Excellent fantasy book - must read
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Both my wife and I have read this and really enjoyed it.
I'd say it's one of those "must read" books.
The second book in the Gentleman Bastards sequence is on order, and we'll see who gets to read it first !!!
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The Fantasy genre has a new star and it's Scott Lynch!
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This has to be the most accomplished debut novel I've ever read. The whole tapestry of the world in which the characters live has been meticulously thought out and brilliantly conceptualised.
The story is based in Camorr, a wonderfully gothic city that is very much a character of the book in its own right. Within Camorr lives Locke Lamora and his small gang of thieves. But these are the most extraordinary gang of thieves Camorr has ever known. They steal from the nobility using some of the most ingenious deceptions and trickery imaginable, and they do it right under the noses of the secret police, rival organised crime gangs, and the ruling classes, in fact no one as ever even come close to identifying who Locke and his gang are, let alone catching them, earning Locke the mythical title the "Thorn of Camorr".
But Locke's world suddenly gets turned upside down when a mysterious character calling himself the "Grey King" starts a vicious war against the powerbrokers of Camorr, with Locke caught in the middle of it all. For the first time the Thorn of Camorr has to face someone equally as clever and cunning, and an almighty battle of wits begins.
I just didn't want this book to end, the story builds gradually in the early chapters, explaining Locke's origins and how his thieving talent developed and his deceptions became ever more elaborate. The book gives a fascinating account of how Camorr, though seemingly crime-riddled, actually has a complex hierarchy of criminals that every criminal must respect and not disrupt, and is even tolerated by the rulers of Camorr in an unspoken agreement called the "Secret Peace". What makes Locke's talents even more impressive is that he completely disregards this agreement, yet no one has a clue he is doing it.
As the book progresses you have a full understanding of the relationship Locke has with the rest of the criminal underworld, and the efforts he goes to keep everyone unaware that he is in fact the most the successful criminal in Camorr. The genuine friendship he has with the other members of his gang is also fully explored and gives the characters a very warm and likable edge.
Once the Grey King enters the story the pace of the book really picks up as twists and turns develop that leave you breathless at times in both wonder and genuine shock. Many events take place that really catch you by surprise and literally make you not want to put the book down as you wonder what on earth might happen next. Suddenly all the powerbrokers of Camorr, from the secret police to the nobility to the crime gangs, are dragged into an almighty battle, with Locke seemingly as a pawn in the middle of it all. It makes for a breathtaking showdown between these powers and one of the best climaxes to a book I've ever read.
A stunning debut novel, simply brilliant.
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Hugely enjoyable, but......
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A few months ago, I gave up on this book after about 50 pages so the fact that I've gone back to it, finished it and given it five stars must say something. Stay with it through the first section - it does change quite a bit later. So much of this book is fresh and original - I especially loved the descriptions of various parts of the city and its buidings. One or two things I don't think he's got quite right [bit too much swearing, especially towards the end] but Lynch looks like he may become a major force. Good he may be, but at the moment I still prefer Joe Abercrombie.
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Starts slowly, but keep at it
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I suspect a fair number of readers will give up on this in the first few chapters: you can tell this is a debut novel and the writer is sort of settling into his own voice as he goes. The first impression was of a sort of sub-Jack Vance, which is a hard act to follow.
It's worth persisting though - the language becomes less florid and the plot more fascinating: I really liked the setting. At first I didn't warm to the characters, but after a while I started to get attached to them. Be warned though, if you are the kind of reader that finds violence and death to sympathetic characters in fiction hard to read, you may not like this.
Several reviewers have referred to this novel as fantasy: it's set in a renaissance culture in the ruins of an alien culture, which to my mind makes it sci fi, but perhaps sci fi is less in the public eye just now.
I am definitely looking forward to reading the next one.
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Great characters and imagery
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Brilliant book, this is unputdownable, i do read a lot of different novels in all genres, i am not an expert on fantasy books, but this was funny and memorable, Highly recommended
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