Review: The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
Title: The Lies of Locke Lamora
Author: Scott Lynch
Publication Date: June 27, 2006
Genre: Fantasy
Overview: Locke Lamora is a thief with terribly high ambitions. Cons come as easy to him as breathing, so much so that he is cast out from the biggest thieving crew in the city, right into the hands of some of the sneakiest criminals. As an adult, he takes the crew over, balancing cons that are forbidden among the gangs of the city with cultivating an image of a lowly breaking and entering crew.
Until, that is, a new threat comes into town: the Gray King. The entire city is under threat and Lamora has caught the King’s eye.
For Fans Of: Patrick Rothfuss, Brandon Sanderson
World Building: The world that Lynch sets up is decently done. It was believable and, for the most part, consistent. There were a few things I found dubious: the economic and socio-economic implications of the Secret Peace and the medical knowledge in the world were primary points of contention. I have a hard time believing that two vastly different worlds would be able to come together for something as deliberate as the Secret Peace. Additionally, I find it hard to believe that underclasses like the Right People would willingly give up as large and profitable a mark as the rich simply for the luxury of not dealing with police. Additionally, I find that the medical knowledge is disjointed. In a world where there’s alchemy and where physicians guilds get cadavers on a regular basis, I’m surprised Lynch thinks that it is consistent to say that there’s a belief in the four humors rather than a greater medical knowledge.
Characters: The characters were interesting. In particular, I liked the Thiefmaker. He was very Fagan-esq (I’m sure that was intentional) and I liked the Spider and Jean. The rest of the characters had their moments, but I thought they all seemed very similar in dialogue. Their voices, in that respect, were very similar.
Lamora was lacking, I thought. He’s played up as this very clever and very mischievious person, but he doesn’t seem to behave that way. There isn’t a real sense of smugness about him or a sense of purpose for that enjoyment. I thought that the Sanza brothers seemed more like the type of personality that Lamora was supposed to be.
Plot: It served its purpose and was dynamic enough. I thought some of the plot points weren’t tied in particularly well. Nazca’s death didn’t really feel like the catalyst it could have been and it really took the Grey King’s plot a while to get going.
Rating: 4.0 A good read. I’d probably borrow it rather than buy it. High hopes for the second.
Book Depository Link: http://www.bookdepository.com/Lies-Locke-Lamora-Scott-Lynch/9780575079755
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