The Smoke of Gold is Glory

by Scott Lynch, Gardner Dozois (Editor)

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

43 pages, Hardcover

Published October 10, 2017

About the author

I was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on April 2, 1978, the first of three brothers. I've lived in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area my entire life; currently, just across the border in Wisconsin, about half an hour east of the Twin Cities.

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, and became a volunteer firefighter in June of that year.

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 2010, I lost a marriage but gained a cat, a charming ball of ego and fuzz known as Muse (Musicus Maximus Butthead Rex I).

My partner, the lovely and critically acclaimed SF/F writer Elizabeth Bear, lives in Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Alina · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

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

[Poiboy · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Guillaume Rho · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Athena Noctua · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Peter Csanadi · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Álvar García · Rating 5 out of 5]

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