LIFE IMITATES ART | ‘Republic Of Thieves’ Book Review
Watch your back and trust no-one: this is politics and theatre.
‘Republic Of Thieves’ is the third fantasy novel by Scott Lynch in 'The Gentleman Bastard Sequence'. It picks up the epic tale of thief and con-man Locke Lamora, and his partner in crime Jean Tannen, as they recall skills learned as travelling actors during childhood play politics in a city where nothing is as it seems.
The parallel storylines in ‘Republic Of Thieves’ follow one of Locke’s childhood lessons with the Gentleman Bastards, and his current predicament after being poisoned in ‘Red Seas Under Red Skies’. These two plots intertwine beautifully, with earlier lessons resurfacing in the present, preventing a very long book from ever becoming stale.
Young Locke’s flashback adventures with the Gentleman Bastards (including, by the way, the elusive Sabetha) as part of a travelling theatre troupe show Locke at his most human and likable. He’s a fumbling, bumbling, inept little boy trying desperately to navigate the adult world and watching him grow into a leader is nothing short of endearing.
In the present timeline, Jean is scrambling to save Locke from his apparently fatal poisoning. All hope seems lost when the duo are offered a deal by an unexpected party: a bondsmagi wants them to rig a two-party election. She will only cure Locke in exchange for his commitment to leading her party to victory.
There is one catch: the individual responsible for securing the opposing party’s success is none other than Sabetha herself.
By placing relationships and the associated tension at the centre of his story, Lynch no longer requires obvious life-and-death stakes to make his story engrossing. No-one needs to die for everything to go horribly wrong, and it’s not just Locke and Sabetha whose unstable relationship is on the line. Locke’s new bondsmagi patron is a standout character who is connected to the Gentleman Bastards in unexpected ways, and her relationships are no less fraught.
Political intrigue is also a worthy substitute for the cash-grab cons Locke and Jean have previously been infamous for. The mechanics of brilliant schemes with stunning reveals remain the same, however now the Gentleman Bastards are stealing votes and conning politicians.
After a brief reprieve from overall world-building in ‘Red Seas Under Red Skies’, ‘Republic Of Thieves’ once again reminds the reader that Locke’s world rests uneasily on the ashes of an older, stranger civilisation.
There is something bigger simmering malevolently beneath the whole story, until the closing pages when boiling point is reached with stomach-churning efficiency. The end is not the end; the wheels in the ‘Republic Of Thieves’ continue turning long after the curtain falls on the grand election show, promising a devastating encore.
And finally, readers are treated to a woman in a leading role equal to that of Locke Lamora… but she’s boring. If this is what happens when Lynch puts women centre stage, it would be better if he continued his usual practice of leaving them in the wings. Sabetha is vain, selfish, cruel and one-dimensional.
Compared to the unique, diverse, intensely real women Lynch has introduced us to previously, Sabetha is a stock-standard fantasy heroine. In addition to being a genius thief and con artist, she’s slim and well-proportioned and pale and so beautiful that everyone makes a pass at her, reinforcing the tired archetype that every fantasy reader has encountered time and time again: the most important thing for a leading lady to be is conventionally pretty.
It simply wouldn’t do for Sabetha to be short like Ezri or dark like Zamira or bespectacled like Nazca or maimed like Selendri. All of those women felt refreshingly real, but Sabetha’s trope is a stale one and, combined with her frankly unlikable personality, it’s difficult to care whether or not Sabetha and Locke burn each other to the ground. Luckily, thanks to Lynch’s explosive writing and intricate plot, it’s still loads of fun watching them try.
Thanks to Sabetha’s regrettable characterisation and Locke’s miracle cure transporting him firmly back to a state of average, Jean remains the only central character in the Gentleman Bastard Sequence truly worth rooting for.
Travelling alongside Jean as he navigates the tumultuous relationship of his two best friends is agonising, his moments of tension with Locke are heartbreaking, and his clarity in crisis is like a big warm hug from a story that usually prefers to punch you in the nose.
Thank goodness for Jean Tannen.
‘Republic Of Thieves’ Kindle Edition is available for $12.99 from Amazon. Or, you can (and absolutely should) go all-out and snap up the first three novels in the ‘Gentleman Bastard Sequence’ for $34.99 at a good bookstore near you.
