The Lies of Locke Lamora

Although never quite boring(this book is about one thrilling heist and long con after another after all), this book was, at times, disappointingly predictable. It seemed like Lynch thought he was a lot smarter than he really is, thereby constantly underestimating his readers. Your interludes are not clever! They're just unnecessary, too revealing and defuse the tension you spent two chapters carefully building. All that backstory didn't really do much for the plot, or the worldbuilding, and at times it only felt like filler so Mr Lynch could pad out his book to a respectable fantasy-size. I felt like I was being force-fed information that I really didn't need, or had any desire to know, much like reading anything by Rothfuss. Both Lynch and Rothfuss seemed to have Hemingway's iceberg-principle backwards - only 20% are supposed to be visible, not 80%!!! I like the setting, though. P.S. I think Hannu Rajaniemi did a better job telling almost he same story, only with fewer words...

A month or so ago, I picked up The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch, and I must say, never before have I gotten this sort of particular joy from a book. The first thing I noticed, was that it was interesting almost from page one. This rarely happens with me in a book, where I'm immediately curious right in the first chapter. With Game of Thrones, I had to restart reading it, because it didn't really grasp my interest. But from the very start, the world and the people introduced were fantastically unique to my imagination and they were wonderful. Scott Lynch has some of the most fantastic use of language I've ever seen. The metaphors and description are so engrossing that I found myself just looking at sentences over and over, savoring their essence. He makes Camorr come alive without dragging on and on with useless details, as Tolkien oft did. There were never any occasions when I skimmed the descriptions to get on with the story, because he kept them interesting and to the point, without going into unnecessary detail or losing the active flow. And speaking of flow, Lynch has taken manipulation of timeline and turned it into an art form. He created an inexplicably wonderful sense of anticipation throughout the whole book by, for example, giving a battle, followed by an encounter between secondary characters, after which he gives the history of the whores in town... and I found myself to be at the edge of my seat wondering how that was going to become relevant. And the subtlety with which he introduced concepts that would be significant later on in the book was mind-blowing. Every character introduced into the story was real and unique and incredibly interesting. The cleverness of the plots of Locke Lamora and the Gentleman Bastards was unparalelled, and the ending was wildly satisfying. It was realistic within the realms of its own world, and even though you see only one city, the world feels vast and inviting. The use of things, such as magic and alchemy, were done in such a way that I was not bored with them, as I have been in the past with other writers. And each little piece of story seemed to weave independantly, until joining with another, and at every moment you think you see where the book is headed, it tightens and continues, right to the last word, in a most satisfying conclusion. I have never in my life read a book with such wild grins of pure joy plastered all over my face, before I read The Lies of Locke Lamora. The book is page-to-page action, nonstop, and it's just brilliant.

The Lies of Locke Lamora was a pleasant surprise. It's clearly one of the best new fantasy books I've read during the last months. It's a different kind of fantasy book and it's very entertaining. Scott Lynch writes fluently, the story flows nicely and the plot is good. The characterization is great and the characters are interesting. What I like most about this book is that Lynch writes original fantasy. If you want to read something different, Scott Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora is a good choice.

The Lies of Locke Lamora is entertainment in a same sense as big Hollywood blockbusters. You go see one without expecting a larger-than-life classic movie experience. That's the way this novel should be read, without too much seriousness. It's hip, it's fun and has has more "fucks" than a mafia flick. Witty heroes and maniac villains, goofy sidekicks and dumb extras, this one has it all. Recommended, especially for those who are looking for something else than epic war dramas.