The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
Oct. 11th, 2008 02:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
The Thorn of Camorr is said to be an unbeatable swordsman, a master thief, a friend to the poor, a ghost that walks through walls.
Slightly built and barely competent with a sword, Locke Lamora is, much to his annoyance, the fabled Thorn. And while Locke does indeed steal from the rich (who else would be worth stealing from?), the poor never see a penny. All of Locke's gains are strictly for himself and his tight-knit band of thieves: The Gentleman Bastards.
The capricious, colourful underworld of the ancient city of Camorr is the only home they've ever known. But now a clandestine war is threatening to tear it apart. Caught up in a murderous game, Locke and his friends are suddenly struggling just to stay alive ...
In his assured debut novel, Lynch structures the plot around a complicated con that Locke Lamora and the Gentleman Bastards are pulling on Don Lorenzo Salvara and his wife, Dona Sofia that involves a rare and expensive wine. This con is a clever device that introduces the reader to the characters of Locke, Jean Tannen, Bug and the twins Calo and Galdo and allows Lynch to integrate Locke's backstory, from his origins in a plague-infested part of the city of Camorr, to his joining a gang belonging to the Thiefmaker and his transgressions that lead to his adoption by Father Chains and inauguration into the Gentleman Bastards. It also gives Lynch the opportunity to set out the world in which his characters operate, which he does credibly and competently and in such a way that you want to find out more about it.
Although the con goes a little too smoothly to be fully believable, Lynch drops a spanner in the works by introducing the Grey King, a dangerous character with his own agenda who by-turns coerces and blackmails Locke into helping him settle an old score with Barsai, the head of Camorr's crime syndicate. Although the end of the book is never really in doubt, I enjoyed the way in which the Grey King was always one step ahead of Locke. However, the introduction of the Bond Mage felt like a cop-out, particularly because Lynch doesn't really explain how magic works in this world until near the end, when the concept of 'true names' is revealed to, in my opinion, cheap effect.
The Grey King doesn't get introduced until about half-way through the text and up until then the pace feels a little slow, although Lynch's writing style is absorbing and I enjoyed the way in which he weaves his backstory into the text. Characterisation is well handled - Locke et al aren't evil so much as of a different moral ilk to other folk and it's interesting how Lynch takes the time to set out their own moral code. The sense of place is also particularly strong - Lynch's descriptions are evocative and vivid and Camorr has an almost Venetian feel to it.
On the negative side, this isn't a book for readers who like to see female characters. The women in this book are pretty much on the sidelines and there are a lot of traditional whore/wife roles depicted. It's telling that potentially the two interesting women in the novel don't get a lot of page time and the supposed love of Locke's life is nothing but a name on a page. I also wanted to see a little more of the Grey King's motivations and how his plans were set up - Lynch instead deals with this in the last 150 pages and it feels a little rushed. On the plus side, Lynch did surprise me with some of his character deaths, whacking people who you would ordinarily expect to make it into the sequel and the novel really hangs together well, with loose ends being tied up in such a way that he sets up the potential for a sequel while also giving you a satisfying read.
The Verdict:
This is an assured fantasy novel with evocative world-building and a complicated plot that comes together to make a satisfying read. If Locke has things a little too easily, it's forgiveable and I'm interested to know what happens to him next.
The Thorn of Camorr is said to be an unbeatable swordsman, a master thief, a friend to the poor, a ghost that walks through walls.
Slightly built and barely competent with a sword, Locke Lamora is, much to his annoyance, the fabled Thorn. And while Locke does indeed steal from the rich (who else would be worth stealing from?), the poor never see a penny. All of Locke's gains are strictly for himself and his tight-knit band of thieves: The Gentleman Bastards.
The capricious, colourful underworld of the ancient city of Camorr is the only home they've ever known. But now a clandestine war is threatening to tear it apart. Caught up in a murderous game, Locke and his friends are suddenly struggling just to stay alive ...
In his assured debut novel, Lynch structures the plot around a complicated con that Locke Lamora and the Gentleman Bastards are pulling on Don Lorenzo Salvara and his wife, Dona Sofia that involves a rare and expensive wine. This con is a clever device that introduces the reader to the characters of Locke, Jean Tannen, Bug and the twins Calo and Galdo and allows Lynch to integrate Locke's backstory, from his origins in a plague-infested part of the city of Camorr, to his joining a gang belonging to the Thiefmaker and his transgressions that lead to his adoption by Father Chains and inauguration into the Gentleman Bastards. It also gives Lynch the opportunity to set out the world in which his characters operate, which he does credibly and competently and in such a way that you want to find out more about it.
Although the con goes a little too smoothly to be fully believable, Lynch drops a spanner in the works by introducing the Grey King, a dangerous character with his own agenda who by-turns coerces and blackmails Locke into helping him settle an old score with Barsai, the head of Camorr's crime syndicate. Although the end of the book is never really in doubt, I enjoyed the way in which the Grey King was always one step ahead of Locke. However, the introduction of the Bond Mage felt like a cop-out, particularly because Lynch doesn't really explain how magic works in this world until near the end, when the concept of 'true names' is revealed to, in my opinion, cheap effect.
The Grey King doesn't get introduced until about half-way through the text and up until then the pace feels a little slow, although Lynch's writing style is absorbing and I enjoyed the way in which he weaves his backstory into the text. Characterisation is well handled - Locke et al aren't evil so much as of a different moral ilk to other folk and it's interesting how Lynch takes the time to set out their own moral code. The sense of place is also particularly strong - Lynch's descriptions are evocative and vivid and Camorr has an almost Venetian feel to it.
On the negative side, this isn't a book for readers who like to see female characters. The women in this book are pretty much on the sidelines and there are a lot of traditional whore/wife roles depicted. It's telling that potentially the two interesting women in the novel don't get a lot of page time and the supposed love of Locke's life is nothing but a name on a page. I also wanted to see a little more of the Grey King's motivations and how his plans were set up - Lynch instead deals with this in the last 150 pages and it feels a little rushed. On the plus side, Lynch did surprise me with some of his character deaths, whacking people who you would ordinarily expect to make it into the sequel and the novel really hangs together well, with loose ends being tied up in such a way that he sets up the potential for a sequel while also giving you a satisfying read.
The Verdict:
This is an assured fantasy novel with evocative world-building and a complicated plot that comes together to make a satisfying read. If Locke has things a little too easily, it's forgiveable and I'm interested to know what happens to him next.
