Review: The Republic of Thieves

The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch

My rating: 5 of 5 stars




I cannot say enough good things about Scott Lynch's wonderful third installment in his Gentleman Bastards series. While I love a well-written fantasy novel or series, I have typically avoided the thief/assassin subgenre as being not for me.

These books are for everyone.

They are George R. R. Martin meets Ocean's Eleven. They are sly, smart, profane and completely entertaining.

This book in particular strikes a vital balance that I wasn't sure if Lynch would pull off. At last, we have an appearance by Locke's absent beloved, Sabetha, who has only been referred to in previous books. She has to be something special to be worthy of Locke's fixation, and Lynch risks her worth by making her the opponent in a game of election rigging that comprises most of the action of the book. Locke has to be bested by Sabetha as often as he bests her, or this little contest risks shredding the audience's disbelief in one way or another.

But Scott Lynch absolutely nails the dynamic between the two in a way that is both exciting and rings true. Sabetha is more fully-formed than I had dreamed she would be, from the hints in the first two books.

I am not sure how I will wait for the next installment of this series.



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