October '09 Discussion: The Lies of Locke Lamora (I have read)

[Chris]

Post here when you've finished reading the September read/October discussion General fantasy book, The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch.

[Carolyn]

Ooooh, I really enjoyed this book (and the sequel), I'm looking forward to the third book coming out.
Anyone else?

[Christine]

I liked it, sorta. I haven't read the sequel yet.

[Elise]

Read it two years ago, a few months after it came out I think.

[Random]

I read it earlier this year. I really liked it, an enjoyable adventure.

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

I read it last month or so. I mostly enjoyed it, but didn't love it. I do plan on reading the sequel at some point, but it's not a pressing need.

[Cecile]

I've read it a few months ago and really enjoyed it. For me it was a wander off the beaten tracks of fantasy.
But the sequel wasn't so good for me.

[Marc]

I got it from the library last week and read it. I enjoyed it immensely.

[meleah]

I read this recently and really enjoyed it.

[DavidO]

I read it, thought it was good but not great. The flashbacks were too annoying and I didn't really care if the heroes won. But it was (mostly) well written, not boring drivel.

[Marc]

David wrote: "I read it, thought it was good but not great. The flashbacks were too annoying and I didn't really care if the heroes won. But it was (mostly) well written, not boring drivel."

I was sort of annoyed by the constant flashbacks too. I would rather have had the timeline in order. I was more interested in how he became what he was and skipped parts of the scam he was running.

[Martha]

I loved the back-and-forth - a really interesting of showing how he became what he is and how his past ties into his present. Love the characters and can hardly wait for book three

[Anna]

I read this in a single night. I was so good I can't wait for the next book. I actually liked the flash backs. To me it was good because it spreads out important details through out the book. We got to learn about the characters and some history when we needed it rather then a huge chunk of info in the begining of the book that we'll vaugly remember by the end.

[Joanna]

It was a pleasure to read this book. Interesting characters and world creation, fast action (except one very irritating moment). I think reminiscences were a good idea - they're interesting and make the fable varied. Good book to read instead of watching another action movie.

[[deleted user]]

Is there any magic in the story?

[DavidO]

yes, there is a wizard of some sort and some magic rocks that drink blood.

[Elena]

I am currently reading and at first, the flashbacks didn't bothered me. But as the story develops, it is my opinion that they slow down the book and I find my self skimming through them.
I LOVE the characters and can't wait to see how it ends.

[[deleted user]]

David wrote: "yes, there is a wizard of some sort and some magic rocks that drink blood."

Cool. Thanks, David. I have a weakness for magic.

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

I agree with Elena. At first I really liked the flashbacks, and found them more interesting that the set-up with the Salvarras - which I felt went on for too long.

But by the end of the story, the flashbacks would happen in the middle of events that were tense or emotional or something, and it would break the suspense and/or the connection to the moment.

[Linda]

It took me a while to get into this book, but I loved it when I finished. I got about 3/4 of the way through and then couldn't put it down. I borrowed the 2nd one from the library, but couldn't get into it and had to return it. Since I liked the first one so much, I'm going to try and finish the sequel.

[Laurel]

I read this a while ago, but loved it! I'm looking forward to a great discussion.

[Jed]

This book got 5 stars from me and was also read, and well liked, by my monthly Science Fiction readers group.

The sequel was slower and I missed the now deceased original characters but I still enjoyed it.

There is some sort of weird delay in the 3rd and 4th books (Den Of Thieves & Gentleman Bastards) but I'll be buying them as soon as they come out.

I love flashbacks that leave me hanging. It adds to the suspense for me and I really got attached to the main characters.

Being more of a Sci-Fi Guy than Fantasy, I liked the limited magic and the utter absence of elves, fairies and kindly old wizards. What magic there is has a malevolent aspect to it and I really got into it.

Jed's Humble Opinion - GREAT BOOK.

[Josh]

Possibly one of my favorite fantasies, I love this book. I look forward to the discussions (and the 3rd book!)

[John]

SPOILERS....SPOILERS....SPOILERS


I gave this book four stars. There are some books that you can't wait to pick up again to read the next few pages (I can only read in short spurts), this novel wasn't one of those (except for the final fifty to a hundred pages). I really liked it but there was something about it that I just can't put my finger on.

I liked the flashbacks and the way they were placed within the narrative.

At first, as I was reading the final scenes, I thought the whole terrorist act on top of the tower was going a bit overboard. I was thinking that it would have been better to end the book without all of that. I enjoyed it though and it tied up most of the loose ends nicely.

I will read the next book, but not right now, too many others fighting for my attention.

I am curios to see if the wizards take revenge on Locke. It seems that what he did is just about as bad as killing the wizard. The only difference is the lack of a 'law' forcing the wizards to seek revenge. We'll see, I guess.

[Cameron]

I read it a few weeks ago. Probably one of my favorite fantasy books of all time.

[Peregrine]

The superb quality of the writing kept me reading even though I was disturbed by the gruesomeness of many events. I see that that means that I cared about some characters. Point for the author. I do not, generally, like books where the author does all the work and the reader is left to be passive, whether enjoying the story or not. I like to take a more active role in my reading, seeing if I can get somewhere before the character does, imagining what I would do in that situation, etc. I had no opportunity to do that, and I get motion sickness very easily from being flung about.

[Jon]

Just finished reading this novel tonight. Took much longer than I anticipated, not because it was boring or dull, I just couldn't find more than five minutes to read most of the last week.