The Lies of Locke Lamora

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Unholy Matrimony: The ruthless gangsters Requin and Selendri are deeply devoted to each other. Their romance has continued even after Selendri was gruesomely disfigured. Bittersweet Ending: Each book ends this way. The Bastards succeed in their short-term goals, but at a price..

Fantasy Counterpart Culture: Camorr/Venice most obviously, but there is a rough counterpart to all of the cultures in the books. Kingdom of the Seven Marrows is based on the South German/Austrian lands of the Holy Roman Empire. The Vadran language is obviously based on German. Tal Verrar is also based on Venice, as a multi-island realm whose power lies in the fleet. Karthain is a third Venice analogue, a multi-island republic. Jerem has a few references to pre-industrial India. The defunct Therin Empire is hinted to be a sort of Roman Empire. Also, as of Republic of Thieves, the setting's equivilent of the Thirty Years' War has begun. Cincinnatus: The position of Archon of Tal Verrar was meant to be this trope, but the first Archon decided not to retire and remained in control of the city, passing on the position to Stragos after he died. By the end of the second book, Stragos is taken prisoner by Drakasha and the Priori have taken over. Capa Barsavi. Before being the ruthless ruler of the Camorr underworld, he was a professor at the world-famous Therin Collegium. He taught rhetoric.

Well, I can’t argue with the manifest wisdom of the boy that jumps off temple roofs. But I trust my points are noted,” said Jean. Collector of the Strange: One of the proudest claims of the Last Mistake is that it has secured a memento of every ship that has foundered within sight of Camorr over a period of seventy years. The walls are covered in "a bewildering variety of souvenirs, each one telling a visual tale that ended with the phrase 'not quite good enough.'" such as broken bits of ships, split helmets, and a suit of armor with a square hole punched into it by a crossbow bolt. But there are whispers of a challenge to the Capa's power. A challenge from a man no one has ever seen, a man no blade can touch. The Grey King is coming.

Scary Shiny Glasses: Requin has a pair in Red Seas Under Red Skies, but they've been alchemized so they don't just reflect light, they permanently glow orange. And they fit him, too. Properly Paranoid: The people of Karthain have a tradition where, unlike every other city-state, they will not reveal their first names to the public. Instead, they go by their last names and a description of their place in the family (e.g. 'Firstson', 'Seconddaughter'). Revealing one's first name to someone is a mark of incredible trust, because the Bondsmagi can control people by knowing their names, hence the tradition. Unfortunately for the Karthani, while their tradition would work in theory, the Bondsmagi already know all their names (unbeknownst to the Karthani), and have been controlling them as they like for centuries.Magic Genetics: Although magic is hereditary, it seems to work in a rather complicated and realistic way, likely implying many different genes with interacting expression mechanisms. The result is that "magic does not breed true," and although there used to be bloodlines of mages who bore gifted children more often than not, they have been dissolved to the point where among the ~400 bondsmagi of Karthain only five mages were born of mage parents in the last centuries. The Con: The Gentleman Bastards pull variations of the Spanish prisoner scam on Don and Dona Salvarra in the first book, claiming that they need funds to bring brandy into Camorr in return for a healthy cut of the profits once imported.

The Archmage: Four of them rule the Bondsmagi of Karthain. The title is actually "Archedon" for men and "Archedama" for women. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how I ended up DNFing this thrilling piece of captivating literature. Oh believe me, I know I read it all wrong, blah blah blah, skim skim skim and all that crap. Well let me tell you something: if some of my dear friends hadn't waited for me to DNF this to tell me the first half of the book was boring as hell (you don't say?!) but that the second half was awesome, maybe I would have kept on reading. And maybe, just maybe, I would be ooh-ing and aah-ing about this right now ← you don't really believe any of this, do you? Oh good, you scared me there for a second. I mean boring crap is boring crap, no matter how you look at it. Towering pirate captain Jaffrim Rodanov was once a Collegium student. He also has very strong opinions on the relative merits of various classical playwrights, and quotes their works (even by the ones he loathes) from memory. Calo and Galdo Sanza: members of the Gentleman Bastards, humorous and debaucherous twins with a broad skill setThis time, however, they have targeted the grandest prize of all: the Sinspire, the most exclusive and heavily guarded gambling house in the world. Its nine floors attract the wealthiest clientele—and to rise to the top, one must impress with good credit, amusing behavior…and excruciatingly impeccable play. For there is one cardinal rule, enforced by Requin, the house’s cold-blooded master: it is death to cheat at any game at the Sinspire. Boulidazi, who spends a good chunk of his time in Republic of Thieves perving on Sabetha, and whose last act is trying to rape Jenora, is mortally wounded by the latter and finished off by the former. Honor Among Thieves: The Gentlemen Bastards have a strict code of conduct and undying loyalty to each other - even a religious obligation in their theft. Sabetha thinks that raising them with morals was a terrible thing for Chains to have done, even though she shares the same morals herself. Those prancing little pants-wetters come here to learn the colorful and gentlemanly art of fencing, with its many sporting limitations and its proscriptions against dishonorable engagements. You on the other hand, you are going to learn how to kill men with a sword.”