The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out why I didn’t love this book. It’s a fantasy, it’s got a clever character, it’s got clear world building – in short it’s got a ton of everything I really like.
And somehow I only mostly liked it.
I thing the biggest trouble I had was that the really solid world building was as much a character as any character in the book. It became distracting. The elder glass towers were mentioned all the time and were great visuals that didn’t mean anything in the end really.
I became confused on one or two occasions when the point of view would flip. I figured it out quickly enough, but it was another distraction and it slowed me down. I think the interludes, when Locke was just a kid could have become their own book. Maybe not, but I think there’s more story there.
It IS nice to have a fantasy story where the hero isn’t secretly a prince and isn’t a mighty warrior that can battle any foe with his mighty sword. The Thorn survives on his will and his luck and if you’re into a protagonist like that you might just enjoy this one.