Scott Lynch
Scott Lynch is an American author born in 1978 in St. Paul, Minnesota. He grew up in Wisconsin and developed a love of fantasy fiction from an early age, reading voraciously and beginning to write his own stories as a teenager. After studying at the University of Wisconsin and working various jobs, Lynch began seriously developing what would become his debut novel, drawing on his fascination with heist fiction, Renaissance Italy, and the baroque world of the Baroque thriller to construct a wholly original fantasy universe.
Lynch’s debut novel, The Lies of Locke Lamora (2006), introduced readers to the Gentleman Bastards — an audacious gang of con artists and thieves operating in the city-state of Camorr, a place richly evocative of Venice and Renaissance Italy. The novel was an immediate critical and commercial success, praised for its intricate plotting, mordant wit, vivid world-building, and the irresistible charisma of its protagonists. Reviewers compared Lynch to George R.R. Martin and China Miéville, and the book won him the Alex Award and earned widespread recognition as one of the finest fantasy debuts in years.
The sequel, Red Seas Under Red Skies (2007), and the third volume, The Republic of Thieves (2013), expanded the world of the Gentleman Bastards while deepening its characters and raising the narrative stakes. The series has been praised for its intricate heist mechanics, its sharp dialogue, and its willingness to let characters — and readers — suffer genuine consequences. Lynch has been open about personal struggles with depression that affected the pace of his writing, and his candor has made him a respected figure in the fantasy community beyond his literary accomplishments.
Lynch’s work is distinguished by its combination of elaborate plot construction, darkly comic wit, and genuine emotional investment in its characters. His imagined world of the Gentleman Bastards series draws on real history, mythology, and the traditions of con-artist fiction to create something genuinely fresh within the fantasy genre. He has been recognized with multiple award nominations and remains one of the most eagerly anticipated voices in contemporary fantasy, with readers worldwide awaiting the next installment of his series.