"The Lies of Locke Lamora" read-along part 4

1. In the chapter “A Curious Tale for Countess Amberglass” we learn of the tradition of the night tea in Camorr. I found that not so much fantastical as realistic – how about you?

It was kind of funny actually… ‘cause I had just poured myself a cup of normal, Norwegian fruit-tea when I read about Doña Vorchenza and Doña Salvara’s midnight-tea. I envied them sooo much! It sounds so fantastic I’m not sure I’d be able to drink the tea before it got cold because I’d be too paralyzed by just staring at its glow… Why can’t they invent such a tea in real life?

2. When Jean meets with what will become the Wicked Sisters for the first time, the meeting is described very much like how people feel when they find their true work or home. Agree? Disagree? Some of both?

What Jean feels for the Wicked Sisters is somewhat similar to what a man might feel for his favorite dog… I find it both extremely cute and a bit disturbing that he has so much affection for a pair of deadly hatches. But it’s like he feels complete whenever he holds them… With absolutely no comparison to Sweeney Todd and his barbers knifes!

3. Salt devils. Bug. Jean. The description is intense. Do you find that description a help in visualizing the scene? Do you find yourself wishing the description was occasionally – well – a little less descriptive?

Yes, it’s intense descriptions, but that’s what I like! I mean, are you bothering to describe something at all, you might as well do it thoroughly. I especially remember the black blood spraying out of the Salt Devils covering all of Jean… Lovely! But seriously, it’s making the story more realistic, and it makes us as readers understand that things are never simple or easy. It’s not just to walk in there, wave your hatches and kill a bunch of Sea Devils, and then rescue Locke from a barrel of piss, without getting messy at all…

4. This section has so much action in it, it’s hard to find a place to pause. But…but.. oh, Locke. Oh, Jean. On their return to the House of Perelandro, their world is turned upside down. Did you see it coming?

I knew It was coming ‘cause I’ve read it before… But the first time I was practically in shock! I could not believe an author could do that to his own main characters. And the scene where Bug dies in Locke’s arms… I cried so hard.

“You brave little idiot. You brave, stupid little bastard. This is my fault, Bug, please… please say this is my fault.”
“No,” whispered Bug…

As much as I hate the fact that they got killed, It makes the story more exciting and it brings a great deal of change to the characters of Locke and Jean. Lynch has no limitations… absolutely anything can happen, and for that I both love and hate him!

5. Tavrin Callas’s service to the House of Aza Guilla is recalled at an opportune moment, and may have something to do with saving a life or three. Do you believe Chains knew what he set in motion? Why or why not?

I think he knew exactly what he was doing! Like it’s being said in the book several times, people tend to see the badge/clothes rather than the face. This knowledge is extremely helpful to Locke and Jean whenever they want to disappear. And a locked door can soon be unlocked for a priest of the Twelve…

6. As Locke and Jean prepare for Capa Raza, Dona Vorchenza’s remark that the Thorn of Camorr has never been violent – only greedy and resorting to trickery – comes to mind again. Will this pattern continue?

Gentlemen Bastards… That’s what they are: Gentlemen. Or were… The Grey King litteraly split the Gentlemen Bastards, so in some way only the Bastards remain. They were family. When someone does something awful to your family you simply don’t say: “No problem, its OK.” I’m normally not for vengeance, but that grey scum and his Bondsmage pet decerves anything Locke and Jean can come up with… I know what they’ll do, and all I can tell you is that you simply can’t wait to read it! Its an endgame totally worthy a Gentleman Bastard…

7. Does Locke Lamora or the Thorn of Camorr enter Meraggio’s Countinghouse that day? Is there a difference?

That is truly a good question… It’s sort of like Batman and Bruce Wayne. Rachel tells Bruce that his true identity is Batman and the rich playboy-face of Bruce Wayne is his mask… But as for Locke, you got to think about the fact that even “Locke” is a costume. We don’t even know his true name. All we really know about him happened after he came in the care of the Thiefmaker. I think that deep down inside he really is the Thorn of Camorr. I also believe that’s what Chains discovered during Locke’s time as an apprentice. Locke will never go so far as believing or acknowledging it, but that really proves my point. Locke is the Thorn even though he does not believe it himself, but Jean knows.

“I need your wits, Locke. I need the Thorn of Camorr.”
“Let me know when you find him. He’s a fucking fairy tale.”
“He’s sitting here in this boat with me. If you’re not him now, you must become him. The Thorn is the only one who can beat the Grey King. I can’t do it alone; I know that much.”

This book is actually about Locke’s journey to accept who he really is. Only then can he win. The incident in the Countinghouse I somehow consider as Locke doing just that. Just think about it. At first he gives lying a half-hearted try. When that doesn’t work he tries to tell the truth. When even that fails he must roam his brain for something utterly brilliant. That’s when the Thorn shows up…

"The Lies of Locke Lamora" read-along part 3

"I don't have to fight you and I don't have to run." He grinned wildly. "I just have to keep you here... until Jean gets back." 

[...]  

"You just keep hitting. I can take it all day. You just keep... hitting me... until... Jean gets back!"

It's week three of the Lies of Locke Lamora read-along ... and I've already read far too much! Ok, I've not finished the book compleatily, just read a couple of pages (or more like 50) more than we were supposed to. Pleas don't be angry! It's just so much fun :) Anyway, this weeks questions was provided by My Awful Reviews, so let's just get started!

1. This section is where we finally get to sneak a peek at the magic in The Gentleman Bastards books. From what we read, what are your initial impressions of the magic Lynch is using? Is there any way that Locke and Company would be able to get around the Bondsmage's powers?

I like the idea that magic exists in their world, but they can't use it unless they're a part of the almighty, highly selective and even more secretive group of Bondsmage. From what we've seen so far the sort of things they can do is not as much making-a-feather-fly-by-the-flick-of-a-wand sort of thing as much as controlling-your-mind-by-simply-staring-at-you! For those of you who have read Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, you understand just how difficult and amazing the Falconer's abilities are. He's sort of super-creepy and fascinating at the same time... This time I honestly don't think Locke quite knows what (and who) he's up against...

2. Not a question, but an area for rampant speculation: If you want to take a stab at who you think the Grey King might be, feel free to do it here. 

An insanely wealthy someone who doesn't particularly like Capa Barsavi.

2.5 (since 2 wasn't really a question) Anyone see the Nazca thing coming? Anyone? Do you think there are more crazy turns like this in store for the book? Would you like to speculate about them here? (yes, yes you would)

I actually did not remember that from the first time I read the book! My brain is similar to the one of a goldfish, that's common knowledge, but I've been able to recall most of the storyline until now. So the answer must be: No, I did not see that coming. And yes, I definitely think there will be more turns like this! That's the fantastic thing about Lynch: It's utterly impossible to guess how his brain works, so I never quite know what to expect. Whenever I think I've got it figured out and have the story under control, he does something completely unexpected that makes me sit there with a big "What?" written all over my face! I hate it, and it drives me crazy, but that's what I love so much!

3. When Locke says "Nice bird, arsehole," I lose it. EVERY TIME. And not just because I have the UK version of the book and the word arsehole is funnier than asshole. Have there been any other places in the books so far where you found yourself laughing out loud, or giggling like a crazy person on the subway?

MANY! I think I mentioned it before, but I had to stop reading at the bus because of the possibility of sudden outbursts of laughter. It's even more funny this time around, because now I know what's going to happen next and laugh at almost anything. The scene where young Jean punches young Locke is fantastic. My sister actually demanded to know why I was grinning like a fool for an entire chapter! And of course all the scenes with Locke and the Falconer is a work of magic. Literary.
("I cannot tell you," said the sorcerer, "what a weight it is upon my conscience to learn that we might loose your gracious acceptance.")
And Bug is the very clown of the story, which is proven by comments like:
"Look at me," he said with his mouth half full, "I'm worth more with every bite!"
And the "Liar." "Liar!" "BASTARD!" sequences are just the very definition of the Gentlemen Bastards. (Me and my sister has been quoting this all day, cracking up in laughter like lunatics, and were of course totally misunderstood by everyone else!)
And the list could go on and on...
("You've got that motherly concern in your eyes, Jean. I must look like hammered shit.""Actually you look like you were executed last week...")
The list of small jewels like these is endless, and I think that's the reason this book is not as dark and engrossing as the plot should indicate.

4. By the end of this reading section, have your opinions changed about how clever the Bastards are? Do you still feel like they're "cleverer than all the rest?" Or have they been decidedly outplayed by the Grey King and his Bondsmage?

Locke is clever. There's no doubt about it. He's just not had to deal with people like the Grey King before, and definitly not with a sorcerer. According to me, the King is cheating by letting a Bondsmage handle all the hard work for him. I believe Locke to be the cleverest of the two of them, but he has not yet realized the depths of his wits... It's always come natural to him. It says he was born to steal and con and trick people. He hasn't had to work for it in the way Jean had. But now he suddenly finds himself in a situation where he has to do better than his usual brilliance. He's got to step it up or risk getting stept on...

5. I imagine that you've probably read ahead, since this was a huge cliffhanger of an ending for the "present" storyline, but I'll ask this anyway: Where do you see the story going from here, now that the Grey King is thought to be dead?

Like I confessed, I've read ahead all right! But in my defense, I already knew what was going to happen anyway. But what I can say is: according to good storytelling, things always have to get worse before they can get better...

6. What do you think of the characters Scott Lynch has given us so far? Are they believable? Real? Fleshed out? If not, what are they lacking?

In short: I love them! In my opinion they, especially the Gentlemen Bastards, are so realistic and believable I almost consider them my friends whom I can not visit since they live in the non-excising city of Camorr. I admire the amount of detail Lynch has put into creating every single character. Accent, hair-color, clothes, style, behavior, humor and personality... It's all there. My favorites are Locke and Jean. The way the two of them are so individual and yet so dependent on one another is fascinating, and their friendship is just, i dont know... real? I think the biggest compliment I could give Lynch is that it feels like his characters are making their own choices. That they are the ones deciding how it's all going to end.

7. Now that you've seen how clever Chains is about his "apprenticeships," why do you think he's doing all of this? Does he have an endgame in sight? Is there a goal he wants them to achieve, or is it something more emotional like revenge?

Hm... in fear of saying too much I'm not going to guess to much here. I'm just going to say that I think he formed the Gentlemen Bastards to train them to be the perfect thieves he always wanted to be. By learning them how to avoid the mistakes he'd done... He wants to create the perfect thief...

Look forward to next weeks reading! It will be action-packed!

A perfect hideaway

All right. We all have to face it from time to time. The world really is a mess and it moves way too fast. So, what do we all do about it? How do we handle it in our everyday life? Where do we go to take a break? And by that I don't mean what to do as much as where to do it. "But," you say, "That's an extremely subjective question." True. That's why I clearly can't answer for no one but myself.

First thing I would think of when I hear the word hideaway would probably be our cabin in Frafjord. It's quiet, clean, cosy... and quite desolate. We don't know any of the approximately hundred people living there, it's located in a valley between to huuuuuge mountains and it's by the ocean. The very definition of peaceful and quiet. So isolated that the world seems like mere background-noise. A place to just be. But since it requires an approximately one and a half hour drive to get there, clearly I can't go there daily.

The next answer would probably be cinema. I love the feeling of a movie theater. The way every centimeter of it screams out promises of adventure and wonder. I love sitting there in the dark, noticing how emotions travel invincibly from the screen to the audience and then continue among the audience itself. The only hinder is the steep price required to gain a two-hour access card to this place of wonder.

In my case the words cinema and library are very closely related. In Stavanger they're situated in the same building. A library contains the entire world in miniature, and are therefore also considered as a wonderful place. It would be a perfect hideout if it weren't for the highly uncomfortable chairs and sofas and the fact that they're almost always occupied.

"In that case," you might say, "I know your answer's got to be your bedroom." And yes, it almost is. My room is truly tiny with a lot of books covering the walls. The only place one can sit down is on my bed. And in my bed, with my back against the wall, my right side hidden by a wardrobe, my left side covered by a gigantic window and my face gazing upon my book-shelves, I am almost as comfortable as I can ever get. The problem is that my walls are very thin, and I never feel as though I'm truly alone if one of my siblings are home.

Which leads me to only one possible conclusion: Our kitchen-table. It's wired, I know! Honestly, it's the very centre of the house. Surrounded by the kitchen, our living-room and the stairs to the second floor you have to work really hard not to walk past it more than twice in an hour. Still it's the place I feel like I can be truly left alone... Why? I don't know. A probable explanation is that it's never really a destination in itself, only something people have to pass by while transporting themselves to another place. It's almost a little free-corner of one times one and a half meter owned and used solely by me. I eat here, read good books, do some of my homework, write blog entries (such as this one) and watches movies av tv-series here. All alone. This is my place to be. To recharge. My perfect hideaway.

"The Lies of Locke Lamora" read-along part 2

Another Lamora-week! Between school, friends, filmmaking and editing, I only barely managed to finish this week's chapters... But I did, and I loved them! (I knew I would, but I realized that my brain does not contain a very detailed long-term memory.) Anyway, I am now ready to deliver my tribute to this week's questions provided by Dark Cargo. But I have to warn those of you who have not read the book (and plan to do so) or are not participating in the read-along or : there will be spoilers!


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!

(Oh! How I would love to visit their costume room! Mini-heaven...)
Locke is the sort of guy you could place in any given corner of the world and he would make himself comfortable in a matter of seconds, and given a few hours he'd probably already have altered his appearance, made a fake identity and be very busy making people give away their money willingly without even the faintest idea that they were being robbed in broad daylight.

I've got the feeling that it's a very long distance between the limits of what he can and can not do. Although, he has indeed got some limits. After all, he's just human...

One of the things about Locke's character that captivates me is his absolute faith in his own abilities and the things he's doing. He knows what he's capable of, yet he knows he's never alone. He'd actually have been killed quite a few times already had id not been for the other Gentlemen Bastards.


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

Well... not really that interesting. But it's cool that he has made up a whole new set of drinks for his imaginary-world just like he made a bright new religion with twelve gods and such...

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

Yes, who indeed? Here I must be careful not to say too much... But it's quite obvious that they have a history, and that Locke still loves her. The question is: What on earth did Locke do that made her run off just like that and not even try to make contact for several years? It has to be Locke's doing... Or else it wouldn't be such a touchy subject I figure?


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

I love animals. I even grew up among them... (Lived on a farm until I was eight years old, and now I have a cat that practically lives in my bed.) So naturally I find it extremely creepy that the animals in the book can be altered to have no personality at all. That would be both sad and boring. I'm glad such things as a Wraithstone does not exist.


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?

One answer: NO. They are just too similar actually... They are good friends, and that's how it should be.

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?

It means that there are two people in Camorr that don't underestimate the power of a good disguise. Locke is not alone... Found his like? Overpowered? Outsmarted? Wait and see!

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?

Chains has learned him to think through and plan in detail so that nothing can go wrong. Locke did just that, only he took it up a notch and was brilliant at it! He is not only a thief, but an artist... He's an actor who take pride in what he does. Clever little bastard :)

Want some good treats? Head over to the Live Journal of the author himself...

"The Lies of Locke Lamora" read-along part 1

At the end of last week I quite accidentally started to re-read one of my absolute favorite books, The Lies of Locke Lamora. Honestly, I only know one single person that has ever shown interest in the book, and that's my sister.
It has always puzzled me that neither the book nor the author is not known and famous world wide, but suddenly I discovered I wasn't alone as a big fan of the books.

I work at a book-store, and while at work I was supposed to find the ISBN-number of The Lies of Locke Lamora so that we could order it. I than found myself looking at nothing less than the web journal of none other than Scott Lynch, the very author of the book.
When I came home I read through most of his resent posts, and I was very pleasantly surprised to learn that a lot of book-bloggers had just started a read-along of the first book!

Naturally I joined, and below is (though a little bit too late) my first post concerning the read-along...
There are a lot of participants to this particular read-along all over the internet, but here you at least have the host-blogs:

The Little Red Reviewer
Dark Cargo
SF Signal
My Awful Reviews

And like I said, even the author has thrown himself into the game together with us to share a lot of background-information!


1. If this is your first time reading The Lies of Locke Lamora, what do you think of it so far? If this is a re-read for you, how does the book stand up to rereading?

Like I said, it's a re-read, but it has been a long time, so there are a great many details I don't remember from the first time. This is also the first time i read it in english. Back in 2010, the only copy I had was in Norwegian. (My native language in case you wondered. And yes, I do in fact live in the cold and wet, yet beautiful country named Norway.)
After finishing Read Seas Under Red Skies (the second book in the series) last week, I just had to experience the first book in its original form. Scott Lynch is such a brilliant storyteller and the fluidity of the language that he masters so brilliantly got somehow lost in translation. I never regretted the purchase of my english copy.
When it comes to reading it for the second time, I think the book is actually better somehow than the first time! Perhaps it's because I know what's going to happen and it makes me grinn with expectation :)


2. At last count, I found three time lines: Locke as as a 20-something adult, Locke meeting Father Chains for the first time, and Locke as a younger child in Shades Hill. How are you doing with the Flashback within a flashback style of introducing characters and the world?

Honestly, I don't remember how I felt about it the first time i read it... But I love parallell stories and actually enjoy the mild confusion it always brings. Getting to know the grown up Locke and simultaneously learning where he came from and why he ended up on the doorstep of Father Chains is brilliant! It somehow unravels the secrets and mysteries layer by layer...


3. Speaking of the world, what do you think of Camorr and Lynch’s world building?

I have never been a fan of endless descriptions of places and views. For example The Lord of the Rings has a great deal to much of that for my taste... (Though I love the book!) That being said, I don't think this book has got too much of it, just enough for me as a reader to picture the city of Camorr in my mind.
And truly, that is indeed a peculiar city! Hanging of kids, entertainment containing jumping sharks and armed men and women, a secret peace that keeps the "police" from turning in the citys criminals... and in the midst of this caos we find our little gang of thieves and con-men going under the name the "Gentlemen Bastards".
It's a hideous place with horrible rules, yet it's beautiful and enchanting with a touch of mystic about it. Honestly, it's so vivid and real I almost feel like it does exist somewhere in the world not yet discovered. And it's definitely the best setting Lynch could ever find to put Locke Lamora into!


4. Father Chains and the death offering. . . quite the code of honor for thieves, isn’t it? What kind of person do you think Chains is going to mold Locke into?

I know, I know! And frankly I can't wait to see it happen! I am not going to spill any details for those of you who are reading it for the first time, but I can say one thing: Locke Lamora is one of the very few protagonists that has become my favorite person in the book they appear in.


5. It’s been a while since I read this, and I’d forgotten how much of the beginning of the book is pure set up, for the characters, the plot, and the world. Generally speaking, do you prefer set up and world building done this way, or do you prefer to be thrown into the deep end with what’s happening?

Like I said, I'm no fan of long descriptions, and usually I want to be put right into toe midst of it all. But somehow I consider the start of this book as a very good disguised of doing just that. Just think about it...
The first time we ever get to hear the name Locke is on the first page when he has already done something so awful that the Thiefmaker has to kill him if father Chains won't have him. If that isn't starting off on a high note, I don't know what is?


6. If you’ve already started attempting to pick the pockets of your family members (or even thought about it!) raise your hand.

Well, I have to plague innocence at that point... Although, it did strike me what scams I could play my best fried on the 1st of April had I possessed Locke's ability to lie so convincingly he almost believes it himself sometimes!

And she's done it again...

Somehow I'm incapable of keeping just one blog... I've tries so many times, and each time I really think that this is it, this is the blog I will keep and continue to feed with a constant stream of posts. But that is not the case, unfortunately. This is in fact my 9th. But do not panic! I think this one will actually last. At least as long as I can find something (un)interesting to share from the depths of my brain, which is mostly always.

In case you were wondering what you are about to find in this particular site, I must honestly tell you I have no idea? I mean, I am no model, don't know much about fashion, can't take professional photos, can definitly not cook, am no expert at music and I don't think I am unusually funny... That leaves me with what?

Do I like movies, you ask? Oh, I love them I dear say! I can not even start to describe all the fantastic experiences I've had in a cinema, or in my bed with just my mac, or in front of our beautiful TV in the living room or... Ok, I will stop right there and save it for later. You got my point I guess?

My other area of interest will, no doubt in my mind, be described by some of you as rather geeky. The funny thing is I know you're right! And I'm quite proud of it anyway! I can even shout it at you. I love books! And by that I mean that my 3 x 2,5 meters bedroom is filled with no less than six bookshelves in different sizes containing my private collection consisting of 371 books and 107 films. Honestly, I'm not bragging or anything, It's just a simple way to start to describe who I am.

Did you know I learned to horseback ride by reading? When I finally tried it in real life it actually worked!

I'm also a self-taught filmmaker, actually... University-books concerning directing and such are quite helpful. Who would know?

Well, I command myself to stop blabbering right now, or this post will no doubt have the capacity to stretch on until you finally get bored. Better to stop now and come back later...

If you're still reading I dare to hope I will be seeing you around sometime?

:)