The Lies of Locke Lamora needs another review like I need a truckload of outdated desktop computers, but hell, I’m an opinionated girl so here we go.
I don’t usually like to read reviews of popular books before I read them, as it can colour your experience of them, but it’s hard to avoid the general industry enthusiasm for this book. Those who love it really really love it. They call it the love child between Ocean’s Eleven and any number of other awesome fantasy comparisons depending on whose review you read.
For me, I wish I hadn’t read the Ocean’s Eleven comparison, because it left me constantly waiting for the point where Locke Lamora and his gang were going to pull the epically complicated and convoluted cat (heist) out of the metaphorical bag, when this is an altogether different kind of story, although admittedly containing a heist. But that is where the similarities end.
In its heart, The Lies of Locke Lamora is a simple story (not a bad thing at all, this makes it very focused), a story of survival against all odds. It contains the greatest dialogue I have ever read ever in any book… ever. Hands down.
It also has the greatest opening hook I can recall ever reading. If you read the first page and a half you’ll keep reading.
I read this book VERY SLOWLY. This is often the case for me, as it’s been over a year since I found a book that had me reading non-stop start to finish as fast as possible. More often I find that my critical approach to reading (thanks to being an author myself, damn it) makes it hard to get absorbed in the books I’m reading. It is a curse, but one I am learning to live with. It took me a few months to get through The Lies of Locke Lamora, but there was never a point where I thought about putting it down for good. I found some of the early descriptive paragraphs difficult to wade through, and found that I never REALLY connected with the characters enough to cheer for them, but The Lies of Locke Lamora is beautifully written and unique and I have the second book on my shelf ready to go.
With spoilers I could write a lot more about this book, but I’ll keep it short and sweet. I would recommend this book to any fantasy fan and even a few non-fantasy readers, as it isn’t heavy on the magic swords and wizards business.
4/5
