Scott Lynch

Wily con artist Locke Lamora has come up with an ingenious scheme targeting Sinspire, a nine-story palace of gambling and all forms of debauchery in the exotic city of Tal Verrar, but somehow the con does not go as planned.

Red Seas Under Red Skies

Red Seas Under Red Skies (Gentlemen Bastards #2)

Paige Leitner

Escaping from the attentions of the Bondsmagi Locke Lamora, the estwhile Thorn of Camorr and Jean Tannen have fled their home city. Taking ship they arrive in the city state of Tal Varrar where they are soon planning their most spectacular heist yet; they will take the luxurious gaming house, The Sinspire, for all of its countless riches. No-one has ever taken even a single coin from the Sinspire that wasn't won on the tables or in the other games of chance on offer there. But, as ever, the path of true crime rarely runs smooth and Locke and Jean soon find themselves co-opted into an attempt to bring the pirate fleet of the notorious Zamira Drakasha to justice. Fine work for thieves who don't know one end of galley from another. And all the while the Bondsmagi are plotting their very necessary revenge against the one man who believes e has humiliated them and lived; Locke Lamora.

The Gentleman Bastard Sequence, Book Two

Lies of Locke Lamora is such a gem of a fantasy novel that this was incredibly disappointing. 

Lots of time and focus spent on boats. Seemingly, the limit of the authors knowledge of boats is, apparently, "they are in the ocean sometimes" and this complicates things.

Caelan

Lies of Locke Lamora is such a gem of a fantasy novel that this was incredibly disappointing. 

Lots of time and focus spent on boats. Seemingly, the limit of the authors knowledge of boats is, apparently, "they are in the ocean sometimes" and this complicates things.

Fantastic!

My new fav author. I blew through these books. Better than TV/netflix and full of surprises excitement and laughs. Looking fwd to #3

Sunny

in some ways better than the 1st, i just had a harder time keeping track of all the characters. love my pirate ladies 💕

fira

Colleen

3 Stars

While I enjoyed the first book in this series, Red Seas Under Red Skies did not quite live up to my expectations. This disappointment was mostly because I had to start over with almost all new characters, a new country, basically an entirely new world which was frustrating to say the least. Usually the advantage of progressing with a series is that you are already familiar with the world and can jump right into the story. But no such advantage exists here. And with Lynch's exceedingly (and sometimes overly) detailed worlds, it was hard to keep track of everything. It was too easy to get bogged down by the minutiae. And since some of those details end up being important later but others are merely world building, it felt bit like I was studying for an exam with no idea which information to focus on. The story was just too busy, had too many layers, and did not tie together in a satisfying way.

Non-linear epic fantasy novels seem to be a trend. In The Lies of Locke Lamora, the flashbacks provided vital information and added to the tension of the plot. But in the sequel, the flashbacks were mostly to more recent times. Many were even within the time span of this story. So it would add a teasing flash forward, go back and explain the events leading up to that event in a slow and extremely roundabout way, then do another jump to explain what really happened to allay the intentional confusion caused by the author's bamboozling. It was too chaotic for my liking.

This book seemed all over the place, frantic and frazzled and not quite sure what direction it wanted to go. There is a big chuck of the story that involves pirates and sailing which I was initially excited about but quickly left me disappointed. I love stories about the ocean and sailing, so maybe my expectations were high. But I never felt that thrill of adventure. This book also lacked the exhilaration of the masterful heist. The effort was there, but the result was middling. 

There were a few humorous moments, but it was not nearly as amusing as the first book. The story was darker than the first and lacked that snarky spark. Plenty of swearing still though.

So overall, the things that were most strongly carried over from the first book were not the positive things. And frankly, the ending was a downer and mostly just a set up for the next book. While it was still an entertaining read, I was somewhat disappointed in it. I will need a break before continuing on with the series.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 3 Stars
Writing Style: 3 Stars
Characters: 3 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 2 Stars
Level of Captivation: 3 Stars
Originality: 3 Stars

Prashanth Srivatsa

If the Lies of Locke Lamora was the genius first child, Red Seas Under Red Skies is its misguided, oft unbalanced, sibling. The protagonists Locke and Jean resume their adventure into the heart of a gambling den whilst handcuffed by the autocratic Stragos, a dance of manipulations and political maneuvers that works like a charm to stump your predictive abilities. Lynch retains the elegance from Lies, and while his pirate arc may seem like a what's what of nautical jargons, he manages to keep us engrossed with his cabinet of wit.

menna

this was waaay slower than the first book but scott lynch?? sir?? care to please explain that ending???

also i'd kill to have a friendship like locke and jean's those idiots love each other so much i want to cry

Jamieson

okay I know lots of people don't like this as much as bk1 but I feel about equal? there were some things in this I liked more than bk1 but some things I liked less. ALSO JEAN AND LOCKE!! I LOVE THEIR FRIENDSHIP

review to come!

holy fuck holy fuck holy fuck !!!!! 

Scott Lynch’s mind????? the fucking plot twists this man continues to reveal page after page is driving me insane. Nothing about this series is predictable and i’m always wrong with whatever i guess which is something i love just as much as i love Locke and Jean fucking people over. The sad parts were more than heart wrenching and i am yet to see the boys happy for longer than a minute but the ending of this book had me screamingggggggg.

Rachel Kanyid

Again, I am left dumbstruck by how great these books are! This one is heisting and warring on the high seas! I would say it's not quite as good as the first, but I still loved it!

Amani Zaha

"You are beyond mad," said Locke after several moments of silent, furious thought. "Full-on barking madness is a state of rational bliss to which you may not aspire. Men living in gutters and drinking their own piss would shun your company. You are a prancing lunatic."


How does Scott Lynch do it! After the riveting experience that was the first book, I had full confidence that I would be impressed by the second installment of this series — yet now that I've read it, I'm still a little blown away.

In my review of the first book, I listed things I think Scott Lynch does so very well in his debut: characterization, dialogue (and sharp, vivid writing in general), world-building, pacing, plot—all that a work of fantasy constitutes, really. In Red Seas Under Red Skies he again delivers on all points, with a fresh new plot, an exciting cast and even more banter and entertaining dialogue.

"No doubt! I'll wager using so many words in so short a time makes your brain feel like a squeezed lemon, doesn't it? You wouldn't have the wit to find the lucking ground if I threw you out of the bloody window! Are you listening? You'd have to take your shoes and breeches off to count to twenty-one! You'd have to look up to see the underside of cockroach shit!"


The story initially seems to revolve around a magnificent heist at a grand, exclusive gambling house. It's a new city; we have Locke and Jean cheating games that are supposedly impossible to cheat, talks of an impenetrable vault guarding unimaginable riches, and the growing anticipation of our protagonists' masterful plan to rob it.

Except, a couple hundred pages in, Locke and Jean are on a ... pirate ship? Somewhere around the middle, it becomes clear RSURS was only using the Ocean's Eleven-style gambling house-heist plot as a disguise. Pirates are the main event of this book, and while I did continue to enjoy the story even after the drastic change of direction, it did feel like being tricked. (It's a very long way before ships and sea are even brought up in the story.) This is part of why the book receives one star less than its predecessor.

Another thing is the length and pacing. Lynch still does a good job of packing the book with suspense and twists, the storylines becoming more and more entangled the further we get. However! I did find myself skimming a lot more of this one, whenever descriptions became too lengthy and detailed. Some parts of the plot felt undeserving of the number of pages they spanned, while others (er—the resolution) felt rushed.

Nonetheless, I very much enjoyed the experience of reading this. We are introduced to the brilliant character that is Zamira, fierce pirate captain and mother of two toddlers. Jean gets his own storyline. Locke and Jean's (very admirable!!!) bond is highlighted a lot more, which makes room for heartfelt displays of their love and loyalty toward each other, as well as so much entertaining banter.


[Jean demands he goes alone to perform a particularly dangerous task - to not endanger Locke, of course.]

"I won't let you go alone."

"And I won't let you come with me. What do you think you can do, fight me?"

"Shut up, the pair of you," said Zamira. "Gods. Just this morning, Jerome, your friend here tried to convince me to let him do exactly what you're planning right now."

"What?" Jean glared at Locke and ground his teeth together. "You miserable little sneak, how could you-"

"What? How dare I contemplate doing what you're now planning to do to me? You self-righteous strutting c-ck, I'll-"

"What?" shouted Jean.

"-I'll throw myself at you, and you'll beat the shit out of me," said Locke. "And then you'll feel awful! How about that, huh?"


And also this:

Jean had already reduced his first pear to its core; as Locke watched, he popped this into his mouth, crunched it loudly and swallowed it all but for the stem, which he flicked away.

"Thirteen Gods," said Locke, "must you do that?"

"I like the cores," said Jean sulkily. "All the little crunchy bits."

"Goats eat the gods-damned crunchy bits."

"You're not my mother."

"Well, true. Your mother would be ugly. Oh, don't give me that look. Go on, eat your other core; it's got a nice juicy pear wrapped around it."


So, a strong four stars. I'm still convinced that the Gentlemen Bastard books would make for excellent movies!!!


"An appeal to the tastes of the groundlings is not equivalent to a valid philosophical analysis of the works in question! Lucestra of Nicora wrote in her letters to-"

"Begging everyone's pardon," said Big Konar, "but it ain't polite to have an argument if nobody else knows what the fuck you're arguing about."

Jack Harrison

Kirsten Simkiss

Rarely anymore does a book find a way to sucker me into crying over words, but I did. I also laughed out loud regularly, even once startling a woman in the waiting room of my doctor's office. This book was an absolute delight. I cannot recommend this series enough. It probably isn't everyone's cup of tea, but good lord is it ever mine. This book was like Captain Anne Bonny and Mary Read meeting protagonists from Ocean's Eleven. It was amazing. While I think I still prefer the first book, I'm thrilled with this plot.

This book follows the lives of Locke Lamora and Jean Tannen, two Camorri thieves striking out away from their original city in the hopes of fresh places to rob in the name of the thirteen god, the Crooked Warden. This book, in particular, throws them in amongst thieves of a different kind: pirates. Talking about these books without giving away too much is difficult, because everything comes back in the end - a quality I really love. The story continues on in the end, but the plot of the book is more or less wrapped up in a way in which things can continue for the main characters, the Gentlemen Bastards Locke and Jean.

But lord do I love this world. A world of pirate queens sailing with their children, a world where it's against the superstitions of sailors to set sail without cats on board, a world where sharks aren't the scariest things you might see in the deep and mists can lure you into jumping off a ship. The further I get into this series, the more unusual and interesting these books are to me. I love a colorful, unusual world and boy have I been suckered into this one.

As I said in my review for the first book, this is definitely an adult-aimed book. It's not brutally graphic, but it does have copious amounts of violence and sexual themes. Realistically, if you've survived watching Pirates of the Carribbean without clutching your chest in horror, you're golden. But some people don't like reading about people dying brutally, even for a moment.

Again, if you're looking for a book recommendation, this is a great option if you're in the mood for high fantasy. (Go read the first one first though. You can probably get away with it, but certain elements won't make sense.)

All that bad luck, just because Locke left the cats at home!

Kim Marie

Celeste Richardson

Full review now posted!
This review and more can be found on Booknest.

A buddy read with my loves: Petrik and Sarah.

In my humble opinion, pirates make everything better. When I was six or seven, my favorite Saturday-morning cartoon was Pirates of the Dark Waters. (Which so didn’t age well, but nostalgia covers a multitude of sins.) In junior high, I went through a phase where I researched every famous pirate I knew of, just because I found them fascinating. I’ve loved every single one of The Pirates of the Caribbean movies, including those that some people considered flops. I had a poster of Jack Sparrow over my bed in high school, but that wasn’t because I loved pirates; that was because I had the hots for Johnny Depp in eyeliner. Anyway, moving on!

Fantasy is my favorite literary genre, but I’ve always found it sadly lacking in pirates. Yes, I know there are a few wonderful exceptions. But all in all, pirates are scarce in fantasy. So imagine my delight when the sequel to one of my favorite fantasy novels, The Lies of Locke Lamora, featured a heavy dose of piracy! And the aspects of piracy, from the hierarchy and camaraderie between the crew to the way battle is waged on the open sea to the ships themselves, were presented in such a captivating way that I could feel the wind against my cheek and smell the salt in the air. Just based on that fact alone, this book would have made me happy. But there was so much more to love here.

As in Lies, the character development is incredible. Even supporting characters who only appear in a scene or two feel like real people. Main supporting characters are even more realistic, inspiring a plethora of emotions in readers. But then there’s Locke and Jean. This is the best friendship I’ve read in any book, it truly is. And I don’t say that lightly. There are other literary friendships that I adore, and that mean a lot to me. Sherlock and Watson, Harry and Ron and Hermione, Legolas and Gimli, Wax and Wayne, and so many more just pale in comparison to Locke and Jean; at least, they do for me. 

Lynch’s descriptive powers are phenomenal. Just as I grew to love Camorr, dark side and all, I grew to love and hate Tal Verrar, and would envision its streets and docks and Sinspire just as well as I could Camorr’s canals and temples. In both books, the cities themselves played a large part in the cons Locke and Jean planned. The cons themselves, and the way bits and pieces of them are revealed throughout the story, are always a pleasure to read. Never in my life have chairs inspired so much curiosity in me. 

Something else I really loved: there’s not even a hint of sexism in Lynch’s writing, which is refreshing in fantasy. Modern fantasy writers are getting much better at portraying female characters as women instead of props, but Lynch is one of the best I’ve ever read in this regard. His women are real. And women populate every profession in the books with equality to their male counterparts. Women are guards and soldiers and pirate captains, and I love how no one ever questions a woman’s ability to fight as well as any man. 

There is romance in this story, romance that will make your heart bleed and your teeth ache with the sweetness of it. There are triumphs and betrayals and plots within plots. More than any other fantasy I’ve read, the first two Gentleman Bastards books have shocked me and inflicted severe emotional trauma. But they are also among the funniest books I’ve ever read. The dialogue is second to none. Some of the funniest lines I’ve read in my entire life came from the pen of Lynch. Here are just a few lines from the numerous that I highlighted in this book:

“Any man can fart in a closed room and say that he commands the wind."

“Maxilan, darling." Locke raised one eyebrow and smiled. "I knew you were driven, but I had no idea you could smoulder. Come, take me now! Jean won't mind; he'll avert his eyes like a gentleman.”

“You’re ten pints of crazy in a one-pint glass.” 

“You needed a bath," Jean interrupted. "You were covered in self-pity.”

“You'd have to take your shoes and breeches off to count to twenty-one!” 

There are many, MANY more, but I feel that I can’t repeat them in polite company. (That last one I probably shouldn’t have included either, but it’s one of the funniest things I’ve ever read and I couldn’t help myself!) Which means you’ll just have to pick up the book to read the best lines! If you do, I promise you’ll find one of the funniest, most heart-wrenching books you’ll ever read. This is a series well worth reading. I’ll leave you with a quote from Jean, about what it means to be a thief:

“Look for us in history books and you’ll find us in the margins. Look for us in legends, and you might just find us celebrated.”

Alex

A solid 3.5/5. Well, I finally finished this book. Based on the reviews, I went in with low expectations and came out pleasantly content, with a few issues. 

Lynch's writing, I find, improved drastically in this novel. We don't get the long winded paragraphs explaining the details of an end table, as such the first novel had. His focus turns to the characters, which I am more than happy about. 

Our main characters, in fact all of Lynch's characters, in this novel are a mastery. I enjoyed every single one. Locke and Jean remain to be two of my select list of favourite fiction personas. They are simply genius.

We also still get some of the funniest crap I've ever read. The insults and crass language this man concocts still had me grinning from ear to ear. This is the strongest point of this novel, in my opinion. 

However, the story lost me. I feel like I didn't get the Locke and Jean antics we were all looking for. There was thievery, but not in the grandeur that I expected. I feel like the book got lost quickly in the entire pirates and ships plot that seamed to jump on us out of nowhere for 400 pages. The first 200 pages and the last 30 are the strongest points of this book. Everything in between was a bit of an honest waste of plot. 

And that ending. We're left dangling off the edge of a 80 foot cliff, hanging about a quarter of the way down by that gods damn Demi silk lining -Lynch being the stinky bastard at the top of the cliff, holding the hatchet and taunting us to no end, preparing to cut us down and let us plummet into the depths of what is certainly 'A Republic of Theives'. That ending alone is what is enticing me enough to continue on with this adorable little story.

Sabetha Danes

I absolutely love this series. I will say this book wasn't as awesome as this first but overall it was a great read. Scott Lynch is a master of descriptive writing, I always feel like I'm walking through the streets with Locke and Jean. I can't wait to read the next one.

Risa C

Not as good as the first book. A lot of the nautical jargon went over my head, but I appreciate Lynch's attempt at accuracy. Still a rollicking good time, but the start of the story and its resolution were given a wide berth from each other by a lot of unexplained intrigue and meandering filler.

Sheila

Despite the fact that the entire second half of this book basically riffed Pirates of the Caribbean, and that nautical everything bores me, I enjoyed this! I think I'm going to barrel straight into the 3rd book now, especially seeing as the 4th book comes out later this year. Completionist ftw!

Alexia Beatrice Guglielmi

4.5

I planned on rounding this down to 4 stars because of a very specific and, in the grand scheme of things, very insignificant frustration (view spoiler)[i.e. Locke lying on the spot to the Archon and Requin when he literally had three weeks at sea to think up his lies, (hide spoiler)] but boy, did that epilogue get to me. 

The friendship between Locke and Jean is nothing short of incredible. There is so much love between them, even when they’re halfway at each other’s throats. I already can’t wait to read the next book.

Crying scale: only a few tears but my heart felt hollow.

Nikki K

Christina M Masters

Not going to lie, it took me a bit to get into this book. I think it is because I loved Lies of Locke Lamora so much and this was quite a bit different setting than the first book in the series and for me it took a bit for it to really get going. But, about the half way point everything changed and holy cannoli! Once this book really started going it took off like a shot and there was no stopping after that. It is Ocean's Eleven meet Pirates of the Caribbean. There were so many intricacies and it was plotted so thoroughly and boy, oh boy, there is so much plot. But, Scott Lynch is an amazing talent and he pulls it off. My only problem now is if I hold off reading the next one to wait for a solid release date for the fourth book or if I should dive right in!

libby g

Red Seas Over Red Skies by Scott Lynch

Note: this review contains spoilers for the first book in the series.

Big book, big results. 4/5 stars.

This is the second novel in Scott Lynch’s Gentleman Bastard series, the first of which being The Lies of Locke Lamora. It’s a swashbuckling tale that follows two main protagonists, Locke Lamora and Jean Tannen. They are believers in the Nameless Thirteenth, the Crooked Warden, the god of thieves. And, much as in the first book, they live up to this belief, scamming their way through city politics and taking advantage of the most powerful members of society; this time in Tal Verrar rather than Camorr. 

However, in Red Seas Under Red Skies, the boys must also learn more about the world that Iono, the Lord of the Grasping Water, the god of the sea, resides over. After spending a majority of their lives landlocked (pun intended) they must take to the oceans and become pirates--or at least something of the sort.

I really enjoyed this novel but I found that the ending didn’t live up to what it could have been. The beginning was incredibly strong and got me incredibly interested in the story: a complex plot made up of several factors. There’s the impossible heist of an impenetrable casino called the Sinspire, the question of assassins sent by an unknown perpetrator, the controversial plan of a powerful man in an unstable position, the involvement of a class of super-powerful mages, the risky business that comes with pirate life, and, of course, Locke Lamora's ability to weave his way through it all; whether he comes out unscathed or in even deeper trouble than he could imagine, you’ll have to read the book and see. 

I was happy to be able to dive into the lives of Locke and Jean again, amazing characters who happen to be some of my most favourite of all time. Lynch makes them layered and real and harsh. Through the use of “Reminiscence” chapters (essentially flashbacks) we are able to learn more about the emotional and physical toll the events of the last novel took on the two protagonists. I liked how Lynch didn’t shy away from grief and allowed his characters to express themselves in different ways, some healthy and some not so much. I also felt that Jean became a much more important figure in this novel, not only in the role that he played but also in the quality and depth of his character. I know Jean now to much the same extent that I know Locke, a positive impact that the shrinking of the Gentlemen Bastards has had because there are fewer of them to focus on (although I still weep for the loss of Bug, Calo, and Galdo). 

I also loved the new characters that we are introduced to; a kickass pirate captain and mother of two toddlers, Zamira Drakasha; a fiery first mate that you would not want to get into a bar fight with, Ezri Delmastro; a collector of fine art and essentially the CEO of a booming, well fortified casino, Requin; and an inventor, an emperor, and a puppet master, the Archon, Maxilan Stragos. Each is complex and interesting and I learned to admire certain aspects of them all as well as question their motivations and morality.

This book is so exciting but eventually it gets to a point where it begins to get sloppy. I’m not sure if this was because of publishers rushing Lynch to meet the release date or something like that or if Lynch himself was just in a hurry to complete the novel, but either way the end suffered from it. Specificities of the plot were clouded over or pushed aside and a conclusion that felt rushed. The novel wasn’t wrapped up in a way that I found completely satisfactory*. But that’s not to say the ending was all bad, Lynch managed to throw in his quintessential humor and his amazing prose made it much easier to deal with.

Overall, I loved Red Seas Over Red Skies. I would have been happier if the ending had been approached differently but I think that the adventure throughout the beginning and middle definitely made up for this fact. If you’re a fan of fantasy 


* If you’re looking for an author who know exactly how to end a book, all loose ends perfectly tied in a nice little bow check out Brandon Sanderson’s work. I particularly recommend the Mistborn series, the ending of that trilogy, if nothing else (but probably lots of things else because it's amazing in many different ways), will leave you admiring Sanderson’s ability to plan ahead and think things through top to bottom side to side over and under and everywhere in between. Honestly magical.

Red Seas Under Red Skies

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