100 Things: The Lies of Locke Lamora
This post is part of the 100 Things: A Blogging Challenge; please click here to learn more about the challenge and the full list of topics I've discussed.
THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA by SCOTT LYNCH
I've decided to start with the fantasy book portion of this challenge with Scott Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora (review), the first in The Gentlemen Bastards Sequence series. I mentioned in my review from last year that despite being the first novel in a series, it works quite well as a standalone (with enough elements to hook you onwards if you're interested in pursuing a series at the moment; I personally am trying to get through a number of books myself so I will eventually get around to the other books...sometime).
Anyways, this book made it on my list because it's quite an interesting and entertaining read on a number of levels: the world-building is familiar yet unique with an interesting magic system, albeit not as prominently used as in some high fantasy--think more on the level of GRRM's A Song of Ice and Fire. The characters are quite memorable with snappy (though also crude, in case you're wondering) dialogue and overall an interesting team dynamic. The main character, Locke Lamora, is a thief/smart-ass/anti-hero with an urban legend that he just can't shake off, much to his dismay. Locke can be annoying at times but as a reader you also find yourself rooting for him as he tries to achieve his goals and slink past his enemies who are closing in. Plus, he has enough mystery to boot surrounding his person, which I thought was a little unexpected but nonetheless welcomed. The story is also a little reminiscent of Ocean's 11 with heists and cons involved but there's also a larger story involving the underground crime hierarchy involved so there's never a bored moment. Lynch's ability to tell the story was impressive, especially with the amount of flashbacks involved, bringing all of the elements together in the end.
So what I'm essentially getting at with this entry is that it's a great fantasy novel, riding high in the recent trend in the genre for flawed anti-heroes running around in mayhem for their own personal gains and getting sucked into a larger situation happening around them. If you're a fan of GRRM's A Song of Ice and Fire, I would recommend this novel to you because it's in the same vein of approach and storytelling. Plus, it's just a great read.
(I'd say more about this novel but it has been a year since I had re-read it so feel free to hop over to my review of the novel if you want a clearer sense of what this novel is about =))
This entry was originally posted at http://caffeinatedlife.dreamwidth.org/380403.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA by SCOTT LYNCH
I've decided to start with the fantasy book portion of this challenge with Scott Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora (review), the first in The Gentlemen Bastards Sequence series. I mentioned in my review from last year that despite being the first novel in a series, it works quite well as a standalone (with enough elements to hook you onwards if you're interested in pursuing a series at the moment; I personally am trying to get through a number of books myself so I will eventually get around to the other books...sometime).
Anyways, this book made it on my list because it's quite an interesting and entertaining read on a number of levels: the world-building is familiar yet unique with an interesting magic system, albeit not as prominently used as in some high fantasy--think more on the level of GRRM's A Song of Ice and Fire. The characters are quite memorable with snappy (though also crude, in case you're wondering) dialogue and overall an interesting team dynamic. The main character, Locke Lamora, is a thief/smart-ass/anti-hero with an urban legend that he just can't shake off, much to his dismay. Locke can be annoying at times but as a reader you also find yourself rooting for him as he tries to achieve his goals and slink past his enemies who are closing in. Plus, he has enough mystery to boot surrounding his person, which I thought was a little unexpected but nonetheless welcomed. The story is also a little reminiscent of Ocean's 11 with heists and cons involved but there's also a larger story involving the underground crime hierarchy involved so there's never a bored moment. Lynch's ability to tell the story was impressive, especially with the amount of flashbacks involved, bringing all of the elements together in the end.
So what I'm essentially getting at with this entry is that it's a great fantasy novel, riding high in the recent trend in the genre for flawed anti-heroes running around in mayhem for their own personal gains and getting sucked into a larger situation happening around them. If you're a fan of GRRM's A Song of Ice and Fire, I would recommend this novel to you because it's in the same vein of approach and storytelling. Plus, it's just a great read.
(I'd say more about this novel but it has been a year since I had re-read it so feel free to hop over to my review of the novel if you want a clearer sense of what this novel is about =))
This entry was originally posted at http://caffeinatedlife.dreamwidth.org/380403.html. Please comment there using OpenID.