Set in a world styled heavily after medieval Venice, The Lies of Locke Lamora is a riveting yet slightly flawed fantasy. In the world Lynch has built, Mob style crime lords run Camorr while the nobility ignore the majority of what goes on below. Canals separate the city of Camorr into over a dozen islands, each with their own style, population, haunts and stereotypes. Lynch has a flare for description, which often leads to excessive and tedious detailing as well as beautiful passages.

The story itself focuses primarily on one Locke Lamora (andhis best friend and grifting partner Jean Tannen). Locke was once an orphaned boy who is now criminal mastermind in the style of Danny Ocean (from Ocean’s 11). Lynch uses an interesting and familiar narrative device: the old story within a story trick– using chapters and interludes to time jump us – from Locke’s formative years as a petty thief and his education into the master criminal he would become to the criminal he became, in the middle of his crews most daring job to propel the story. Sometimes this works; sometimes it slows down the pacing right when the story is getting good. Also, it's a bit chaotic.

But things aren't great for The Gentleman Bastard’s, as Lamora’s crew is named. Amidst conning the nobility, keeping it a secret from everyone including their boss and the law, Camorr falls under the influence of the Gray King, who may be the only man in Camorr who can take on Locke...which leads to a rather enthralling duel during the climax.

If you like swashbuckley adventures of sorts, with an Oceans-13 bent, this might be for you. I happen to be a big fan of this kinda thing. And while I certainly enjoyed this book, it took its time to weave it spell. Don't give up on it though! The last 50 pages are so are well worth the investment as Lynch gives us a dramatic payoff and duel between the Grey King and Locke.

My two gripes with this book are as follows. 1. Lynch's obsessive use of “swear” words. I'm not sure that the abundance of swearing was necessary or even appropriate to certain situations within the book. I think that swear words could of been employed a bit more effectively if they were used for only dire situations/threatening characters. 2. Lynch occasionally switches points of view. It's a bit annoying.

Another thing that bothered me was the occasional light-hearted tone of the book. Dark themes and violence would happen on one page and on the other comedy! It seemed to me that none of the characters were affected by the slaughter that was going on around them and that Locke was a heartless bastard. However, we come to find out that indeed, all the violence does take an emotional toll on these characters after all during the climax of this book, which changed my perspective on the tone shifting throughout.

This is a great swashbuckling, gritty, adventurous romp full of dark humor. Not for the feint of heart. ( )

This book is like the love child of Ocean’s Eleven and Song of Ice and Fire. The good thing about that is that it’s highly entertaining, fast paced and often surprising. The bad thing is that it gets a bit too violent for me, and that the series doesn’t look like it will ever be finished.

Oh well, you can’t win them all. Great book! ( )

I gave this a 4.5 but rounded up to a 5 star. I loved the book but there are only a few complaints I had. I was listening to the audiobook and what would happen is they'd start a chapter that was a "flashback" but you didn't realize until someone was gone or someone new popped up. I didn't care for that in the start but towards the end it made 100% sense. The ending bumped it to a 4.5 star because I DIDN"T SEE IT COMING!!! I love the characters, I hated the sadness and overall I was entertained throughout the entire book. ( )

«Un giorno, Locke Lamora, combinerai un casino così superbo, così ambizioso, così travolgente che il cielo si illuminerà, le lune gireranno e gli dei stessi cacheranno comete con gioia. E spero solo di essere ancora in circolazione per vederlo.»
«Oh, per piacere. Non succederà mai», dichiarò Locke.

La mia reazione alla fine del libro è stata più o meno la stessa di uno dei personaggi femminili più risoluti che mi sia capitato di incontrare in un fantasy: una grassa risata a sancire il “me l'hai fatta di nuovo, Locke Lamora, mannaggia a te!”.

Ne Gli inganni di Locke Lamora si ride e si piange, ci si esalta e ci si dispera, si gabba e si è gabbati, si è eroi e si è ladri, leali e ingannatori, salvatori e distruttori. Ogni personaggio è succosamente poliedrico, con le sue ombre, i suoi affetti, il suo orgoglio e le sue paure.

È estremamente improbabile non innamorarsi dei Bastardi Galantuomini, Locke Lamora in testa. Sono tutti legati da quel vincolo di amicizia fraterna del quale mi piace tanto leggere e sono tutti un po' matti (manco a dirlo, Locke Lamora in testa). Ci sono Calo e Galdo Sanza, che sono due macchiette gemelle e due bari inarrivabili; e abbiamo Cimice, il più piccolo dei Bastardi, ma già oltremodo fiero di far parte del gruppo e desideroso di esserne degno. Quindi c'è Jean Tannen, il guerriero del gruppo, quello che a prima vista tutt* credono un mollaccione perché troppo paffuto e rubizzo per sembrare la minaccia che invece è.

Infine, c'è Locke Lamora, la testa del gruppo, in tutti i sensi. Gracile e inabile con la spada com'è, chiunque lo incontri non lo considererebbe più pericoloso di un pulcino. Eppure Locke Lamora, la Spina di Camorr è riuscito – e riuscirà – a prendere per il culo proprio tutt* alla fine. Compreso chi legge. È davvero difficile star dietro a quel suo cervello contorto mentre la sua lingua impertinente fa strage dell'altrui orgoglio.

Non si può non volergli bene, soprattutto alla fine, quando si tirano le fila e viene fuori che la vendetta è una merda. Testuali parole. È una merda perché non ti restituisce chi hai perso. È una merda perché rischiano di farsi male persone innocenti (non vorreste mica dirmi che i figli dei colpevoli sono a loro volta colpevoli, vero?). È una merda perché, pers* nel nostro delirio vendicativo, potrebbe non importarcene più nulla di nulla.

Ritornerò sicuramente nel mondo creato da Scott Lynch (maledendo la Nord che ha interrotto la pubblicazione di questa saga), perché è troppo bello, troppo dettagliato, troppo ricco perché io possa lasciarlo così facilmente. ( )

Pretty entertaining and cool world created by this author. It's a world with depth ( languages, some history, religions ) and landscape ( fantastic structures built by some other race ) and a collection of interesting characters.

Differences with "Song of Fire and Ice":
- Fewer characters
- More humor here
- Concentrated in one city for the most part

Similarities with "Song of Fire and Ice":
- Religion backgrounds
- multiple languages
- massive structures

I look forward to reading the whole trilogy. ( )