Gentlemen Bastards Trilogy Book 1: The Lies of Locke Lamora
Novel By: Scott Lynch
Written By: Tim Sanders
I picked up book one of the Gentleman Bastards Trilogy when a buddy of mine told me, "if you don't like the book, I will give you the money you spent to get it."
If that wasn't enough to persuade me to buy a book, nothing else would. When I picked up the Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch, I was hooked, line and sinker. I devoured it; honestly, I do not think I could have read it any faster than I did. The book has an Oceans 11, 12, and 13 feel to it for a quick reference.
The book follows the general guidelines of a group of misfits doing shenanigans. It takes place in a medieval fantasy Venice-like city. The leader of the group is Locke Lamora. He leads a group of thieves in the city. As he pulls off heists, the group stumbles upon other heists being pulled and gets pulled into something bigger than they are. My favorite character in the book is not Locke, but Jean Tannen, a big bruiser who likes poetry. I know it's a trope used often with characters, the gentle giant and all; however, Jean is in a class all on his own. A nerd that wields twin hatchets like they are part of his body, I'm sold.
The group's plans go awry without giving too much away, and more shenanigans ensue. The part of this book that threw me for a loop was how Scott Lynch wrote his chapters. Every other chapter was the past, which is great except when you are left on a cliffhanger and end up reading way later than you planned on. But we have all been there before. I honestly cannot recommend the Lies of Locke Lamora enough. Not enough where I am willing to pay for people if they don't like it…….. But enough to write this blurb in my free time. If you are a fan of gritty fantasy or heists, check this book out. If you like well-written characters, then check this book out. The catch if you do not want another series that isn't finished, this may not be the book series for you. Scott Lynch has written a total of 3 books, and the 4th has been on its way for a little bit. I understand that it will be out before GRR Martin's next book, but I have been eagerly waiting for the next book for a few years now. So if you don't like to wait………
You should still check this series out and suck it up like the rest of us.