The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
Narrator: Michael Page
Source: Audible
Finished: 8/29/12
Rating: 8 out of 10
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Length: 22 hours, 3 minutes
Pages: 544 (print version)
Published: 2006
Challenges: 2012 Audio Book Challenge
Synopsis (from the book description): They say that the Thorn of Camorr can beat anyone in a fight. They say he steals from the rich and gives to the poor. They say he’s part man, part myth, and mostly street-corner rumor. And they are wrong on every count. Only averagely tall, slender, and god-awful with a sword, Locke Lamora is the fabled Thorn, and the greatest weapons at his disposal are his wit and cunning. He steals from the rich – they’re the only ones worth stealing from – but the poor can go steal for themselves. What Locke cons, wheedles and tricks into his possession is strictly for him and his band of fellow con-artists and thieves: the Gentleman Bastards. Together their domain is the city of Camorr.
Overall Impression: Even though this one took me a while to get into, I ended up really liking it. I felt like it was a little slow in finding its footing — the separate timelines took a while to coalesce into something I was able to follow more clearly. But other than that, this book was a HOOT. I think the dialogue is some of the best I’ve read in I can’t even tell you how long. It was so clever and sharp, and very funny. While I thought the plot was rough to start out with, it ended up being really dynamic and interesting, especially toward the end. While so much of this book is light and fun, there were also some very dark turns — I actually got choked up at one point. If you can write characters so well that when something bad happens, I start to cry — dang, you’ve done well. I am definitely going to pick up the next one in the series. While it’s fantasy, it really doesn’t stray too far into magical realms — mostly it felt like a slightly magicked version of Renaissance Venice.
There is quite a bit of language, which didn’t bother me but I thought I’d throw it out there just in case you’re sensitive to those sorts of things.
Narration: Michael Page did a great job — at first his accents were a little strange, but after a while I got into it and thought he did an excellent job, especially with the rougher characters.
Positives: Amazing dialogue — the repartee is just amazing between characters.
Negatives: Took me too long to get into it.
Other books I’ve read by Scott Lynch: none
Other books I’ve listened to narrated by Michael Page: none
Other blogger opinions:
Andrea’s Book Nook: “I felt like I knew [the characters] and cared about them. That makes the best books in my opinion.”
Fyrefly’s Book Blog: “If you even vaguely like fantasy (or crime capers – or both), this should go to the top of your list. It’s a phenomenal debut, and I’m already looking forward to Lynch’s next book.”
The Sleepless Reader: “It’s a fun read, with a good dose of humor, even though it doesn’t shy away from grittiness, violence and harsh language.”
I’m so glad you liked this one! It’s been a long time since I’ve read it, but I think I’m going to have to remedy that with a re-read soon, especially since I’m waiting for the third one to come out… You may have convinced me to try it in audio; if the narrator can keep up with the banter, I can see how that would make it a ton of fun.
I am definitely going to do the next one in audio — I think Page really did a great job!