The Republic of Thieves, the third installment in Scott Lynch’s Gentleman Bastard series, delves deep into the layered past of Locke Lamora. The novel begins with Locke on death’s door after the events of Red Seas Under Red Skies, until he encounters an unlikely savior – one of the Bondsmagi of Karthain, which sets the entire tale in motion.
Locke’s savior, Archedama Patience, is one of the leaders of the Bondsmagi, and she quickly hints at several connections to Locke’s mysterious past. Her aid also comes with a price: Locke and his companion, Jean Tannen, must help rig an election in what’s called the Five-Year Game, a contest between the magi over which political party will rule Karthain. Even more, their rival, working for the opposition, is none other than Sabetha, Locke’s longtime former love.
After being hinted at in previous books, Sabetha’s presence now becomes the focal point of the novel. Their past, fraught with passion, rivalry, and a mess of emotions, unfolds through a series of expansive flashbacks that consume nearly half the book. The central storyline concerns the Gentlemen Bastards (which then included Sabetha) training to become actors with a theater company performing a Shakespearian-like play titled The Republic of Thieves. While the flashbacks have plenty of drama, the stakes are low, which makes them less compelling, but at least we get to spend some more time with former bastards and comic relief duo Carlo and Galdo since their departure earlier in the series.
On top of the flashbacks and the Five-Year Game comes an almost mind-blowing revelation about Locke’s origins that promises to redefine the trajectory of the series. I can’t decide if I’m more bothered than intrigued by this revelation, but it’s clear that Lynch is setting up a much larger story by the end of The Republic of Thieves. He also hints at something very dangerous about the Eldren, the mysterious beings who created and then abandoned the Elderglass cities now inhabited by the humans of this world.
Overall, The Republic of Thieves takes a slight detour from the daring heists that made the prior novels so fun, but it compensates by deepening the lore of the world Lynch has created. The dance between Locke and Sabetha, the manipulations of the Bondsmagi, and the promise of more danger heading Locke’s way ensure this installment is more than just a placeholder in Lynch’s grander narrative. The next book, titled The Thorn of Emberlain, is scheduled to be released early next year, and I suspect I’ll be at the front of the line to buy a copy.