Scott Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora

All issues with a question-begging title aside, Scott Lynch packs a terrific punch with his Campbell-award winning style in this debut fantasy novel. The title character, Locke Lamora, is a consummate con artist and thief who finds himself embroiled in the political schemes of the underworld of Camorr, a Venice-like city with a spice of the fantastic. The prose is an excellent mix of dry wit, taut action, and great characterization. The dialogue is gritty, slightly reminiscent of Martin. The world building is excellent; everything feels consistent and real.  Absent is the rosy sheen most fantasy worlds have. Locke Lamora’s Camorr is brutal and desperate, but still a place where one can find the bonds of brotherhood, loyalty, and friendship.

The story is told in two parts. The first is written in flashback, describing Locke’s origins and how he became the leader of the “Gentlemen Bastards.” The rise from orphan to leading man of the underworld is a strange echo of Heinlein’s Citizen of the Galaxy or Starman Jones. Locke’s abhorrence for killing and his twisted moral system lends him a certain air of nobility, even though his fellow thieves think nothing of cracking a few skulls for profit or pleasure. The novel captures the gleeful feelings I had as a teenager when reading Harry Harrison’s Stainless Steel Rat adventures, but the characters are richer and the development of the world is more realized.

The twists and turns occur with some degree of predictability, but this doesn’t detract from the overall fun ride. I find most fantasy books to be carbon copied from a particular mold, but Lynch, like Patrick Rothfuss last year, has effectively broken away from staid convention to provide something new for readers to appreciate. Lynch’s follow-up novel, Red Seas Under Red Skies now has an enthusiastic place on my “Now Reading” list. If you like fantasy, don’t miss this one.