Audiobook Review: THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA by Scott Lynch, narrated by Michael Page
I recently listened to the audiobook of Scott Lynch’s The Lies of Locke Lamora, produced by Tantor Media and read by Michael Page. If you follow fantasy even passingly, you know that Lies is one of the freshest début fantasies in recent memory. Lynch’s thrilling plot is filled with murderous, unscrupulous, but terribly witty and lovable characters. To a first approximation, it’s like “The Princess Bride” minus the romance, plus a high body count, and peppered with imaginative, if physiologically challenging, invitations centered on the verb “fuck.”
All and all, the audiobook is a very nice package. It’s low on production polish. No music or introduction or author’s note at the end. I was sad about that last point. I’d be eager to hear Lynch talk about how the book came to be. Perhaps the weakest point of the audiobook is the recording quality, which is only fair. After listening to a high-quality audiobook, I was initially distracted by the tinny quality of the recording. However, after twenty minutes, I was completely absorbed in the book and no longer bothered. My absorption to a large part was thanks to Michael Page, who provides an outstanding performance of the reading. His range of tone is marvelous; all major character sound both unique and completely believable. His range of character, however, was not as wide. Many of the ancillary characters (guards, low profile villains) sounded similar to each other. What really pushes this audiobook over the top to become one of the most enjoyable I’ve encountered, is how well Page translates Lynch’s prose style into performance. The witticisms are delivered quickly and with perfect timing, and the many, incredibly filthy obscenities are enunciated with a gleeful emphasis that makes sound even filthier. I simply couldn’t stop laughing out loud and shaking my head in wonder. For a fantasy author, this is a really humbling and intimidating performance. Really a can’t miss performance if you love fantasy.
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