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The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott LynchMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
It's really obvious that Scott Lynch has read and loved a lot of the same books that I have read and loved. Fritz Leiber's Lankhmar stories are probably the most obvious influence on this book. If you like your fantasy on the gritty side, but with anti-heroes who still know how to have fun, this book is worth a read. The characters are clever and their schemes are fun to watch.
The one thing that makes me less than totally glowing in my review is the book's treatment of its female characters. Don't get me wrong - Lynch's heart is clearly in the right place here. There are plenty of badass secondary female characters in the book, and they're badass in pleasantly diverse ways, from tough fighters to wily old ladies. However, the most intriguing female character in this book...never actually appears in the book. There are lots of references to Sabetha, but we never see her. Which serves to create the unfortunate impression that she exists primarily to lend a little tragic romantic backstory to Locke.
The second most intriguing female character gets killed off in order to motivate her much less interesting male relatives to vengeance. Bah.
Still, I hear the next book has a black middle-aged woman pirate, so I shall keep reading.
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