The Lies of Locke Lamora

[Farganger]

I enjoyed it, but I thought it was a bit long-winded. Whatever happened to careers in fiction editing?

Fantasy is notorious for being over-written and being twice as long as it needs to be, and I think Locke Lamora was a good example of it. It took me two tries to get into it, because I got distracted by faster moving novels and had to take it back to the library.

Agreed. I like the basic premise of the book, but haven't been able to get through it. It's a bit flabby.

My wife's in the writing business, and I think you have zeroed in on the problem. Whatever happened to editors indeed.

 

[jdsivyer]

I enjoyed it, but I thought it was a bit long-winded. Whatever happened to careers in fiction editing?

Fantasy is notorious for being over-written and being twice as long as it needs to be, and I think Locke Lamora was a good example of it. It took me two tries to get into it, because I got distracted by faster moving novels and had to take it back to the library.

I can't help but agree with you on this one. LLL was much longer than it ought to have been. I mean, it started off well and the premise is pretty good, but the writer's style just didn't do it for me that much, and by the end of the book I was glad it was over.

I REALLY wanted to like it, even love it, but I was quite disappointed. Bit to bloated, bit too fancy for it's own good, and the description of the city and it's inhabitants seemed a tad too cliched to me. I'm not talking cliched in a fantasy way, but more in a Victorian London (even Dickensian) kind of way.

And yes, it needs an editor

Not even remotely interested in reading the sequel.

 

[Krug]

Well I hope things change in the third book. With Locke being a cad, it seems double crosses are inevitable, but so much of the second book was similar to the first,

Spoiler

right down with Locke boasting to the mark, and the long, seemingly pointless and brief pirate career

.
In the next book,
[sblock]I expect them to go after the Bondsmagi, and Lynch to reveal why these ultra-powerful mages haven't taken over the world by now.
[/sblock]

 

[The Human Target]

I'm a big fan of both books.