Teaser: How much trouble could one scrawny homeless orphan be? Too much for anyone except an underground con man. He decides to purchase the orphan, and insures his investment by placing a death mark on him. The death mark, granted by the godfather of the underground, means that if the orphan disobeys or gets in someone's way, he can be killed without consequence. So the prophet takes the little orphan, Locke, under his wing and into his thieving brotherhood, the Gentlemen Bastards, to develop his 'trouble' into invaluable skills.
Fast forward several years, and Locke and his 'brothers' of the Gentlemen Bastards are the most successful tricksters in the city, and fortunately they are the only ones with that knowledge--until a man who calls himself the Grey King appears and Locke finds himself in the most trouble yet.
Short Thought: Beautifully rendered adventure. It has become one of my favorites.
Expanded Thoughts: I actually started out hating this book the first fifth of the way through. It was very hard to understand and plot lines were popping out everywhere. (As you may have guessed, I read for...LEISURE, not brain exercises.) I almost put it down and cut my losses.
Then, like it was a different novel altogether, it became wonderful. Think of a fantasy Ocean's Eleven, but deeper, smarter, and more interesting. The world that Scott Lynch has created is very interesting; and he isn't afraid to place REAL obstacles and tragedies in the main characters' ways. (My favorite thing about any author...)
It was also nice to read a 'masculine' (not about clothes, love, or sex) fantasy novel with depth. We get introduced to beyond witty and intelligent partners in 'crime' who have formed a life long friendship (reminiscent of the westerns my dad watches, or military mates). The pace is wonderful, and the humor is ACTUALLY hilarious. (Gasp!)
Additional Notes: This novel does contain scenes of a dark nature.
Additional Notes: This is the first book in The Gentlemen Bastard Sequence by Scott Lynch.
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