Red Seas Under Red Skies
by Scott Lynch
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Book Reviews of Red Seas Under Red Skies
Book Review: I think I have a crush on Locke Lamora.
Summary: 4 Stars
What I loved most about this book is that Scott Lynch proved that he is not afraid to let his characters fail. Too many books out there always have everything work out for their hero, sometimes to the point of absurdity, but Lynch did not balk at showing us that Locke is, in fact, only human. He's not omnipotent, he's just a man.
(Hah! Take that vague-ish comment however you'd like.)
Anyway! The second book in the Gentlemen Bastards sequence brings Locke and Jean to a new country where they have a bit of a rough start. Losing your friends and having to flee your country isn't so easy to bounce back from. Bounce back from it they do, though, and Locke gets it in his head to rob the seemingly unrobbable Sinspire, a legendary casino with a vault that is claimed to be impossible to break into. But Locke and Jean's plans hit a significant snag when the military leader of Tal Verrar gets wind of who they are and decides to make use of their talents for his own devious plot....
The majority of the story takes place in - you guessed it - the sea. On a pirate ship, in fact. I actually had great fun with seeing Locke and Jean out of their element and I loved all the new characters we were introduced to on the ship - here's hoping it won't be the last we see of them! My only real beef with the ship storyline was that Lynch used a lot - a LOT - of nautical jargon, which, while fun and interesting, was very hard to follow at times seeing as I'm not a sailor. I appreciate the fact that he was trying to be realistic, but, realistically, a lot of his readers would probably rather just have the layman's terms.
As you would expect when Locke is involved, there is never a dull moment in the plot (especially considering that there are so many of them!) and despite the 760 pages that this book clocks in at, you'll speed through it and wonder how it could possibly be over already. The ending did seem rather abrupt, but it kind of worked, in an odd way. As I mentioned, there were a great deal of plots being woven into one another (which you would think would get very confusing, but Lynch is a master at juggling) and the things that got wrapped up speedily in the end felt sort of like they should be handled that way - it was just time to put an end to certain things. I have to say that the last few pages were some of Lynch's best writing. It socks you in the face and then gives you a hug and makes you feel all warm inside while you're trying not to cry.
The reason I only gave this book four stars is because of the few nitpicks I pointed out above, and also the fact that while I love and appreciate that Locke is portrayed as a fallible human man...it sort of felt at times that Lynch had accepted the fact that it was going to be tough to top the events of The Lies of Locke Lamora and so he just didn't even try. I hope I'm proved wrong in future books and that I do get to once again be dazzled by the capers of Locke and Jean because, let's face it, as reassuring as it is to know that our beloved characters are capable of mistakes like all the rest of us, we'd all rather see them win, right?
Book Review: Thieves, Pirates, & Poison
Summary: 4 Stars
Picking up where The Lies of Locke Lamora had left off, Red Seas Under Red Skies continues with the thieves Locke and Jean on their way of creating their finest heist yet. The only problem they have in front of them is they have been unexpectedly chosen to bring Zamira Drakasha and her pirate crew to justice. So in comes pirates, pirate ships, and craplines . . .
The plot may be a bit basic, but the descriptions of the heist are very much worth it. Locke and Jean, one of the most interesting duos in fantasy fiction today, are, as always, unique and refreshing. They hate each other, admire each other, and they always seem to get in trouble. But of course . . . they're THIEVES! The supporting cast (Requin, Stragos, Zamira, Ezri, Jabril, etc.) is also a thrill. A few of them may be quite cliched in terms of personality and style of life, but that doesn't stop me from finding them interesting. And of course, there's that cliffhanger ending! It had me rereading the last few pages right after I finished the novel because it was so powerful.
Like other reviewers, I did have some problems with this sequel. First of all, the second act of the book did slow the book down at times with all this information about pirates and people who hate pirates. The whole first act was all about Locke and Jean doing what they do best: steal. But then, in comes this entire conflict and chemistry with pirates, especially on the Poison Orchid ship and Port Prodigal. It does seem to change the atmosphere almost completely, but once I generated my interest in this specific genre, I couldn't really complain about it. Second, a scene which looked and felt like a major plot twist actually turned out to be a dud. I'm not going to tell you which scene it is, but . . . just be prepared. And lastly, the third and final act of this book felt very rushed. In the first act, we see how Locke and Jean are going to overcome their obstacles. Then in the second act, we see them adapting to the life of the sea. And finally, in the final act, it all ends in just a few chapters, meaning it felt too quick to be called a third act. I'm pretty sure the second act could've been shortened so that the final act could be extended.
But despite its flaws, Red Seas under Red Skies has, along with The Lies of Locke Lamora, become an entertaining read, and it's completely worth it. I am, however, slightly annoyed that Lynch has pushed back the next volume, The Republic of Thieves, to a later date. It was originally going to be published in 2008, but it's now a possibility that it will be released in late 2010. I'm not sure if it's because of Lynch's writer's block or personal issues, but due to Red Sea's cliffhanger ending, I think I'm dying from excessive suspense! But at least I sleep well at night. Well, whatever the reason, I'll be at the bookstore to purchase the third volume whenever it's officially released.
Grade: B+
Book Review: Reminds you of the magic of "Lies," but does not recreate it.
Summary: 2 Stars
Some of the rich and powerful characters in this book are so stupid that *I* could rob them of every centira of their wealth. Most of the conversations go like this:
Powerful crime lord: Why should I believe you?
Locke: (insert smooth-talking here)
Powerful crime lord: You strike me as an exceptionally deceitful, arrogant, smooth-talking fellow. You admit that you are a notorious thief. Everyone that I trust tells me I would be best served by killing you. Therefore, I shall believe everything you say!
... Huh?
Remember how Locke and crew deceived that silly Don in the first book? Thoroughly researched and conned him, and then dressed up as very powerful law enforcement officers and told on themselves? Yeah, that was brilliant. There's none of that in this book. Locke just simply talks his way out of everything by acting flippant and doing card tricks. My 5-year old niece wouldn't fall for some of the crap that these supposedly powerful men gobble up for no apparent reason.
The romance was even worse. I would have been able to accept the matches made in this book, even with their flimsy bases ("they both like hitting people when they're not reading romance books!"), but the ridiculous sex scenes and related "humor" killed them for me. This book gives us the very juvenile view that the best sex involves property destruction and excessive noise. It's a very, very cheap attempt at humor that's only a notch above fart jokes. I've engaged in all sorts of sex, kinky as you can imagine, yet never did I think.. "let's intentionally keep everyone awake by screaming our heads off and kick in the walls!"
Lynch should have tried some more unconventional things. Trying to pair Locke off with the captain would have been a great move. She's older, has children, is in a position of power over him, and doesn't have red hair. Something like that would be so much more satisfying than the pairing of friggin bruisers. I'm sorry, but the "I've never met anyone like you before" crap was ridiculous. Two bruisers, a pirate and a thief, who have never before encountered other bruisers and just can't believe that others like them exist. SERIOUSLY?! Never ever met anyone like them before, huh? Might want to think that through, especially given that we're introduced to another novel-quoting brute just a few pages later.
As for the other plot problems, people already mentioned them. Pirates with hearts of gold. "Mysterious" characters and organizations that are losing their mystery (Sabetha, the Bondsmagi). Stock characters by the dozens.
This book has moments that had me laughing out loud, and reminded me of the magic of the first book, but was ultimately a let-down. I would probably still recommend reading it, but only to be up-to-date for the next installment. Don't put it at the top of your reading list.
Book Review: Worth reading, but somewhat erratic
Summary: 3 Stars
For those who enjoyed Scott Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora, his follow-up book, Red Seas Under Red Skies, will likely be a mixed bag. As other reviewers have commented, it doesn't quite measure up to the first book and the intertwining plots would have been better served had they been done in two novels instead of one. The jumping around in time sequences and locations gets confusing, the resolutions of some of the plot threads are rushed, and the ending is decidedly dissatisfying on a couple of levels, particularly in what amounts to not so much a cliff-hanger as a cliff-tease.
One particular disappointment for me was a great scene involving Jean taking over a gang of street kids and starting to teach them how to be _real_ thieves. It felt like the beginning of something really interesting, plot-wise, but no sooner does it get going than it's summarily abandoned. Very annoying.
These things said, however, Red Seas Under Red Skies is still worth the read. The parts where it works are thoroughly engaging, with individual scenes that are true delights and dialogue that rises to memorable comic brilliance as can be seen in this particular rant of Locke's:
"Have we ever been _less_ in control of our lives than we are at this moment? We can't run away from the archon and his poison, which means we can't just disengage from the Sinspire game. Gods know we can't even see the Bondsmagi lurking, and we've suddenly got assassins coming out of our a******s. Know something? I'd lay even odds that between the people following us and the people hunting us, we've become this city's principal means of employment. Tal Verrar's entire economy is now based on _f*****g_with_us_."
Also on the plus side, I particularly liked how the novel gets into an actually plausible rational for the thieves' theology of the Crooked Warden, i.e. that the role of thieving has a purpose in the grand cosmic scheme of things. I also, unlike some reviewers, actually liked the pirate section of the book more than I liked the on-land con. It's always good when you can tell that an author has done their homework, and Lynch definitely did his on pirates, working in a number of details that really added to the texture and feel of those scenes. Parts of it are pure fantasy, of course - it is a fantasy world after all - but I still appreciate authors who work to make it as real as it can possibly be in that context.
So overall, I do recommend this to anyone who likes fantasy and/or who liked The Lies of Locke Lamora. It's a good if not great read, and there's enough of Locke and Jean in it to keep you going until Lynch's next novel comes out.
Book Review: Stars are a bad indicator for this book
Summary: 3 Stars
Even though I often judge the purchase of a new book by the average star ratings on Amazon, sometimes they really don't suffice to give a proper idea of what to expect. "Red Seas Under Red Skies" is Scott Lynch's sequel to his outstanding debut novel, "The Lies of Locke Lamora". If you are looking at this book without having read "Lies", stop right here. Go buy "Lies" first - you won't be disappointed.
The reason I have a hard time simply using stars to judge this book is that my feelings about it are very mixed. One the one hand, we have a continuation of the Gentlemen Bastards from the first book. They continue to be a wonderful blend of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, Mission Impossible, and a little bit of "The Sting" thrown in for good measure. The worlds and environments that Lynch creates are detailed, inventive, interesting and richly imagined. The capers that Locke & Jean get caught up in never fail to boggle the mind.
So why are my feelings mixed? You know, I don't mind the pirate section of the book as much as some here seem to (though to be fair, on a ship in high winds and crashing seas, I can't imagine that having both "larboard" and "starboard" as terms used to indicate opposite sides of a ship NOT getting aurally confused). For me, the failings are primarily in the very abrupt ending. In the last 40 pages or so of the book, a anonymous threat is suddenly revealed, Locke & Jean first encounter one of the major warring factions and quickly enlist their aid, topple a previously unassailable tyrant, and pull off a heist in in a massively secure tower.
Now, for me, it's not a matter of failing my willing suspension of disbelief at all. It's just that this whole sequence deserved more details. The pacing here was so vastly counter to the rest of the book that it hurt. I usually enjoy the quickening pace at the end of a good book, but this was far too severe for my tastes and far too abrupt.
This is not the only flaw in the book by any means, but it was the one that really affected my overall opinion of the book the most. Some of the characters and motivations in the story are a bit formulaic, but not so much that it detracts from the work of a good storyteller. Having said all of this, I still enjoyed the book, on the whole, though it was clearly not in the same league as "Lies".
I have high hopes for the next book in the series. There are lots of loose ends to address, and I do enjoy the main characters. "Red Seas" is not by any means a bad book, but here's hoping for better things to come!