: . Week 1: More Than 500 Pages

Why we're reading this: Week #1
[close] Week #1

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 156 topics — 1,597 comments total

. Week 1: More Than 500 Pages

* Week 1: Introduction
By Jessica · 102 posts · 1093 views

last updated Aug 11, 2015 02:06PM

* Week 1: Progress Post
By Jessica · 100 posts · 421 views

last updated Nov 06, 2015 06:29AM

showing 5 of 5 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Dec 23, 2016 Leonor rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, desafío-2016-bookofmonth

Reseña

Locke Lamora es un huérfano de padre y madre, bajito y poco desarrollado físicamente para su edad. Sin embargo, tiene un talento innato para el engaño y la actuación, lo que le permite sobrevivir en el mundo en el que vive, e incluso destacar entre sus compañeros ladrones. Se inventa verdaderas obras teatrales donde casi siempre él es el protagonista, para engañar a sus víctimas y poder robarles o estafarlas.

Su talento lo lleva a conocer a un sacerdote ciego, que lo recluta para su pandil Reseña

Locke Lamora es un huérfano de padre y madre, bajito y poco desarrollado físicamente para su edad. Sin embargo, tiene un talento innato para el engaño y la actuación, lo que le permite sobrevivir en el mundo en el que vive, e incluso destacar entre sus compañeros ladrones. Se inventa verdaderas obras teatrales donde casi siempre él es el protagonista, para engañar a sus víctimas y poder robarles o estafarlas.

Su talento lo lleva a conocer a un sacerdote ciego, que lo recluta para su pandilla que es bastante exclusiva. Él prosigue su educación, le enseña idiomas, normas de sociedad, cómo comportarse de acuerdo al personaje que representa, en fin, cómo poder engañar a los nobles y a otros. Al llegar, adopta a su nueva familia, todos huérfanos como él y con una educación similar, aunque con habilidades diferentes.

Locke y sus compañeros se confabulan para estafar a los nobles de la ciudad, metiéndose en problemas cada vez de mayor calibre, donde pondrán en riesgo sus vidas para lograr el éxito.

Crítica

La historia se ambienta en un mundo fantástico, que tiene ciertas similitudes con la Tierra pero que no lo es. Por eso, el autor gasta muchas páginas en descripciones, tanto de los alrededores como de los mismos personajes. Al leerlo, se encontrarán muchas palabras soeces, ya que es el lenguaje utilizado en la calle. Esto puede no ser del gusto de algunas personas, pero creo que es más adecuado y honesto en boca de los personajes a que hablaran sin vulgaridades.

Aunque la novela es descriptiva, y no se puede negar, me mantuvo entretenida todo el tiempo. Disfruté mucho este libro, tiene un trasfondo que mantiene la tensión latente, los personajes siempre están en algún riesgo.

Quizás pueden resultar un poco confusos o molestos al principio los saltos en el tiempo, ya que cada capítulo va saltando desde lo que ocurre “ahora” a lo que ocurría en el pasado. Los argumentos van evolucionando de tal forma que uno va descubriendo cosas que afectan a los personajes de “ahora”, pero en la historia que transcurre en el pasado.

En este libro hay muertes, traiciones, magia, poderes de distintos tipos… tiene de todo un poco y a mí al menos me dejó con las ganas de continuar leyendo la saga.

4 / 5 estrellas ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Jan 12, 2015 Laarni rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, favorites, reviewed-and-loved

May the Crooked Warden watch over my heart which has been stolen by Scott Lynch and his vexingly charming Gentlemen Bastards.

I didn't think I'd ever make up a fake prayer to a nonexistent god for this book because I've read Brandon Sanderson's The Final Empire where I discovered the most wonderful gang of thieves who broke my heart (which I'm still nursing after more than a year, mind you). I expected little from Locke Lamora and I doubted he would impress me the way Kelsier and his crew did.

So

...more

1 like · Like · see review

Nov 19, 2017 Juuli rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: first-in-the-series, fantasy, 5-stars, minu-raamatud-2, made-me-cry, friendship, audiobook, 2017, favourite-books

I have a question. Why hasn't it been translated into Estonian?
This book was just amazing, I even liked the time jumps. Scott Lynch really knows how to keep the readers on their toes. The world was a bit scary but also fascinating with all these creatures and weird customs. And these characters, oh, these wonderful, wonderful characters. I fell in love with Chains and all the Gentleman Bastards.
I started reading and after some chapters I couldn't put the book down. I even got myself an audiobo ...more

1 like · Like · see review

May 19, 2025 g0ddess rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: readagain, desert-island, books-i-love, book-boyfriend, fantasy, amazeballs, epic-fantasy, made-me-laugh-in-public

WOW! just wow.

This was the most epic thing I’ve read in a long time. The world-building, the storytelling, the characterisation—it’s all brilliantly done. The plot just up and up and went on the craziest rollercoaster ride, one where you think you've done the extreme loops and are safe, and then off it goes again.

A bald summary might say this is Ocean’s Eleven meets Six of Crows, but that does zero justice to the scale and sheer epicness of this book (yes, I know that’s not a real word, and ye WOW! just wow.

This was the most epic thing I’ve read in a long time. The world-building, the storytelling, the characterisation—it’s all brilliantly done. The plot just up and up and went on the craziest rollercoaster ride, one where you think you've done the extreme loops and are safe, and then off it goes again.

A bald summary might say this is Ocean’s Eleven meets Six of Crows, but that does zero justice to the scale and sheer epicness of this book (yes, I know that’s not a real word, and yes, I’ve said “epic” three times now, but trust me—it earns it). This book had me by the balls (which, obviously, I don’t have—but you know what I mean). It’s laced with old-fashioned ribald humour—the kind Mark Twain would have been proud of. The deadpan comedy is golden, and the swearing? Chef’s kiss. Imaginative and inspired.

It’s full-on “show, don’t tell,” and when it does tell, it’s because the telling is as necessary as it is entertaining.

My soft spot has always been for the brilliantly deranged anti hero, and Locke Lamora is the most brilliantly deranged anti hero I've met in a long, long, long time. New book boyfriend much. I found myself stopping reading at points just to look at the world around me to wonder how everyone else is having a normal day while I was reading this awesomeness.

Not a spoiler -
I also had to stop frequently to just sort of clutch at my heart, gasp, and remind myself that since there are 2 other books, (with a fourth being anticipated with much anguish), Locke really is not going to die at any given point of the book. Believe me - the fear that he was going to die, is too real.

And oh—the Gentlemen Bastards. What a band of brothers. They absolutely stole my heart. Also, can we talk about the badass women in this book? The fact that this book has many badass women doing unapologetically badass things. is proof, if ever there was, that you can write high-stakes, high-octane fantasy without sidelining or stereotyping the women in it.

This book packs so much into one volume, with a finale that delivers action, adrenaline, and emotion in spades.

I’ll stop now because clearly, I’ve descended into full-on gushing. But honestly? Deserved.

I hold no blame against Scott Lynch for not publishing the 4th book. Even writing 1 book that is half the capacity of this one is beyond my capacity, let alone 3. Thank you Mr. Lynch!

Read it guys!
...more

Like · see review