THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA by Scott Lynch - No Spoiler Review (Gentleman Bastards 1) 

Or else. 🤣🤣 👏👏👏

YEAH! So happy you enjoyed it!!! I agree with you on your opinion of his writing. He has a very unique writing style and storytelling style that doesn't work for a lot of people but I'm enamored by it. It's definitely a flawed book and flawed series, you'll find you'll have critiques for every one of them, but what it does well just fits my tastes so perfectly that I don't care about it's flaws 😂

Excellent to hear your thoughts on The Lies of Locke Lamora, Jimmy! It's a very clever book, and that friendship is gold. Like you, I love the lyricism of that literary technique -- long live alliteration! 😁

This is THE book that got me back into reading fantasy, a guy I was in rehab with had it and handed it to me. I was instantly engrossed, then read the final empire. So I have that guy to thank for my obsession with reading in general, which I had lost for over a decade.

I recently finished this one, too! I enjoyed it although some parts were unnecessarily long and the jumping timelines didn’t help with that, but it was fun enough. Totally agree that there is hilarious dialogue and really strong writing at times. And then I always love when I don’t see something coming!

Hey Jimmy, always impressed by your review skills! I really apreciate the effort your putting in the improvement of the channel. The audio, video and lighting quality of your videos are top notch. Thanks for keeping us entertained with your great content!

I’ve had this book for years & never gave it a go. Thanks for this great review. I think you gave me that push to give it ago.

This is one of those books that has been on my tbr forever, I will get to it one day! Your descriptions of the writing style have made me very interested.

I am so happy you did a review of this book. It has been on my radar for years so I loved hearing your thoughts on it. I am glad you confirmed that the friendship is great because that is one of the main reasons I am so eager to pick it up. You have made me way more excited to read this book in the future.

What a great review! So glad you liked it. The Lies of Locke Lamora brought me back into the world of fantasy last year, after having read mostly non-fiction for many years. I LOVED this book, flaws and all.

I love this book because although the series is not finished, this book works perfectly as a stand alone like you mentioned.

Hi Jimmy. Thanks for the review. This is part of my endless TBR. lol. Sounds like I'm in for a pretty good time. Happy reading!

While the book had been under my radar, I had no idea about thise details of the writing style. You definitely put the book higher on my tbr

Great to hear that you had such a good time with this one! I definitely agree that this stands so well on its own, but I actually think the next installments are 100% worth the read. And heck yes, Jean is the star of the show :) Can't wait for more books in this series, because Lynch's writing is my type of kryptonite 🤩 Loved hearing your thoughts, excellent review!!

Great review Jimmy!

Great video. It's on the wishlist.😊

I really enjoyed this book, and your analysis of the writing was super interesting and only made me appreciate it even more 😄

Loved it, and the 2nd and 3rd books. Scott Lynch's prose is absolutely outstanding.

Great review. Thank you. I appreciate you calling out the Le Guin-esque approach.

Yes, I was hoping you'd love this one! One of my all-time favorites and really helped expand my use of the f word. Great review as usual so far. Halfway through!

Hello 👋 I’ve read all three books, also cliffhanger 😮😮😮 it’s one of my favourite series!! Good review video! Happy reading to you!! 👋⚔️🕸☠️

I've read this book two years ago and you've put into words exactly how I felt about it! Just like you (I watched your recent DNF video as well), I know I want to continue on with this series as I'm very curious to see how Scott Lynch will build his story on this very strong foundation. For some reason, I just wasn't in the mood for a pirate story in 2022, but I think I'll save it for this upcoming summer. ☺️ Also, I care a lot about prose (all the Fantasy books I've read up until now have been praised for it) and Lynch's style is one of the most unique and recognizable I've come across! 👌 And when I hear people complain about the narrative structure, I just can't understand - to me it actually enhanced my reading experience.

Loved this review! I’m so glad you enjoyed The Lies of Locke Lamora-oddly, I never gave much thought to the alliteration in the title till this review! 😅 I got excited when you mentioned noticing theme in the settings because I thought Lynch took that to a whole new level in Red Seas Under Red Skies! Again, Vegas-like gambling island, Jimmy! Plus, I felt the friendship between Locke and Jean and character work in general significantly deepend in that sequel.

I have heard a lot of good review about this book but this one right here is detailed. Kudos to Jimmy!

Great review!

Thanks for the review! Or should I say exposition? 😃 It was already on my to-read list, but wanted some more opinion to fuel the fire.

I decided to add another comment since I've finished it. Still a great video Jimmy! I know we already talked about it a little bit. But I freaking loved this book. I loved the prose, the world, the characters, it was all so grand. I have to say that one of my favorite parts of this book is how Lynch turns Locke's biggest strengths into weaknesses and how Locke is truly at his best when he's put under the gun and his life is at risk. Truly gripping stuff. It's also one of those books where the prose makes me feel like I shouldn't even bother as a writer. XD.

Hoo boy, I loved this book so much. I read it three years ago and bought the next two... though i never read them. The world, the dialogue, and the cinematic feel of the writing really jived with me. I thought both the villains were very menacing and used well too. I'm going to reread this soon and get current on the series.

I LOVE Locke’s rebuttal to the sorcerer

I read the three books that are out a few years ago and really loved them. I think I want to maybe reread them before the new novellas come out 😊

I couldn’t agree with you more in regards to Lynch’s language and style! I read this book back in 2009 and it’s been my all-time favorite ever since. I love a good story. I love good writing. And I especially love when a book has both! I’ve read the book in swedish (superbly translated!) and english multiple times, and even if the Swedish version loses some of the alliterations in translation (though the triple-alliteration in the title is thankfully conserved, and, honestly the reason I bought the book) there is still a very unique and distinct *rythm* to Lynch’s writing that I’ve always been enamored by. It’s something I’ve unconsciously emulated in my own writing, and Lynch is the sole reason I love semicolons, haha. He could be writing an instruction pamphlet for a washing machine anonymously - and I still think I’d be able to recognize that it’s him behind the keyboard. A lot of this books’ charm comes from the dialogue and the characters, but a lot comes purely from the way he writes, describes, and puts rythm into text

I agree that LoLL works perfectly as a standalone! Still, I'd be open to returning to this series one day if additional books come out!

A great review of a great book.

I loved this book so much. I dream they made a series out of it.

Nice!!!!! Book 1 was my favorite of the 3 .very dark and interesting

Loved this book!

The piss barrel situation blew my mind

I have not read Scott Lynch yet, but I do have to say that I'm much more interested now since you endorse the writing style so highly. I do indeed enjoy classy stylistic writing a lot. Curious if you've ever read Jasper Fforde and what you might think of him? Not everything he writes is for everyone, but I love the style he has in his writing. I'll give Scott Lynch a look after this review!

It's definitely a series that is on my TBR but as it's on going I've never felt a rush to read. Will do at some point maybe next year?

I have loved the first three books. Very funny and original, and the world feels real. Highly recommend the audiobooks.

4:04 ah yes "Killing is okay if there's no witness" or "It is still counts as a stealtth if there's no one to notice"

I remember having a good time when I read Lies of Locke Lamora. Especially because it was around the time that I was new into the fantasy genre, having only really read Dark Tower and Kingkiller. I felt like I was experiencing an adventure in early 1800s Venice. I loved the world, and of course I enjoyed the characters. I did like the end though. It was rough, if I remember correctly. Also, I was thinking at the time that I couldn't decide if I should be rooting for Locke and Jean, or hoping they got caught.

With lots of people complaining about taking copious notes while reading Erickson or Bakker, some books are just a lot better if you don't pay much attention to them. Lawrence uses the flash back for exposition as well. Not sure when that became thebthing to do byt it can become jarring. But did love the banter and the setting.

Hit it on the head Jimmy about being an uneven expereince. The climax at the 2/3 point was WAY better than everything that came later. I finally got to this book after years of it being on the TBR.

Great review and it pleases me to know the outlaws do not fall into the edgelord/leaning trap

I don't usually comment on vids, this time I wanted to, because I do enjoy the content you create and I happen to be abroad. As far as I know RU-vid algorithm favours vids that get commented on from different countries, so here's one from Spain. Once I get back home, I'll try to drop another one, let's push the number of subs to 10k. Great content all over the channel!

If you like the way Scott Lynch writes, then you should definitely check out The Vagrant by Peter Newman. He is incredibly good at playing with words and describing things or situations in very interesting and circumspect ways.

Thanks Jimbo this cheered me up after the Mariners choked away a 4 run lead to lose a crucial playoff game.

I liked this book a lot. Didn't love it, but liked it. It reminded me too much of too many other books. The second one, Red Seas under Red Skies, I liked even more but many people don't agree with me on that one.

I've been avoided this book because I already have one George Martin in my life, but might approach it as a stand alone. Thanks for the review! I really enjoyed the discussion about Lynch's writing.

I really liked this book and the sequel (the third one fell a bit flat to me, but I still enjoyed it). I found my enjoyment for this book to kind of mirror your experience. I wasn't loving the book at first and felt pretty down about it overall UNTIL I got to that back half and it all fell into place for me.

Hello. I just started this book and in searching for reviews I found your channel. I gave a thumbs up and subscribed instantly after watching your great, well-thought out review of this book. It didn't hurt that we share a favorite author, that being George R. R. Martin. Just curious, have you read Fevre Dream by Martin? It is an excellent book by him about vampires in the South. I know that sounds weird but it is an amazing book and shows how amazing his writing talent truly is. As for this book, I am about 3 chapters in, and so far Im having some trouble getting into it. People have told me it starts fairly slow so I'm hoping for better stuff as I read on further. Thanks for the great review, and if you haven't read Fevre Dream, give it a read - I'd love to see your review/reaction to that one. Take care!

I’m a hip hop head myself. Who’s your top 5?

I wish I would’ve read this one since I didn’t really vibe with the audiobook…Michael Page’s over-the-top-ness started to grate on me halfway through, and the story and characters never really grabbed me either. I’m definitely interested to see where it goes though and actually read those in print

I find it too difficult to put books in any kind of bestness order, but _The Lies of Locke Lamora_ might very well be my favourite novel. _Red Seas Under Red Skies_ is approximately as good, and _Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell_ by Susanna Clarke is quite equal in its goodness, although it is very different kind of story.

I really enjoyed this book. I agree with your feelings with the tempo of the last 40% or so of the book. Some of the flashbacks weren't my favorite but I still wholeheartedly recommend this book and am excited to continue the story. Hopefully you do too, OR ELSE

The lies of Locke lamora is a nice

I did not really like this book. Everyone acted like it was the best book ever written but I was disappointed. It's been several years since I read it so I don't remember specifically what my issues were. But I know I bought the first 2 books together and I couldn't make myself read the 2nd one.

Any plans on making a top 10 video now that you're done with Second Apocalypse?

Great video! I love your emphasis on the writing; it’s sold me a little more on the book (which I have a kindle copy of waiting) Unfortunately it’s pretty down on my eternal TBR, but I’ll get to it! Someday! I promise myself! 😭

Just wondering for people who’ve read both, does this feel like a fantasy version of the arsene lupin books?

I liked it a lot. Read it just a few months ago. Their “failure” is a little ambiguous. Locke accomplished a goal of his, but it may be that the stated goal was at least partially a lie. Don’t want to spoil it by saying anything further. Red Skies is also very good, but also a bit unbalanced in the narrative. I liked it almost as much as the first. And it too works pretty well as a standalone. There are some running arcs through the two books (Their relationship with aristocracy, and with the magicians guild.) But it’s nothing like Martin or mid-Jordan, where the middle books don’t even pretend to have a satisfying resolution, and are more purely ‘middles’

This has been on my list for far too long

Top ten Hip Hop albums please Jimmy 😁

Have you tried the audiobooks of this series, the narrator is so good , give them a try you want regret

I read this book in 2020 and even though I really enjoyed it I still haven't gotten around to continuing. What's even stranger is that I know that the next book has pirates in it, and I love pirates!

Wolfsharks.

Not sure if this is a controversial take, but I feel like the big twist (though it is amazing in this book) really hindered the rest of the series. Of course, I can't say how, but interested to see if anyone else would feel the same.

I love alliteration like I love this book. Fuck the haters (love Hiphop too). But yeah, I felt the same about the flashbacks toward the end. Even Lynch himself has said he considers it a failure on his part, especially when he just shamelessly shoved in worldbuilding. I've read the first few chapters of the second book and he keeps the same structure, but I imagine it's improved.

zan callout huh. sounds like a fool to me

Anyone who doesn’t like alliteration has never read V For Vendetta.

Great review, no matter how much i disagree with it. I did not like that book at all!😅

I absolutely loved this book would have been great as a standalone as I feel the sequels are extremely bloated and meandering

Locke and Jean don’t hold a candle to Jimothy and Bobby B.