I am so excited to finally read The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch. It has been a busy month of spooky reads, finishing uni papers, work and PhD activity, and this is the kind of book you just know will be worth the wait. I started it yesterday, so this will be a slightly different post to my usual review. Instead of a review, I will be giving my anticipatory thoughts and feelings about the book; what am I excited to read, who am I excited to finally meet, what do I want to happen, and how do I want the series to wrap up.

This novel brief contains minor spoilers – I have written it in a way to mask as much of the plot detail as possible while still giving the general trajectory of the novel. Please proceed with caution if you are reading or interesting in reading the series.

What should have been the greatest heist of their career has gone spectacularly sour, and Locke and his trusted partner, Jean, have barely escaped with their lives. Keyword: barely. Locke is slowly succumbing to a deadly poison that no alchemist or physiker can cure. With the end 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 isn’t interested, but two factors cause his will to crumble: Jean’s imploring and the Bondsmage’s mention of a woman from Locke’s past: Sabetha. 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 woo her – a decision on which both their lives may depend.

I have been waiting for Sabetha to turn up since the beginning. I want to meet her, want to she the kind of woman she has grown up to be and the absolute heartbreak and turmoil in Locke’s soul be brought to the forefront of the narrative. I want to see the mess that has been created of their relationship and the chaos that will ensue with them being in proximity of each other. Locke is a man who has been pining after this woman for years. The few chapters I have read so far include the recollection of his first meeting with Sabetha and it is evident he is down bad. I want to see the havoc and emotional sword fight play out between them, but I also want to see Jean go in on Locke and really pull out the juicy detail with this relationship.

There is a wonderful tension from the get-go with Locke’s mortality on a tightrope, and Jean’s fraying emotions make the present day chapters fraught with grief and longing. Jean has been through so much and his characterisation is really shining through in moments like this – the poised, polite, gently bred man is on his last nerve, this patience is worn thin, and he is about to lose the last person in his life he feels closest to. His brother. I have yet to read Jean’s reaction to Sabetha’s name mentioned by the Bondsmage (and Locke’s, for that matter) but I can tell it is going to be a reaction I will be laughing over for days to come.

On that note, I so desperately want to see what Locke’s reaction to his changing chances will be: maybe he will go from resolute in his decision to possibly hesitant, rueful or even angry. Locke is the man his trilogy centres on, and you just know from The Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas Under Red Skies that he will have to fight tooth and nail to get ahead of the enemy, and in his case he often has multiple. Locke is such an intriguing, mysterious character, and his history shone through flashback chapters brings about so many questions and a keen sense of anticipation. Locke is certainly one of my favourite characters of 2024 and he is a huge inspiration for my own adult fantasy manuscript I will be revisiting in the coming weeks.

So, what do I want to happen in The Republic of Thieves? To be frank, I don’t know: Scott Lynch is a mastermind in plot progression, surprises, and character interactions, so to predict what he will do or hope for a specific thing to happen is often fruitless. The uncertainty makes the read far more entertaining and the lack of expectation is what truly sets this book apart from other YA or adult fantasies I have read in recent years. I don’t want to know what happens or try guess because the events that transpire are often more hilarious, more detailed, and much more exciting than I could ever predict.

I will post a full review once I have read the book, but know it will be after a few days of wallowing in all the emotions of finishing my favourite fantasy series of 2024. Until then, I suggest you read The Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas Under Red Skies so that you too can pick up The Republic of Thieves and have yourself a merry little reading weekend before the new year rolls around.