The Not a Book Club Club discussion

Section 1

Please keep all discussion to the events and speculation from the Prologue - Chapter 2: The Business.

No spoiler tags required. Though it would be highly appreciated if you Uncheck Add to my Update Feed to avoid accidentally spoiling this for your good read friends.

Please do not discuss events from later chapters. Referring back to events from a previous section/book is fine.

Alex! I really shouldn't know someone dies before starting book myself :-(

You got me again. First I thought I was getting an ARC copy then you kill Locke. Alex is a very bad man.

We finally meet Sabetha! It's interesting that Thiefmaker tells everyone she's dead after selling her to Chains. I wonder why he did sell her.

We meet Falconer's mother apparently, named Patience which instantly makes me think of Farseer.

I was starting to wonder how Locke was going to live. Looks like due to one of the four most powerful bondsmagi.

So Locke's not been saved yet, but soon. Looks like this one politics and election rigging. I'm curious what the angle here is.

I'm enjoying the flashbacks with the twins and chains. Poor Locke being ordered to bring Sabetha poison. I wasn't fooled, but it was cruel.

Nice summary Rob. Looking foward to meeting more of the new cast of secondary characters. Glad to get more of the Sanzas I missed them.

Yeah, I enjoy these looks at the Bastard's childhood. I'm really hoping now that Sabetha has made an appearance, she'll be a permanent member of the crew.

I love Locke and Jean both, but he needs more than 2 main characters and a rotating cast of supporting ones each book.

The flashbacks to the growing Bastards are a treat indeed. I'm okay with a limited cast of characters, but I do wish that Locke and Jean would spend some time apart, if only to add to the general fullness of the world. Some of Jean's best chapters in Lies were when he was completely solo, IMO. Locke remains entertaining regardless.

I also have a feeling that Sabetha knows too much to be a viable point of view.

I'm not saying it needs to approach Epic Fantasy cast, but I was happy with the original 5. I figured ONE of them would die (maybe one of the twins?) but THREE? That's a bit much.

Did he do POVs for the Sanzas or the kid? I didn't think he did. Sabetha doesn't need to be a POV, just a recurring character. Being mentioned doesn't count though.

Rob wrote: "I'm not saying it needs to approach Epic Fantasy cast, but I was happy with the original 5. I figured ONE of them would die (maybe one of the twins?) but THREE? That's a bit much."

Ah, I see what you're saying. Yes, I agree, having a few more main characters would be a blessing, especially in a thieving group. It does get a little stale when you're left with nothing but the brains and the brawn, regardless of how good they are at other things.

I seem to remember hoping that they'd pick up a pirate in the last book, and Sabetha would (probably) be a welcome addition.

Matt wrote: "I don't understand something. In Book 1 when Locke is first introduced to the other members of the gang someone mentions Sabetha and how she is away on business. There is no mention at that point o..."

I believe Sabetha was referred to as Beth by the thiefmaker and Locke never made the connection.

Bill wrote: "I believe Sabetha was referred to as Beth by the thiefmaker and Locke never made the connection."

It does feel like a bit of retcon, though.

Then again, it's been years since I read Lies, so it's possible that I'm remembering poorly. Enjoying the book regardless.

I'm fairly confident it was just an omission and nothing from this one contradicts the first book.

I don't recall him ever saying Locke DIDN'T know her from before, or that he specifically met her after joining the bastards.

Re: Patience. This is third fairly obvious nod to Robin Hobb, after the witchwood and a cat called Regal, i think we can now safely assume that Scott Lynch is a fan of Robin Hobb indeed.
I'll be on the hunt for more now!

Rob, re: why selling Sabetha. Looks like she's in a similar boat as Locke: genius but too hard to control. The Thiefmaker gets in trouble with them and Chains is willing to pay good for them. So win-win.

from book 1:
“Or maybe another deal like Sabetha?” The priest’s richer, deeper voice chased the Thiefmaker’s objection right back down his throat. “I’m sure you recall charging me everything but my dead mother’s kneecaps for her. I should’ve paid you in copper and watched you spring a rupture trying to haul it all away.”
“Ahhhhhh, but she was special, and this boy, he’s special, too,” said the Thiefmaker. “Everything you asked me to look for after I sold you Calo and Galdo. Everything you liked so much about Sabetha! (...)
The Thiefmaker tried to let a vaguely sincere expression scurry onto his face, where it froze in evident discomfort. His shrug was theatrically casual. “There are, ah, problems with the boy, yes. But the problems are unique to his situation in my care. Were he under yours, I’m sure they would, ahhhh, vanish.”
“Oh. You have a magic boy. Why didn’t you say so?” The priest scratched his forehead beneath the white silk blindfold that covered his eyes. “Magnificent. I’ll plant him in the fucking ground and grow a vine to an enchanted land beyond the clouds.”

(i left that last bit in, because i just love that quote :))

then, my own thoughts after reading it so far.

i'm one of the few people who loved book 2 more than book 1, but the one thing i really missed in book 2 was these flashbacks to their childhood, the banter, the twins' humour - and so i'm superglad they are all back!

also excited that the famous Sabetha is finally here. still wondering what on earth happened that she went from being the only gentle-lady bastard to being absent for what seemed like a few years.

so far, so good. also seems like the bondsmagi aren't really agreeing with each other. that interlude foreshadows quite a bit of tension and a plot in a plot in a plot.
i didn't really like the way he did that with the interlude, but the effect of it is quite interesting.

Hanne wrote: "Rob, re: why selling Sabetha. Looks like she's in a similar boat as Locke: genius but too hard to control. The Thiefmaker gets in trouble with them and Chains is willing to pay good for them. So wi..."

Thanks for the quote. From what we see of her in this book she doesn't seem that hard to control.

To me that quote seems to indicate he charged Chains an huge amount. Maybe he figured he'd make more from her that way than what she'd have earned for him before she was too old for his gang.

Hanne wrote: "Re: Patience. This is third fairly obvious nod to Robin Hobb, after the witchwood and a cat called Regal, i think we can now safely assume that Scott Lynch is a fan of Robin Hobb indeed.
I'll be on..."

How about "Shade's(Chade's) Hill?

David Sven wrote: "How about "Shade's(Chade's) Hill? "

SCORE! we have another one.
The invisible assassin gets his own hill full of invisible little thieves, most of them orphans and (perhaps a few) bastards. I like it! :)