Locke Lamora and the Bottled Serpent

eBook, 35 pages

English language

Published May 7, 2026 by Conversation Tree Press.

ASIN:: B0GZYBK64S
Goodreads:: 223786277

The novels in the acclaimed Gentleman Bastards series trace the exploits of an elite band of thieves and confidence artists moving through a richly imagined city-state shaped in the image of medieval Venice. In Locke Lamora and the Bottled Serpent, Scott Lynch returns to the cobblestones and canals of Camorr, offering a glimpse into the formative years of one of the young Gentleman Bastards.

Here, however, Locke is not yet the architect of elaborate deceptions, but a boy apprenticed to learn something wholly new and entirely unnatural: the discipline and meagre rewards of (mostly) honest, hard labour.

Set against the uproar of taverns and the quiet menace of the canals, the story focuses on an unlikely companionship and the education it affords. First published in Grimdark Magazine, this edition has been expanded by the author and is considered his preferred and final version.

If this is your …

The novels in the acclaimed Gentleman Bastards series trace the exploits of an elite band of thieves and confidence artists moving through a richly imagined city-state shaped in the image of medieval Venice. In Locke Lamora and the Bottled Serpent, Scott Lynch returns to the cobblestones and canals of Camorr, offering a glimpse into the formative years of one of the young Gentleman Bastards.

Here, however, Locke is not yet the architect of elaborate deceptions, but a boy apprenticed to learn something wholly new and entirely unnatural: the discipline and meagre rewards of (mostly) honest, hard labour.

Set against the uproar of taverns and the quiet menace of the canals, the story focuses on an unlikely companionship and the education it affords. First published in Grimdark Magazine, this edition has been expanded by the author and is considered his preferred and final version.

If this is your first visit to Camorr, you’ll find a tale that’s equal parts funny, tragic, and warm, while being entirely accessible as a standalone. If you’ve met any of the Gentleman Bastards before—well, you know what to expect.

2 editions

73pctGeek reviewed Locke Lamora and the Bottled Serpent by Scott Lynch

A brief return to Camorr

3 stars

A young Locke is sent off with strict instructions from Father Chains, and he tries oh, so hard, to follow them.

Novella taking us back to Camorr for a summer of storms, wherein our hero needs to behave himself. I’d forgotten how much I enjoy the world Lynch has built for the Gentleman Bastards series, so this was a lovely, albeit brief, return. I prefer Lynch’s novels, finding the format better suited to his writing. He just doesn’t have the space to do that thing he does so well in such a small space. I’ll not turn down any new story featuring Locke Lamora though!

Subjects

fantasy