Book · 2006
The Lies of Locke Lamora
by Scott Lynch
A conman runs cons on the nobility of a canal city built from alchemical glass, until a rival gang decides to burn his crew down to the ground.
What does Reddit think of The Lies of Locke Lamora?
Ask r/Fantasy for a recommendation and this is what people type before finishing the rest of the sentence. Half the top-upvoted excerpts here are just the title, sometimes with an exclamation point, sometimes bare, no argument attached because none seems needed. When commenters do elaborate, two threads recur. One, an 529-upvote comment, credits the book with getting Scott Lynch real attention and high praise, then pivots straight into the series' reputation for missed deadlines and later entries delayed well past schedule. Two, an 604-upvote exchange argues over whether Locke even qualifies as genuinely "character driven," or whether that term describes prose style rather than reader investment, a distinction the thread treats as more interesting than the plot. r/suggestmeabook and r/booksuggestions rack up thousands of mentions between them without displayed commentary to match. The book is a name people drop, not one they unpack.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · Reflexive one-word recommendation
- · Series-delay fatigue
- · "Character driven" as a contested label
- · High mention volume without matching discussion
Common praise
- + Five of the eight most-upvoted mentions are just the title, dropped as the obvious answer to a recommendation thread.
- + One commenter credits the book with getting Scott Lynch real attention and high praise.
- + It comes to mind immediately for r/Fantasy regulars, per a 519-upvote one-line reply.
Common criticism
- − The same comment that praises the book pivots straight into how delayed the sequels have been.
- − A 604-upvote thread argues about whether Locke counts as "character driven" at all, not whether the book works.
- − r/suggestmeabook and r/booksuggestions rack up thousands of mentions with no visible argument behind them.
Who it's for
Want a heist plot with a con-man protagonist and prose that keeps moving. r/Fantasy treats this as the default answer for exactly that ask, repeatedly, with barely any elaboration required. Bothered by unfinished series? A 529-upvote comment is blunt about Scott Lynch's output since this book came out, so temper expectations about the rest of the story landing on time. Prefer arguing about craft over plot? The 604-upvote exchange about what "character driven" even means will interest you more than most reviews do.
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
- r/Fantasy 4,135
- r/suggestmeabook 2,841
- r/booksuggestions 1,392
- r/YAlit 105
- r/printSF 90
- r/RomanceBooks 14
- r/horrorlit 6
- r/TrueLit 2
Which Reddit comments matter for The Lies of Locke Lamora?
The most relevant excerpts across the subreddits where this book is mentioned — opinionated, argued takes first, then top-upvoted mentions. Click through to read the full thread.
“The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
“The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
“Standard disclaimer, read whatever you like, etc etc etc. Here are my suggestions: Beginners: * Mistborn * Howl's Moving Castle * The Hobbit Veterans: * The Black Company (ideally the first three at minimum) * Any discworld book * Assassin's Apprentice (and the rest of the series too maybe)…
“It sounds like you're approaching the term from a 'reader first' perspective, but the term is generally used to describe a writing style, irrelevant of the reader at the time. So it isn't that you shouldn't be invested in Locke as a character, just that your use of the term 'character driven' isn't…
“The Lies of Locke Lamora comes immediately to mind
“The Lies of Locke Lamora!
“Some of your points honestly don’t make sense to me. It makes me question how closely you read the story. If you go into a story setting it up for failure then you are probably not going to enjoy it. Another thing I see is that people take the series too literally in some respects. A great example…
“For me, the Lies of Locke Lamora
“I always thought Locke Lamora worked so well. Even if it sounds like a marvel name.
“The Lies of Locke Lamora would be my best suggestion. Brilliant book, and works very well as a standalone
“Tell him to check out the Lies of Locke Lamora while he waits.
“Must or Era 2 starts with "The Alloy of Law", which is just absurdly underrated. "Assassin's Apprentice" is a s*** name, and I wish they had gone with Robin Hobbs original plan of "Chivalry's B******", which is just so perfect. I also think "The Lies of Locke Lamora" is pretty great.
“Locke Lamora and Jean from the Gentlemen B******* are just top tier
“There’s a lot of talk of each Gentleman B******* book being worse than the last, but I thought Republic of Thieves was almost every bit as good as Lies of Locke Lamora. Loved it.
“The Lies of Locke Lamora. I *really* wanted to like that series, but I got like halfway through the second book and realized I just... didn't care. I didn't particularly resonate with any of the characters, so everyone being at least a little over-the-top felt tiresome.
Convinced? Pick up The Lies of Locke Lamora
Readers also mention
All books like The Lies of Locke Lamora →Books that share discussion threads with The Lies of Locke Lamora — counted from the comments, not curated.
The Lies of Locke Lamora — frequently asked
Is The Lies of Locke Lamora worth reading if the sequels aren't finished?+
Depends on your tolerance for waiting. A 529-upvote r/Fantasy comment says the book got Scott Lynch real attention and high praise, then notes his output on later books "has not been as prolific as it probably should be." The praise for this book stands on its own; the series completion is the open question.
What does Reddit think of The Lies of Locke Lamora?+
Favorably enough that people stop elaborating. Several of the most-upvoted r/Fantasy mentions are just the title, once with an exclamation point (497 upvotes), once as a flat statement (501), treated as an answer that doesn't need defending in a recommendation thread.
Is The Lies of Locke Lamora character-driven?+
Contested, per the one displayed excerpt that argues it out. A 604-upvote r/Fantasy comment pushes back on using "character driven" from a reader-investment angle, arguing the term describes a writing style rather than how attached you feel to Locke specifically.
Who is The Lies of Locke Lamora for?+
Readers who want a heist story dropped into a fantasy city, going by how consistently r/Fantasy names it in recommendation threads without needing to explain why. r/suggestmeabook and r/booksuggestions show similar volume, though without the same displayed detail behind the mentions.