Zealot Script

When a group of fantasy nerds get together and start the inevitable discussion of favourite fantasy novels The Lies of Locke Lamora gets mentioned. It picked up nominations for the World Fantasy, British Fantasy and Locus awards for best novel on publication in 2007, and has been on my reading list since then. Having finally got round to it in 2025 my overriding thought on finishing it was “Why did I wait so long?”. If you take nothing else away from this review, just know that I finished the book and immediately ordered the next two books in the trilogy.

Some of this will sound like it falls too “trope-y”, so bear with me! The eponymous Locke is a classic protagonist, the outrageously talented orphan who immediately shows up his elders and betters before getting into enough trouble that a benevolent mentor trains him to point his skills in the right direction. He fits the more modern stereotype of being smarter, but not stronger, than everyone else, relying on his friends, Jean and the Sanza twins when any kind of muscle is needed.

Together with Father Chains, his mentor, and Bug, the newest apprentice, they form “The Gentlemen Bastards” a group of thieves. The group masquerade as common thieves, paying their modest dues to the local crime lord, all the while amassing a much greater fortune as conmen, defrauding the nobility out of wealth unimaginable, all for the fun of the game.

It’s a great premise and each and every one of the characters is well written and compelling. The story really gets going when things, obviously, start to go wrong for Locke and his little crew. With my normal policy of avoiding spoilers I won’t write anything more about the plot, because one of the things that make this book so beautiful is the elegantly crafted schemes with multiple players making moves and counter-moves to gain the upper hand. Following Locke traversing the ups and downs is very simply an amazing ride, a rollercoaster of a ride.

Unlike some of the recent books I’ve read, that explore classic “what-ifs” of science fiction, or something more complicated and borderline metaphysical, this is a straight fantasy adventure and a great one. At its core, it’s a heist book. Clever people trying to outmatch each other, an underdog taking on the establishment, magic and sword fights and final gambits in desperate situations. The Lies of Locke Lamora has it all. This review will be short one as all the great things I want to tell you about are best experienced yourself, just go read the book. If you’re reading fantasy book reviews on a site like Zealot Script, then I won’t be the first person to tell you this. Take the advice this time, and enjoy the ride.