Reviewing Debuts - Part Three
Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch (2006)
Wow.
There is nothing, absolutely nothing I can complain about in this book. Nothing. This is the second best fantasy book I ever had the pleasure and privilege to read. Ever.
Lies take place in the city of Camorr which is strongly reminiscent of Venice during the renaissance period. If Venice was built on the ruins of an ancient glass city built by a mysterious lost civilization known only as “Eldren”. The setting itself is simply enthralling; Lynch paints a fantastic picture composed of the filth of canals, dark alleys and poverty, flamboyance of the bohemian aristocracy, crime, blood, beauty and magic. And beneath all that – money.
If I were to compare this book to something, it would be the first act of “The Italian Job” meeting Discworld. But with George R. R. Martin’s love of graphic violence and political play. Lies of Locke Lamora starts off as a heist story (and a very intricate one at that), but ends on a very dark note of personal justice and venegance. It is funny, witty and amusing on one hand, on the other it’s bloody and merciless. Just like Camorr, a city full of contrasts, the narrative has several aspects to it that balance themselves out which makes it work exceptionally well and gives it a feel of wholeness, if that makes any sense.
We mostly follow the titular character, Locke Lamora, who is a boss of his own band of merry thieves. Things start going south soon, though, when the mysterious Gray King appears and the entire Camorr underworld is thrown off balance. Unwillingly, Locke and his friends get dragged into the very center of things. I would say more, but I think that this book is read best when you know as little of what to expect as possible.
The characters are one of the main strengths of the book – they talk like real people would talk, they act like real people would act. There is no artifice to their personalities which is not only credited to the fact that all of them are extremely well – developed, but you as a reader get to follow them over the course of years, from their childhoods to what they are in their adult lives and, eventually, what they become by the time the story is done.
Because the characters are so complex, their backstories cannot be simply explained. The narrative follows two semi–independent storylines, one that of the main events, the other taking place during Locke’s childhood and his learning years in a series of interludes. These interludes are written and placed in order to relate to the main events, as well as serve another purpose by what I think was the most genius move on the author’s part; the interludes always come when something shocking or interesting happens and you want to know how it continues. You turn the page – and there’s an interlude! You have to read that first in order to get back to the main story. However, the interlude itself ends in a manner that makes you want to learn about the events it describes as well. You turn the page – the main story continues! And so on. I read the entire second half of the book in a single sitting. During finals. My eyes were nailed to the page for the better part of the day, even if I knew I had to study. It is a page – turner that does not make you want to continue by using cheap tricks some authors stoop down to use, but because it is so enthralling and easy to get lost in.
Also, more on a personal note, Lies contains probably the awesomest thing I have ever seen anywhere in my life – a scorpion hawk. I want you to think about that for a while. If that is not badass, I honestly don’t know what is.
This book, cover to cover, is flawless. Everything about it works – the prose, the central conflict, the world – each and ever little detail of it is absolutely perfect. If Lynch manages to keep this up (I haven’t read Red Seas Under Red Skies YET ), he has an undeniable potential to become one of the great fantasy writers of our time. There are just not enough good things I can say about it, so I will stop my ramblings here. But if you ever get a chance to read this literary gem, don’t pass on it. Lies of Locke Lamora have a strong chance of becoming a classic – in the same way Die Hard is the ultimate Christmas movie.
Thank you for reading,
falconempress
To learn more about Lies, its sequels or the author Scott Lynch and his other works, visit http://www.scottlynch.us/
Comment
By Snow White Queen
on Aug 18, 01:50 PM
I’ve heard great things about this book, and your review only clinches it. Now I MUST read it…after finishing all the other books on my list. :(
Out of curiosity, what would you consider the best fantasy book you’ve read ever?
By falconempress
on Aug 18, 01:59 PM
Yay! Your comment makes me happy:D I have made it my personal crusade to get as many people to start reading the awesomeness that is Scott Lynch as I can.
And my most favorite fantasy book ever is A Game of Thrones by the George R.R. Martin. Thank you for asking:)
By jbaker475
on Aug 18, 02:13 PM
Aaaaaand yet another entry on my increasingly long list of “MUST READ NOW” books. Thanks for the suggestion; this sounds pretty bad ass.
By Apep
on Aug 18, 04:49 PM
Always nice to see a book that I like get promoted. And with regards to the sequel, take Lies and add pirates. Because, to quote The Gamers: Dorkness Rising, “Everything’s better with pirates.”
By Steph (what is left)
on Aug 19, 06:44 AM
exactly what jbaker475 said.
By Steph (what is left)
on Aug 19, 06:47 AM
oh! Oh, hay guyz! Guess what? On my way to add it to my goodreads list, I found out that it’s being made into a movie!
By falconempress
on Aug 20, 05:04 AM
@Jeni – it is not shallow. Despite what “Do not judge a book by its cover” may try to tell us, covers are a very important thing on a book. By a show of hands – how many of you picked up Eragon because of that damned, pretty blue cover?
@Apep – I am now going to find out where the people responsible for publishing Scott Lynch here live and I am going to bug them until the sequel is in my hands. I AM COMING FOR YOU!
@Steph – yup, I think I read about it in Lynchs blog. They better not mess this one up.
By Thebazilly
on Aug 20, 05:31 PM
Oh, I love the Gentleman Bastard series so much.
You should definitely read the second book, it’s even better than Lies. (Lynch gets even better at developing characters and their relationships.)
I’ve heard of the movie, too, but I’m kind of dubious about it.
By Anonymous
on Oct 2, 05:47 PM
I bought and read this book (much thanks to your recommendation) and I can say with confidence that it is not flawless. Lies is still very good, sure, but it suffers from an overwrought world, lackluster editing in places and a few plot holes that really don’t make any sense. And even though Lynch’s writing is very solid and thankfully readable certain literary techniques are certainly overused.
Also, the scorpion hawk thing was fucking retarded.
In the future I’ll be taking everything positive you have to say about any book or author with a huge grain of salt.
By falconempress
on Oct 2, 06:18 PM
@Anonymous – Whatever works for you – more power to you, my friend:)
You know what they say – to each their own. I think that when reviewing and/or judging a book, a lot depends on what your personal tastes and preferences are. Mine are such that allowed me to overlook things and flaws that stood out for you, and it is very much possible that I let the enjoyment and amusement this book provided get in the way of some technical problems Lies had. After all, I am merely human and will be the first to admit when I am wrong.But I still loved this book more than anything I have read in too long a time and felt the need to share this pleasant surprise with those around me. A review is just an opinion and you are more than welcome to disagree with it:)
By Anonymous
on Oct 6, 04:55 PM
If you want to be taken seriously as a reviewer you’re going to have to go beyond likes/dislikes and review works based on an objective set of principles. You had a huge and well worded bitch-fit over the falcon/hawk from Hawkmistress but apparently a scorpion hawk is a permissable plot device as long as it’s handwaved by some vague reference to alchemy.
I liked Lies, a lot, but didn’t blind me to the flaws.
By falconempress
on Oct 7, 01:24 PM
@Anonymous – well, the thing is, one can never truly detach themselves from their subjective views. And while I stand behind every single word I typed in that review, I am taking the points you have made in your comments into consideration and will keep them in mind for the future. Thank you for that – it really helps to get such feedback:)
And I am sorry if you felt like my review betrayed you somehow. I am deeply sorry if you feel like you wasted money based on my word. I wish I could do something that would make you feel better:(
As for the scorpion hawk/Hawkmistress bitch fit – again, I stand firmly behind every word of that bitch fit as I believe it to be justified. In Hawkmistress! Marion Zimmer Bradley is trying so hard to play at the realism of caring about the birds, yet cannot keep even the most basic things straight – so much so, that what she writes, goes against every tenant, purpose and intention behind falconry. Everything connected to the birds that she wrote was so profoundly wrong I could not help but throw a bitch fit. She may have been writing fantasy, but she rooted those aspects of her story in realism, or at least tried to.
The scorpion hawk, however, is profoundly different in that respect. It is pure fantasy – a result of some impossible magical splicing, and, most importantly, it was not one of the main focuses of the plot/story. The fact that the very essence of it was magical, and therefore, unrealistic and, again, impossible, allowed me to not be so critical towards it and take it as it was intended – a fun and interesting piece of the puzzle that were Lies.