The Lies of Locke Lamora - by Scott Lynch

I had to reread The Lies of Locke Lamora to participate in the Little Red Reviewer's read along.

LIAR!

I had to reread The Lies of Locke Lamora to refamiliarise myself with it before Republic of Thieves is released hopefully later this year.

LIAR!

I had to reread The Lies of Locke Lamora because I'd forgotten so much of it since the last time I read it.

LIAR!

I had to reread The Lies of Locke Lamora because it's so much fucking fun!

BASTARD!

If you've read Scott Lynch's stunning debut novel The Lies of Locke Lamora you will recognise that rather unconventional start to the review as the Gentleman Bastards little comedy sketch that they do a couple of times throughout the book. It's one of my favourite sequences in any book I've ever read and just had to do a little homage to it there.

I'm normally a fairly early adopter with epic fantasy series, but The Lies of Locke Lamora was out for a couple of years before I picked it up and read it. Why was this? It received mostly positive reviews and it was a caper novel, something I love. At the time I was in the middle of a couple of epic fantasies and getting pretty hacked off at the waits between novels to find out what the resolution to the most recent installment's cliffhanger was. I heard rumours that The Lies of Locke Lamora was the first of seven planned novels in the series. Yikes! Then the positive reviews kept coming and the second book (Red Seas Under Red Skies) came out pretty promptly, so I took the plunge.

From the opening page I was plunged into Scott Lynch's vision of Renaissance Venice crossed with Dickensian London in Camorr. I roamed it's streets with Locke Lamora and his fellow Gentleman Bastards. I watched as he pulled a huge con job on everyone, the residents of Camorr, it's criminal overlord Capa Barsavi and the unsuspecting Don Salvara and his gorgeous wife Dona Sofia.

I shouldn't have really liked Locke. He's a cocky little bastard. There's a quote from his mentor Father Chains that sums him up perfectly: 'Someday Locke Lamora, someday you're going to fuck up so magnificently, so ambitiously, so overwhelmingly that the sky will light up and the moons will spin and the gods themselves will shit comets with glee. And I just hope I'm around to see it.'
The young Locke's response is: 'Oh please. It'll never happen.'
However it does happen and The Lies of Locke Lamora is largely the story of it.

I was so totally drawn in by this novel. I laughed and cried, I raged at the Grey King and I cheered Jean Tannen when he cut the Berangias sisters up with his twin hatchets so delightfully named the Wicked Sisters.

I loved The Lies of Locke Lamora so much that I reread it IMMEDIATELY after reading it the first time, and I NEVER do that. I cannot recommend it highly enough and I can't think that anyone would read it and not get something out of it.

The Lies of Locke Lamora - the final read along

All good things must come to an end and so it is with Little Red Reviewers read along of Scott Lynch's stunning debut The Lies of Locke Lamora. The questions have been provided this week by Lynn of Lynn's Book Blog. For all the 'virgins' out there I hope this has inspired you to read the second Gentleman Bastards adventure Red Seas Under Red Skies and maybe even reread The Lies of Locke Lamora like the rest of us have.

1. The Thorn of Camorr is renowned - he can beat anyone in a fight and he steals from the rich to give to the poor. Except of course that clearly most of the myths surrounding him are based on fantasy and not fact. Now that the book is finished how do you feel the man himself compares to his legend. Did you feel that he changed as the story progressed and, if so, how did this make you feel about him by the time the conclusion was reached?

The man behind the myth is very different to the legend. He shares some things in common, but I think the Locke readers see at the start of the book has grown as a man and learned some hard lessons by the end of it. I'd like to know when and how he created the Thorn, I think the Thorn embodies a lot of things Locke wishes he was. In some ways he's an idealised version of Locke.

2. Scott Lynch certainly likes to give his leading ladies some entertaining and strong roles to play. We have the Berangia sisters – and I definitely wouldn’t like to get on the wrong side of them or their blades plus Dona Vorchenza who is the Spider and played a very cool character – even play acting to catch the Thorn. How did you feel about the treatment the sisters and Dona received at the hands of Jean and Locke – were you surprised, did it seem out of character at all or justified?

What happened to the Berangias' sisters was totally justified, especially after what they did to Calo and Galdo and the obvious enjoyment they took in killing them and arranging them in a certain way. Every time I read that section of the book and Jean produces his wicked sisters and says "Wicked Sisters meet the Wicked Sisters." I get chills. Dona Vorchenza is a little different, she's probably even harder than the Berangias' girls in many ways. She got conned by a master conman, although I do confess to wincing when Locke punches her in the face. One female character I'd like to see more of is Dona Sofia, something very interesting about her.


3. Towards the end we saw a little more of the magic and the history of the Bondsmagi. The magic, particularly with the use of true names, reminds me a little of old fashioned witchcraft or even voodoo. But, more than that I was fascinated after reading the interlude headed ‘The Throne in Ashes’ about the Elderglass and the Elders and why their structures were able to survive even against the full might of the Bondsmagi – do you have any theories about this do you think it’s based on one of our ancient civilisations or maybe similar to a myth??

The Elders are interesting, they definitely had magic or technology that was extraordinarily resistent. They may have come from the old stories about alien civilisations being involved in certain happenings in our ancient history. I think I read somewhere that even Scott Lynch hasn't yet worked out a lot about the Elders and will hopefuilly work more of it out as he continues through the series.


4. We have previously discussed Scott Lynch’s use of description and whether it’s too much or just spot on. Having got into the last quarter of the book where the level of tension was seriously cranked up – did you still find, the breaks for interludes and the descriptions useful or, under the circumstances did it feel more like a distraction?

I've always loved the interludes. I thought the way they were used later in the book were excellent ways to give the readers more information about the city of Camorr was brilliant. The little fable about the game and how two men held a grudge throughout the years for one contentious umpiring decision was classic stuff. They gave the readers a chance to relax a little during the breakneck, high octane last section of the book.


5. Now that the book has finished how did you feel about the conclusion and the eventual reveal about the Grey King and more to the point the motivations he declared for such revenge – does it seem credible, were you expecting much worse or something completely different altogether?

It was understandable, and I never saw it coming. I did wonder about timing and ages and how the three of them survived and built their reputations, but they're minor quibbles and they may also be answered to an extent later on. The Grey King and his sisters may be dead, but I don't think it's the last time what they did will impact on Locke's life.


6. Were you surprised that Locke, being given two possible choices (one of which could possibly mean he would miss his chance for revenge on the Grey King) chose to go back to the Tower – especially given that (1) he would have difficulty in getting into the building (2) he would have difficulty in convincing them about the situation and (3) he would have difficulty in remaining free afterwards? Did anyone else nearly pee their pants when Locke and the rest were carrying the sculptures up to the roof garden?

It didn't really surprise me what Locke did. Locke is essentially a good bloke. He's as his title suggests a Gentleman Bastard. Honour is important to him, it was something instilled in him and his 'brothers' and 'sister' by Chains and something that he was trying to pass onto Bug as his protege. The scene with the sculptures is very tense, but I love the way that Dona Sofia breaks it up a little when one of the guards asks what happens if they drop one of them: "First we'd burn our hands, then we'd fall over senseless before we could take six steps, and then we'd be Gentled.And then we'd all feel very silly, wouldn't we?' Love the line and the character. Seriously I'd read a book about Sofia.



7. Finally, the other question I would chuck in here is that, following the end of the book I was intrigued to check out some of the reviews of LOLL and noticed that the negative reviews mentioned the use of profanity. How did you feel about this – was it excessive? Just enough? Not enough?

I read some of those and thought what? Most of the characters are essentially fantasy's version of the Goodfellas. They're a criminal underclass, of course they're going to swear and they're going to do it a lot. Swearing, even swearing a lot, is fine in a book if it fits the characters and the situation, it did in The Lies of Locke Lamora. I did feel it was out of place with the nobles, though. Fortunately with them it was kept to a minimum.



8. Okay one further, and probably most important but very quick question – having finished, will you pick up the sequel, Red Seas Under Red Skies?

I picked up Red Seas Under Red Skies as soon as I'd reread The Lies of Locke Lamora the first time, and that was immediately after reading it the first time. I haven't reread it as much as The Lies of Locke Lamora, but only one less time. So the answer from me is a resounding YES.

She by H. Rider Haggard

She by H. Rider Haggard is the first of the H's for the challenge and one of the genre's definite classics.

Sir Henry Rider Haggard is probably best known for his African adventure story King Solomon's Mines and the hero of that Allan Quatermain. In terms of recognition She probably isn't that far behind.

It's quite obvious when reading the book that Rider Haggard was the inspiration for a number of later writers, especially Edgar Rice Burroughs and his Tarzan, Haggard is however a far better writer than Burroughs. He did have the advantage of actually having some first hand knowledge of the African landscape, having lived in South Africa for some time, unlike Burroughs who simply made it all up, partially from having read writers like Haggard.

The story is told in first person, the conceit being that the author was presenting a mass of manuscript sent to him by an acquaintance who goes by the name of Ludwig Horace Holly, although he is generally referred to as Holly. It is an account written by Holly of a journey with Holly's loyal manservant Job and Holly's ward Leo Vincey. Leo is the last member of an extraordinary family that has a history in the wilds of Africa and is this history that the trio attempt to uncover.

They find a lost tribe who practice human sacrifice and worship a goddess they refer to as She Who Must Be Obeyed. This is the She of the title. A member of the tribe; Billali, guides Horace, Job and Leo to the lost city of Kor where She dwells. She is Ayesha, one of Leo's ancestors. She has lived for over 2,000 years and has always waited for the reincarnation of her long dead lover Kallikrates. Owing to Leo's resemblance to his ancestor Ayesha believes him to be Kallicrates returned.

Ayesha's insanity, jealousy and power eventually leads to her demise and the destruction of Kor itself. Only Holly and Leo are able to escape alive to tell the story.

She is a number of things, it's an adventure, a fantasy and a romance. Psychologist Carl Jung believed it was a commentary on the female psyche.

I can't say I really enjoyed the book. I could appreciate Haggard's descriptions of Africa, but having read a bit of this sort of stuff as a kid it wasn't anything new to me, and I felt that the author's I read improved on what Haggard did. He does action quite confusingly and I found it hard to connect with the characters. With the exception of Ayesha, who was the villain of the piece, they were relatively passive. Job was irritating and when Leo wasn't unconscious he was so bland and one dimensional that he may as well have been.

A lot of Ayesha's speech, and she talks a lot, was spoiled by the fact that she spoke a form of medieval Arabic which was interspersed with a lot of thees and thous that were fairly unnecessary and didn't add to the story in any way.

Edgar Rice Burroughs Tarzan books are similar in terms of the action, interestingly enough in parts so is Philip Jose Farmer's hamfisted bit of erotica A Feast Unknown. Katherine Neville's brilliant The Eight also deals with the concept of immortality through longevity, although it contains an explanation of sorts as to why one of it's characters lives forever and remains young.

Flashman at the Charge - Appendices and wrap up

Flashman at the Charge doesn’t quite finish with Harry’s arrival at the British customs post at Peshawar. The story does, but George MacDonald Fraser included a couple of appendices.

One is entitled Balaclava and concerns itself largely with the fateful and widely publicised Charge of the Light Brigade and who may or may not have started it. Fraser through his narrative obviously seems to believe it was Lew Nolan who initiated it in some sort of misguided grab for glory. Then (the book came out in 1973) as now, more than 150 years after the charge, debate still rages about it. Readers find out that both Raglan and Nolan never made it back to England. Nolan died in the charge and Raglan died sometime after of illness in the Crimea.

The second appendix covers Yakub Beg and Izzat Kutebar. George MacDonald Fraser had a knack for uncovering largely unknown footnote characters in history, giving them pivotal roles in his fictional hero’s life and bringing them back to life wonderfully well. Yakub Beg and his bandit friend Izzat Kutebar are two such characters. Beg was more important to the story and the region in general than Kutebar, who although colourful was largely still an opportunistic bandit, and Fraser expresses surprise that more isn’t known or reported about Yakub Beg, who in his opinion should be some sort of regional hero. The status of the Silk One is interesting. There is a historical record of Yakub Beg marrying the daughter of Ko Dali, a Chinese warlord, some years after the action described in Flashman at the Charge, and it’s very obvious that this is where the inspiration for the character of the Silk One came from, but she seems to be a largely fictional construct.

I find Flashman at the Charge the most satisfying of the early Flashmans. Despite weighing in at just over 300 pages it’s a big story. It’s really two books in one. The first book covers the Crimea and the famous charge and the second deals with interior Russia, Central Asia and Ignatieff’s scheme. It contains two of the more memorable characters from the series in Ignatieff, who is an excellent villain, and even better he’s a real person, even if I’m sure Fraser took considerable liberties with the character of the real man, and the Silk One, who as I have said could have stepped right out of the pages of an epic fantasy, and would have been a great heroine in a book of her own. It’s a shame that the original attempt to film Flashman as Royal Flash didn’t really work, because Flashman at the Charge would make a fantastic film, and I do hope that if the latest rumoured attempt with Michael Fassbender in the title role comes off, it is Flashman at the Charge that they film. There’s also some significant character growth from Harry himself. I felt this was encapsulated in his thoughts about young Willy’s demise and how his relatives may have felt about him if they’d known the boy better, as Harry did. Harry Flashman may have been Willy’s only real friend and the sad thing about that is that not even Harry knew it at the time. Flashman at the Charge also contains two highly amusing and action packed sequences, which have very little to do with a bawdy humour that categorised Royal Flash, and would translate well to film. Those sequences are the insane sleigh ride out of Russia and the assault on the Russian fort in which Harry played such a courageous role even if it was under the influence of a liberal amount of opium.

As Flashman at the Charge took me a little longer than I had anticipated to do and we're already into April I'll start Harry's 5th adventure; Flashman in the Great Game, in May. Join me here and see how Harry Flashman manages to mess up the Sepoy Mutiny.

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

I'd never actually read The Princess Bride. I'd seen the film a few times, but never read the book on which it was based.

Until I picked it up to read it fairly recently I thought the book was in fact an adaptation of the film, not the other way around. It may have been William Goldman's name that convinced me of this. Goldman has had a great career in Hollywood, he's written a number of books that have been made into films and also been involved with other big box office successes.

You start to get the impression that it's a huge joke just from looking at the cover. The copy I read is advertised as William Goldman's Hot Fairytale Classic. The book is summed up at the back in this way: 'What happens when the most beautiful girl in the world marries the handsomest prince in the world - and he turns out to be a son of a bitch?'

Goldman's introduction has to be read. In most cases to things like this you can skip the introduction, not The Princess Bride. William Goldman talks about how he encountered classic Florinese fairytale The Princess Bride by M. Morgenstern when his Florinese immigrant father read it to him, but didn't find out until years later when he gave a copy of the book to his son that his father had left out a lot of the original to make it more interesting for him. The joke is that there is and never has been any such place as Florin, William Goldman did not have a son (he had two daughters), and there is no such book in the world as The Princess Bride by M. Morgenstern. Goldman goes on to say that a lot of the Morgenstern version was dry satire on the European aristocracy, so he cut a lot out to produce his abridged version.

He manages to skillfully continue this conceit through most of the book, in fact the chapters that aligned more with the film than the fictional fairytale, were the least successful for me. William Goldman's italicised and parenthetical interludes were actually reminiscent of Terry Pratchett's footnotes. There was a lot of Pratchett in Goldman, or should that be the other way around.

If you've only ever seen the film The Princess Bride then you're doing yourself a great disservice if you don't read the book on which it was based. You'll come away with a totally different view of the cult classic and probably an enhanced, enriched experience.

Flashman at the Charge - Chapter 12

The 12th and final chapter of Flashman at the Charge is one where not a lot happens. It's really just a way of wrapping up the adventure.

Before that can happen though readers have to find out why Harry was so insanely brave in the previous chapter. Flashman himself wants the answer to that one. It bothers him, his cowardice is a part of him, it''s kept him alive many a time. The person best placed to answer this is the Silk One, she was the last person he saw before he turned into Harry the Brave.

As usual she skirts around issue, carrying on one of her seemingly nonsensical conversations with the kitten. Harry begs her to talk to him and not the cat, and she does. She refers again to the Old Man of the Mountain, she had asked Flashman about him before and Harry had admitted the name meant nothing to him. What the Silk One is referring to is Hassan el Sabbah, often referred to as the Old Man of the Mountains. He is covered in Fraser's notes. Hassan el Sabbah began the cult of the Assassin. They were originally known as hasheesheen which was altered to assassin. They were in the habit of taking opium before they killed. The Silk One was aware of this and even knew how to administer opium to produce the desired result.

She needed a brave Flashman to help Yakub Beg. Unlike many others Ko Dali's daughter knew Harry was a coward, she doesn't see it as a weakness, fear to her isn't necessarily that, all men have fear in them she says. However a cowardly Flashman wasn't going to get the job done against the Russians, so she put opium in Harry's kefir and his bravery at the fort was the result.

Harry leaves soon after and is given an Afghan escort by Yakub Beg. There's a rather poignant passage when they reach Kabul, and Harry goes through the British base at the city remembering events from Flashman. The book ends with Harry, dressed in full native costume, arriving at Peshawar trying to convince the British troops there that despite all appearance he is Colonel Harry Flashman of the 17th Lancers.

The Lies of Locke Lamora read along - week 4

Welcome to week 4 of Travels Through Iest's read along of The Lies of Locke Lamora, this week our questions come from SF Signal.
The action really heats up in this section of the book, so the questions become very intriguing. Please read on to see my impressions from the 4th part of The Lies of Locke Lamora.

1. In the chapter “A Curious Tale for Countess Amberglass” we
learn of the tradition of the night tea in Camorr. I found that not so
much fantastical as realistic – how about you?

The tea was in many ways to me reminiscent of the British custom of high tea. This was another example of 19th century Britain meeting Renaissance Venice, which was how I felt about the rather Faginesque character of the Thiefmaker at the start of the book. Having seen the marvellous Dame Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess in Downton Abbey I can’t help but picture her as Dona Vorchenza whenever I read this scene.

2. When Jean meets with what will become the Wicked Sisters for
the first time, the meeting is described very much like how people
feel when they find their true work or home. Agree? Disagree? Some of
both?

Oh yes, Jean’s first encounter with the Wicked Sisters was a real water shed moment for the character. This is where Jean realises exactly what his role with the Gentleman Bastards and Locke specifically will become. Some people are good at talking (Locke) and other people are good at hitting/killing things to make them shut up (Jean). There’s a quote from Jean at some point in the book (not sure if it’s been passed or not, so don’t want to spoil anyone by using it) which sums him up perfectly.

3. Salt devils. Bug. Jean. The description is intense. Do you
find that description a help in visualizing the scene? Do you find
yourself wishing the description was occasionally – well – a little
less descriptive?

Scott describes these scenes so viscerally and so well. I’m right in there with his description. I love the rawness of it. I’m also an arachnophobe, so my skin crawls when reading about the salt devils. I still love it. Less descriptive? Hell no! Admittedly I don’t think he could be more descriptive.

4. This section has so much action in it, it’s hard to find a
place to pause. But…but.. oh, Locke. Oh, Jean. On their return to the
House of Perelandro, their world is turned upside down. Did you see it
coming?

No, I never saw it coming. It hit me so hard. It hits me every time I reread the book, even though I know it’s coming. I couldn’t say it earlier, but that scene where they do their Liar/Bastard schtick before Locke impersonates the Grey King, it makes me cry. It’s the last time they’re ever all together as a group. It’s the last time they see each other alive. I hurt for Calo, Galdo and Bug…oh God especially Bug.

5. Tavrin Callas’s service to the House of Aza Guilla is recalled
at an opportune moment, and may have something to do with saving a
life or three. Do you believe Chains knew what he set in motion? Why
or why not?

Chains routinely taught all his ‘apprentices’ how to operate as various holy men. He may have felt Jean of them was best suited for Aza Guilla, but I don’t think he ever anticipated exactly how the service would be used. No one ever saw the Grey King coming. Even Chains, if he had seen it coming he would have warned them, and not cryptically. He knew he was going to make them damned good conmen, possibly the best even Camorr had ever seen, but this fight with the Grey King, he never saw that.

6. As Locke and Jean prepare for Capa Raza, Dona Vorchenza’s
remark that the Thorn of Camorr has never been violent – only greedy
and resorting to trickery – comes to mind again. Will this pattern
continue?

The Thorn of Camorr has never had to fight for his very existence before. Locke has the capacity for violence within him, but he generally doesn’t have the ability or the need to commit it. Locke is a cornered rat and cornered rats bite.

7. Does Locke Lamora or the Thorn of Camorr enter Meraggio’s
Countinghouse that day? Is there a difference?

The Thorn and Locke were separate entities when he was running the game. Locke kept them separate in his head, but there’s a lot of Locke in the Thorn and vice versa. By the time he has to go into Meraggio’s the Thorn and Locke are one and the same.

That was what I thought, I'll be intrigued to see what other people have to say.