“A bright new voice in the fantasy genre” (George R. R. Martin), acclaimed author Scott Lynch continues to astound and entertain with his thrillingly inventive, wickedly funny, suspense-filled adventures featuring con artist extraordinaire Locke Lamora. And The Republic of Thieves is his most captivating novel yet.

NAMED ONE OF PASTE’S BEST FANTASY BOOKS OF THE DECADE

With what should have been the greatest heist of their career gone spectacularly sour, Locke and his trusted partner, Jean, have barely escaped with their lives. Or at least Jean has. But Locke is slowly succumbing to a deadly poison that no alchemist or physiker can cure. Yet just as the end is near, a mysterious Bondsmage offers Locke an opportunity that will either save him or finish him off once and for all.

Magi political elections are imminent, and the factions are in need of a pawn. If Locke agrees to play the role, sorcery will be used to purge the venom from his body - though the process will be so excruciating he may well wish for death. Locke is opposed, but two factors cause his will to crumble: Jean's imploring - and the Bondsmage's mention of a woman from Locke’s past: Sabetha. She is the love of his life, his equal in skill and wit, and now, his greatest rival.

Locke was smitten with Sabetha from his first glimpse of her as a young fellow orphan and thief-in-training. But after a tumultuous courtship, Sabetha broke away. Now they will reunite in yet another clash of wills. For faced with his one and only match in both love and trickery, Locke must choose whether to fight Sabetha - or to woo her. It is a decision on which both their lives may depend.

Praise for The Republic of Thieves

"Fast paced, fun, and impossible to put down.... Locke and company remain among the most engaging protagonists in fantasy.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

"The Republic of Thieves has all the colorful action, witty repartee, and devious scheming that fans of the series have come to expect." (Wired)

"A fantasy world unique among its peers.... If you’re looking for a great new fantasy series this is one you won’t want to miss.... In a word: AWESOME!" (SF Revu)

Listening Length

26 hours and 38 minutes
Author

Scott Lynch
Narrator

Michael Page
Audible release date

February 4, 2020
Language

English
Publisher

Random House Audio
ASIN

B0844LFP83
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length	26 hours and 38 minutes
Author	Scott Lynch
Narrator	Michael Page
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com Release Date	February 04, 2020
Publisher	Random House Audio
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B0844LFP83
Best Sellers Rank	#2,637 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #137 in Adventure Science Fiction #207 in Epic Fantasy (Audible Books & Originals) #299 in Science Fiction Adventures

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A shockingly terrible read

Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2017

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Lies of Locke Lamora was a stunning piece of literature.
Red Seas was a step down, but lower quality isn't unheard of in middle volumes of a trilogy, so it gets a pass.

Now we come to the conclusive crescendo: Republic, which should have been amazing. Instead, the series hit a new low. The "romance" was lifeless and unbelievable, the excuse provided for Locke's stalkerish obsession came way too late, the characters acted uncharacteristically, Sabetha was a manipulative AnythingYouCanDoICanDoBetter jerk, and worse, the tale kept us booing her, yet the author persisted in trying to make us feel sympathy for her as well. In general the whole story was an astonishing let down that dragged on.

Bottom line: it was boring. Not worth a purchase. At all. I wish I had something better to write.

36 people found this helpful

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Anhoga

Unfortunately Sabetha is built up in the first two books to be something amazing and she turns out to be pretty meh

Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2017

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This series is going off the rails. This book was very messy and mostly pointless other than fleshing out the Locke/Sabetha romance. Unfortunately Sabetha is built up in the first two books to be something amazing and she turns out to be pretty meh. Locke constantly tells us that Sabetha is better than him and that just doesn't appear to be true at all. Her one good move against Locke was a low blow whereby she manipulated his personal feelings for her and then claimed it was just business. Furthermore, we find out that while Locke was planning and executing crazy cons and heists Sabetha was mainly sleeping with wealthy men in order to steal from them. Her exploits leave much to be desired and I wished she had remained absent.

I'm still going to read Thorn of Emberlain (if it ever releases) but my opinion of this series is rapidly diminishing. If the trend continues, book 4 will be my last trip with Locke and Jean

25 people found this helpful

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Rey Franklin

The Best Book in the Series

Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2018

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As with all trilogies, the third act always returns to issues in the first, this one is no exception. Locke is dying after being poisoned by the villain in the last book. There is no cure, except for our old friends from book 1 and early in book 2, the Bondsmagi. Those tarts have a wonderful plan for Locke, Jean and the love of Locke's life, Sabetha. One of the Bondsmage, one connected to Locke and The Falconer from book 1, helps Locke, but with a serious price.

Locke and Jean go against Sabetha in political warfare. The book also has a secret war among the Bondsmagi themselves, and the ending is a shocking, stomach turner. I truly hate the ending, which means the book was excellent. The name of the book comes a from a play that The Gentleman Bastards have to perform in the city state of Espara. Of course it is filled with unexpected events and one even that turns out in their favor.

Lynch pours in philosophy, religion, atheism, art, literature, science, myth, and the question, "Who are we really?" A good read, it has the action of the second book and the skill of the first one. I am ready to read the long awaited, "Thorn of Emberlain." After this book, I can see why Lynch is taking his time on the fourth. It is tough to follow greatness.

10 people found this helpful

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Matthew Ries

Both a Prequel and Continuation of the Series

Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2021

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The journey of Locke and Jean find themselves facing off with their “Sister” in an election game overseen by some of the most powerful people on the planet. The Republic of Thieves is the third book of Scott Lynch’s Gentlemen Bastards sequence which see the first appearance of the Lady Bastard herself and Locke’s former lover facing off with the duo.

The book begins with flashback to the first meeting of Locke and Sabetha, the woman that he has been in love with throughout the series but who has not been introduced until this book, when they are still part of the Shade's Hill gang under the Thiefmaker. Locke falls for her but does not get to see her often then learns from older children that Sabetha drowned, and he will never see her again. Throughout the book in a series of flashbacks Locke and Sabetha as a part of the Gentlemen Bastards through their early years and finally how they became a couple while playing actors in a production of the book’s title, The Republic of Thieves. The book’s present narrative begins weeks after the previous one with Locke is dying and Jean is working to save his life, including kidnapping a physiker that brings down a local gang on them that takes everything they have. Afterwards a Bondsmagi by the name of Patience appears and offers the pair a deal. They can work with her faction of the Bondsmagi to rig elections, in favor of the Deep Roots Party, in exchange for money and Locke's life. They agree. The Bondsmagi carry Locke to the ship to Karthain on which they perform the healing. When completed is Locke is alive and hungry, it is now that they learn that Sabetha is working for the other side, the Black Iris party, and has been there a few days. Upon their arrival in Karthain, the two sides play several childish pranks back and forth. Locke is tricked by Sabetha and he and Jean awaken on a luxurious boat. Locke and Jean barely escape this boat by cutting off a small boat and escaping to shore. After a multiple day journey back to the Karthain, Locke and Sabetha make a truce for the safety of themselves and Jean to prevent issues and ensure a good show for the Bondsmagi. The elections continue and near the end Patience explains to Locke and Sabetha that Locke may be an ancient Bondsmagi who successfully moved from one body to the body of a child. The cost of this was the plague mentioned in previous books. The election result is 10 – 9 in favor of the Black Iris party. One of Locke's schemes plays out and a key Black Iris member changes his position to neutral making the result 9 – 9 – 1. Locke, Jean, and Sabetha escape the fallout to a safe house. Locke awakes in the night to find Patience there and Sabetha gone. Patience explains that Locke may or may not be the magi, but she will not tell him. Sabetha has left after learning about this. Jean appears and Locke tells him he will respect Sabetha's wish for space and will only go after her if she would wish it. The epilogue gives a story about the Falconer and his journey regaining power. The epilogue ends with the Falconer killing his mother, Patience.

This book was hard to judge because I was more interested in the flashback narrative of the young Gentleman Bastards’ first con as actors in Espara than the present-day political contest between the Bastard Brothers and their Sister. That is not to say that the political game was not interesting but compared to the early adventures of the Bastards the election felt more like it was set up for the Bondsmagi plot, though the introduction of Sabetha was nice especially as she will be important later in the sequence most likely. And the purported origin of Locke could either be very interesting or a big misdirection which will be interesting to see play out.

The Republic of Thieves felt like both a prequel and continuation of Scott Lynch’s Gentlemen Bastards sequence with underlining plot thread that will no doubt become important in the future of the series. This interesting combination does not make the book bad but does not make it feel like a united whole either. However, at the end of reading I’m still interesting to see what Locke and Jean will do in the future.

2 people found this helpful

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Delilah Mayfair

... Gentleman Bastards - which is to say it's still good, but not as good

Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2015

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Disappointing after the other 2 books in the Gentleman Bastards - which is to say it's still good, but not as good. I think there is a level of intensity of emotion and angst and history between Locke & Sabetha that is never fully realized despite the explanations. How it ends up reading, she's an emotionally unstable bitch and he's forever a lovelorn puppy she's kicking. I am 100% certain this wasn't the intent. But her motives are too mysterious, it makes her actions seem capricious and cruel.

It is easier to get lost in a fantasy when the people still seem real, Locke's awkwardness around her, her flightiness, his undying loyalty - they all push me out of the story and make the characters seem thinner.

36 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Alison Young

Well of course we’ll read it, it’s Locke Lamora, also maybe someone could have proofread it?

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 6, 2022

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As book three in the series it has to be read. Lynch focusses on the relationship between Locke and Sabetha, except that he doesn’t really tell us very much, particularly about Sabetha, We find out some things that happened, we find out that Locke is genuinely smitten, but I certainly wasn’t too sure about Sabetha’s part in the relationship. She makes the point that men obsess and make assumptions about her red hair, and Locke certainly does though he also describes his deeper feelings for her, but each time she appears the author describes what she is wearing as though her appearance was the key to her character. I’m not sure where he was going with this, certainly the point was made that attraction is complicated and mysterious, but it didn’t move on from that, and I was quite bored by their relationship and how Locke was rendered helpless by her presence.
Lynch addressed how the characters were growing up in the world, what they planned to do with their futures having survived thus far and how their past shaped them especially as they had been taught to have a conscience about their thieving. This was all very appropriate for this stage of the series but was a much slower pace than the other books. The book ended with the promise of more serious peril and action, but this was quite the change of direction.
It’s all good stuff but raised more questions than answers.
My comment about the English was because throughout the word “storey” was used to describe a story. After about the 10th instance of this I gave up counting. There were also one or two spelling errors. It’s not a crisis but these are jarring.

heironymous oink

Disappointingly average

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 9, 2020

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There are two stories in one book, as you should all know by now - the deeds of the young Lamora on the one hand, and the adult Lamora on the other. I have to say the young Lamora and the Gentleman Bs are far more interesting than the adults; I would go as far as to say the older Lamora is an absolute boor and completely unlikeable.

The adult story this time round is ridiculous - it merely consists of Lamora etal bribing/blackmailing people to vote for them in an election on the one hand, whilst playing schoolboy pranks on the opposition on the other. As for the ending of the book, it's like the ending to a cheesy horror film. OMG so scary...
Sabetha finally makes an appearance, but the book would probably have done better without her.
My other main complaint with this book is the endless profanity coming from all sides. It's not just f-bombs, but it's crude. too. Man, grow up.

One person found this helpful

sashaknits

More of the usual plots, hijinks, betrayals and disasters. Good fun!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 15, 2016

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So, I'm finally caught up and book 3 did not disappoint!

After two books of Sabetha being mentioned only in pained whispers it was nice to finally find out more about her, in fact I think her story really made this book. Firstly it was ingeniously cruel to begin with a flashback when clearly everyone was desperate to find out what happened to Locke following his drinking of the poison at the end of the previous book. But it was also a really interesting flashback as we got to learn more about Locke's origins and also about Sabetha which is a mystery we've all wanted to know more about since the first book. So whilst the first few chapters were really interesting and enjoyable, I for one was still desperate to get on to present day.

Once the present day plot started, the flashback plot was very neatly interwoven with the current timeline, so that their first coming together in the flashbacks nicely reflected their reunion in Karthain.

The heist aspect of this book wasn't as strong as in the previous books, however learning more about the magi and apparently about Locke's origins (is it true or not?!) more than made up for the slightly simpler plot that ran through most of the book. It did get very fun towards the end of the flashback plot with the ridiculous lengths they went to in order to get away with their latest disaster and try to blame other parties for it all at the same time. Good fun!

Although the culmination of the present day plot was definitely a surprise, I couldn't really have expected that the election finished and they all just went home happy! Luckily not long to wait till the next one...

One person found this helpful

Randal

More Locke Lamora Goodness

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 9, 2014

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In the third outing for Locke Lamora and Jean Tannen the bondsmages finally catch up with them, but not in a way Locke was expecting. Instead of instant death he finds that the immediate problem he was left with at the end of the second Gentlemen Bastards book is solved by none other than the mother of his old enemy The Falconer.

Much against their will, Locke and Jean are hired to fix an election in Karthain to the benefit of one faction of bondsmages. There are rules. They have funds, which they must spend or lose, and they are to stop at outright murder. All other dirty tricks are allowed.

There is a problem, however. There always is when Locke's around. The opposing faction has hired Sabetha, Locke's lost love, previously mentioned, but never met. Sabetha, like Locke and Jean, was brought up as a Gentleman Bastard by Father Chains. She has all of Locke and Jean's skills and a streak of utter ruthlessness. What's more she's not tongue tied and helpless in Locke's presence as he is in hers.

It's an interesting situation. While Sabetha gets the jump on them, initially, Locke is vividly reminded of their shared past and so we get two stories: the election and the rekindling of Locke and Sabetha's relationship, and the story of their childhood and the first flowering of shared passion.

And who wins the election in the end? You'll have to read the book to find out, but suffice it to say there's bound to be another book – which is good news.

Highly recommended.

One person found this helpful

I liked it, but.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 17, 2013

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The latest episode in the Gentlemen Bastards series alternates between events in Locke and Jean's now and a crucial series of events in their past illustrating how Locke and one Sabetha Belacoros came to be involved, and how that involvement affects their present interactions. And possibly even more than that. Cue mysterious music, add Bondsmagi and stir vigorously.

I enjoyed this book, and it's pretty darn good, but it really could have been brilliant. I'll try to pin down why I think it's not.

For a series of books where quite major characters have died and I've been upset about it, I just couldn't believe that anyone else I cared about would follow - i.e. This is not A Song of Ice and Fire. So while there is a fair bit of 'suffering' I didn't believe quite believe in the peril - obviously especially in the past sections.
Scott Lynch writes exceedingly well, but there's just a touch of seasoning missing in the GB's early relationships that exists in spades in for example Harry Potter. The Sanzas do help though.
Locke doesn't really come across quite as clever as everyone seems to think he is. Actually I feel that about the whole series.
There is a laggy section between a massive mid-book revelation and the climax. I put this down to 'Seriesitis'. For a terrible analogy:
Darth Vader: I am your father, Luke.
Luke: Bollocks. You're evil and I don't believe you.
Darth Vader: Oh, good point.
Luke: I thought so.
Darth: You, best get back to your rebelling then.
Luke: True. I will. Back to work. No rest for the wicked. Virtuous. Oh bugger.
- Luke wanders off whistling.
Thunder rolls somewhere.

Anyway, I enjoyed it. More please.

One person found this helpful

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