The Lies of Locke Lamora

Gentleman Bastard, Book 1

By: Scott Lynch

Narrated by: Michael Page

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The first book of the epic fantasy caper Gentleman Bastard Sequence about a roguish group of conmen, which George R. R. Martin says “captured me right on the first page and never let me go.”

“If you haven’t read [The Lies of Locke Lamora], you should. If you have read it, you should probably read it again.”—Patrick Rothfuss

An orphan’s life is harsh—and often short—in the mysterious island city of Camorr. But young Locke Lamora dodges relentless danger, becoming a thief under the tutelage of a gifted con artist. As leader of the band of light-fingered brothers known as the Gentlemen Bastards, Locke is soon infamous, fooling even the underworld’s most feared ruler. But in the shadows lurks someone still more ambitious and deadly. Faced with a bloody coup that threatens to destroy everyone and everything that holds meaning in his mercenary life, Locke vows to beat the enemy at his own brutal game—or die trying.

Don’t miss any of Scott Lynch’s epic fantasy Gentleman Bastard Sequence:
THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA • RED SEAS UNDER RED SKIES • THE REPUBLIC OF THIEVES

Critic reviews

“Fresh, original, and engrossing . . . gorgeously realized.”—George R. R. Martin

“Right now, in the full flush of a second reading, I think The Lies of Locke Lamora is probably in my top ten favorite books ever. Maybe my top five. If you haven’t read it, you should. If you have read it, you should probably read it again.”—Patrick Rothfuss, New York Times bestselling author of The Name of the Wind

“Remarkable . . . Scott Lynch’s first novel, The Lies of Locke Lamora, exports the suspense and wit of a cleverly constructed crime caper into an exotic realm of fantasy, and the result is engagingly entertaining.”—The Times (London)

“A unique fantasy milieu peopled by absorbing, colorful characters . . . Locke’s wit and audacity endear him to victims and bystanders alike.”—The Seattle Times

“A true genre bender, at home on almost any kind of fiction shelf . . . Lynch immediately establishes himself as a gifted and fearless storyteller, unafraid of comparisons to Silverberg and Jordan, not to mention David Liss and even Dickens.”—Booklist (starred review)

“High-octane fantasy . . . a great swashbuckling yarn of a novel.”—Richard Morgan

On/off

Narration was great! Main character was frustrating. Loch was Sherlock Holmes genius one minute and knuckle-dragger dumb the next. Made for a hard listen.

one of my new favorite series

this book was simply amazing the emotion of not just the characters but the atmosphere all around was spectacularly put together I will be listening to all of these books 10/10

Great story ruined by an editor

I must say that I feel the short comings of this novel fall to the editors. It is a very amazing world the author has created. The arrangement; which I feel was most likely not the way the author originally proposed, but was arranged to fit what the publisher thought would sell better cheapens it. it's a great story that I feel was not told the way it was written, but the way some dipshit thought it would see better. I personally don't want to read the follow ups solely because it went through the same editor and publisher

slow burn before it gets interesting

the first part is a slow burn and I almost returned the book. but it picks up speed amd it doesn't stop. it's action packed.
it is the type of book that jumps back and forth in time.

A standard to which fantasy writers should aspire

I suggest that that the soaring heights found in some places throughout the book, coupled with the arguably jarring structure of the chapters (replete with interludes), make it so that the conclusion of the book seem to be subpar. It is by no means a poor "landing," but theres little in the way of a coup de grace that you sorely desire by the end of this wonderfully interwoven and emotionally provocative tale.