The Lies of Locke Lamora

Hardcover, 512 pages

English language

Published June 27, 2006 by Spectra.

ISBN:
978-0-553-80467-6
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4 stars (149 reviews)

In this stunning debut, author Scott Lynch delivers the wonderfully thrilling tale of an audacious criminal and his band of confidence tricksters. Set in a fantastic city pulsing with the lives of decadent nobles and daring thieves, here is a story of adventure, loyalty, and survival that is one part Robin Hood, one part Ocean's Eleven, and entirely enthralling....An orphan's life is harsh--and often short--in the island city of Camorr, built on the ruins of a mysterious alien race. But born with a quick wit and a gift for thieving, Locke Lamora has dodged both death and slavery, only to fall into the hands of an eyeless priest known as Chains--a man who is neither blind nor a priest. A con artist of extraordinary talent, Chains passes his skills on to his carefully selected "family" of orphans--a group known as the Gentlemen Bastards. Under his tutelage, Locke grows to lead …

4 editions

Review of 'The Lies of Locke Lamora' on 'Storygraph'

4 stars

An incredibly fun read. I was immediately grabbed, though it took a while to get used to every other chapter being an interlude. Engaging setting and characters and delightfully convoluted schemes.

My biggest issue was the writing of women characters - there are only a few, and most of them have no personality beyond being a daughter/wife/etc of a male lead, and/or dying. (The second book is a vast improvement in this regard)

Review of 'The Lies of Locke Lamora' on 'Storygraph'

5 stars

Extremely fun. Great characters. Filled with suspense. The interludes killed the flow somewhat and their foreshadowing unfortunately allowed me to see a lot of twists in advance. Well written with often brilliant dialog. I frequently laughed out loud, often felt disgusted and always wanted to pick the book back up immediately when taken away from it.

Review of 'The Lies of Locke Lamora' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This series is classified under Fantasy, and while that originally got my attention, the book was more Epic Heist than anything and the story of Locke Lamora kept me reading. Right from the opening chapter I knew this book would be special. The strange names in a place that could be Venice, the aggressive language and all of it around a mischievous boy named Lamora drew me in.

I don't read heist or con stories, my exposure to them in films is the "Ocean's" Trilogy and "Catch Me If You Can", so I had no preconceived notions of what should or shouldn't be in a story and I loved it all. There were cons on top of cons, witty dialogue, and the story kept me guessing right until the very end. The relationships between the characters was well executed with the current and past perspectives and each character was wonderful …

Review of 'The Lies of Locke Lamora' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

A swashbuckling, rollicking page-turner. Locke Lamora is the unlikely hero, a principled rogue who routinely applies his talents in areas where they usually wouldn't apply. Then there's the setting of the city of Camorr, which is as much a character in the tale as anyone else. This is the best fantasy novel I've read in a long, long time.

Review of 'The Lies of Locke Lamora' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Review from October 2012:
I liked this one despite the confusing structure with the interludes - there was at least one instance where the timing was very much not "in order". Locke is an interesting character and I had fun following his exploits. I downloaded the second book right after finishing this one, a good sign I'd say.

Review from 2016:
This is a fantasy book about a thief named Locke Lamora - obviously - and his gang. The story is set in a city named Camora and begins as they are in the early stages of the execution of the biggest heist they have ever planned. It's somewhat complicated and rather daring and features a few early "oops" moments that made me smile. But then the ante is upped when the Grey King makes his first off-stage appearance killing other gang leaders - colleagues of Locke's. From there on …

Review of 'The Lies of Locke Lamora' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Great characters, interesting world. I VERY MUCH like the introduction of the world through short stories, flashbacks, etc. Beats the heck out of Robert Jordan-style ponderous histories and 10-page-long expositions. It's not a real world, people! I shouldn't have to learn a full dynastic succession to appreciate your story.

Review of 'The Lies of Locke Lamora' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I grabbed this book after reading Scott Lynch's story "A Year and a Day In Old Theradane" from the [b:Rogues|20168816|Rogues|George R.R. Martin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1404616147s/20168816.jpg|27565413] collection. Lies is described as a bit of Ocean's Eleven and Robin Hood, or (as Nataliya put it) the love child of Ocean's Eleven and The Godfather. That's a good start, but leaves out the fantasy aspect!

The fantasy element here had a similar feel to that of Michael J. Sullivan's Riyria Revelations series. There are some interesting creatures, and some types of magic are relatively common. The camaraderie between Locke and Jean also reminded me of the Riyria books. Hadrian and Royce had a similar dynamic.

One thing I did not expect is that as the first book of a series, it manages to stand alone quite well. I want to read the next book because I love the world and the characters, not because …

Review of 'The Lies of Locke Lamora' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Honestly? The last book I read that captured me this much was "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss. But, even then, Rothfuss's poetic tale didn't make me feel as much. I was caught up in its whimsy, not the brunt force of its emotions.

The last 100 pages of "The Lies of Locke Lamora" held me captive. I had no choice but to sit at the bar, ignoring all external stimulus, until I could close the paperback. I'm in love with these characters. With Locke and Jean, The Spider of Camorr, and Captain Reynart. All these people, on opposite sides of the coin, but interwoven. Lynch has written a masterful mix of epic world-building, poetic prose, and a downright magical use of the gritty and vulgar language of the street.

All characters are fully realized, even those who don't have large roles to play (so far). And those …

Review of 'The Lies of Locke Lamora' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Говоря о книгах, на которые я не морщась могу навесить ярлык "фэнтези", отныне я вынужден буду вспоминать "Ложь Локи Ламоры" (да, я знаю, зато "ЛЛЛ"!) в числе тех нескольких, которые приходят на ум в первую очередь. "Одинадцать друзей Оушена" + "Крестный отец" (нагло украл сравнение, но оно действительно хорошее) в блестящем сеттинге альтернативно-фантастической Венеции с легкой примесью Испании (водная коррида с акулами вместо быков). Были бы твердые 4 звезды (5 я обычно берегу для чего-то эпохального), но Скотт Линч неимоверно талантливо пишет, вплоть до того, что местами у меня было странное (и, скорее всего, несправедивое) ощущение несоответствия качества и красоты его слога и общей литературной ценности книги.

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Subjects

  • Swindlers and swindling
  • Robbers and outlaws
  • Science Fiction And Fantasy
  • Fiction
  • Fiction - Fantasy
  • Fantasy
  • Fantasy - General
  • Fiction / Fantasy / Epic
  • Orphans

Lists