After my vacation in Florida towards the end of May, where I tore through a ton of books rather rapidly, I found myself lacking in the books-to-read department. I’d finished the last of the new books that came out earlier this spring, I’d read through a couple of my favorites by Stephen King, and even read through the first book in the Mercy Thompson series – and couldn’t think of any other books I had been interested in reading. So I took to Goodreads, and looked for suggestions based on the books I’d read (that I’d actually entered into Goodreads, anyway.) And as I was poking through the suggested books, The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch popped up. I’d heard it mentioned around the internet as a good book to read, and so I figured, what the heck, I’ll go to Amazon and buy it.
And then I saw this review on Amazon, and absolutely knew I’d enjoy it.
“Right now, in the full flush of a second reading, I think The Lies of Locke Lamora is probably in my top ten favorite books ever. Maybe my top five. If you haven’t read it, you should. If you have read it, you should probably read it again.”—Patrick Rothfuss, New York Times bestselling author of The Name of the Wind
If Pat Rothfuss, whose books I absolutely adore, says the book is good, then by gods, I should probably read it, right? So I picked it up. And I couldn’t put it down.
The Lies of Locke Lamora follows the story of a man whose humble beginnings have him living with a group of young thieves, in caves below a cemetery in Camorr. Recently orphaned and very young, Locke is taken in by the Thiefmaker, who plans to turn him into a thief – but Locke proves himself to be a handful, getting into far too much trouble for his own good. The Thiefmaker sells him to a priest, Father Chains, with the warning that Locke is far too clever for his own good. Chains takes Locke in and raises him, along with some other youngsters, to be some of the most skilled thieves around.
The book then goes back and forth between Locke’s past and the present day, discussing events that happened in his childhood who shaped who he is today as well as escapades Locke finds himself in during the present. Locke turns out to be an incredibly skilled thief, as well as an actor who can fall into any sort of role to help further along his schemes to rob nobles of their money. As an adult, he’s the head of the Gentlemen Bastards, which consists of the boys he grew up with under Father Chains’ tutelage – the twins, Calo and Galdo Sanza, and Jean Tannen, as well as a youngster named Bug and the constantly-absent-but-often-mentioned Sabetha. Without going into too much detail (I definitely don’t want to spoil the story!), I’ll say this book is definitely a page turner, and is full of twists and turns that keep you reading and wanting more.
Scott Lynch crafts an engaging story that pulls you in, much like Pat Rothfuss’ books, and will not let you go. For those of you looking for fantasy novels that are engaging and filled with adventure, action, and a touch of suspense, then The Lies of Locke Lamora is a novel you’re sure to enjoy.