I'm so happy you loved The Lies of Locke Lamora! I completely agree about Lynch's strengths as a writer, especially with the dialogue. While there are emotional moments, I didn't mind the "plot armor" because I never felt as though this series was attempting to take itself too seriously regarding action scenes. I also agree that this can be read as a standalone, but I also loved Red Seas Under Red Skies!
Excellent video! I am so happy you loved this one as much as you did, this book absolutely deserves all the high praise! I actually have a lot of faith that we will get a conclusion to this series someday, but I also totally wouldn't mind just enjoying the 3 books that are out over and over again. These characters live in my mind rent-free and I will love them for the rest of my life. What a great story!
This Lies of Locke Lamora talk makes me so happy! It's my second favorite fantasy series of all time (a close second to ASOIAF. The last 10ish years have been very painful for me lol). I read/listen to the series at least twice a year. I highly recommend continuing on with the existing three books, despite the wait for book four. Each book has a solid enough conclusion that the wait (in my opinion) is not nearly as painful as it is for ASOIAF. Although book 2 does have a little bit of a cliffhanger. Also, if you've never listened to the audio books, definitely check them out! Michael Page is insanely good at what he does and I think this is one of the few series where listening to the narration is even better than just reading it.
I recently picked this book up because of Merphy Napier! She adores this book and as far as tastes go, she has outstanding taste in fiction. None of her recommendations have steered me wrong so far at least 🤞 I haven't had the time to start reading it yet, but I'm really looking forward to it. It is going to be my next read 😎😊
I just finished it, today, it was good but I don't think it'd be at the top for me. It's a cool world and the politics are interesting, but I struggled to really 'care' about the characters and that felt too bad. I think the brotherhood is a great concept, but before I really got attached some of my favorite characters 'left' the story. May or may not continue, we'll see. Maybe it will grow on me on reflection...
I tried to read this book, thanks to Merphy Napier's repeated and enthusiastic recommendation. I couldn't get into it though, and I really REALLY wanted to. I don't think it was any of the reasons you listed though. I think it was just poor timing and I needed a simple book at the time -- another attempt shall be made. Even if I wind up hating it, I want to read it just because all of the fans are so intense about their love for the characters.
I agree I loved this book, and the writing is so evocative that he actually created terms and ideas that are now regularly used in DnD and other Fantasy RPGs (eg 2nd Story work, priests of thievery). Would be great to hear what you thought of the sequals. I liked the 3rd one but not the 2nd. But the first book is the best.
I didn't hate this book, but I didn't like it either. I read it probably 4 years ago so I'm having a hard time remembering specifically what I didn't like. But I think I didn't like the flashbacks and how they were structured in the plot. And I agree that Locke was just lucky more than a brilliant thief.
I made the mistake of getting this audiobook after Six of Crows, which was probably not in its favor. A couple of hours in I still had no sense of the characters, what they were up to or why I should care, so I give up. If you want an alternative Heist book, Six of Crows has a very similar setting, and Kaz Brekker doesn't need crontrivances since he already had contingencies for his contingencies.
It's totally okay with unfinished works. Are at the last pages and I agree it's a good book but I get lost jumping back and forth in the timeline. makes it hard to keep the characters apart but I got it after some time. Going to tead it again I think :)
I read this book and although I did enjoy it, there was one scene, that creeped me out soooo much ( I will only say a bag and a buch of glass...) that I won't continue this series. Because I am scared XD. I can't even explain, why this scene freaked me out so much, but I was thinking about this for days afterwards...
I really liked the series from the 3 books so far and think it's definitely worth reading even if we never get another (which I think we likely will). It took me a little while to get into the first book, I was a bit lost with the time jumps and the aliases for the main characters but that didn't take long to get through. I don't mind the inventive ways Locke escapes situations. It's an interesting fantasy series in that it's often ingenuity, resourcefulness and charm that get them out of trouble rather than magic. It is a little on the grim side for my taste. There was one point when things were just starting to look up for one of the characters and I currently predicted that the author wouldn't allow them much more than five minutes of happiness. But that said it does have a kind of hopeful tone for large chunks of the books.
I did not like this book. I did take me three tries to finish and none of the reasons you mentioned were my main issues (and neither does that go for other people I've seen negatively review it). The banter fits the way the characters are built, but I felt like the characters weren't built well. There's this one character who got more personality in a couple of page than Locke got in 300 IMO and he dies pretty early on. The pacing is weird. As in: you're in the middle of the action and switch to a flashback chapter. When you come back to the action the momentum is gone. And this even more or less translated to if I skipped the flashback chapters to finish out the action first. Even if I read them later the momentum was gone. The writing was too descriptive in parts where I wanted to use my own imagination more. Things got mentioned several times and didn't have real pay off (do you know that story telling rule of: if you show a gun/weapon/thing ate the start it better be important at the end? Yeah, Lynch included that detail about Locke having seen a lot before he entered the gangs at AGE 6 and thus wasn't scared of the look of the lobotomized horses anymore multiple times but did we ever get to know what he saw and how it actually impacts the end of the book? Nope). Also the unnessesary sexism was annoying. Why include that stuff in your fictional world based to Venice (and the old Roman empire) when you could've completely left out the gladiator stuff (and wars for that matter, why did those need to be mentioned? They play no role in this book and probably not in book two considering that's a naval fantasy. I haven't read it though). I love a lot of things you mentioned you love in this book in fantasy too, just not in this book. I'm picky with my poetic prose for example. I love Ruthfuss and Dinsdale (who isn't popular and writes historical magical realism with huge components of war trauma) but I don't like what Lynch did. But I can see that if it clicks with someone they would love the book. Same with Laini Tayolor. That woman has a way with words, it's just not my way with words and I think that's partly because I'm on the spectrum. And than you have Jay Kristoff. He just writes bs in my honest opinion. Most of his 'poetic' stuff and similes make either no sense or barely any sense. His writing is more non sensical to me than Jabberwocky which is telling. I couldn't for the live of me make it past page 35 in Nevernight just because of the writing and somewhat because it felt like it was trying too hard at the grim dark aspect. I also love characters interacting and political fantasy. I just think The Empire Trilogy by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts is a lot better at doing that. And honestly so are other books. I don't mind wars that much because it comes with the stories but I don't like extensive fighting scenes very much. At some point they get very repetitive to me because you can hold a sword in only so many ways (it's one of the reasons I didn't like Oathbringer as much).
Dude. Now I feel like I need to go back and read it again! I did not catch all that goodness you obviously did on your first read through. I actually stopped after the first book! I need to give it another go.👍
Great insight, this series does have hope it seems, but ngl, I read books because they never have plot armor (john gwynne and RF Kaung taught me that) Tho am not averse to it tbh, excited to pick it up when it finishes
I love LoLM and still recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy. BUT I tell them to STOP at the first book. I don’t think The series lives up to the first installment and I think the first book is a perfectly satisfying story on its own.
It hasn’t been around long enough to be iconic. He does try too hard. The prose is much simpler than you’re giving him credit for. That said, I didn’t hate the book. Having a fantasy epic in a Venetian-Florentine setting was cool. But its sequel, Red Seas Under Red Skies, has so many convoluted unnecessary plot layers that they should give people a meal and an award for finishing it. I will probably go hungry and without award.
I actually found the storytelling too rich lol, i love straightforward writing. But the dialogues were one of the best I've read and that's all I need too. I also think the fact that the books have a satisfying ending that lets you stop reading at any point it's a big reason why fans are not as angry. I read book two with a friend and she decided to stop in that one because, again, you had an ending.
I’m finding this book mind numbingly inane and a chore to get into, it was highly recommended by a friend who said it was similar to ASOIAF. Well it’s similar as it’s written in English on paper. The characters dialogue is faux witty, they’re using a ton of colloquialism that mean nothing to the reader. it also feels like you’re thrown into the middle part of the second book of the series at the start. What is said in disjointed flashbacks could be succinctly stated earlier on. And what’s worse, theres a lot of telling and not showing and worst still the telling is poorly done. I’ll give it a fifth try for my friends sake but god this is awful
Hi, I'm a new writer I know thare are different archetypes of plot. I know there's a heist type. What are the others, can you name it or give s link to information?
