The Lies of Locke Lamora

 

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The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch is his debut novel in the Gentleman Bastards series. Published in 2006 by Orion Books. Books two and three were published in 2007 and in 2013. Lynch also released an online novel, Queen of the Iron Sands, in 2009. He has also been nominated for the World Fantasy Award (2007), the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer (2007-2008), and the Sydney J. Bounds Best Newcomer Award (2008).

I am so stoked to talk about this book! Everyone knows J.R.R Tolkien, Robert Jordan, and G. R. R. Martin, but no one is talking about Lynch (and honestly, I think Lynch is better than Martin but I digress). After breezing through this book, Lynch deserves more hype.

The Lies of Locke Lamora follows a young man, named Locke Lamora, as he's taken into a street thief gang at a very young age. Jump ahead and he is being sold to a priest as a last resort. Jump ahead again, and he is now the leader -- called a garrista--of a small gang known as the Gentleman Bastards. The chapters alternate between Locke's childhood and the present day, giving readers necessary information just before it becomes relevant in the main plot while developing characters without interrupting the flow too much or too often. 

this book goes from a typical con man story (like The Sting) to the Godfather so fast, it gives you whiplash. The stakes continue to raise, even in the flashback chapters, never giving you a chance to breathe. 

Minor Spoilers Ahead!

Set in a trade city called Camorr, Locke is the "garrista" of the Gentleman Bastards, one of many street gangs under the control of Capa Barsavi (imagine the Godfather). The Capa has a few rules for his gangs. One, he gets ten percent of whatever they earn and payment is expected once a week. Two, no one steals from the police or the nobility. Locke and his crew-- Jean, Bug, Calo, and Galdo-- ignore  this and actively con the nobility out of their money, relying on the embarrassment of being robbed to keep the victims from reporting the crimes and shifting all of the rumors onto a fictional person known as the "Thorn of Camorr." While running a con on a lower don, Locke hears about a rival to the Capa, a man calling himself the Gray King. Locke wants to keep a low profile but Barsavi is more concerned with keeping his empire in order and tells Locke to start courting his daughter so Barsavi's sons will be forced to listen to Locke's counsel in regard to the city and how gangs are being run. Unable to refuse, Locke plans with Barsavi's daughter Nazca to pretend to be courting until the Gray King is killed since she doesn't consider Locke "husband material."

Meanwhile, the wife of the target becomes suspicious and gets the Spider, the secret police, on Locke-- under the guise of Lukas Fehrwright. At the same time, Locke encounters the Gray King who wants him to do a quick job. Locke only agrees because the Gray King knows about his work as a con man. He agrees to pretend to be the Gray King at a meeting with Barsavi but then learns the King has murdered Nazca. 

Everything spirles out of control as Bug, Calo, and Galdo are all murdered by the Bondsmage, a magician employed by the Gray King, Jean and Locke are almost killed, all of the garristas and Barsavi and his sons are slain, and the Gray King takes over as Capa. Locke tries to finish the con in order to get enough money to take on the Gray King, only to get caught by the Spider. He barely escapes but is forced to fight the Bondsmage. There's an unwritten rule that anyone who kills a Bondsmage will be hunted by the entire guild. Locke and Jean remove the Bondsmage's tongue and fingers but leave him alive, learning the Gray King plans to eliminate all of the nobles in the city.

Locke saves the city, earns himself a head start from the Spider, and goes after the Gray King.

I loved this book! It's high fantasy based on Italian culture, all of the characters are distinct and have their own personalities, skills, and desires (even a one-scene prostitute has personality beyond sex object!). The pacing is great and the tension builds throughout. Some of the longer descriptions of the city structure do get in the way of some things but it doesn't happen too often. 

I will say I was a little disappointed with how it ends, however I've recently started the second book and see how it plays directly into the rest of the story, so I can forgive it. If you're looking for a high fantasy with better plot and characters than a lot of modern high fantasy, then this is the book for you. Honestly, everyone should read this and Lynch should receive a lot more recognition for the world and characters he's created.