If you’re looking for heist drama, Ocean’s 11-style genre fiction, I’d recommend The Rogues of the Republic over this first entry in The Gentlemen Bastards series. The Lies of Locke Lamora was an enjoyable read, but not the masterpiece the author clearly thinks he wrote. Mostly it just made me want to reread the aforementioned Rogues.
One thing I am a sucker for is worlds that toss you in and don’t immediately (or ever) answer all your questions. Camorr is one such world with the ghosts of a previous civilization seeming to haunt the city. I definitely don’t understand all the ins and outs of Camorr and I like it that way–this is their world and I’m just visiting.
Quick plot summary: our primary character is a young man using the name Locke Lamora. Orphaned at a very young age, he was taken in and trained with other young thieves as a child until his predilection for interesting plans and lots of trouble saw him transferred into the care of a very different-minded kind of master thief. Here he joins the man’s small band of self-proclaimed “Gentlemen Bastards” where he grows and learns and flourishes. But on the eve of their biggest score ever, things go oh so horribly awry.
I’m having trouble pinning down exactly what made me so “meh” about it. I guess there wasn’t a whole lot of character development. Aside from a very few players, most folks were there as props and set dressing. There were glimmers of interesting characters who could have been explored further, but fell to the wayside (looking at you, Dona Sofia). For a plot built on schemes and revenge, things felt remarkably flat–it gave off the vibe of multi-layered, plans-A-through-Z style shenanigans but didn’t deliver. There were moments of wonderful cleverness, but not enough to float the book as a whole.
I think I’ve said before that I praise very few books which says more about my pickiness than it does about the things I read. That Lamora didn’t meet those standards doesn’t mean it’s bad. I finished the whole thing! It was my favorite thing I read last week! I will absolutely finish the series, it just won’t necessarily make my list of books I’d recommend. That would be Rogues of the Republic. Go read those.
I liked it, but the buildup was awfully slow sometimes. The last few whirlwind chapters I really enjoyed, but I somehow keep forgetting to pick up the sequel..
I’ve never heard of Rogues of the Republic but the summary tells me that the team includes a unicorn? So, um, YEAH. That’s going on the list.
Have you read Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo? Not sure if you’re into YA, but it was one of my favourite books that I read last year.
YES I have read Six of Crows! Wait, I think I have. I’ve read her other series, at least.
Rogues of the Republic is just so g-d delightful. It knows better than to take itself too seriously, and it’s all the better for it.
Her other series is the Grisha one, which…eh? I didn’t get past the first.
But Six of Crows was set in the same world and I LOVED it!
The other two books in the series do not quite achieve the same heights as Lies. I say that as someone who enjoyed Lies immensely, and immediately started reading it again as soon as it finished. Republic of Thieves introduces Sabetha, which is great, but also pivots the long-term story in a weird way.
*adds Rogues of the Republic to wishlist*
Thanks for the tip!
I really enjoyed LoLL as an audiobook, especially towards the end. It made my commutes delightful and thoughtful, instead of spacing out. That said I’m less than an hour into the second book. But it does mean that I’m definitely adding Rogues of the Republic to my wishlist. Thanks!
I did the audio on Lies as well, and the narrator was so delightful.
Yes! LoLL has been one of my favourite fiction audiobooks. Scott Lynch’s writing lends itself very well to being read aloud, and they picked a gem of a narrator.
I haven’t listened to the next two books yet, still trying to accrue more Audible credits.