A review by sendlasagna
The Gentleman Bastard Series by Scott Lynch
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Every book in the series is a slightly different genre which, to me, does two good things: you can read just the first book and be content without having to wait for the set to finish, or you can keep going to see some of the characters continue and evolve across genres and settings.
The first book is an absolutely spellbinding urban fantasy story with some of the most interesting character work and some serious plot development. Curses abound in every second sentence, but so creative they might just make you roar with laughter.
One downside that knocked off the final star: scarce and uninteresting female characters. That simply doesn’t seem to be the writer’s strength. The boys, though? Fully fleshed and engaged in constant shithousery. Makes me weep at how good the series could be, so unproblematic and so beautiful, if this could just stop being a consistent shortcoming in male fiction writers.
The first book is an absolutely spellbinding urban fantasy story with some of the most interesting character work and some serious plot development. Curses abound in every second sentence, but so creative they might just make you roar with laughter.
One downside that knocked off the final star: scarce and uninteresting female characters. That simply doesn’t seem to be the writer’s strength. The boys, though? Fully fleshed and engaged in constant shithousery. Makes me weep at how good the series could be, so unproblematic and so beautiful, if this could just stop being a consistent shortcoming in male fiction writers.