It was with some excitement that I spotted this tweet earlier
It’s here, it’s out, the wait is over – COME & GET IT! #TheRepublicOfThieves @scottlynch78 pic.twitter.com/TY8r8JEimS
— WaterstonesLeedsSF&F (@SFandFantasyWSL) October 8, 2013
The Republic of Thieves! The third and oh-so-long-awaited book in Scott Lynch’s utterly brilliant Gentlemen Bastard Sequence. I’d read the first two (The Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas Under Red Skies) many years ago and was thrilled to hear that Scott had written another book. I’d pre-ordered the Kindle version months and months ago.
However, this was a chance to get a copy early (ok, only a day early, but even so…)
I dashed off down to Waterstone’s, up to the first floor science fiction/fantasy section. There it was, as promised in the tweet. I picked it up, read the blurb and had actually got as far as getting my wallet out…
I put it back down.
It’s a big, beefy, 600+ page hardback book. And thus, it’s heavy.
Whilst I absolutely adore the joy of The New Book, and nothing quite beats The New Book Smell, I know that I’d end up carting it around in my bag for a couple of weeks.
The Kindle version? Weighs nothing. Slightly cheaper too, though I’d happily pay full price for it.
And, when it’s finished, the hardback would just live on my shelves, gathering dust. The ebook will sit on my kindle, alongside the ebooks of Locke Lamora and Red Seas. I’d borrowed both off a friend, but bought the ebook later for re-reading.
Looks like my digital shelves will be getting another book.
And if you’ve not read the adventures of Locke Lamora, get cracking! It’s fantastic!
Related articles
- We’ve got a slightly unusual review of @scottlynch78’s long-awaited Gentleman Bastard novel THE REPUBLIC OF THIEVES: http://t.co/83JP6hzySc (tor.com)
- Early review: The Republic of Thieves, by Scott Lynch (littleredreviewer.wordpress.com)
- Book Review – The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch (chaoticcompendiums.com)
espresso coco 
I am a total Kindle convert. I do almost all my reading on public transport and lugging around mega books just used to make me feel inclined to leave them at home and not do any reading.
I absolutely love my Kindle. Bought the ebook in the end as lugging the hard copy around was just too much! I think if I’d had the other two in hard copy myself I might have been more tempted – there are other series (like Pratchett’s books) which I’ve got a set of hardbacks for, but nothing quite beats the convenience of kindle.
OOOOOOH! I didn’t realise it was out yet. I’ve just finished the second book and utterly loved it.
Now – here’s a dilemma. I have no kindle ( and I’m not getting one, EVER) and I’m not going to buy a painfully heavy, expensive hardback either, because my ‘one in, one out’ policy makes that too much of a money drain.
Boo. I think that the waiting time for me hasn’t ended yet. I shall cross my fingers for a quick paperback release.
Have we had the anti-kindle discussion? I was unsure for a long time, but I’m a complete convert. And I *love* ‘real’ books – in fact I’ve got two in my bag with me today! I love the convenience of the kindle, either as the fully fledged device or just as the app – the ability to read a book no matter where I am or what I’m doing is brilliant. Queueing for coffee? Get another page done. At the post office? There’s another chapter. Grab those spare minutes and fill them with books!
On Thu, Oct 10, 2013 at 8:32 PM, espresso coco
I love new books, however I love my Kindle more. There are some books that I want the real life block of printed paper on my shelves (Tales of the City series, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series and a few child hood favourites Terrence Dick teen horror series Wereboy, Cry Vampire etc)
However as I’m on the go a lot, and previously travelled a kindle is far more convenient. We went travelling for a year, and had 10 kilos of books packed! We read them all in less than 2 months and were stuck, that’s when the kindles entered our life. I felt like a 1950s housewife that’s just taken delivery of a a new twin tub and can ditch the mangle and the galvanised steel tub in the yard.
Even though I’ve not long travel plans, my Kindle has revolutionised my reading, I plough through 4-6 novels a month, and feel a warm and fuzzy feeling that the author actually gets more on kindle sales than they do on actual real books. (I know this first hand being a new writer)
The battery life is amazing (although I understand the new Kindle Fire only lasts 10-12 hours, mine in the original model and lasts up to a month between charges) The only detracting thing is you can’t be inspired to read a new novel when a passenger on a train or bus is reading a book.
I agree entirely. There are some books which I want in hard copy – authors such as Terry Pratchett, whose Discworld books I’ve (mostly) got in 1st edition hardback. And sometimes you just want a trashy paperback if you’re lounging around on the beach and you don’t want your kindle to get all sandy and wet!
Other than that, I love my kindle. I do miss being inspired by seeing what people are reading on the train though – most people these days seem to be head down with their phones, facebooking, twittering or playing games.
I’ve also got a Kindle Fire – part of a phone contract deal when my wife upgraded. It’s great for content consumption when it comes to surfing the web or watching movies on Netflix or Lovefilm, but I don’t like reading books on it. Something about the screen – much prefer the e-ink of my old kindle!