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43 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Locke and Jean up to their old tricks again, August 19, 2007
Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch is the second book in the Gentlemen Bastards sequence, the first book being The Lies of Locke Lamora. This is the second novel that Mr. Lynch has published, it is quite evident that Mr. Lynch truly has a gift for weaving an incredible story. If you have not read The Lies of Locke Lamora you really need to do so before you even think about picking up this book. Events and discussions that happen within the pages of this novel will make much more sense having read the first book. Plus, the first book is simply bottled magic and a fantastic read, every fantasy fan should read it in my opinion.
The plot of this book follows Locke and Jean as they plan their next major heist on the shores of Tal Verrar. On the surface this seems like a straight forward plot, however, much like the first book - things aren't always as they seem. This is a much more involved plot that you would think; there are also a couple sub-plots that occur along the way. I don't really want to talk about those sub-plots though for fear of ruining a part of the book for anyone. If you read the first book though, you understand that rarely do things go exactly as planned for Locke and whoever is following him. We'll leave it at that. Suffice it to say that the plot of this novel is well done and succinct and rarely is there a slow moment in the entire book.
The story clearly focuses on Locke and Jean, two of the characters from the first book. There is a great deal of character development for Locke and Jean in this book, much more than the first book for sure. There are also a great deal of additional characters added, which only makes sense sine Locke and Jean completely uprooted themselves and moved to a different place. The addition of these new characters is seamless. They flow right into the existing story and fit perfectly into the grand scheme of things. Each character that Mr. Lynch adds is done with a reason and a greater purpose in mind. Mr. Lynch also has a way of getting the reader to hate certain characters; there are two that come to mind right away. All the characters in this novel, from the main heroes to the beer seller, are all richly detailed with just enough information given that the reader is allowed to form their own picture of what the character looks like, and acts like. They are truly unique characters, no clichés here. Characterization is definitely a strong suit for Mr. Lynch.
I do have two minor criticisms about this novel. While a great deal of this book takes place on a ship, and Mr. Lynch does his best to set the ambiance of life on a ship. There are times when Mr. Lynch has dialog with countless nautical terms. He obviously did quite a bit of research to make that dialog as realistic as possible, however, the dialog during those moments felt forced and didn't flow with the rest of the story. Secondly, as with the first book, Mr. Lynch talks about the all powerful Bondsmagi. However, we learn nothing more about them than we knew after the first book. I am all for keeping things mysterious, however, there should be a little information revealed to keep the reader interested by the mystery. After all, the adage `out of sight out of mind' holds true. I know they are present, but if I don't read much about them, then I will soon forget they are there. I hope that changes in the next installment.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel - although I think it just missed in living up to its predecessor. The magic that was the first books seemed to be slightly off in this one. That could be merely me loving the first book so much that I gave this one unfair expectations. This is a very good book and one many fans will enjoy. If you liked the first one than I have no doubt that you will enjoy this one just as much. In my eyes, Mr. Lynch has cemented himself as one of the best up and comers in the fantasy genre today. I will continue to recommend this series and I can not wait until the third installment hits the shelves.
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26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Stars are a bad indicator for this book, December 10, 2008
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!
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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Swashed, December 9, 2007
I totally loved the first book in this series, The Lies of Lock Lamora, but I have mixed feelings about this one. It's got some great characters hurling some of the best insults I've read, and the odd smattering of humor kept me going. The pacing of this adventure was uneven. For a swashbuckling adventure, the buckles could have been swashed a bit harder. After a bit of plodding plotting the resolution comes ridiculously swiftly. The energy in the last 20 pages would have been welcome throughout. The cliffhanging ending is more irritating than intriguing. It's got some great bits, but on the whole It's Just OK.
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