The Republic of Thieves - Scott Lynch

The Republic of Thieves

By Scott Lynch

  • Release Date: 2013-10-08
  • Genre: Epic Fantasy
4.5 Score: 4.5 (From 723 Ratings)

Description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A bright new voice in the fantasy genre” (George R. R. Martin), acclaimed author Scott Lynch continues to astound and entertain with his thrillingly inventive, wickedly funny, suspense-filled adventures featuring con artist extraordinaire Locke Lamora. And The Republic of Thieves is his most captivating novel yet.
 
NAMED ONE OF PASTE’S BEST FANTASY BOOKS OF THE DECADE

With what should have been the greatest heist of their career gone spectacularly sour, Locke and his trusted partner, Jean, have barely escaped with their lives. Or at least Jean has. But Locke is slowly succumbing to a deadly poison that no alchemist or physiker can cure. Yet just as the end is near, a mysterious Bondsmage offers Locke an opportunity that will either save him or finish him off once and for all.
 
Magi political elections are imminent, and the factions are in need of a pawn. If Locke agrees to play the role, sorcery will be used to purge the venom from his body—though the process will be so excruciating he may well wish for death. Locke is opposed, but two factors cause his will to crumble: Jean’s imploring—and the Bondsmage’s mention of a woman from Locke’s past: Sabetha. She is the love of his life, his equal in skill and wit, and now, his greatest rival.
 
Locke was smitten with Sabetha from his first glimpse of her as a young fellow orphan and thief-in-training. But after a tumultuous courtship, Sabetha broke away. Now they will reunite in yet another clash of wills. For faced with his one and only match in both love and trickery, Locke must choose whether to fight Sabetha—or to woo her. It is a decision on which both their lives may depend.

Praise for The Republic of Thieves
 
“Fast paced, fun, and impossible to put down . . . Locke and company remain among the most engaging protagonists in fantasy.”Publishers Weekly (starred review)
 
The Republic of Thieves has all the colorful action, witty repartee, and devious scheming that fans of the series have come to expect.”Wired
 
“A fantasy world unique among its peers . . . If you’re looking for a great new fantasy series this is one you won’t want to miss. . . . In a word: AWESOME!”SF Revu

Reviews

  • Doesn’t stand on its own feet

    4
    By Zach7277
    Locke is a very well written character and this book has a tall task of standing up to the first, which was an excellent read. The second book was a little convoluted, but eventually found a foothold and sort of made it all worth it despite the ending being what it was leading into this installment. This felt like eating a steak that was 90% fat. The bits that were real meat were real meat, but there’s so much to wade through. One of the things that I both like and dislike about the fantasy genre is that authors want to make a point. This book took two parallel timelines and 20 minor characters to drive a point home when all I wanted was the resolution to about five characters relationships to one another. It was all worth it because of the fantastic character work that is done with the main characters, but I don’t need all the fluff that isn’t integral to what’s taking place. I enjoyed it, but I don’t know that I would have read it knowing where it ends or without being invested in the characters.
  • Not great

    1
    By Languid5
    I only read this book because the first two were good. I felt like this could’ve been made into two books just like the second in the trilogy. The writer is great I just felt like this book was almost a different genre than the first two books. Almost a romance novel with some political intrigue thrown in. Wouldn’t recommend.
  • Not Horrible but Disappointed

    3
    By Scdundas
    I wanted to like this so much, yet I felt so disappointed by the end. This could have been the grand finale to an excellent trilogy, but felt as if it lost it's sense of direction. If it wasn't for the fact that it is directly tied to the second novel and pretty much required to finish that story, then I'd skip this one.
  • Disappointing

    3
    By Corylovesgolf11
    First book was outstanding. Last two were unfocused, cluttered and too ambitious. First book had a strong story line and excellent character development. Last two have ludicrously complicated story lines and weak character portrayal. Author should have used the same recipe for his second two books and kept it simple yet detailed. The plots were so convoluted and various that he had to conclude them superficially. Very dissatisfying.
  • So-so at best

    3
    By Juan P. Munoz
    I know most of the reviews here are 5 stars. However, I think this is a 3 at best. Withouht getting into the plot here are the prows and cons. Pros: Interesting premise, fairly good plot. A few of the pranks were genuinley funny. Cons: Structure is terrible constantly going from present to past every chapter. Only way I got over that was skipping the one and then coming back to it. The political intrigue was childish and lazily written. Any political intruge was based on bribing instead of genuinely interesting cat and mouse games or chess moves.
  • The Republic of Thieves

    5
    By Gevorah
    I found the book not only attention grabbing but a fun for all fantasy built on a kind of reality so familiar yet foreign. I can't wait to see what happens in the next installment.
  • Gradual

    5
    By 207 Hotshots
    The book felt slow to begin with after reading the first 2 books, but wow does it really pick up. Now I have to wait months for The Thorn of Emberlain!
  • Absolutely Disappointing

    1
    By mr.brandonsommer
    It's as if Lynch's editor was just happy to receive a document with the required word count. Scott, fire your editor and go back to the group who helped you edit your first book. Think about throwing most of this book away and try again. And leave out the BS about Locke's origin. A real editor would've never let that fly. You can do better.
  • More amazing plots and schemes.

    4
    By Kon 2
    Great ride of a book. Glad to see Lynch can still keep me on the edge of my seat while leaving me thirsting for the next entry in the series.
  • Red

    4
    By Keschelle74
    It was a good read, but, nothing will compare to the first book...in my opinion! Loved the series and also eager to discover how Locke will meet his demise! Also, will Jean fall in love again?

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