The Lies of Locke Lamora

Loved it. I'll admit it took me awhile to get familiar with the world. Moreso than usual with fantasy novels, which always take some getting used to. And it took awhile to make clear that this was not a spires and wizards tale a la T.H. White. In fact that's one of the things that endeared me to it in the end. Without going dark, it played as a believable telling of ruffians in an ancient world of magic. I love Joe Abercrombie and Patrick Rothfuss, and because of them I don't need another dark gritty world. Lynch has made a world that's realistic and I suppose gritty enough, without relying on that all the time. The fight between Locke and the bad guy at the end (avoiding spoilers) is damned dark, sure, but that's not the continuous tone. I like the hinted at past of the elders and their glass. I like the fact that there's gods-d,Ned magic that isn't scinc, yet there's alchemy that is, with a bit of magic thrown in. And I love the pantheon of the thirteen née twelve new thirteen. Crooked Warden, but I ended up loving this book. When Locke is crying “I just have to hold you until Jean gets here” near the end I had gods-damned tears in my eyes, I did. And the cons within cons never end. I liked Sawyer in “Lost” too. We named our dog after him. And Locke is in the same vein. Well done Mr. Lynch. On to the Red Seas for me.