Book Review: The Lies of Locke Lamora

I never heard of Scott Lynch or his Gentleman Bastard series up until recently. I'm a big fan of any type of fantasy story, especially when it's set in a creatively distinct world. I find some of the best fantasy narratives not only establish solid foundations in the world and it's lore but are also capable of outlining a compelling story within it. To be able to visualise a world so vividly with so many overarching mechanisms is a recognisable talent all on its own, but to weave a tale which utilises all of those concepts in a smart fashion is an even rarer talent. It seems in Scott Lynch's case though he has all of those talents and far more at his disposal when it comes to the Gentleman Bastard series.

The Lies of Locke Lamora serves as the first entry in the fantasy series in which it follows a group of thieves called the Gentleman Bastards. Lead by the titular character Locke Lamora, the series follows Locke and his gang of thieves as they get into a collection of unorthodox situations in the city of Camorr. The nobility of the water-based city have plenty of wealth and influence to utilise at their will. Locke and his gang make a living by conducting elaborate deceptions to steal the wealth from right under their noses. On the eve of a new scheme Locke and the gang find themselves drawing the attention of some powerful forces who seek to coerce them to an far deadlier plot. As the story proceeds, the stakes get far more serious as all of the underlying plots unravel into a conspiracy which might just mean the destruction of Camorr itself.

The narrative behind this book is one of meticulous detail and structure. There's such a comprehensive amount of world building done within this book . The nice thing about it all though is it never exists at the detriment of the ongoing narrative. Lynch writes the world and it's overarching story in clear unison and one aspect never seeks to overshadow the other. I loved getting lost in the visual descriptions of how this world operates with all it's underlying factions and concepts. The nice thing about the lore is it all serves a clear purpose towards the story too. With how big and expansive this series is I figured a lot of the world building probably wouldn't get much payoff till far later in the series but everything's relevant to the story that exists within this book specifically. The story that is unfolded within the book is expertly crafted too. Lynch plotted out the story in such a clever fashion, using the initial chapters as a means of introducing us to the characters and the set up and then paying their arcs off brilliantly as the stakes built up towards the end.

The tone of the story felt like it hit just the right balance too. There's a clear sense of comradery with the way the Gentleman Bastards operate which adds a nice amount of levity to the often at times dark and unforgiving world. That's not to say there's a lack of maturity in the writing style either though. I like how much emotion Lynch is able to put into a sequence through his writing style. He get's down just the right amount of drama to help flesh out a scene to it's utmost potential. Even for a lengthy 530 page book the pacing felt incredibly sharp and spanned out as well. Everything within the book is given just the right amount of definition to give this world and it's characters a clear impression upon the reader but never to an extent which dissuaded me as the reader away from turning to the next page.

On an overall conclusion I've thoroughly enjoyed my time with The Lies of Locke Lamora. It's a mature and captivating fantasy book to get lost in which does a brilliant job in fleshing out a rich world with an even richer narrative. If this is only the first entry in this series I am very intrigued to see how Scott Lynch delivered on the next entry, perhaps I'll find that out sooner rather than later.