The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch

The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is not your usual crime caper. Locke Lamora and his partner Jean are the last remnants of an organized crime ring—in a fantasy world with a medieval setting. But, hey, I love crime novels and fantasy, so why not...

I've been waiting through two books for this, and it was worth the wait. We know from the very beginning of The Lies of Locke Lamora that his lost love, Sabetha, is central to ... well, everything. So finally, we meet her, and she is everything we expected.

Naturally, when they do finally meet, they're maneuvered into being on opposite sides...

The story takes place in three disjoint periods. We see the earliest days of Locke Lamora's memory, when he first meets (and loses) Sabetha.  Then there's the framing plot, in which Locke and the Gentleman Bastards (including the found-again Sabetha) are performing the play which give the novel its name, The Republic of Thieves, during which Locke and Sabetha become lovers. Finally, we have the latest installment of Locke's, and his sidekick Jean's, lives in which they're coerced into an odd political contest where they have to rig an election. Even though it would cost him his life, Locke might still have refused until told that Sabetha is working to rig the election the other way.

So far, the series isn't losing any steam.

Cast in Courtlight by Michelle Sagara

Cast in Courtlight by Michelle Sagara

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Not your usual police procedural. This is a Young Adult Fantasy with a Mystery plot.

I was a little trepidacious when I read Sagara's  own comment that the book had intended to focus on the Barrani court but had ended up investigating the relationship between Kaylin and Severn. "Ack! Another YA romance!" Fortunately, it didn't really turn out that way. It didn't turn out that way to such an extent that I can't figure out why the author felt she had to mention it...

While I'm not thrilled by Sagara's writing, I am thrilled by the story. I love the mix of fantasy and mystery. Given that they're two of the three main genres that I read, it's a natural fit for me. I enjoy the views of the different races, and their politics (of which we see much, despite Kaylin's professed dislike of politics), and hope to see more of the other races as the series continues.