The Lies of Locke Lamora
Labeled Grimdark, The Lies of Locke Lamora, book 1 of the Gentleman Bastard series by Scott Lynchmight better be called Grimedark. The prose evoke the dirt, filth and low morals of the criminal class in a city filled to overflowing with paupers and royalty. Though at time graphic and brutal, it was truly a pleasure to read.
Imagine:-
- ‘Oliver twist’ runs away to medieval Venice.
- ‘Oceans Eleven’ and ‘Lock, Stock and two smoking barrels’ have a lovechild.
- Douglas Adams pouring his irony into the screen play for a costume drama.
- All of the above happening in a single story……
…..this book is that and more.
…a city filled to overflowing with paupers and royalty.
In an interesting take on high, magic based, fantasy, the protagonists have to get by more or less on brute force and quick thinking alone. The magic, used by many other characters throughout, just keeps getting in their way. The number of plot twists and surprises would be enough without it, but the magic just keeps on upping the ante until the reader is at a loss to imagine how the heroes are going to smart talk and fist fight their way out of the dicey situations they keep falling into.
A riveting 5 out of 5 stars for Scott Lynch. On top of this, it sets up an intriguing fantasy world and presents great characters that are clearly going to make the sequels just as much fun as this series opener.
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