The Lies of Locke Lamora

By: Scott Lynch

Narrated by: Michael Page

Length: 22 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's Summary

“Remarkable...Scott Lynch’s first novel, The Lies of Locke Lamora, exports the suspense and wit of a cleverly constructed crime caper into an exotic realm of fantasy, and the result is engagingly entertaining.” (The Times, London) 

An orphan’s life is harsh - and often short - in the mysterious island city of Camorr. But young Locke Lamora dodges death and slavery, becoming a thief under the tutelage of a gifted con artist. As leader of the band of light-fingered brothers known as the Gentleman Bastards, Locke is soon infamous, fooling even the underworld’s most feared ruler. But in the shadows lurks someone still more ambitious and deadly. Faced with a bloody coup that threatens to destroy everyone and everything that holds meaning in his mercenary life, Locke vows to beat the enemy at his own brutal game - or die trying. 

Praise for The Lies of Locke Lamora 

“Fresh, original, and engrossing...gorgeously realized.” (George R. R. Martin) 

“Right now, in the full flush of a second reading, I think The Lies of Locke Lamora is probably in my top ten favorite books ever. Maybe my top five. If you haven’t read it, you should. If you have read it, you should probably read it again.” (Patrick Rothfuss, New York Times best-selling author of The Name of the Wind)

“High-octane fantasy...a great swashbuckling yarn of a novel.” (Richard Morgan)

©Scott Lynch 2006 (P)2019 Random House Audio

Critic Reviews

“A unique fantasy milieu peopled by absorbing, colorful characters...Locke’s wit and audacity endear him to victims and bystanders alike.” (The Seattle Times)

“A true genre bender, at home on almost any kind of fiction shelf...Lynch immediately establishes himself as a gifted and fearless storyteller, unafraid of comparisons to Silverberg and Jordan, not to mention David Liss and even Dickens.” (Booklist, starred review)

Narrator is a bit too much

The Narrator has an excellent voice but I think he lays it on a bit thick. There are times where the narrator is speaking in the narrator voices and he purposefully puts on this flowery english accent that makes it hard to follow. I do like to listen to books while I work but I just can't passively listen and follow the story due to narration. The opening was good with the conversation between the Thiefmaker and the Priest however I am now completely lost there are characters never introduced I think there was a time jump. It is also hard to follow since all the characters voices sound the same. Will have to re-listen when I can really focus on the book.

3 people found this helpful

Amazing world building with high stakes

Can't even begin to describe how much I enjoyed this audiobook. The author does a wonderful job of building his world, of marrying the familiar with the alien. Yes, this world has the smells and tastes you love and are familiar with, garlic and rosemary and thyme, but it's also foreign and strange. The people live in a city built by ancient beings, the geography and politics are unlike anything you're familiar with. It's a subtly Italian setting, except it's not at all. But it's wonderfully constructed, the characters are fun, the stakes are thrilling and intense, and it always makes you want more.

The narrator did a great job, captured the book beautifully, perfect accent.

Get it, you won't regret it.

3 people found this helpful

Beautiful.

This book swept me off my feet. The setting is amazing. The layout and the progression of the story keeps you on your toes. One of my favorites!

2 people found this helpful

best book i’ve read in a while

entertaining story, great characters excellent world building. Quite a bit of profanity but it did well on the characters. book 2 is not out in whisper sybc - so i’m discounted but i’m looking forward to coming back to this one

2 people found this helpful

It just meanders on and on

The book meanders on and on and never really gets to the point. It started out interesting, then the writer started using unnecessary hooks and over describing. Just annoying. Not for me. Yawn.....couldn't finish it.

Just clever enough to be great.

Scott Lynch sets up many cliches and then takes an enjoyable, but reasonable, twist in telling this witty and entertaining tail.
Well worth the credit.
Hope this is the first in a series.

fantastic!

Michael Page has to be the best narrator I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. I only found this book because I was looking at other books he has done. This book was fantastic! Drama growth betrayal friendship and rat *ucking lol. Scott Lynch has an awesome sense of humor I very much look forward to finishing this series.

Ocean's 11 as a Fantasy Novel

The narrator is fantastic. I knew by the end of the prologue that I would love this book. Ended at a good spot if you don't want to commit to the whole series.

Really Picks Up!

My only complaint is that you don’t really understand any of the main characters until about one third or one half through the novel. There are many positives to offset that: the setting, the cool idea of a story about con men in a fantasy setting, the interesting and exciting plot lines. I flew through the last two thirds of the story and had a lot of fun.

awesome!!!

I listen to a lot of audio books. The writing and the performance of this book blew me away. The author did an amazing job creating a fantasy world. Everything works. And Michael page's narration was incredible. He truly brought story to life.