A most satisfying read

I’m not going to be writing a lot of book reviews here for a number of reasons. (1) I really don’t have much of an interest in reviewing books. There are a lot of fabulous review sites out there and I really don’t feel the need to turn mine into another one. (2) It takes some time to properly review a book, and I’d rather, quite honestly, be doing something else.

But I will recommend books from time to time. (Hey, it’s my site, I can do what I want.)

I want to recommend The Lies of Locke Lamora.

There are lots of different reading experiences. Some tickle you on an intellectual level, like Philip K. Dick’s seminal masterpiece Valis. Others are page-turning puzzle-like mysteries, like pretty much anything written by Michael Connelly.

And some are just satisfying in a way that’s hard to describe.

The Lies of Locke Lamora is eminently satisfying.

The story centers on a young orphan who is sold to a fake priest and taught to become a thief. The story alternates between Locke as a young adult and his learning experiences under the guidance of Father Chains, the false priest who does not so much teach Locke as encourage and direct his incredible gift for bullshitting and creating elaborate — very elaborate — schemes to deprive the gentry of large quantities of money.

Locke and his band of Gentlemen Bastards are hip-deep in scamming one of the noblemen of the city of Camorr out of tens of thousands of gold crowns when a mysterious figure called the Gray King appears in the city and begins to murder various gang leaders who work for Capa Barsavi (the equivalent of a Mafia boss in Lynch’s world). Locke is dragged into a game of intrigue and double-crosses where he gradually realizes the stakes are greater than he ever could have imagined.

Locke and his friend Jean Tannen are absolutely fascinating characters, brought vividly to life by Lynch’s evocative (and at times laugh-out-loud) prose. The city of Camorr is another first-rate creation, a coastal city in a hot, humid climate with mysterious Elderglass skyscrapers left long ago by an advanced race that has since departed for regions unknown.

One of the best books I’ve read in quite a while. Highly recommended.