The Republic of Thieves
core novel 2013 The Gentleman Bastards
Record
| First published | 2013 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.21 (125,525 ratings, collected 2026-09-13) |
| Page count | 650 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780553804690 |
| Internal chronology | 3 |
Synopsis
The third Gentleman Bastard novel finds Locke and Jean recruited, somewhat against their will, by the powerful and dangerous Bondsmagi to help rig the outcome of a contested election in the city-state of Karthain. Their opposition in the rigged contest is led by Sabetha, Locke's long-absent first love and a con artist every bit his equal, pitting the two former Gentleman Bastards against someone who knows their tricks, and their history together, as well as they know each other's. As old feelings resurface alongside the demands of the election, Locke must reckon with a rival who can outmaneuver him precisely because of how well she once knew him.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Gentleman Bastards
- Series: The Gentleman Bastards core; position 3 of 3 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Scott Lynch
Awards (verified)
- Locus Award (Best Fantasy Novel), 2014: finalist; Locus reader-poll placement, ranked 3rd.
- David Gemmell Legend Award, 2014: nominated
Notes
- From the series record (The Gentleman Bastards): Author-confirmed 7-book plan (Locus Online interview, 2013: 'there will be seven books and I can't break that rule'). Book 4, The Thorn of Emberlain, remains unpublished/undated as of the author's own July 2026 interview, displayed as in-progress per Constitution Article 8, not registered as a book (no confirmed title-page facts to record) and not penalized in any future ranking.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings, but they resolve to the exact same sequence for this book, so one combined line is shown instead of two identical ones.
- Reading order, within the series The Gentleman Bastards: position 3 of 3: previous Red Seas Under Red Skies (2007)
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Lynch
- Scott Lynch official site
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Republic_of_Thieves
- https://www.sfadb.com/Scott_Lynch
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