The Smoke of Gold is Glory

by Scott Lynch, Mosu Äijälä (Illustrator)

Scott Lynch takes us along on an insanely dangerous quest with a down-on-his-luck thief who has nothing left to lose, and who finds that by finding everything; he gains nothing except for a rousing story to tell on a cold winter's night.

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories

71 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 28, 2026

About the author

I was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on April 2, 1978, the first of three brothers.

The Lies of Locke Lamora, my first novel, was bought by Simon Spanton at Orion Books in August, 2004. Prior to that I had just about every job you usually see in this sort of author bio-- dishwasher, busboy, waiter, web designer, office manager, prep cook, and freelance writer. I trained in basic firefighting at Anoka Technical College in 2005; from 2005-2016 I served as a paid-on-call firefighter in the city of New Richmond, Wisconsin.

In 2007 The Lies of Locke Lamora was a World Fantasy Award finalist.

In 2008 I received the Sydney J. Bounds Best Newcomer Award from the British Fantasy Society.

In 2013, The Republic of Thieves was a New York Times and Times of London bestseller.

In 2025, The Lies of Locke Lamora burst back onto the USA Today bestseller list thanks to its selection as a monthly pick at Barnes & Noble.

In 2026, I was nominated for my first Hugo Award, in the novelette category, for my story "Kaiju Agonistes."

I live in Massachusetts with my wife, acclaimed SF/F writer Elizabeth Bear, and our four cats and two Icelandic horses.

Reviews

[Alina]

A thief at the end of his luck is tricked into joining a group of adventurers set to steal a dragon's hoard treasure. I really liked the writing style, the characters and how the story was developed, must clearly read more of Lynch.

[Lance Lasalle]

I had never read Scott Lynch before, so I was not expecting to like this colorful Robert Howard-esque story as much as I did. Lynch writes with real style and humor: it's all grim-dark, of course, but the most enjoyable fantasy I've read in a long time. A sort of American Joe Abercrombie perhaps, but the laughs come louder for me with this one than they do with Abercrombie.

Will definitely be checking out more by this guy.

[ThatBookish_deviant]

2.5/5

The attempted humor in this short story feels juvenile to me and killed my enjoyment of an otherwise decent tale.

[Emily]

Alright, alright, Scott Lynch may be solidifying himself as one of my favorite fantasy writers. Everything he does is such a slow build, but it always pays off.

The set-up of this story is the most classic tale you could think of—a band of men on a hunt for a dragon's treasure. But by the end, this trope is twisted completely on its head.

A quick read, so I won't say anything more. I'd definitely recommend giving this story a try.

[Poiboy]

Fantastic fantasy told by a master of the genre. This story could only be narrated by Ian McShane (as I heard his voice as Crale in my mind). Highly recommended. A true hidden gem.

[Guillaume Rho]

Another really fun short story by Scott Lynch! The voice of the narrator here is so strong and unique, it truly made the text come alive. This was like a bite size adventure à la The Name of the Wind.

[Werner]

3.5

[Athena Noctua]

3.5 stars

[Peter Csanadi]

4.5⭐️

[Chris Hines]

Great as always

I think I'd read a textbook by Scott Lynch if it existed. Always a great story, always memorable themes and characters

[Justin Hall]

Short and Sweet... As a dragon story can be

Some how poinent and beautiful in 71 pages. Exciting and heartfelt adventure. Makes you want want more for sure. Kinda perfect

[Sally]

This story has it all- great characters, fantastic writing, a quest, poetry, and a dragon.

[Alice]

3.5 stars

[Álvar García]

Divertida parodia de El Hobbit, muy buen material para hacer una partida de rol. Se disfruta de cabo a rabo.