Lies of Locke Lamora Part Two

Well things are certainly picking up in the Lies of Locke Lamora especially with the author Scott Lynch taking part by offering his notes from the creation of the book. Little Red Reviewer is herding an epic number of us so visit her blog for more opinions!

1) Do you think Locke can pull off his scheme of playing a Midnighter who is working with Don Salvara to capture the Thorn of Camorr? I mean, he is now playing two roles in this game – and thank goodness for that costume room the Gentlemen Bastards have!

Locke and his cohorts should have no problem pulling off his scheme since they seem to have trained extensively for this whole deception and disguises sort of thing and their smart control of the sitatuion – appearance at the dead of night – and method-acting is both bewildering and convincing. Anyway by adding layers of intrigue to the whole Lukas con he can confuse Don Salvara all the more. Unless somebody tells the Don about the deception. I liked the extensive wardrobe and make-up materials!

2) Are you digging the detail the author has put into the alcoholic drinks in this story?

A lot of effort has gone into the drinks and it adds to the world building but overall I’m not too interested in it. That said I do like the way that the properties of drinks can be manipulated by alchemy and I expect it to play a greater role in the plot.

3) Who is this mysterious lady Gentlemen Bastard Sabetha and what does she mean to Locke?

I have no idea who Sabetha is but she and Locke are in love with each other and it is one of those relationships where they will spend more time tearing bits out of each other rather than being honest. She’ll probably turn out to be a tsundere. I wonder what her part is in making the Secret Peace go up in flames. Chains has primed her for a crucial role.

4) Are you as creeped out over the use of Wraithstone to create Gentled animals as I am?

I thought it was a really nice detail and a substance that can present a great threat to anybody and everybody by robbing them of their will and personalities. And yes, I do find the stuff creepy but I can see its uses in a place as chaotic as Camorr. Just imagine the chaos an untamed animal might cause.

5) I got a kick out of child Locke’s first meeting with Capa Barsavi and his daughter Nazca, which was shortly followed up in the story by Barsavi granting adult Locke permission to court his daughter! Where do you think that will lead? Can you see these two together?

I would like to see them get married just to see how it complicates things. Although I didn’t detect any feelings beyond friendship I’m not sure how resistant Nazca is to the idea. Nor can I see how they can get out of the whole courtship/marriage thing as long as Capa Barsavi is alive. The two getting married would add a new layer of complication to things.

6) Capa Barsavi is freaked out over rumors of The Gray King and, in fact, us readers are privy to a gruesome torture scene. The Gray King is knocking garristas off left and right. What do you think that means?

This scene had blood. The situation gets “real” whenever blood appears.

7) In the Interlude: The Boy Who Cried for a Corpse, we learn that Father Chains owes an alchemist a favor, and that favor is a fresh corpse. He sets the boys to figuring out how to provide one, and they can’t ‘create’ the corpse themselves. How did you like Locke’s solution to this conundrum?

Very funny and inventive. A prelude to the sort of chap he’ll be. I’d add more but I’ve got to dash to another post.