Red Seas Under Red Skies (Gentleman Bastards)

The writing was still excellent, as were the charachters, however little real process was seemingly made in the series as a whole. It almost seemed like "lies" retold in a different setting. I;m excited to see where the series goes, but if it continues to progress this slow I might never see its end.

A great read, and some great banter between the characters, made this an exciting and very enjoyable book to read. The lead characters were very charming and grounded, so I felt myself caring about their well being and also what was to happen to them. A novel which was great from start to finish.

This is a Great book and a wonderful followup to the first one.
You can also read it without reading 'Lies' but it is helpful to start at the beginning.
Well written and a great plot. Fun twists and a great love story.. which you barely notice.
Overall I was impressed.

Much like the other books, this one is an excellent part of the series... but it takes until the later part of the book to get going and really moves quickly after that. Love the action and different aspects that this series looks at.

A wonderful follow-up by Scott Lynch. He has put his name in the mix with the likes of Rothfuss, Gaiman, and Sanderson.
Engaging on a 'walk in' level. You just want to walk through their world for a day. Real and inviting.

This book had so much potential. It started out exciting in a great Oceans Eleven sort of way, and then the story abruptly changed. I didn't hate the changes, but wanted to see how the first story concluded first. By the time I was fully invested in the "Pirate" distraction, Lynch wrapped up the book extremely quickly and haphazardly. It was like he realized he had 50 pages to finish everything... it ruined both the original story and the secondary pirate story in the rush. Right when I had forgiven him for the abrupt change, he switches back to the primary story and finishes both so fast I don't want to read the next. So much potential....

Honestly the only reason it gets 4 stars versus 5 is that republic of thieves was so awesome I had to differentiate. Scott Lynch's world gets deeper and better with each book. A must read if you like epic fantasy.

'Twas a good book. I have very much enjoyed the Gentlemen Bastards series, and this book does not disappoint. Anyone who has read the first one and is wondering whether they should read the first one, do. Just read it.

It's good.

For my husband and I there are few books that we sing praises for and this is one of them. I have read this book multiple times and I have yet to find a flaw. Cannot wait to read the next installment in this series.

A well written, engaging read. Highly recommend this writer for anyone looking for something new and different. After reading the first book I got the other books even though I already had other books to read and have enjoyed each one.

The only thing I didn't like about this book was that the next isn't out yet. Scott Lynch has crafted a very engaging and unique world and given two great characters to explore it with.

There are both sea-fights and high-stakes casino heists: what's not to like, really?

The story is slow developing. The characters, who were once fantastic, turn the awful corner of winey and angsty. The dialogue was bogged down with profanity. Locke and Jean were vulgar in the last installment, but this time around they are too overtop with profanity.

With all the negativity out of the way, i must say the setting is still interesting. The world that Scott lynch created is as captivating as ever. I only wish he could've produced a better story for Locke and Jean

I can say with confidence that I loved it. Same snarky characters, same humorous dialect, new s*** up to the neck, and...well... AAARRRGGGGHH SCOTT LYNCH CURSE YOUR ENDINGS. So yeah. Buying the next book.

This book suffers from doing too little with too much.

It seems like the author had two core ideas: a casino heist, and a high seas pirate romp, but wasn't able to flesh out either idea enough to fill an entire novel, so he combined them.

The transition from one book to another is jarring and disappointing, as right when one plot is gearing up, we start back at the very beginning of a second, unrelated plot, and then at the end, returns to a cliff notes summary of the end of the original plot. It cripples the book's pacing and makes enjoying the book difficult.

My Mass Market Paperback edition of the book arrived with pages 337-368 missing. However, I was enjoying myself up to that point so I will update this review if I ever finish the book.

Update: I flipped through the book to check if there were any other misprints, and pages 386-416 are printed twice.

Author spends a long time setting the scene. Plot becomes very convoluted. And everything unravels with amazing ease within the last 50 pages or so.

The pirate adventure is a miserable disgression which does not add anything to the plot. Long and uselessly descriptive. If I want to learn sailing, I will buy another type of book.

Plotwise, this sequel is an unfortunate step down from author Scott Lynch's brilliant debut, The Lies of Locke Lamora. Whereas that earlier fantasy crime novel effortlessly weaves its various strands into one compelling whole, this follow-up spends a third of the book setting up a new location and cast of characters only to then jettison all that and literally send its protagonists out to sea. Their ensuing piratical adventure is fun, but it really doesn't connect back with anything from the start of the novel until near the very end. (I'm also a bit sour on the cliffhanger flash-forward that starts off the book, which when finally revisited turns out to have been misleading and largely without consequence.)

With all that being said: this is still a very good story! Along with the piracy business, it offers more of the Ocean's Eleven heist shenanigans of the first book, and Lynch establishes this corner of Locke Lamora's world with the same detailed care as before. The new characters are great -- especially the daring ship's captain and black mother-of-two Zamira Drakasha -- and the returning cast are given some interesting fresh challenges. There's even a touching love story, which is one element not really present in book one. It's by no means the instant classic of Lies, but this second Gentleman Bastard novel is still very much worth the read.

Anyone who finishes Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott M Lynch (book #2 of his Gentleman Bastard series) will understand why I muttered, “Damn it, Locke” under my breath when I reached the end of the book. As always, Lynch weaves a convoluted tale, filled with double crossings after double crossings, until unwary readers may go quite squint trying to keep up with things. And trust me when I say there were times during this novel that I wondered whether a) things could get any worse and b) how the heck the two friends were going to get out of their predicament. Which kept me turning pages, so I guess that’s half the author’s work done right there.

I will add that Lynch is one of the few fantasy authors who, in my mind, can get away with writing the kind of shallow third verging on omniscient point of view that he does. He sometimes skates dangerously close to withholding key information, but the break-neck speed of his telling at key moments means that even when he does neglect to share what Locke or Jean knows, he usually shows the rest of his hand soon enough after. So I forgive him. However I will state this much: I am difficult to please when it comes to omniscient third because so few authors get it right. Lynch gets around this by having short sub-sections per chapter, so that he cycles through characters’ points of view as and when it’s necessary, but every once in a while the author-narrator intrudes.

For fear of spoilers, I’m not going to go into a general overview of the novel, suffice to say that it starts out with Locke and Jean planning the heist to end all heists – a job that’s two years in the making as they execute their designs of the aptly named Sinspire gaming house.

The environment in which they find themselves is decadent to say the least, and I lapped up the descriptions of the people. Lynch’s world building is intricate and layered, and I’ll hazard to say that nearly every small detail is important – so take note. He does a lot of foreshadowing to get around the fact that he doesn’t immediately clue you in with the full details. You’ll know something is afoot, but not much more than that until he reveals.

Also, I went into this novel expecting one thing, and about halfway through Lynch pulled the rug from under my feet and the kind of story I thought I would be reading turned out to be something completely different. I won’t say what, but it was awesome, and fun, and he introduced me to some unforgettable characters.

Damn it, Lynch. There is The Thing that happens near the end. I won’t say what but I was gutted. Not quite to the degree that I am reading Robin Hobb, but pretty darned close. And that’s all I will say on the matter.

Getting into Red Seas Under Red Skies was not immediate, as it felt to me that there was quite a bit of setting up that happened before the story really got underway. Lynch’s style isn’t for everyone, nor is the subject matter – focus is very much on action rather than emotional layering, which he keeps close to his chest. But once I got going, I was invested, and that’s what counts. I really do love the dynamics between Locke and Jean, even if the novel tends to stagger around unexpectedly. The worst part is that I finished reading the novel while on holiday in an area where I had to walk 1km to just get cellphone signal, so at the time I couldn’t go google to see whether there’s another novel to follow up this one… Yeah, it was that sort of book. (And there are more in the series… so I’m happy)

Locke and Jean find a caper to get involved in once Locke pulls his head from his rear after the near death experience from book 1. There are very small after-effects of the bonds magi, a flash back, a set up, another set up, and a bribe. Then there's pirates.

This book literally took me six months to finish.

I enjoyed the first book, even with its flashbacks, they were important. Here... well. They put me to sleep. The first 50% of the book put me to sleep. The set up for Salon Corbeau could have been deleted as there wasn't a pay off. The playmates they acquire in the Sinspire-delete. The bit with rappelling down a cliff-summarize to one paragraph, that dude they saw, no significant importance to the story. Rodanoff's POV- delete. Some dude's POV because of loud sex-delete.
This book had punctuation problems, formatting problems, and the occasional homophone problems, so it needed more polish, and maybe convince the author to delete scenes. One of Locke's scenes was in the wrong tense as the rest of the book. Oh! Unresolved plots too! Merraine for one.

Jean Tannen saves Locke all the time, and i like that Locke is quite aware of that, but Jean also saved this book from a lower rating. He's always been a favorite of mine, and I'm pretty certain he got the sisters back, but it was never confirmed. And well. What happened in the end. Jean was the only character who evoked emotion from me, even if I saw it coming from a mile away.

Also, cliffhanger ending.

A while ago I realized I had review the third book, Republic of Thieves, but I completely forgot to review the second one. How bizarre is that? To all of you who realized, I’m sorry… To all of you who didn’t: now you know. Because I really loved this book, I still wanted to review it for you all.

World

The setting of a fantasy novel is so critical to the story, in my opinion. If the country, city or land isn’t interesting, well-descibed and explained, it takes away from my enjoyment of the novel. In the first book, we get to know the island city of Camorr as the Gentleman Bastards con their way around the city. Now, we get to explore Tal Verrar with them. And it is just as incredible as Camorr, even though it’s completely different. I absolutely loved the idea of the Sinspire, the most exclusive gambling house in the world. The way it’s described…. I would want to visit. Even though I’m probably a terrible gambler and would lose all my money.

Tal Verrar isn’t the only place we get to know here though. There’s also: the sea. YES! Ships, sea and pirates. I think we can all be honest and say that pirates and the sea make everything better.

What can I say? I adore the world Scott Lynch has created for his Gentleman Bastards. I wish I could explore it right along them.

Plot

Now don’t worry, you know that I would never spoil you -even when I’m talking about the plot of the sequel. I’m always as vague as humanly possible -so sorry.

As you can imagine, the books in this series all have the same general theme: the GB are trying to pull off an incredible heist. That never changes. The place, the circumstances, the reasons, the target and the means: those all change. But there’s always a heist going on. One of the reasons I love these books is that most of the time, you’re clueless. You only know as much as Locke allows you to. Their heists are incredibly intricate. Honestly, Locke is like a spider. And as he is catching more and more bugs in his web, the heist becomes a tad clearer. The entire time, you try to guess at his plans. How are they going to do it? How does this person fit into the grand scheme? How does this object? Really. And at the end, you’ll be just as surprised. BECAUSE YOU WERE WRONG ABOUT EVERYTHING. That’s a lesson by Scott Lynch.

What I loved about this book is the manipulation. Everyone was manipulating each other, and they all thought they were on top. How wrong everyone is though. So much is going on. And I can see you thinking: they are trying to rob a gambling house. Jolien, how the hell do pirates even fit in? Well, they do. Seamlessly. To be honest, I love pirates. They make everything better, that’s just a fact.

I loved the fact that you get a bit of everything in this book: gambling, pirates, heists, great characters, politics, lies, deceit, amazing female characters, blackmail and cats. But somehow, it seems to fit together perfectly. It never feels like Scott Lynch tried to fill his book with as much tropes as possible. It all just seems necessary for the story and characters. Like a natural progression almost?

Characters

This part I have to be careful about. Wouldn’t want to spoil you! I have to admit that it’s sometimes a bit hard to remember who everyone is and what part they play in the grand scheme of things. But it gets easier as you go along, because every character is so unique. They all have their defining traits -both physical and psychological- so it gets really easy after a while. They all have an interesting backstory too!

I obviously have to talk a bit about Locke. In the beginning of the book, you want to slap him. He’s wallowing is self-pity, and it’s shameful. But at the same time understandable. He slowly gets back into the swing of things, especially now they have such a great heist to pull off. I love Locke. He’s incredibly smart -and cocky-, he’s witty and so loyal. I’m going to hate myself for using this term, but the GB are truly #squadgoals.

The characters grew so much in this sequel. They all faced new challenges, new problems to conquer. Their beliefs are challenged, and they are forced to reconsider them. Plus, the introduction of some amazing new characters does wonders too. It’s weird to say maybe, but I feel a sense of pride thinking about the GB? It’s like I was there for their training, while they were growing up, and now I feel proud thinking of the people they’ve become. I’m getting too involved in this series guys…

Conclusion

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS SERIES. IT’S ONE OF MY FAVORITE FANTASY SERIES, EVER. THE SEQUEL DEFINITELY DIDN’T DISAPPOINT. IT HAD AN INCREDIBLE SETTING, AN IMPOSSIBLE HEIST, BLACKMAIL, CATS, PIRATES AND OF COURSE, THE GENTLEMAN BASTARDS. IF THAT DOESN’T SOUND LIKE THE BEST BOOK EVER, I DON’T KNOW WHAT WOULD.

If you read my review of The Lies of Locke Lamora, you'll know I have a heart-on for this series. Scott Lynch's ability to create a complete world, with humor, wit, flawed characters, and high stakes, is like chocolate cake for my soul.

One of the things I love about this installment of the book is that the characters encounter something I (and probably everyone?) have to deal with but which is rarely represented in novels, it seems: multiple things to do, and having to not just budget time and energy to address them, but also put some off indefinitely because of current circumstance. To see these characters struggle under the chaos of life (when we’ve seen them struggle, and prevail, under the oppression of others, and power higher than themselves) is delightful. Not only because it hints are more things to come in future books, but because it opens a chance to dive into the MC’s inner selves. How do they handle shifting priorities? The frustration of the thing they really need to do being pushed off in favor of more immediate, less earth-shattering, things? How do they resolve these? That inevitably leads to their moral priorities- a great glimpse deeper into their characters. It’s less about what they can (and dare) to do (which was book 1, largely), and more about why.

Also, Lynch doesn't just re-create the formula of book 1 in a different setting. He turned everything I expected to happen, given book 1, on its head...pretty much in the Epilogue alone. So while most sophomore books serve to bridge a gap but aren't much to write home about, I can confidently say this one is just as delightful as the first. In some ways, more so, because of the whole Jean/Esre thing. But that's all I can say about that, because Lynch also made me cry.

Read The Lies of Locke Lamora. Then read Red Seas Under Red Skies. If you like witty writing and swashbuckling and piracy and medieval fantasy and capers AND PIRATES you'll love this one.

I am a big fan of fantasy books but have a hard time finding ones at an adult reading level with well-developed characters and appealing (non-clichéd) storylines. So far, the first three books about Locke Lamora fill this niche exceedingly well.

In general, the books are well written, with excellent story and character development. In general, there are two stories going on… the current situation our heroes are involved in as well as a story from their past, usually with some sort of connection, either storyline-wise or allusion wise. Scott Lynch handles this writing style very well, although sometimes I get irked when one story line is getting so exciting and he switches to the other… but I realize that it is his way of (successfully) keeping my attention. Another facet that makes it interesting is that it not about some sort of hulking warrior in full plate that always does the right thing. These characters are nuanced and their morality comes into question often…sometimes they do good and sometimes they don’t.

The second book continues with telling two stories at once and fills in some background. The main story shifts very unexpectedly to a sea adventure! It is again told realistically and provides a great hook to dig into the story. I enjoyed this more for its novelty… great fantasy told from a very different point of view in an unusual setting.

So far, this set is just what I was looking for. The depth of the setting is incredible, and I could see RPG gamers digging into it for ideas on campaigns. The characters are interesting and flawed. The writing is excellent and his storylines a bit unusual, definitely a pleasant change from a lot of fantasy out there.

Red Seas Under Red Skies was a worthy sequel to the Lies of Lock Lamora. I found myself thoroughly entertained and unable to put it down,

Yet again the initial plot (think scheme/con) takes a momentary backseat to the larger focus of the book which takes place on sea and involves pirates and a love interest.

Lynch excels where a lot of authors fail when it comes to character development. Locke and Jean really get great treatment here and become well fleshed. Locke is not your one-sided, impervious, superhero-type who always has all of the answers. In fact, you will see major flaws on their journey to Tal Verrar, which he is able to overcome with Jean's help.

One thing I've come to expect with Lynch is not knowing what is coming next... and RSURS is just so. The pirate ship aspect of the story is well-immersed and described. I'll cut this review short as I do not wish to inadvertently spoil anything. Hang on for a ride, and try not to be too disappointed when the story rushes to an ending that seems too quickly paced and finalized.

Same caveat as the previous book: It contains colorful profanity, though less descriptions of the violence that TLoLL had

4.0 Stars

tl;dr -- A worthy sequel with great writing and character development. A bit of a rushed ending.

After I read The Lies of Locke Lamora, I knew immediately that I would read the second book in the series. I thoroughly enjoyed the first and wanted more of the same. I was just as nervous as most when reading a sequel as many of them fall flat and just don’t capture the same feel of their predecessor. I am exceedingly happy to report that is not the case with Red Seas Under Red Skies. It is fantastic. I didn’t think it was as good as the first but it had that same feel, the same sedition and subterfuge that I loved about The Lies of Locke Lamora and that’s what really counts. It was awesome getting back into the schemes and trickery and double, triple, quadruple crossing that goes on here. There’s just always some surprise down the road and you never know what will happen next. The characters are very well done, their relationships, however, are a bit rushed and forced (other than Locke and Jean’s friendship which is superbly well done) but it’s not a big deal. You’ll find that many characters are a bit too trusting and willing to go along with whatever is suggested but that serves to quicken the pace of the book and it wasn’t distracting enough to take away from how much I enjoyed reading it. Really, apart from maybe being a bit slow to start the actual plot, the only thing I can say that I didn’t enjoy too much was all the nautical stuff. As you can probably tell from the title, much of the story takes place on the sea. As such, there are a ton of nautical terms thrown around and I didn’t really know what many of them meant so I was at a loss in a few instances. But because it is on the sea, you get to see Locke and Jean truly out of their element which was a nice change of pace for the usually calm and collected duo. Another thing that may irritate some is the story from the first book doesn’t really continue here. It’s an entirely new set of problems in an entirely new location. I can’t really think of any questions leftover from the first book that are answered here. But for me, that was entirely okay.
Overall, I felt like I was right back where the series started. There isn’t much, if any momentum lost here and the overarching feel of the story is much the same as its predecessor. It’s relatively fast paced once the ball gets rolling, exciting, mysterious and just tons of fun. I can’t wait to read the next installment. If you enjoyed Lies of Locke Lamora, go ahead and read this, it’s much the same and a blast to read.

The Lies of Locke Lamora was a breath of fresh air on the fantasy scene. It was dark, edgy, and imaginative with a unique hero. In the sea of high fantasy based on Middle Earth or Westeros, it was a magical Renaissance Italy with a con man and master thief hero. The story was an epic tragedy with unexpected deaths, twists, and turns. Scott Lynch had a big job ahead of him, living up to the standard set by the first book.

So does he?

Eh, mostly.

Red Seas under Red Skies is a fun novel with a great story but it doesn't have the level of drama the original does. The first book had Locke Lamora personally invested in the destruction of the Gray King. This book, by contrast, has Locke and his partner, Jean, under pressure from far less interesting opponents.

The premise is Locke and Jean are attempting to rob a powerful casino owner in a brand new city. Their con games attract the attention of the city's military dictator, who conscripts them with poison to become his agent provocateurs. The dictator needs the local pirates to raise a fuss so he can crush them and secure his political position. Locke and Jean are forced to learn how to become sailors as they end up infiltrating a crew which is less-than-impressed with their usual flourishes.

As mentioned, the stakes just aren't there. Locke and Jean don't care what happens to the city, don't have a vested interest in the pirates, and aren't even robbing the casino owner other than out of boredom. If not for the poison, they'd be able to leave with no real consequences. A new character, named Eris, is introduced who becomes very close to Jean but I never got the impression she was going to become a permanent part of the gang.

Indeed, the pirate element of the story is the place where the story drags the most. Jean and Locke maybe abysmal pirates. Given much of the series is appeal is seeing how the two of them manage to outsmart everyone else, the charm of seeing them as fish out of water wears off quickly. I also am less than pleased at the relative disposability of the Ezri character since she managed to make a impression despite herself.

Despite these major flaws, the book still manages to create a delightfully eccentric cast. Requin, Stragos, and pirate captains are all wonderfully realized. Any of them would have made a decent foil for Locke (and do, if we're honest) with a bit more personal antagonism. As such, the book feels like a side-story in the adventures of Locke Lamora as opposed to a continuation of his adventures.

In conclusion, Red Seas under Red Skies is a step-down from the original novel. It's still very good, however, and has a lot of humor as well as action. I just wish we'd had some serious consequences. At the end of the novel, it feels like the story hasn't really changed anything for our protagonists but put another obstacle in their way.

8/10

Red Seas Under Red Skies was in essence a let down. As a stand alone novel, it would have been quite a decent piece of fantasy writing. And perhaps the first book in a fantasy series, it would have been a solid entry, creating very good buildup for an interesting sequel. However, as the second book in the ‘Gentleman Bastard’ series and as a follow up to the rather novel brilliance of ‘The Lies of Locke Lamora’, Red Seas Under Red Skies was a let down.
At the end of the first book, Locke Lamora and Jean Tannen just manage to escape the city state of Camorr and the wreck their lives have become after tussling with the Grey King and the Spider of Camorr. We catch up to them in Red Seas Under Red Skies, in Tal Verrar, another city state many leagues for Camorr. There the Gentleman Bastards set about pulling their biggest heist yet, to steal from Requin, the owner and operator of the Sinspire, the largest gambling house in the city.
As a reader you begin to smack your lips in anticipation of excitment, high-jinxes and good old-fashioned thievery. The deception of some overly wealthy, powerful, smart adversaries, similar to the experiences we read about concerning Don Salvara and his wife Doña Sofia.
Unfortunately, things take a dour turn when their archnemesis, an organization of spell casters and magicians known as the Bondsmagi, betray their identities to the ruling class of the Tal Verrar. This then precipitates a confrontation with the head of the city’s military and security apparatus. This fellow then coerces them into a daring caper involving some rather unsavory pirates.
It makes for a pleasant enough story, unfortunately the plot lines of this book are not nearly as engaging as the first. It could be in part because the the novelty of the characters has worn off somewhat and I as a reader was no longer enchanted by the glib antics of Locke Lamora and his sturdy companion Jean Tannen.
Perhaps the main problem had to do with the way the story fell somewhat flat. Anticlimactic might not be the appropriate word, but it did feel like I was denied the pleasure of a good sneeze after a lengthy build up. The author spent page upon page making a case for the fact that this was to be the most complicated robbery, our heroes had ever sought to undertake. It is supposed to be the most dangerous, with gruesome mutilation and death as an ever present possibility from all corners. It is also supposed to be Locke’s most ingenious scheme. He literally talks himself into the good graces of the most powerful man in the city in order to steal from him, while at the same time convincing a band of the most barbaric pirates to launch raids against Tal Verrar, to satisfy the ambitions of another of the city’s overlords. Unfortunately it falls a little flat in this regard as neither of the threats to Locke’s life or the actual thievery come close to the tensions and thrills we felt during the Gentleman Bastard’s escapades in Camorr.
Furthermore, for all these supposed plot intricacies, the author resolves the matter too quickly in my view. After spending a huge chunk of the book building up to the finale, the fact that it concludes in a few short pages is somewhat disappointing. There is a limit that we as readers can accept of Locke’s abilities, as a fast talking master strategist. We witness Locke pull off a heist that has been in the works for a couple of years on the fly, while in the middle of some other very dangerous shenanigans. I mean this is a fantasy novel, but still, a semblance of reality must preserved in the fictionalized world.
I was also disappointed that the author resorted to what I take to be juvenile tact to help with character development. Of the two Gentleman Bastards remaining in this book, Jean is the least developed character. Up until this point all the narration has served to move Locke Lamora forward as an individual. Even the passages in the first book that did not center around Locke, were always tied back to Locke. Suddenly, here in book two of the series, the author decides develop Jean Tannen. How does he do this? Well, Jean is simply given a lover.
Jean Tannen meets a female pirate who shares his love for fighting (or butchery) and historic literature. Within a matter of weeks at sea (less I think), there is an instant love connection. Suddenly Jean whose life as a thief, grifter and all around criminal meant he had numerous false identities divulges his true purpose to this woman, Ezri. The author wants us to believe that a strong enough bond was formed between Jean and Ezri and that it was strong enough to rival his bond with Locke, which had been developed and nursed over many, many years of shared defeats and triumphs?
The author does not appears to have an understanding of love or else he simply wishes to pull a fast one on us. There is nothing inadvertently wrong with using a strong connection such as a love affair to advance a character. But, like the trope often employed by fantasy writers when it comes to the rape of strong female characters as a mode of development, I find this kind of ‘love at first sight’ nonsense to a cheap trick. There are a number of ways in which Lynch could have chosen to develop the character of Jean without having to resort to “love” (or sex).
Speaking of character development, the authors decision to build on Jean was rather strange, given that all the indicators point to Locke being the center piece. Much of the story in Red Seas Under Red Skies is told from the perspective of Locke (as it was in the first book). We are either privy to his thoughts or his private conversations with people around him. Even in cases where the narration switches to the perspectives of the other characters like Jean, the Sanza Twins and Bug, you get the sense that it is always about Locke. However, in this book suddenly there are short tracts of text where we subjected to Jean’s thoughts and conversations and they have nothing to do with Locke. It is certainly not wrong, but it is a bit strange.
There are numerous novelists who often tell stories from many perspectives. However, if that is something they wish to do they start early on and do it with more frequency as opposed to this peppering of Jean’s private thoughts and conversations that we get in this book, particular in his dealings with Ezri.
Firstly, all the pirates are nice guys, how is this possible? The author writes as if somehow pirating and thieving are regular old professions like becoming blacksmith or a merchant, like it is what some decent people choose to do with their lives. This is not the case in any structured and ordered society. It usually turns out to be the dregs, misfits and outcasts who go into crime. It is the way it has always been in ordered societies. But in my view, the author in his rush to expound on the shadow society that is the criminal underworld, he makes the mistake of trying too hard to humanize them. This is not to say those who thrive in the societies are good people. In fact the way the the author narrates the story, one would think there are really only two groups of people, the wealthy and the thieves who seek to strip them of their wealth. This really is a pet peeve, and not so much a bad thing as it is the author’s fantasy I am reading.
There is also the matter of Locke’s idea of what it means to be a thief and a thief's relationship with his victims or marks. I mean the victims are not supposed to lie there and take it. Moreover they have every right to seek out revenge after they are robbed. Additionally, if you are wanting to disenfranchise someone of their accumulated assets, you should not be surprised that others may wish to do the same to you. These are concepts that Locke never seems to grasp in my opinion. Throughout the book you never really get the sense that Locke fully accepts the unfair nature of the world he exists in. Locke gives off a sense of entitlement that is decidedly not appealing. If you are going to be a thief and all round bad guy, own it. But don’t bemoan the fact that some other underworld types, greater abilities than your own (i.e. the Bondsmagi) use their gifts to your disadvantage. Anytime Locke or Jean complained about how the Bondsmagi were unfair, I always found myself rolling my eyes.
Anyway, it was a fairly good second effort from Scott Lynch. I will certainly attempt the third book in the series and hopefully, that one will motivate me to seek out the fourth book in the Gentleman Bastard series when that one comes out. Overall, I give this book three stars out of five.

Review originally posted on The Book Addict's Guide 9/3/14

I’ve only read two books but this is already quickly creeping onto the list of my favorite series of all time… Oh, who are we kidding. It wasn’t slow and it’s already my favorites list. Scott Lynch is pretty genius when it comes to the Gentleman Bastard series. It has all of my favorite things: humor, heists, capers, bromance, action, friendships, cleverness, wit, fantasy, world building — honestly the only big thing that’s missing is romance and (who would think I’d say this but) I’m not missing it at all! I’m enjoying everything else in this series that I don’t think the books are lacking anything whatsoever.

Okay, so Red Seas Under Red Skies is the second book in this fantastic series and it’s set up just a tiny bit different than book one, THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA. In LIES, we mostly get the story of Locke in what is present-day in the book and experience several flashback chapters to get glimpses of Locke’s past and how he ended up where he did. In RED SEAS, the flashback chapters are still present but featuring a different past… The book opens up with a specific scene that leaves the audience on a cliffhanger for ALMOST THE ENTIRE BOOK. (Scott Lynch is also a master at book-within-book cliffhangers soooo. Lovely. But really, I do love it even though it kills me.) The rest of the book slowly works its way forward to the opening scene and the flashbacks divulge what happened in the years and months prior to the current story line. I really love this structure. It adds an element of suspense and the feeling of a cliffhanger without actually cliffhangering readers!

RED SEAS UNDER RED SKIES is different than THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA. I mean, how can it not be? I was trolling Goodreads trying to figure out exactly what words I could possibly say about this book (since, you know, I didn’t have coherent thoughts) and if I had actually been able to form those thoughts, Patrick Rothfuss would have taken them right out of my head. He said, “… I can see why people in general and me in specific might have been a little ‘meh’ on this book. We were all butterflies-in-tummy tingly after reading Lies of Locke Lamora. We loved it, and we wanted to see the same thing again. Which I now realize is silly. I don’t think I knew that then.” That thought right there is SO true (and really how true of and second book in a series). I fell in love with THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA so I expect and hope for all of those same elements in the next book in the series… But of course the second book has to be different! I think it’s hard for readers to experience those different settings (Tal Verrar and on the water versus Camorr) and characters (well, I won’t mention specifics for fear of spoiling books one AND two, but we do see a different cast of characters as well) and NOT compare all those things to book one. THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA was where we fell in love so why wouldn’t you want to see more of that?
I digress… thankfully, I didn’t feel any “second book syndrome” with RED SEAS UNDER RED SKIES. Yes, there were definitely things that were different and I didn’t always fall right into the swing of things because I did miss the old settings and the old characters… But there was always Locke & Jean and there were always capers, heists, plans, and humor abound. I still loved every second of it and I think no matter where Scott Lynch takes this series (please, oh please don’t take it somewhere strange and make me regret saying this), I will enjoy it as long as Locke & Jean stay together and continue planning epic jobs.

The plotting always amazes me with these books. To have story lines overlap, twist and turn, jump forward and backward, and never once do I get confused. In fact, it only heightens my enjoyment of the books and continues to impress me when everything comes back together and all falls into place. The characters are also always outstanding. Locke and Jean continue to grow as main characters and really every secondary character is just so colorful and dynamic. Even the cat gets a bit of character development! (“Your cats! Give us all your gods-damned cats!” Seriously. Always laughing. I love these books. (Just read them and you’ll get it.))

I said before that I didn’t even miss the fact that there wasn’t a romance in THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA and well… there’s a hint of one in RED SEAS UNDER RED SKIES. I WON’T EVEN TELL YOU WHO OR HOW so don’t even ask me (honestly, just read the books, people) but that was my ONE minor “complaint” (I’m not really complaining). I just love the bromance aspect so much that I’m like “Pshhhh, romance. Please.” But! I suspect that will have to happen sooner or later! (Look at me, griping about an eventual romance!)

RED SEAS UNDER RED SKIES was a second book. Well, it was just a fantastic book in general, but also a great follow-up to THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA. True, LIES is where I first fell in love with Locke, Jean, and this whole fantasy world, but I can tell that I’ll grow to appreciate different things in each book and I know I’ll keep falling in love along the way. I’ve read two books so far and I just cannot recommend this series enough. I’m trying to pace myself since book three is out now and book four’s release date is TBD… and then there are more books after that. It’s hard not to dive in all at once, but I will do my best to restrain myself! Hey, I managed to turn this review into something coherent, so that leaves us hope, right?

The story begins with a fascinating con and robbery scheme, but then quickly changes to a complex double-cross with a twist. I really enjoyed the beginning events at the Sinspire, but became annoyed with the Archon's plans and diversions to the sea. I found the pirate element entertaining, but not as much as the events leading up to, and after, the sea adventures.

If you enjoyed The Lies of Locke Lamora, then this is a must read. If you have not read Lies, then you need to read that book first. It is a great read and gives the background of the relationship between Locke and Jean.

I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys the fantasy genre as Lynch's characters are very detailed.

Scott Lynch's book works int he opposite direction of the first book, I'd say. While the first book worked through a lot of details that bogged the reader down (albeit they become much more relevant as time goes on), the second book catches fire right away with a dramatic cliffhanger that you'll have to wait nearly 3/4 of the book to get back to! Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to live up to it in the end. While I appreciate the different direction the story sharply veered toward the midpoint, it sometimes feels like Lynch is showing off his nautical language and knowledge rather than adding to the imagery. While there is definitely exciting moments including a large battle at sea, I fear that it simply can't live up to all that built up to it.The end simply turns too quickly, and while it DOES lead into the next book, it just can't capture the same inferno that the ending of Lies brought us.

Does this seem like a 4/5 book? Maybe I've ragged on a bit too much. I really did enjoy most of it.

Locke and Jean remain as compelling characters as ever, and their con becomes more elaborate. Both Locke and Jean wear their scars from the events of Lies around each other and it really cuts down to who these men are. Conniving, sneaky, underhanded people that feel the world has cheated them, but take care of their own, the other outcasts and thieves. However, like the first book, Jean and Locke unwittingly snare themselves between two political leaders

Visiting a new location away from Camorr, they travel to Tal Verrar to try out their most invested, tricky con. Lynch's world always just captures such a different style of fantasy that really speaks to me. His lexicon remains spicy (garristas, etc). If you're a fan of badass women, this one has plenty to back it up, although two of them take a step behind their leaders. Rest assured though, they are intimidating and able to handle themselves quite well.

Overall, a good book that loses its way when it turns out to sea, meanders its way back into your heart and then wraps up all too suddenly. If you like the first book, you'll probably like the second book. Just don't expect a large payoff at the end. I hope to see the third book back on the upswing and closing the tale of our endearing Gentlemen Bastards.

It's almost a crime to come to "Red Seas" after the brilliant book that launched the series, "The Lies of Locke Lamora". While "Lies" always felt measured, a storyteller in control of a protagonist who wasn't, "Red Seas" feels rushed. It spends unnecessary amounts of time detailing dead-end plots while breezing through some important relationship-building. People hold grudges, then inexplicably befriend each other. A man dies so suddenly and conveniently as to feel like a spoof of George R R Martin. And the end ties together so quickly and cleanly with a predictable next-book hook that it was tremendously disappointing.

The problem reviewing it is that "Red Seas" would be a decent book in the genre if I don't compare it to its predecessor. It has (admittedly uneven) action sequences, romance, witty banter, and a gorgeous setting. Scott Lynch deserves much credit for bringing Locke and Jean so alive in their vivid world. But it's hard to ignore the lack of polish this book has compared to "Lies", which almost definitely came from its sprint to be published within a year of the first book.

Fortunately if you're only this far in the series I have excellent news: the six years that Lynch took to craft the sequel to this one, The Republic of Thieves, paid off in spades and that book is everything this one isn't. So while "Red Seas" is worth a read, don't give up on the series at the end - it goes from good to excellent again.

As far as the content of the book, I agree with most of the reviews here that mention the first book being much better. Specifically, the first book focuses on the "Gentlemen Bastards" coming together - how they grew to be so loyal to one another, and how they functioned as a group. The key to the first book was that you got to see behind a lot of their ruses. Despite having unexpected events occur, you still felt a part of their action. Having the whole group together also put much of the action between friendly characters... the joking, the familiarity, the affection.

In the second book, you are kept out of their plans... so for the most of the book you feel them pulled along like pawn between their two eventual marks... you lose a lot not seeing that cleverness, and instead just get pulled from one scene to the next with arrogant, shady "bad guys" pushing them around. Not nearly as much fun, and without the chemistry of the entire group being together... so you don't have those fun moments to rally around.

As far as the reader goes - this is really important in an audio book. The reader sounds a lot like Johnny Depp's Captain Sparrow for a lot of the characters... a swarthy type voice, almost Shakespearean in enunciation and projection... however, EVERY TIME HE VOICES A WOMAN I WANT TO RIP APART MY SPEAKERS. I am female. And this man reads women's voices in the most irritating lispy whisper, like every single woman has just overdosed on lithium before speaking and would rather slip into parsletongue (yes, Harry Potter Snake-Speak) rather than english. His old people voices are a bit nails on a chalk board... but his women... every single woman of say, youthful age to 40-something... It's like when a husband pretends to repeat his wife's words and she'll inevitably say "I do NOT sound like that..." only he adds this weird insipid breathiness to them that just... ugh, seriously. The character of Requin's lady friend... she's voiced like a creepy pervert calling you late at night, with a slight lilt a male might use to pretends it's a female voice. Seriously. It's awful.

I know it's not easy for such a brilliant, bold, awesome male voice to read as a female, but making them all sound over-the-top whispering super villains is not just annoying... it's insulting. Maybe women aren't the target market for his books, but... the reader might practice a little at making them sound slightly more human and less cartoon.

There's always something unnerving about reading the sequel to a book you really enjoyed, especially when that book was a debut. Will the author be able to continue the series, or will it be a tired rehash? Will that first great book be a fluke, or is it the beginning of something great? Based off of Red Seas Under Red Skies, Scott Lynch certainly seems to be in the latter category, and I'm so thrilled that he's only just beginning his writing career. Set a few years after The Lies of Locke Lamora, Red Seas finds the surviving Gentlemen Bastards in a new land, working a new con that's going to make them very, very rich man. But before things can even get going, the boys find themselves outplayed by a few very dangerous men, and our conmen find themselves playing every side against each other while still trying to do what it takes to stay alive. What that means, then, is that we get a gloriously complicated plot, one that finds our heroes cast into the underdog role (and, it must be said, in the student role instead of the master) and fighting to survive - a choice that gives the story an intensity and a ticking clock that makes the book even more addictive than its predecessor. But Lynch still drives the story by his characters, and while Red Seas would stand on its own satisfactorily, it follows up on the events of Lies of Locke Lamora in a solid way that focuses on the emotional aftermath every bit as much as the plot developments. In other words, it's every bit as good as the first book and then some. And while I know some of what's to come in the third book (knowledge that helps temper the nasty cliffhanger Lynch has waiting at the end of Red Seas), it's to Lynch's credit that I'm still eager to get to it as soon as I can. Between the great world, the strong characters, and the great plotting, the Gentlemen Bastards series is shaping up as a must-read series for me, and shows no signs of letting up.

This book, as many sequels do, fell short of the greatness and excitement that came from reading the first book in the series. The Lies of Locke Lamora was fantastic from beginning until the end and I had a hard time putting it down. This book began in a similar fashion - the opening scene foreshadowing betrayal and the time at the Sinspire was excellent. But this book definitely hit a slump as soon as they went off to train to navigate a ship, and that slump didn't truly end until the grand schemes began to come together at the end. There was a lot of good stuff happening with the characters and events during their time on the Poison Orchid, but it was definitely the weak spot in this novel and the reason it gets the 4 starts instead of five. Still a good read, but not nearly as good as the first book.

Even though I often judge the purchase of a new book by the average star ratings on the store, 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. If you are going to read further in this review, BE AWARE THAT THERE ARE SPOILERS AHEAD.

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!

My Mass Market Paperback edition of the book arrived with pages 337-368 missing. However, I was enjoying myself up to that point so I will update this review if I ever finish the book.

Update: I flipped through the book to check if there were any other misprints, and pages 386-416 are printed twice.

Author spends a long time setting the scene. Plot becomes very convoluted. And everything unravels with amazing ease within the last 50 pages or so.

The pirate adventure is a miserable disgression which does not add anything to the plot. Long and uselessly descriptive. If I want to learn sailing, I will buy another type of book.

Plotwise, this sequel is an unfortunate step down from author Scott Lynch's brilliant debut, The Lies of Locke Lamora. Whereas that earlier fantasy crime novel effortlessly weaves its various strands into one compelling whole, this follow-up spends a third of the book setting up a new location and cast of characters only to then jettison all that and literally send its protagonists out to sea. Their ensuing piratical adventure is fun, but it really doesn't connect back with anything from the start of the novel until near the very end. (I'm also a bit sour on the cliffhanger flash-forward that starts off the book, which when finally revisited turns out to have been misleading and largely without consequence.)

With all that being said: this is still a very good story! Along with the piracy business, it offers more of the Ocean's Eleven heist shenanigans of the first book, and Lynch establishes this corner of Locke Lamora's world with the same detailed care as before. The new characters are great -- especially the daring ship's captain and black mother-of-two Zamira Drakasha -- and the returning cast are given some interesting fresh challenges. There's even a touching love story, which is one element not really present in book one. It's by no means the instant classic of Lies, but this second Gentleman Bastard novel is still very much worth the read.

Anyone who finishes Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott M Lynch (book #2 of his Gentleman Bastard series) will understand why I muttered, “Damn it, Locke” under my breath when I reached the end of the book. As always, Lynch weaves a convoluted tale, filled with double crossings after double crossings, until unwary readers may go quite squint trying to keep up with things. And trust me when I say there were times during this novel that I wondered whether a) things could get any worse and b) how the heck the two friends were going to get out of their predicament. Which kept me turning pages, so I guess that’s half the author’s work done right there.

I will add that Lynch is one of the few fantasy authors who, in my mind, can get away with writing the kind of shallow third verging on omniscient point of view that he does. He sometimes skates dangerously close to withholding key information, but the break-neck speed of his telling at key moments means that even when he does neglect to share what Locke or Jean knows, he usually shows the rest of his hand soon enough after. So I forgive him. However I will state this much: I am difficult to please when it comes to omniscient third because so few authors get it right. Lynch gets around this by having short sub-sections per chapter, so that he cycles through characters’ points of view as and when it’s necessary, but every once in a while the author-narrator intrudes.

For fear of spoilers, I’m not going to go into a general overview of the novel, suffice to say that it starts out with Locke and Jean planning the heist to end all heists – a job that’s two years in the making as they execute their designs of the aptly named Sinspire gaming house.

The environment in which they find themselves is decadent to say the least, and I lapped up the descriptions of the people. Lynch’s world building is intricate and layered, and I’ll hazard to say that nearly every small detail is important – so take note. He does a lot of foreshadowing to get around the fact that he doesn’t immediately clue you in with the full details. You’ll know something is afoot, but not much more than that until he reveals.

Also, I went into this novel expecting one thing, and about halfway through Lynch pulled the rug from under my feet and the kind of story I thought I would be reading turned out to be something completely different. I won’t say what, but it was awesome, and fun, and he introduced me to some unforgettable characters.

Damn it, Lynch. There is The Thing that happens near the end. I won’t say what but I was gutted. Not quite to the degree that I am reading Robin Hobb, but pretty darned close. And that’s all I will say on the matter.

Getting into Red Seas Under Red Skies was not immediate, as it felt to me that there was quite a bit of setting up that happened before the story really got underway. Lynch’s style isn’t for everyone, nor is the subject matter – focus is very much on action rather than emotional layering, which he keeps close to his chest. But once I got going, I was invested, and that’s what counts. I really do love the dynamics between Locke and Jean, even if the novel tends to stagger around unexpectedly. The worst part is that I finished reading the novel while on holiday in an area where I had to walk 1km to just get cellphone signal, so at the time I couldn’t go google to see whether there’s another novel to follow up this one… Yeah, it was that sort of book. (And there are more in the series… so I’m happy)

Locke and Jean find a caper to get involved in once Locke pulls his head from his rear after the near death experience from book 1. There are very small after-effects of the bonds magi, a flash back, a set up, another set up, and a bribe. Then there's pirates.

This book literally took me six months to finish.

I enjoyed the first book, even with its flashbacks, they were important. Here... well. They put me to sleep. The first 50% of the book put me to sleep. The set up for Salon Corbeau could have been deleted as there wasn't a pay off. The playmates they acquire in the Sinspire-delete. The bit with rappelling down a cliff-summarize to one paragraph, that dude they saw, no significant importance to the story. Rodanoff's POV- delete. Some dude's POV because of loud sex-delete.
This book had punctuation problems, formatting problems, and the occasional homophone problems, so it needed more polish, and maybe convince the author to delete scenes. One of Locke's scenes was in the wrong tense as the rest of the book. Oh! Unresolved plots too! Merraine for one.

Jean Tannen saves Locke all the time, and i like that Locke is quite aware of that, but Jean also saved this book from a lower rating. He's always been a favorite of mine, and I'm pretty certain he got the sisters back, but it was never confirmed. And well. What happened in the end. Jean was the only character who evoked emotion from me, even if I saw it coming from a mile away.

Also, cliffhanger ending.

A while ago I realized I had review the third book, Republic of Thieves, but I completely forgot to review the second one. How bizarre is that? To all of you who realized, I’m sorry… To all of you who didn’t: now you know. Because I really loved this book, I still wanted to review it for you all.

World

The setting of a fantasy novel is so critical to the story, in my opinion. If the country, city or land isn’t interesting, well-descibed and explained, it takes away from my enjoyment of the novel. In the first book, we get to know the island city of Camorr as the Gentleman Bastards con their way around the city. Now, we get to explore Tal Verrar with them. And it is just as incredible as Camorr, even though it’s completely different. I absolutely loved the idea of the Sinspire, the most exclusive gambling house in the world. The way it’s described…. I would want to visit. Even though I’m probably a terrible gambler and would lose all my money.

Tal Verrar isn’t the only place we get to know here though. There’s also: the sea. YES! Ships, sea and pirates. I think we can all be honest and say that pirates and the sea make everything better.

What can I say? I adore the world Scott Lynch has created for his Gentleman Bastards. I wish I could explore it right along them.

Plot

Now don’t worry, you know that I would never spoil you -even when I’m talking about the plot of the sequel. I’m always as vague as humanly possible -so sorry.

As you can imagine, the books in this series all have the same general theme: the GB are trying to pull off an incredible heist. That never changes. The place, the circumstances, the reasons, the target and the means: those all change. But there’s always a heist going on. One of the reasons I love these books is that most of the time, you’re clueless. You only know as much as Locke allows you to. Their heists are incredibly intricate. Honestly, Locke is like a spider. And as he is catching more and more bugs in his web, the heist becomes a tad clearer. The entire time, you try to guess at his plans. How are they going to do it? How does this person fit into the grand scheme? How does this object? Really. And at the end, you’ll be just as surprised. BECAUSE YOU WERE WRONG ABOUT EVERYTHING. That’s a lesson by Scott Lynch.

What I loved about this book is the manipulation. Everyone was manipulating each other, and they all thought they were on top. How wrong everyone is though. So much is going on. And I can see you thinking: they are trying to rob a gambling house. Jolien, how the hell do pirates even fit in? Well, they do. Seamlessly. To be honest, I love pirates. They make everything better, that’s just a fact.

I loved the fact that you get a bit of everything in this book: gambling, pirates, heists, great characters, politics, lies, deceit, amazing female characters, blackmail and cats. But somehow, it seems to fit together perfectly. It never feels like Scott Lynch tried to fill his book with as much tropes as possible. It all just seems necessary for the story and characters. Like a natural progression almost?

Characters

This part I have to be careful about. Wouldn’t want to spoil you! I have to admit that it’s sometimes a bit hard to remember who everyone is and what part they play in the grand scheme of things. But it gets easier as you go along, because every character is so unique. They all have their defining traits -both physical and psychological- so it gets really easy after a while. They all have an interesting backstory too!

I obviously have to talk a bit about Locke. In the beginning of the book, you want to slap him. He’s wallowing is self-pity, and it’s shameful. But at the same time understandable. He slowly gets back into the swing of things, especially now they have such a great heist to pull off. I love Locke. He’s incredibly smart -and cocky-, he’s witty and so loyal. I’m going to hate myself for using this term, but the GB are truly #squadgoals.

The characters grew so much in this sequel. They all faced new challenges, new problems to conquer. Their beliefs are challenged, and they are forced to reconsider them. Plus, the introduction of some amazing new characters does wonders too. It’s weird to say maybe, but I feel a sense of pride thinking about the GB? It’s like I was there for their training, while they were growing up, and now I feel proud thinking of the people they’ve become. I’m getting too involved in this series guys…

Conclusion

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS SERIES. IT’S ONE OF MY FAVORITE FANTASY SERIES, EVER. THE SEQUEL DEFINITELY DIDN’T DISAPPOINT. IT HAD AN INCREDIBLE SETTING, AN IMPOSSIBLE HEIST, BLACKMAIL, CATS, PIRATES AND OF COURSE, THE GENTLEMAN BASTARDS. IF THAT DOESN’T SOUND LIKE THE BEST BOOK EVER, I DON’T KNOW WHAT WOULD.

I probably enjoyed this book more than the first of the Gentleman Bastard sequence. It starts as fast paced as the previous book ended with Locke & Jean already knee deep in a con involving this worlds equivalent of a Casino known as the Sinspire. The start of the novel flips between this section and also what the characters have been up to since they sailed away from Camorr at the end of book 1. This section showcases a cool transition period which shows the Gentleman Bastard's as less than their elegant best including an alcoholic Locke!

After the first 200 pages or so - things get very complicated. Locke and Jean playing 3-4 personas depending on who they are talking too. This tale is mixed with poison, trying to rob a vault at the casino, pretending to be pirates, love and quite a few deaths again..

There are a lot more characters in this book than the first that I cared about. So much going on including the divisions of pirates, mages still after Locke & Jean, assassination attempts etc... As I mentioned this is very fast paced and I think the human qualities of the main characters shine - they are not super heroes and are just likely to make mistakes during the long cons. Also - Jean and Locke have the best bromance ever! Can't wait for the next book.

James [...]

If you read my review of The Lies of Locke Lamora, you'll know I have a heart-on for this series. Scott Lynch's ability to create a complete world, with humor, wit, flawed characters, and high stakes, is like chocolate cake for my soul.

One of the things I love about this installment of the book is that the characters encounter something I (and probably everyone?) have to deal with but which is rarely represented in novels, it seems: multiple things to do, and having to not just budget time and energy to address them, but also put some off indefinitely because of current circumstance. To see these characters struggle under the chaos of life (when we’ve seen them struggle, and prevail, under the oppression of others, and power higher than themselves) is delightful. Not only because it hints are more things to come in future books, but because it opens a chance to dive into the MC’s inner selves. How do they handle shifting priorities? The frustration of the thing they really need to do being pushed off in favor of more immediate, less earth-shattering, things? How do they resolve these? That inevitably leads to their moral priorities- a great glimpse deeper into their characters. It’s less about what they can (and dare) to do (which was book 1, largely), and more about why.

Also, Lynch doesn't just re-create the formula of book 1 in a different setting. He turned everything I expected to happen, given book 1, on its head...pretty much in the Epilogue alone. So while most sophomore books serve to bridge a gap but aren't much to write home about, I can confidently say this one is just as delightful as the first. In some ways, more so, because of the whole Jean/Esre thing. But that's all I can say about that, because Lynch also made me cry.

Read The Lies of Locke Lamora. Then read Red Seas Under Red Skies. If you like witty writing and swashbuckling and piracy and medieval fantasy and capers AND PIRATES you'll love this one.

I am a big fan of fantasy books but have a hard time finding ones at an adult reading level with well-developed characters and appealing (non-clichéd) storylines. So far, the first three books about Locke Lamora fill this niche exceedingly well.

In general, the books are well written, with excellent story and character development. In general, there are two stories going on… the current situation our heroes are involved in as well as a story from their past, usually with some sort of connection, either storyline-wise or allusion wise. Scott Lynch handles this writing style very well, although sometimes I get irked when one story line is getting so exciting and he switches to the other… but I realize that it is his way of (successfully) keeping my attention. Another facet that makes it interesting is that it not about some sort of hulking warrior in full plate that always does the right thing. These characters are nuanced and their morality comes into question often…sometimes they do good and sometimes they don’t.

The second book continues with telling two stories at once and fills in some background. The main story shifts very unexpectedly to a sea adventure! It is again told realistically and provides a great hook to dig into the story. I enjoyed this more for its novelty… great fantasy told from a very different point of view in an unusual setting.

So far, this set is just what I was looking for. The depth of the setting is incredible, and I could see RPG gamers digging into it for ideas on campaigns. The characters are interesting and flawed. The writing is excellent and his storylines a bit unusual, definitely a pleasant change from a lot of fantasy out there.

Red Seas Under Red Skies was a worthy sequel to the Lies of Lock Lamora. I found myself thoroughly entertained and unable to put it down,

Yet again the initial plot (think scheme/con) takes a momentary backseat to the larger focus of the book which takes place on sea and involves pirates and a love interest.

Lynch excels where a lot of authors fail when it comes to character development. Locke and Jean really get great treatment here and become well fleshed. Locke is not your one-sided, impervious, superhero-type who always has all of the answers. In fact, you will see major flaws on their journey to Tal Verrar, which he is able to overcome with Jean's help.

One thing I've come to expect with Lynch is not knowing what is coming next... and RSURS is just so. The pirate ship aspect of the story is well-immersed and described. I'll cut this review short as I do not wish to inadvertently spoil anything. Hang on for a ride, and try not to be too disappointed when the story rushes to an ending that seems too quickly paced and finalized.

Same caveat as the previous book: It contains colorful profanity, though less descriptions of the violence that TLoLL had

4.0 Stars

tl;dr -- A worthy sequel with great writing and character development. A bit of a rushed ending.

After I read The Lies of Locke Lamora, I knew immediately that I would read the second book in the series. I thoroughly enjoyed the first and wanted more of the same. I was just as nervous as most when reading a sequel as many of them fall flat and just don’t capture the same feel of their predecessor. I am exceedingly happy to report that is not the case with Red Seas Under Red Skies. It is fantastic. I didn’t think it was as good as the first but it had that same feel, the same sedition and subterfuge that I loved about The Lies of Locke Lamora and that’s what really counts. It was awesome getting back into the schemes and trickery and double, triple, quadruple crossing that goes on here. There’s just always some surprise down the road and you never know what will happen next. The characters are very well done, their relationships, however, are a bit rushed and forced (other than Locke and Jean’s friendship which is superbly well done) but it’s not a big deal. You’ll find that many characters are a bit too trusting and willing to go along with whatever is suggested but that serves to quicken the pace of the book and it wasn’t distracting enough to take away from how much I enjoyed reading it. Really, apart from maybe being a bit slow to start the actual plot, the only thing I can say that I didn’t enjoy too much was all the nautical stuff. As you can probably tell from the title, much of the story takes place on the sea. As such, there are a ton of nautical terms thrown around and I didn’t really know what many of them meant so I was at a loss in a few instances. But because it is on the sea, you get to see Locke and Jean truly out of their element which was a nice change of pace for the usually calm and collected duo. Another thing that may irritate some is the story from the first book doesn’t really continue here. It’s an entirely new set of problems in an entirely new location. I can’t really think of any questions leftover from the first book that are answered here. But for me, that was entirely okay.
Overall, I felt like I was right back where the series started. There isn’t much, if any momentum lost here and the overarching feel of the story is much the same as its predecessor. It’s relatively fast paced once the ball gets rolling, exciting, mysterious and just tons of fun. I can’t wait to read the next installment. If you enjoyed Lies of Locke Lamora, go ahead and read this, it’s much the same and a blast to read.

The Lies of Locke Lamora was a breath of fresh air on the fantasy scene. It was dark, edgy, and imaginative with a unique hero. In the sea of high fantasy based on Middle Earth or Westeros, it was a magical Renaissance Italy with a con man and master thief hero. The story was an epic tragedy with unexpected deaths, twists, and turns. Scott Lynch had a big job ahead of him, living up to the standard set by the first book.

So does he?

Eh, mostly.

Red Seas under Red Skies is a fun novel with a great story but it doesn't have the level of drama the original does. The first book had Locke Lamora personally invested in the destruction of the Gray King. This book, by contrast, has Locke and his partner, Jean, under pressure from far less interesting opponents.

The premise is Locke and Jean are attempting to rob a powerful casino owner in a brand new city. Their con games attract the attention of the city's military dictator, who conscripts them with poison to become his agent provocateurs. The dictator needs the local pirates to raise a fuss so he can crush them and secure his political position. Locke and Jean are forced to learn how to become sailors as they end up infiltrating a crew which is less-than-impressed with their usual flourishes.

As mentioned, the stakes just aren't there. Locke and Jean don't care what happens to the city, don't have a vested interest in the pirates, and aren't even robbing the casino owner other than out of boredom. If not for the poison, they'd be able to leave with no real consequences. A new character, named Eris, is introduced who becomes very close to Jean but I never got the impression she was going to become a permanent part of the gang.

Indeed, the pirate element of the story is the place where the story drags the most. Jean and Locke maybe abysmal pirates. Given much of the series is appeal is seeing how the two of them manage to outsmart everyone else, the charm of seeing them as fish out of water wears off quickly. I also am less than pleased at the relative disposability of the Ezri character since she managed to make a impression despite herself.

Despite these major flaws, the book still manages to create a delightfully eccentric cast. Requin, Stragos, and pirate captains are all wonderfully realized. Any of them would have made a decent foil for Locke (and do, if we're honest) with a bit more personal antagonism. As such, the book feels like a side-story in the adventures of Locke Lamora as opposed to a continuation of his adventures.

In conclusion, Red Seas under Red Skies is a step-down from the original novel. It's still very good, however, and has a lot of humor as well as action. I just wish we'd had some serious consequences. At the end of the novel, it feels like the story hasn't really changed anything for our protagonists but put another obstacle in their way.

8/10

Red Seas Under Red Skies was in essence a let down. As a stand alone novel, it would have been quite a decent piece of fantasy writing. And perhaps the first book in a fantasy series, it would have been a solid entry, creating very good buildup for an interesting sequel. However, as the second book in the ‘Gentleman Bastard’ series and as a follow up to the rather novel brilliance of ‘The Lies of Locke Lamora’, Red Seas Under Red Skies was a let down.
At the end of the first book, Locke Lamora and Jean Tannen just manage to escape the city state of Camorr and the wreck their lives have become after tussling with the Grey King and the Spider of Camorr. We catch up to them in Red Seas Under Red Skies, in Tal Verrar, another city state many leagues for Camorr. There the Gentleman Bastards set about pulling their biggest heist yet, to steal from Requin, the owner and operator of the Sinspire, the largest gambling house in the city.
As a reader you begin to smack your lips in anticipation of excitment, high-jinxes and good old-fashioned thievery. The deception of some overly wealthy, powerful, smart adversaries, similar to the experiences we read about concerning Don Salvara and his wife Doña Sofia.
Unfortunately, things take a dour turn when their archnemesis, an organization of spell casters and magicians known as the Bondsmagi, betray their identities to the ruling class of the Tal Verrar. This then precipitates a confrontation with the head of the city’s military and security apparatus. This fellow then coerces them into a daring caper involving some rather unsavory pirates.
It makes for a pleasant enough story, unfortunately the plot lines of this book are not nearly as engaging as the first. It could be in part because the the novelty of the characters has worn off somewhat and I as a reader was no longer enchanted by the glib antics of Locke Lamora and his sturdy companion Jean Tannen.
Perhaps the main problem had to do with the way the story fell somewhat flat. Anticlimactic might not be the appropriate word, but it did feel like I was denied the pleasure of a good sneeze after a lengthy build up. The author spent page upon page making a case for the fact that this was to be the most complicated robbery, our heroes had ever sought to undertake. It is supposed to be the most dangerous, with gruesome mutilation and death as an ever present possibility from all corners. It is also supposed to be Locke’s most ingenious scheme. He literally talks himself into the good graces of the most powerful man in the city in order to steal from him, while at the same time convincing a band of the most barbaric pirates to launch raids against Tal Verrar, to satisfy the ambitions of another of the city’s overlords. Unfortunately it falls a little flat in this regard as neither of the threats to Locke’s life or the actual thievery come close to the tensions and thrills we felt during the Gentleman Bastard’s escapades in Camorr.
Furthermore, for all these supposed plot intricacies, the author resolves the matter too quickly in my view. After spending a huge chunk of the book building up to the finale, the fact that it concludes in a few short pages is somewhat disappointing. There is a limit that we as readers can accept of Locke’s abilities, as a fast talking master strategist. We witness Locke pull off a heist that has been in the works for a couple of years on the fly, while in the middle of some other very dangerous shenanigans. I mean this is a fantasy novel, but still, a semblance of reality must preserved in the fictionalized world.
I was also disappointed that the author resorted to what I take to be juvenile tact to help with character development. Of the two Gentleman Bastards remaining in this book, Jean is the least developed character. Up until this point all the narration has served to move Locke Lamora forward as an individual. Even the passages in the first book that did not center around Locke, were always tied back to Locke. Suddenly, here in book two of the series, the author decides develop Jean Tannen. How does he do this? Well, Jean is simply given a lover.
Jean Tannen meets a female pirate who shares his love for fighting (or butchery) and historic literature. Within a matter of weeks at sea (less I think), there is an instant love connection. Suddenly Jean whose life as a thief, grifter and all around criminal meant he had numerous false identities divulges his true purpose to this woman, Ezri. The author wants us to believe that a strong enough bond was formed between Jean and Ezri and that it was strong enough to rival his bond with Locke, which had been developed and nursed over many, many years of shared defeats and triumphs?
The author does not appears to have an understanding of love or else he simply wishes to pull a fast one on us. There is nothing inadvertently wrong with using a strong connection such as a love affair to advance a character. But, like the trope often employed by fantasy writers when it comes to the rape of strong female characters as a mode of development, I find this kind of ‘love at first sight’ nonsense to a cheap trick. There are a number of ways in which Lynch could have chosen to develop the character of Jean without having to resort to “love” (or sex).
Speaking of character development, the authors decision to build on Jean was rather strange, given that all the indicators point to Locke being the center piece. Much of the story in Red Seas Under Red Skies is told from the perspective of Locke (as it was in the first book). We are either privy to his thoughts or his private conversations with people around him. Even in cases where the narration switches to the perspectives of the other characters like Jean, the Sanza Twins and Bug, you get the sense that it is always about Locke. However, in this book suddenly there are short tracts of text where we subjected to Jean’s thoughts and conversations and they have nothing to do with Locke. It is certainly not wrong, but it is a bit strange.
There are numerous novelists who often tell stories from many perspectives. However, if that is something they wish to do they start early on and do it with more frequency as opposed to this peppering of Jean’s private thoughts and conversations that we get in this book, particular in his dealings with Ezri.
Firstly, all the pirates are nice guys, how is this possible? The author writes as if somehow pirating and thieving are regular old professions like becoming blacksmith or a merchant, like it is what some decent people choose to do with their lives. This is not the case in any structured and ordered society. It usually turns out to be the dregs, misfits and outcasts who go into crime. It is the way it has always been in ordered societies. But in my view, the author in his rush to expound on the shadow society that is the criminal underworld, he makes the mistake of trying too hard to humanize them. This is not to say those who thrive in the societies are good people. In fact the way the the author narrates the story, one would think there are really only two groups of people, the wealthy and the thieves who seek to strip them of their wealth. This really is a pet peeve, and not so much a bad thing as it is the author’s fantasy I am reading.
There is also the matter of Locke’s idea of what it means to be a thief and a thief's relationship with his victims or marks. I mean the victims are not supposed to lie there and take it. Moreover they have every right to seek out revenge after they are robbed. Additionally, if you are wanting to disenfranchise someone of their accumulated assets, you should not be surprised that others may wish to do the same to you. These are concepts that Locke never seems to grasp in my opinion. Throughout the book you never really get the sense that Locke fully accepts the unfair nature of the world he exists in. Locke gives off a sense of entitlement that is decidedly not appealing. If you are going to be a thief and all round bad guy, own it. But don’t bemoan the fact that some other underworld types, greater abilities than your own (i.e. the Bondsmagi) use their gifts to your disadvantage. Anytime Locke or Jean complained about how the Bondsmagi were unfair, I always found myself rolling my eyes.
Anyway, it was a fairly good second effort from Scott Lynch. I will certainly attempt the third book in the series and hopefully, that one will motivate me to seek out the fourth book in the Gentleman Bastard series when that one comes out. Overall, I give this book three stars out of five.

Review originally posted on The Book Addict's Guide 9/3/14

I’ve only read two books but this is already quickly creeping onto the list of my favorite series of all time… Oh, who are we kidding. It wasn’t slow and it’s already my favorites list. Scott Lynch is pretty genius when it comes to the Gentleman Bastard series. It has all of my favorite things: humor, heists, capers, bromance, action, friendships, cleverness, wit, fantasy, world building — honestly the only big thing that’s missing is romance and (who would think I’d say this but) I’m not missing it at all! I’m enjoying everything else in this series that I don’t think the books are lacking anything whatsoever.

Okay, so Red Seas Under Red Skies is the second book in this fantastic series and it’s set up just a tiny bit different than book one, THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA. In LIES, we mostly get the story of Locke in what is present-day in the book and experience several flashback chapters to get glimpses of Locke’s past and how he ended up where he did. In RED SEAS, the flashback chapters are still present but featuring a different past… The book opens up with a specific scene that leaves the audience on a cliffhanger for ALMOST THE ENTIRE BOOK. (Scott Lynch is also a master at book-within-book cliffhangers soooo. Lovely. But really, I do love it even though it kills me.) The rest of the book slowly works its way forward to the opening scene and the flashbacks divulge what happened in the years and months prior to the current story line. I really love this structure. It adds an element of suspense and the feeling of a cliffhanger without actually cliffhangering readers!

RED SEAS UNDER RED SKIES is different than THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA. I mean, how can it not be? I was trolling Goodreads trying to figure out exactly what words I could possibly say about this book (since, you know, I didn’t have coherent thoughts) and if I had actually been able to form those thoughts, Patrick Rothfuss would have taken them right out of my head. He said, “… I can see why people in general and me in specific might have been a little ‘meh’ on this book. We were all butterflies-in-tummy tingly after reading Lies of Locke Lamora. We loved it, and we wanted to see the same thing again. Which I now realize is silly. I don’t think I knew that then.” That thought right there is SO true (and really how true of and second book in a series). I fell in love with THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA so I expect and hope for all of those same elements in the next book in the series… But of course the second book has to be different! I think it’s hard for readers to experience those different settings (Tal Verrar and on the water versus Camorr) and characters (well, I won’t mention specifics for fear of spoiling books one AND two, but we do see a different cast of characters as well) and NOT compare all those things to book one. THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA was where we fell in love so why wouldn’t you want to see more of that?
I digress… thankfully, I didn’t feel any “second book syndrome” with RED SEAS UNDER RED SKIES. Yes, there were definitely things that were different and I didn’t always fall right into the swing of things because I did miss the old settings and the old characters… But there was always Locke & Jean and there were always capers, heists, plans, and humor abound. I still loved every second of it and I think no matter where Scott Lynch takes this series (please, oh please don’t take it somewhere strange and make me regret saying this), I will enjoy it as long as Locke & Jean stay together and continue planning epic jobs.

The plotting always amazes me with these books. To have story lines overlap, twist and turn, jump forward and backward, and never once do I get confused. In fact, it only heightens my enjoyment of the books and continues to impress me when everything comes back together and all falls into place. The characters are also always outstanding. Locke and Jean continue to grow as main characters and really every secondary character is just so colorful and dynamic. Even the cat gets a bit of character development! (“Your cats! Give us all your gods-damned cats!” Seriously. Always laughing. I love these books. (Just read them and you’ll get it.))

I said before that I didn’t even miss the fact that there wasn’t a romance in THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA and well… there’s a hint of one in RED SEAS UNDER RED SKIES. I WON’T EVEN TELL YOU WHO OR HOW so don’t even ask me (honestly, just read the books, people) but that was my ONE minor “complaint” (I’m not really complaining). I just love the bromance aspect so much that I’m like “Pshhhh, romance. Please.” But! I suspect that will have to happen sooner or later! (Look at me, griping about an eventual romance!)

RED SEAS UNDER RED SKIES was a second book. Well, it was just a fantastic book in general, but also a great follow-up to THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA. True, LIES is where I first fell in love with Locke, Jean, and this whole fantasy world, but I can tell that I’ll grow to appreciate different things in each book and I know I’ll keep falling in love along the way. I’ve read two books so far and I just cannot recommend this series enough. I’m trying to pace myself since book three is out now and book four’s release date is TBD… and then there are more books after that. It’s hard not to dive in all at once, but I will do my best to restrain myself! Hey, I managed to turn this review into something coherent, so that leaves us hope, right?

The story begins with a fascinating con and robbery scheme, but then quickly changes to a complex double-cross with a twist. I really enjoyed the beginning events at the Sinspire, but became annoyed with the Archon's plans and diversions to the sea. I found the pirate element entertaining, but not as much as the events leading up to, and after, the sea adventures.

If you enjoyed The Lies of Locke Lamora, then this is a must read. If you have not read Lies, then you need to read that book first. It is a great read and gives the background of the relationship between Locke and Jean.

I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys the fantasy genre as Lynch's characters are very detailed.

Scott Lynch's book works int he opposite direction of the first book, I'd say. While the first book worked through a lot of details that bogged the reader down (albeit they become much more relevant as time goes on), the second book catches fire right away with a dramatic cliffhanger that you'll have to wait nearly 3/4 of the book to get back to! Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to live up to it in the end. While I appreciate the different direction the story sharply veered toward the midpoint, it sometimes feels like Lynch is showing off his nautical language and knowledge rather than adding to the imagery. While there is definitely exciting moments including a large battle at sea, I fear that it simply can't live up to all that built up to it.The end simply turns too quickly, and while it DOES lead into the next book, it just can't capture the same inferno that the ending of Lies brought us.

Does this seem like a 4/5 book? Maybe I've ragged on a bit too much. I really did enjoy most of it.

Locke and Jean remain as compelling characters as ever, and their con becomes more elaborate. Both Locke and Jean wear their scars from the events of Lies around each other and it really cuts down to who these men are. Conniving, sneaky, underhanded people that feel the world has cheated them, but take care of their own, the other outcasts and thieves. However, like the first book, Jean and Locke unwittingly snare themselves between two political leaders

Visiting a new location away from Camorr, they travel to Tal Verrar to try out their most invested, tricky con. Lynch's world always just captures such a different style of fantasy that really speaks to me. His lexicon remains spicy (garristas, etc). If you're a fan of badass women, this one has plenty to back it up, although two of them take a step behind their leaders. Rest assured though, they are intimidating and able to handle themselves quite well.

Overall, a good book that loses its way when it turns out to sea, meanders its way back into your heart and then wraps up all too suddenly. If you like the first book, you'll probably like the second book. Just don't expect a large payoff at the end. I hope to see the third book back on the upswing and closing the tale of our endearing Gentlemen Bastards.

It's almost a crime to come to "Red Seas" after the brilliant book that launched the series, "The Lies of Locke Lamora". While "Lies" always felt measured, a storyteller in control of a protagonist who wasn't, "Red Seas" feels rushed. It spends unnecessary amounts of time detailing dead-end plots while breezing through some important relationship-building. People hold grudges, then inexplicably befriend each other. A man dies so suddenly and conveniently as to feel like a spoof of George R R Martin. And the end ties together so quickly and cleanly with a predictable next-book hook that it was tremendously disappointing.

The problem reviewing it is that "Red Seas" would be a decent book in the genre if I don't compare it to its predecessor. It has (admittedly uneven) action sequences, romance, witty banter, and a gorgeous setting. Scott Lynch deserves much credit for bringing Locke and Jean so alive in their vivid world. But it's hard to ignore the lack of polish this book has compared to "Lies", which almost definitely came from its sprint to be published within a year of the first book.

Fortunately if you're only this far in the series I have excellent news: the six years that Lynch took to craft the sequel to this one, The Republic of Thieves, paid off in spades and that book is everything this one isn't. So while "Red Seas" is worth a read, don't give up on the series at the end - it goes from good to excellent again.

As far as the content of the book, I agree with most of the reviews here that mention the first book being much better. Specifically, the first book focuses on the "Gentlemen Bastards" coming together - how they grew to be so loyal to one another, and how they functioned as a group. The key to the first book was that you got to see behind a lot of their ruses. Despite having unexpected events occur, you still felt a part of their action. Having the whole group together also put much of the action between friendly characters... the joking, the familiarity, the affection.

In the second book, you are kept out of their plans... so for the most of the book you feel them pulled along like pawn between their two eventual marks... you lose a lot not seeing that cleverness, and instead just get pulled from one scene to the next with arrogant, shady "bad guys" pushing them around. Not nearly as much fun, and without the chemistry of the entire group being together... so you don't have those fun moments to rally around.

As far as the reader goes - this is really important in an audio book. The reader sounds a lot like Johnny Depp's Captain Sparrow for a lot of the characters... a swarthy type voice, almost Shakespearean in enunciation and projection... however, EVERY TIME HE VOICES A WOMAN I WANT TO RIP APART MY SPEAKERS. I am female. And this man reads women's voices in the most irritating lispy whisper, like every single woman has just overdosed on lithium before speaking and would rather slip into parsletongue (yes, Harry Potter Snake-Speak) rather than english. His old people voices are a bit nails on a chalk board... but his women... every single woman of say, youthful age to 40-something... It's like when a husband pretends to repeat his wife's words and she'll inevitably say "I do NOT sound like that..." only he adds this weird insipid breathiness to them that just... ugh, seriously. The character of Requin's lady friend... she's voiced like a creepy pervert calling you late at night, with a slight lilt a male might use to pretends it's a female voice. Seriously. It's awful.

I know it's not easy for such a brilliant, bold, awesome male voice to read as a female, but making them all sound over-the-top whispering super villains is not just annoying... it's insulting. Maybe women aren't the target market for his books, but... the reader might practice a little at making them sound slightly more human and less cartoon.

I really liked the first book, my review gave it five stars, so when I started on the second book of the series I was waiting for the same kind of thought bending plot.
Sadly the book is not as good as the first one. The adventure feels rushed, I noted two blatant mistakes on the "who knows what" part of the story. The villains are interesting and there is a conspiracy going on that I hope it will be tackled on the following novels, so the as far as character deveolpment the author keeps a good pace.
Setting is a good addition to the world where Locke lives, interesting places with unforgetable sights, so that is also good.
My only complain is that, as I already said, it feels rushed on its conclusion and resolution, there is one specific death that was not necessary in my opinion and is just there to make a character feel miserable. I understand tragedy drives the plot, but the way it was solved left much to be desired.
I hope mr. Lynch improves the pace on the next novel which I really want to read.

This was a strange book. The first one-third was engaging, but then the plot started meandering and the story went from a heist/conspiracy tale to Pirates of the Caribbean, albeit without much of its swashbuckling fun. There were a ton of tedious info-dumps, and the plot didn't move forward at all. It wasn't until the 90% mark that things started getting interesting again, and the action ramped up. But it felt like everything was wrapped up far too neatly, and I'm annoyed that Lynch ended the book with a cliffhanger.

To sum up: this book started off really well, but the middle portion was long and tedious. At one point I was considering dropping the series altogether after Red Seas, but the last 10% convinced me to give it one more chance. I hope The Republic of Thieves fares better.

_The Lies of Locke Lamora_ read like an enjoyable cross between Fritz Leiber's Lankhmar and early Steven Brust--a Baroque fantasy noir crime caper. The sequel starts out in the same territory, but midway through it takes a sudden left turn into Pirates of Not Exactly the Caribbean. The pirate scenes are entertaining, but they often seem to have sailed in from a different book.

The intent may be to obfuscate the fact that, otherwise, the main characters' original plot could have been carried out around page 200, and the book would have ended rather early. There are other signs of slipshod construction: scenes that have neither antecedents nor consequences, odd point-of-view shifts, and flashbacks that serve little purpose. (To take but one example, the scene in which the pirate ship sails through the spooky mist--while well enough written--does not follow from anything or lead to anything, and should have been cut.) There's one major assassination subplot that ends in an anticlimax, as an accidental side effect of the main climax.

Speaking of which, Locke's ultimate solution to his problem bears more than a little resemblance to the resolution of the original. See my comment below for a spoiler on what I mean.

Which isn't to say it's all bad. The dialog is snappy. The pacing is fast. There's a very good visual sense and lots of local color. Readers who liked _The Lies of Locke Lamora_ will probably like this one as well--I did, despite the above critique--but it's neither as tight nor as imaginative.

I became an instant fan of Scott Lynch with "The Lies of Locke Lamora," so I was looking forward with great relish to this follow-up offering. While "Red Seas" doesn't deliver at quite the same level as the first novel, it is definitely enjoyable reading. The Locke Lamora character is developed with greater depth and complexity in this book than in the first, even if the plot was decidedly more rambling. The author takes his readers on a rather large nautical digression which, while undoubtedly distracting from the main story line, is nevertheless very well done and believable to those of us who don't know one end of a ship from the other.

The thing I particularly enjoy about this author, as evidenced in both this volume and its predecessor, is his ability to weave intricately complex schemes with multiple layers and cross-flows of intrigue, all of which threaten to unravel on our roguish heroes at any moment with very unpleasant consequences. These fellows play high-stakes poker of the most dangerous variety, and the author invests every scene with a gritty intensity that keeps the reader greedily turning page after page. "Red Seas" confirms an immense talent that was first displayed in "Lies", and I for one am looking forward eagerly to more books in this series.

I bought the second and third books of this series when I was halfway through the first. I didn't like the ending of the first one and I didn't like the second book either. I ended up thinking that maybe these books are just for teens (I am 39 myself so I thought maybe that's the problem although I really like the fantasy genre like The Wheel of TIme, Ice and FIre, Name of the Wind or The Way of Kings). However, I'm already through half of the third and final book inthe series and this one is much better. Or maybe I am liking the story more because of the potential romance between two characters that lets me feel attached to the protagonists (which hadn't happened so far). This second book anyway is quite unoriginal, uninspiring and childish at times (pirates, etc.).

A lot of reviewers here seem to feel that the nautical middle part of this book took away from the story too much and was boring. I say, without that middle part, there's no story.

The first 200 pages are great, full of witty dialogue and lots of tricks from the two main characters. The last 100 pages go the same way, with resolution to almost everything. I loved it all.

Three criticisms, and these are spoilers so stop reading now if you've not finished the book:

SPOILERS

1. Early in the book, when Locke visits the town to have his chairs made, he sees a very brutal game being played and is disgusted by it. We're told he can barely stand by and watch it happen. My impression of that was that it was a setup for another complete book. As it turns out, that plot point is dealt with later in the book, barely warranting five pages. It could have been so much more. Locke's feelings about the suffering in that town were so strong, I was sure we were going to get some major description of what he intended to do about it. Instead it just became a convenient way to advance the plot of this novel.

2. A lot of the foreshadowing doesn't pay off. We're led to believe Locke and Jean would break into the impenetrable vault and for 700 pages, I couldn't wait to see how they'd do it. Well...they don't. Their prize is underwhelming (especially when we find out what it actually is). It was still slick how they pulled it off, but it would have been truly impressive if Lynch could have had them get into that vault. I guess it truly was an impossible thing to do. I was also a bit let down by what purpose the chairs turned out to serve. They're built up way too much for what they actually are. Again, it was cool and useful, but I expected more.

3. When Locke and Jean were practicing their repelling (another element to their plan that I expected to have a bigger payoff than it did), I expected the thief they met to have some larger role later on. He never turned up again.

END SPOILERS

Despite my complaints, this is easily a five-star book. The fact that this author is only a year older than me breaks my heart. I can't imagine accomplishing anything like the two books he's written. I'm waiting anxiously for the next book in the series.

The second book in the Gentleman Bastards series continues at the level and pace of the first book; which for me means that my interest flagged in the middle and I skip-read some pages, then I was caught again by the story, and read through to the end. I don't love the characters and this is not my type of SF/Fantasy, so the fact that I've already started the third book means that fans of SF/Fantasy with a lot of sword-fight and knife/hatchets action, glib dialogs, pirates etc., will love it.

I'm going to have to read the third book instead of listening to it because I feel like I'm missing a lot of the story. I enjoyed what I heard. I liked it more than the first book. These guys are some pretty crazy thieves who get into some tangled webs. I still don't like the bouncing around in time, it gets confusing through audio. There were some gut-wrenching parts in this book, just like the first book.

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.

Compared to it's predecessor, this is a pale shadow. Same characters, same world, some great descriptive writing and very imaginative scene setting. But the plot development and antagonists are very one-dimensional and lack complexity (and, occasionally, motivation or wit). The book mixes two plotlines that individually could have been separate novels, and both suffer in the process. Both main protagonists occasionally behave out of character (unnecessarily cruel, lacking pragmatism or smarts, winning the day through deus-ex machina saves as opposed to preparation). Lynch has proven that he can do much, much better and I have high hopes for his future work. This sequel, though, is not up to what I had come to expect of him.

Piracy problems.

This is also a book with a few problems, too. In particular, pace and structure. What Lynch has here is a caper book with some piracy or a pirate book with some thieving, but it is close to 600 pages.

Now that it is not necessarily a problem. The work is divided into three books, with the first the period after they get out of town in the end of the first novel.

This part has flashbacks, flashforwards, flashsideways that get quite annoying after awhile and will likely leave some readers slightly confused, and occasionally they are pointless shipboard interludes.

For this sort of book the extended learning to be sailors middle book also drags a little.

The whole adventure is wrapped up at almost blistering speed in the last few pages - running out of space then, perhaps?

Anyway, not sure if it is the author or edito/publisher with problems or length demands, but it certainly spoils the book.

Lynch is quite entertaining at the page level, and his dialogue can be very funny at times, so it is disappointing the experience is spoiled by the rest.

The basic storyline here is they have to stir the pirates up into causing a threat to enable the Archon to restore his military powerbase, or they die.

A decent book, but the series continues to frustrate in not achieving its potential.

Was Red Seas as good as Lies? No...but that only makes it about the second-best book I've read this year.

Red Seas finds Locke and Jean licking their wounds after their battle with the Grey King. They have sailed to Tal Varrar, the Monte Carlo/Las Vegas of Lynch's created world, to escape the mess they left behind in Camorr. After a few months of regrouping (and Jean pulling Locke out of a major funk) the two are back to their old games--this time with their sights set on The Sinspire, a grand tower casino ruled by a ruthless Mafioso-type who kills anyone who he finds cheating in his establishment.

As you would expect, Jean and Locke soon find their neat little plan to cheat the Sinspire goes awry--so awry, in fact, that they find themselves forced to learn how to sail and lead a pirate war.

A large chunk of the book takes place at sea, and the nautical terminology is plentiful. Coming from someone who has absolutely no knowledge of sailing, I found the generous use of terminology to be a little head-clogging, but in all honesty, you could skim over the technicalities and still understand what was happening. I do have to question the benefit of this--after I'm skimming through three or four pages of "Turn that line to the larboard over to the oar mast, and make sure the front sail isn't upsideover from the side-sail..." etc., but it does lend an air of authenticity, so I'll give it that (of course, not knowing anything about sailing, I'm not one to ay how authentic any of it really is!)

The things I loved about Lies were still in this book for me--the masterful, witty dialogue, the many plot twists and turns that were blessedly impossible for me to predict. It doesn't tie up as neatly as Lies; the ending is a definite cliffhanger on multiple fronts. Of course, all that means is I'm chomping at the bit for February!

I first read The Lies of Locke Lamora a few months ago and simply couldn't understand all the hype over that book. Oh it was good but nothing to write home about. Fortunatley I also bought Red Seas at the same time that I bought Lies and since I had both I jumped right into Red Seas after finishing Lies. Its not often that I find a 2nd book in a series to be more enjoyable than the first book but I am happy to report that Red Seas is indeed much better than Lies IMO. The characters are much more fleshed out and the story line is paced just right. I love the convoluted plot lines that Mr. Lynch takes us through in Red Seas. Its like a non-stop roller coaster ride full of fun and terror - the kind you just can't wait to jump back on as soon as the ride is finished. Bravo Mr. Lynch. This one is well done and certainly worth reading (again!). Can't wait for the next installment.

I love this guy's writing -- my favorite kind of light , urban, thief-centered, semi-comic, semi-historical fantasy smack dab in the tradition of Pratt, DeCamp, Leiber and Vance with spice from George RR Martin... Great characters, fun story, minimal magic, no dragons, fine writing.

This book is a great follow up to "The Lies of Locke Lamora."

Author Scott Lynch drops his two heroes down into a new but no less detailed city for their next adventure. There are plots and dashes of the unexpected, emotion and action. It is a full ride, to say the least.

On occassion, there is so much going on that the characters themselves bemoan the confusion of false faces within false faces. The reader will truly agree.

My only criticism was that the finale seemed rushed. The main plotline is built up for a heist, and it felt forced. After 700 pages, I found myself saying "how is all of this going to wrap up in 60 pages?" Well, it did, but for me, it felt like an afterthought of "oh, we need to wrap this up as well as the character development stuff..."

Nevertheless, this was a fun, rousing adventure, and it is highly recommended!

What a book. This book began slowly, with some cheap tricks to get you interested. At first, it was not something I was a fan of. But as we met new characters, interacted, and I became engrossed in the world and their life at sea I came to really enjoy this book. I felt sad when I was meant to, mad when the time was right, and the ending left me thoroughly interested in starting the third book in the series to learn about it. Overall, I would recommend this book greatly. As I have learned from the first, be prepared for friends to be lost and friends to be gained. For this book is one hell of a roller coaster.

I waited for the sequel to Lies of Locke Lamora with great impatience and was not disappointed. The main characters of Locke and Jean are just a joy to read about. Their banter and swagger combined with the frequent tight spots they find themselves in often left me with a grin on my face. In this sequel, the gentlemen thieves find themselves in a corner so tight that I wondered how on earth the author was going to write them out of it. But write them out he did, very cleverly.

There are two major power players in the city, one of which is the boss of the Sinspire,roughly equivalent to a Las Vegas type casino, and the other is the head of security. In the process of planning a major heist, Locke and Jean find themselves working for both sides to bring the other side down, on pain of death if they fail.

Wonderful. Classic buddy adventure set in a fantasy world that's all too believable. A love story. Robin Hood like con artists. Pirates! Loads of pirates in a world where the best Captains are women. A place where the patriarch of the high seas doesn't exist and it is simply profoundly unlucky to sail without a woman on board, along with cats. The complex plot unfolds slowly like a heavy freight train gathering speed towards a dynamic gripping conclusion. But the high point are the characters. Not just the obvious protagonists, but the side characters, who bring you all the emotions you can ever desire to feel in a story. And it leaves you wanting more.

I would like to start by saying that I may judging this book more harshly than most because I had very high hopes for it after reading the first novel in the series "The Lies of Locke Lamora".
Red Seas under Red Skies isn't bad exactly, it's just very average. From the perspective of a stand alone novel, the book has a good amount of intrigue, interesting characters and a couple decent plot twists. Unfortunately, it does not possess enough of these qualities to really stand out in the field of medieval fantasy, and would be hard to recommend by itself. It's greatest value comes from the character and world development that occurs and relates to the overall series of Locke Lamora and I am glad that I read it simply because it will allow me to read the third book, which I hope will give Lynch a chance to redeem himself as one of my favorite new authors.

Don't read this book by itself, read Lies of Locke Lamora first, and only read this book if you loved the first and wish to read the third.

In order to not totally trash the book, here are some things it does well:
1.) Humorous, Locke and sidekick are still amusing and clever to a certain degree, and this adds alot to the depth of characters and plot.
2.) Dark and real, The world of Locke Lamora is dangerous and no character is invulnerable to death or maiming.
3.) Intricate plot, main plots and subplots entwine to keep you guessing. The tapestry is not as satisfying as the first novel, but still well done in a field that is littered with straight forward and bland plots.

I loved The Lies of Locke Lamora. It had a sparkle and an energy that carried me plain past the fact that it is not the kind of fantasy book that I typically enjoy.

Unfortunately, Red Seas Under Red Skies kept the parts I normally do not like and lost much of the crisp fire that had delighted me so much in the first book.

I'm not sure I can fully analyze what doesn't work, but it has something to do with pace and structure. The structure was really odd, somehow. I was deeply bored in the middle section of the book. I also found myself staring in disbelief at aspects of the plot. In The Lies of Locke Lamora, Lynch asked us to give him the benefit of the doubt in a few key unrealistic places. I didn't mind that. But he asked too much of me here. I had many more "what?!" moments than "cool!!" moments in this book.

There are still some good things in the book. It wasn't entirely a waste of time. But, honestly, if the third book is more like Red Seas than like Locke Lamora then I will not be reading forward to the fourth.

p.s. I'm getting tired of pirates. Pirates are the new black in fantasy, and I'm discovering there are precious few writers who can pull them off.

Scott Lynch's artful and fluent command of the English language continues to impress in Red Seas Under Red Skies. The sequel to Lynch's previous masterpiece features two of the most captivating, dynamic, and intriguing protagonists that the genre of high fantasy has to offer. Locke and Jean once again confront improbable odds, armed with unique and interesting education and artifice, drawing strength from their friendship to conquer seemingly insurmountable obstacles in a world that simultaneously startles and enchants with it's creativity. The entire series is a splendid example of the highest possible tier of literary excellence, in the opinion of a reader who has read A LOT of literarily excellent things.

Thumbs up to Scott Lynch for the second installment in the Gentleman Bastards series. If you haven't read the first, The Lies of Locke Lamora, you should do so before reading this book. Then,settle in and prepare to be entertained. You'll find plenty of action, mystery, danger, intriguing characters, terrific world crafting, high adventure, and enough plot twists and turns to challenge the cleverest of thieves and con men. Which Locke and Jean are indeed. All this and pirates, too. Some reviewers have said the first book is better than the second and have not liked the shipboard sequences. I disagree. I think the book is exactly what the middle of a well crafted trilogy should be. I can't wait for the third.

I'd probably give this book 4 and a half stars.

I was worried about the theme around boats and pirates as I'm not a huge lover of either...but I really enjoyed it here.

I was worried about all the negativity about a choppy plot and an abrupt ending to the story...while I see where they are coming from it wasn't nearly as big of a deal as I was expecting.

This book is just a smidge below the first but it's still a very good read. Very fast paced throughout and just a book I didn't want to put down...thats my kind of book!

If you loved the first book, you may not love this one as much, but you'll certainly eat it up!

The first novel in this series was so original, I had no idea how Lynch was going to successfully follow it up. Luckily, Lynch has proved capable of masterful plotting, and Red Seas is a sprawling and enthralling novel fully worth your time to read.

Locke and Jean have moved away to a new land, and are up to their old tricks in new places. Unfortunately, their nemesis from the first book has kept tabs on them, and sets their lives adrift by betraying them to the local authorities. High humor results when the grifters are forced to pose as sea captains, which leads to the last half of the book when piracy mixes with con games. The book drags a bit in the last 100 pages, and the conclusion wasn't up to the standards the first 90% of the book set.

...albeit a tad frustrating, at least at first. After reading all of the negative or mediocre reviews, I was expecting to find a lesser book than Lies. I didn't find that at all. The quality of writing, the sympathetic characters, the sharp and funny dialogue, the action: it's all here. I think the reason people are turned off by it is because it's a very different book than the first one.

Red Seas wastes no time as it starts off. We begin with Locke and Jean pulling a scheme on the most successful chance house in Tel Verrar, the Sinspire, to rob from the owner itself. The book continues with a pace similar to the first book with every other chapter interluding to a past segment, in this case, filling the 2 year gap between Lies and the present day timeline. Locke and Jean are obviously present, but most everything else has changed. Obviously they've fled Camorr so the environment is completely new, though no less captivating. Lynch continues showing his skills in world building, creating a city with a rich history and realistic environments that jump out of the page. Even with the change of scenery, the theives seem right at home in their new setting. They're pulling tricks, being stalked by cut-throats and even the Bondmagi have made it known that they've not forgotten about their poor Falconer. Where the book takes a radical change however, is when Locke and Jean go pirate.

I don't want to spoil the particulars of this plot thread, but I have to say that I enjoyed it thoroughly. At first it seemed out of place, like a speedbump in the rest of the story. But as the plot moves on I found that it ties in very well and by the end, everything comes full circle. I am not much for nautical books, but it seems that Lynch really did his homework and knows his stuff, at least from the perspective of someone who knows as little as sailing and ships as I do. This section of the book may seem like a sidetrack at first, but really it's the meat and potatos of the story, with the bulk of the new characters and the action. Drakasha and Ezri are wonderful additions and seeing their relationships with Locke and Jean go from borderline enemy to comerade is amazing. As I've said, Lynch is a master of character development.

Even though this book ends with a slight cliff hanger and the plot threads don't wrap up as nicely as they do in Lies (one in particular... argh!), I can recommend Red Seas to anyone who has read the first book and enjoyed it. I won't say it's as good as The Lies of Locke Lamora, because it isn't, but I enjoyed the hell out of it anyways. Bring on Republic of Theives!

I don't know what it is about rogues that we fantasy readers love, but Mr. Lynch has given us a new twist to the charismatic thief with his Gentleman Bastard series.

Blessed by the Crooked Warden, Locke and Jean continue their dedicated service to that Nameless Thirteenth and being a priest and servant of the Thiefwatcher, the Benefactor, Father of Necessary Pretexts, defiantly has its fringe benefits. These guys couldn't go to church without snatching the offering plate. But don't let their shenanigans fool you, cross these boys from Cammor, and you'll get a lesson in what vengeance means.

This being only the second book by Scott Lynch, his writing can be just a tad clumsy at times. The story has its lulls but I'm not sure if it's really that it has slow parts or just seems that way in between the parts of intense intrigue and action. Its not quite as good as the first book; Lies of Locke Lamora, but still well-worth the read and I think Mr. Lynch has the potential for becoming one of the more successful and popular authors.

After the stunning debut of the Gentleman Bastard's series in Lies, Red Seas, unfortunately, missteps somewhat. I had to skim through the long pirate middle section just so I could finish the book. For many reasons, the pirate story did not grip me, although there were definitely some very entertaining parts. Now, I am unsure if I will continue to the Republic of Thieves.

I started with Bk 2 Now going to read book 1. Mr. Lynch writes a fast moving entertaining book. I was amazed at how he kept coming up with plot twists that were good AND made sense within the arch of the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed Scott Lynch's debut novel, The Lies of Locke Lamora, and had high expectation for this sequel. While it is a fun adventure story set in a well realized world, it does not quite live up to the expectations set by its predecessor.

Back are all the thieves, magi, capers, fights, witty banter, betrayals, double-crossing, and convoluted plots of the first novel. Locke and Jean are back and the story focuses this time on their friendship. They are trying to make their way in the world by pulling off a major heist in Lynch's fantasy version of Las Vegas (or Monte Carlo if you prefer).

The story begins in media res, and uses flashback chapters to fill in all the backstory between the end of Lies and the beginning of Red Seas Under Red Skies. I thought this technique was effective as it gets the action going right away. The characters are all well developed, including the many new faces, and all exhibit growth over the course of the novel. The reading experience is greatly augmented by Lynch's fine sense of humor.

Where this novel falters, for me at least, is with the plot. Lynch once again uses a very convoluted, very complex plot - which I love and fits the style of his novels perfectly. The beginning of the book it very well plotted as all the different players are introduced and their motivations are developed. The plot loses it tightness during a long middle section that features a piratical adventure. I usually love pirates, and the pirates hear are great fun to read about - they just don't add much to the plot that was developed in the first third of the book. The pirate interlude leads to an ending that felt rushed. More plot threads are left dangling here then were in Lies. Important characters are introduced that played absolutely no role in the first two-thirds of the book.

Despite it shortcomings I still recommend this book. If you can deal with the plot issues you'll have a great time with this book. I look forward to future books in the series.

I think Lynchie suffered from A.D.D. on this one. He started major plot points, and then would either abandon them altogether, or wrap them up spiffily in a few pages. I got the sense that he was working without an outline, or something. At the beginning of the book, we were being setup to witness a huge heist at a gaming establishment in Tal Verrar. All of the signs pointed to this thrilling, movie-worthy plot. Then, suddenly, we were enlisted in the Tal Verrar Navy, and sent off to Pirate country. Very strange. I also hated the dialogue between Locke and Jean and the Pirate officers. Silly banter, resulting in cliched "grudging admiration". I think Lynchie probably worked out the plot for his first book for his entire life, and then fell victim to a kind of sophomore slump here. With all of it's flaws, I did enjoy the book. Lynchie just needs tighter editing in future endeavors.

I like Scott Lynch's style a lot. He's always got something up his sleeve that keeps me reading, and the plot twists are often completely unexpected.

This novel is good, but tries a little too much for its own good. Among other problems, I think Mr. Lynch may be in danger of having his protagonists fall into the dour guilt-ridden trap that makes so many fantasy and science-fiction series difficult to get through after the first few books. All the novelty and innocence and humor gets bled out of them because the characters have been through so much horrifying trauma.

I'll keep reading, but this book makes me a little wary.

I really feel that the author has done a great job with the character development so far. Locke and Jean are fantastic characters each with their own value, similar to Sherlock and Watson. This story is decent, a little peculiar at times though. The one disappointment I have with this story is the ending. There is a great buildup for the entire book and the one or two minor chapters resolve the outcomes for the storylines. I just wish there was more thought into the ending. Overall, it was a good read.

This is a good potato chip follow up to the first book in the series. Once you've started eating them, it's hard to stop. They deliver tasty plot, but are thin on unexpected flavors and development.

Locke and Jean are back on yet another unbelievably complicated con. Yet again they get in over their heads and are manipulated into perpetrating another person's scam. Finally, they get dramatic revenge. Same book. Different cover.

My biggest complaint about this series is that the prose is just not that good. I tried reading a chapter out loud and it was grating on the ears. My advice, read this for entertainment, not quality.

i borrowed the third book from the library on a whim & didn't realize it had other before it. after the fourth page i was hooked & knew i'd be buying a copy to reread. i bought the set & am glad i read that book first - while The Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas Under the Red Skies made sense by themselves, The Republic of Thieves seemed to pull the books together & everything made more sense with having it as the background

Con artists Locke Lamora and Jean Tannen plan to swindle the renowned gambling house, Sinspire. Tight security makes any attempt futile and cheating breaks the first commandment, which if caught also means break the felon's bones as death is the response to the worst crime anyone can commit.

However, Locke and Jean feel they have a perfect scheme so they are in the city state of Tal Verra completing their final preparations. However, someone knows what the two thieves plot to do and is determined to insure they not fail but are caught. Let the games begin because Locke and Jean will not allow an unknown adversary prevent their latest caper from succeeding.

Locke and Jean are quite the pair as these bold con artists work on a scheme that seems impossible and made even more difficult by their enemy. The fast-paced story line is at its best when the two thieves, their opponent, and the casino staff work towards a final altercation even as the audience expects the antiheroes to succeed (need to read to see if they actually do), but not know how they can pull off the ploy. Although there are well written epic sea battles with pirates, that sidebar feels like an intruder as this fantasy belongs to the scam.

Harriet Klausner

An enjoyable second installment in the Gentlemen Bastards series, albeit with a somewhat anti-climactic ending. The story line takes a number of twists and turns, some of which are admittedly predictable even though you really WANTED to see them occur, and keeps the reader engaged throughout the book. The banter between Jean and Locke and the way both of them embrace seemingly impossible situations with a dark sense of humor are what continue to make these books entertaining for me. The story line is often preposterous, but serves as a great backdrop for a couple of outlandish characters stuck in a perpetual "buddy/heist" film.

The reason this book received four out of five stars was not because the story was unsatisfying but rather because the binding felt a little cheap. This book continues on shortly after the events of The Lies of Locke Lamora. Just looking at the title you wouldn't be sure what to expect from this book. I can tell you that you'll be presently surprised if you enjoyed the first book. It is full of twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat. It earns itself a permanent spot on my bookshelf and I look forward to book 3!

I'll be brief as so many others have offered a thorough excavation of the material already- it's not quite as perfect as Lies of Locke Lamora but it's still better than average in almost all ways. The only real issue I take with the book is that - SPOILERS TO FOLLOW-

-YOU'VE BEEN WARNED- the cold open dissolved into so much nothing in a way that I almost expected it would- causing it to lack any real dramatic tension. In fact as many times as Locke and Jean get beat up and bruised around I still feel like they're often covered in a thick casing of plot armor. That said though, I deeply enjoyed the book and am about to dive into the third and eagerly await the fourth this autumn.

I would like to start by saying that I may judging this book more harshly than most because I had very high hopes for it after reading the first novel in the series "The Lies of Locke Lamora".
Red Seas under Red Skies isn't bad exactly, it's just very average. From the perspective of a stand alone novel, the book has a good amount of intrigue, interesting characters and a couple decent plot twists. Unfortunately, it does not possess enough of these qualities to really stand out in the field of medieval fantasy, and would be hard to recommend by itself. It's greatest value comes from the character and world development that occurs and relates to the overall series of Locke Lamora and I am glad that I read it simply because it will allow me to read the third book, which I hope will give Lynch a chance to redeem himself as one of my favorite new authors.

Don't read this book by itself, read Lies of Locke Lamora first, and only read this book if you loved the first and wish to read the third.

In order to not totally trash the book, here are some things it does well:
1.) Humorous, Locke and sidekick are still amusing and clever to a certain degree, and this adds alot to the depth of characters and plot.
2.) Dark and real, The world of Locke Lamora is dangerous and no character is invulnerable to death or maiming.
3.) Intricate plot, main plots and subplots entwine to keep you guessing. The tapestry is not as satisfying as the first novel, but still well done in a field that is littered with straight forward and bland plots.

I loved The Lies of Locke Lamora. It had a sparkle and an energy that carried me plain past the fact that it is not the kind of fantasy book that I typically enjoy.

Unfortunately, Red Seas Under Red Skies kept the parts I normally do not like and lost much of the crisp fire that had delighted me so much in the first book.

I'm not sure I can fully analyze what doesn't work, but it has something to do with pace and structure. The structure was really odd, somehow. I was deeply bored in the middle section of the book. I also found myself staring in disbelief at aspects of the plot. In The Lies of Locke Lamora, Lynch asked us to give him the benefit of the doubt in a few key unrealistic places. I didn't mind that. But he asked too much of me here. I had many more "what?!" moments than "cool!!" moments in this book.

There are still some good things in the book. It wasn't entirely a waste of time. But, honestly, if the third book is more like Red Seas than like Locke Lamora then I will not be reading forward to the fourth.

p.s. I'm getting tired of pirates. Pirates are the new black in fantasy, and I'm discovering there are precious few writers who can pull them off.

Scott Lynch's artful and fluent command of the English language continues to impress in Red Seas Under Red Skies. The sequel to Lynch's previous masterpiece features two of the most captivating, dynamic, and intriguing protagonists that the genre of high fantasy has to offer. Locke and Jean once again confront improbable odds, armed with unique and interesting education and artifice, drawing strength from their friendship to conquer seemingly insurmountable obstacles in a world that simultaneously startles and enchants with it's creativity. The entire series is a splendid example of the highest possible tier of literary excellence, in the opinion of a reader who has read A LOT of literarily excellent things.

Thumbs up to Scott Lynch for the second installment in the Gentleman Bastards series. If you haven't read the first, The Lies of Locke Lamora, you should do so before reading this book. Then,settle in and prepare to be entertained. You'll find plenty of action, mystery, danger, intriguing characters, terrific world crafting, high adventure, and enough plot twists and turns to challenge the cleverest of thieves and con men. Which Locke and Jean are indeed. All this and pirates, too. Some reviewers have said the first book is better than the second and have not liked the shipboard sequences. I disagree. I think the book is exactly what the middle of a well crafted trilogy should be. I can't wait for the third.

I'd probably give this book 4 and a half stars.

I was worried about the theme around boats and pirates as I'm not a huge lover of either...but I really enjoyed it here.

I was worried about all the negativity about a choppy plot and an abrupt ending to the story...while I see where they are coming from it wasn't nearly as big of a deal as I was expecting.

This book is just a smidge below the first but it's still a very good read. Very fast paced throughout and just a book I didn't want to put down...thats my kind of book!

If you loved the first book, you may not love this one as much, but you'll certainly eat it up!

The first novel in this series was so original, I had no idea how Lynch was going to successfully follow it up. Luckily, Lynch has proved capable of masterful plotting, and Red Seas is a sprawling and enthralling novel fully worth your time to read.

Locke and Jean have moved away to a new land, and are up to their old tricks in new places. Unfortunately, their nemesis from the first book has kept tabs on them, and sets their lives adrift by betraying them to the local authorities. High humor results when the grifters are forced to pose as sea captains, which leads to the last half of the book when piracy mixes with con games. The book drags a bit in the last 100 pages, and the conclusion wasn't up to the standards the first 90% of the book set.

...albeit a tad frustrating, at least at first. After reading all of the negative or mediocre reviews, I was expecting to find a lesser book than Lies. I didn't find that at all. The quality of writing, the sympathetic characters, the sharp and funny dialogue, the action: it's all here. I think the reason people are turned off by it is because it's a very different book than the first one.

Red Seas wastes no time as it starts off. We begin with Locke and Jean pulling a scheme on the most successful chance house in Tel Verrar, the Sinspire, to rob from the owner itself. The book continues with a pace similar to the first book with every other chapter interluding to a past segment, in this case, filling the 2 year gap between Lies and the present day timeline. Locke and Jean are obviously present, but most everything else has changed. Obviously they've fled Camorr so the environment is completely new, though no less captivating. Lynch continues showing his skills in world building, creating a city with a rich history and realistic environments that jump out of the page. Even with the change of scenery, the theives seem right at home in their new setting. They're pulling tricks, being stalked by cut-throats and even the Bondmagi have made it known that they've not forgotten about their poor Falconer. Where the book takes a radical change however, is when Locke and Jean go pirate.

I don't want to spoil the particulars of this plot thread, but I have to say that I enjoyed it thoroughly. At first it seemed out of place, like a speedbump in the rest of the story. But as the plot moves on I found that it ties in very well and by the end, everything comes full circle. I am not much for nautical books, but it seems that Lynch really did his homework and knows his stuff, at least from the perspective of someone who knows as little as sailing and ships as I do. This section of the book may seem like a sidetrack at first, but really it's the meat and potatos of the story, with the bulk of the new characters and the action. Drakasha and Ezri are wonderful additions and seeing their relationships with Locke and Jean go from borderline enemy to comerade is amazing. As I've said, Lynch is a master of character development.

Even though this book ends with a slight cliff hanger and the plot threads don't wrap up as nicely as they do in Lies (one in particular... argh!), I can recommend Red Seas to anyone who has read the first book and enjoyed it. I won't say it's as good as The Lies of Locke Lamora, because it isn't, but I enjoyed the hell out of it anyways. Bring on Republic of Theives!

I don't know what it is about rogues that we fantasy readers love, but Mr. Lynch has given us a new twist to the charismatic thief with his Gentleman Bastard series.

Blessed by the Crooked Warden, Locke and Jean continue their dedicated service to that Nameless Thirteenth and being a priest and servant of the Thiefwatcher, the Benefactor, Father of Necessary Pretexts, defiantly has its fringe benefits. These guys couldn't go to church without snatching the offering plate. But don't let their shenanigans fool you, cross these boys from Cammor, and you'll get a lesson in what vengeance means.

This being only the second book by Scott Lynch, his writing can be just a tad clumsy at times. The story has its lulls but I'm not sure if it's really that it has slow parts or just seems that way in between the parts of intense intrigue and action. Its not quite as good as the first book; Lies of Locke Lamora, but still well-worth the read and I think Mr. Lynch has the potential for becoming one of the more successful and popular authors.

After the stunning debut of the Gentleman Bastard's series in Lies, Red Seas, unfortunately, missteps somewhat. I had to skim through the long pirate middle section just so I could finish the book. For many reasons, the pirate story did not grip me, although there were definitely some very entertaining parts. Now, I am unsure if I will continue to the Republic of Thieves.

I started with Bk 2 Now going to read book 1. Mr. Lynch writes a fast moving entertaining book. I was amazed at how he kept coming up with plot twists that were good AND made sense within the arch of the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed Scott Lynch's debut novel, The Lies of Locke Lamora, and had high expectation for this sequel. While it is a fun adventure story set in a well realized world, it does not quite live up to the expectations set by its predecessor.

Back are all the thieves, magi, capers, fights, witty banter, betrayals, double-crossing, and convoluted plots of the first novel. Locke and Jean are back and the story focuses this time on their friendship. They are trying to make their way in the world by pulling off a major heist in Lynch's fantasy version of Las Vegas (or Monte Carlo if you prefer).

The story begins in media res, and uses flashback chapters to fill in all the backstory between the end of Lies and the beginning of Red Seas Under Red Skies. I thought this technique was effective as it gets the action going right away. The characters are all well developed, including the many new faces, and all exhibit growth over the course of the novel. The reading experience is greatly augmented by Lynch's fine sense of humor.

Where this novel falters, for me at least, is with the plot. Lynch once again uses a very convoluted, very complex plot - which I love and fits the style of his novels perfectly. The beginning of the book it very well plotted as all the different players are introduced and their motivations are developed. The plot loses it tightness during a long middle section that features a piratical adventure. I usually love pirates, and the pirates hear are great fun to read about - they just don't add much to the plot that was developed in the first third of the book. The pirate interlude leads to an ending that felt rushed. More plot threads are left dangling here then were in Lies. Important characters are introduced that played absolutely no role in the first two-thirds of the book.

Despite it shortcomings I still recommend this book. If you can deal with the plot issues you'll have a great time with this book. I look forward to future books in the series.

I think Lynchie suffered from A.D.D. on this one. He started major plot points, and then would either abandon them altogether, or wrap them up spiffily in a few pages. I got the sense that he was working without an outline, or something. At the beginning of the book, we were being setup to witness a huge heist at a gaming establishment in Tal Verrar. All of the signs pointed to this thrilling, movie-worthy plot. Then, suddenly, we were enlisted in the Tal Verrar Navy, and sent off to Pirate country. Very strange. I also hated the dialogue between Locke and Jean and the Pirate officers. Silly banter, resulting in cliched "grudging admiration". I think Lynchie probably worked out the plot for his first book for his entire life, and then fell victim to a kind of sophomore slump here. With all of it's flaws, I did enjoy the book. Lynchie just needs tighter editing in future endeavors.

I like Scott Lynch's style a lot. He's always got something up his sleeve that keeps me reading, and the plot twists are often completely unexpected.

This novel is good, but tries a little too much for its own good. Among other problems, I think Mr. Lynch may be in danger of having his protagonists fall into the dour guilt-ridden trap that makes so many fantasy and science-fiction series difficult to get through after the first few books. All the novelty and innocence and humor gets bled out of them because the characters have been through so much horrifying trauma.

I'll keep reading, but this book makes me a little wary.

I really feel that the author has done a great job with the character development so far. Locke and Jean are fantastic characters each with their own value, similar to Sherlock and Watson. This story is decent, a little peculiar at times though. The one disappointment I have with this story is the ending. There is a great buildup for the entire book and the one or two minor chapters resolve the outcomes for the storylines. I just wish there was more thought into the ending. Overall, it was a good read.

This is a good potato chip follow up to the first book in the series. Once you've started eating them, it's hard to stop. They deliver tasty plot, but are thin on unexpected flavors and development.

Locke and Jean are back on yet another unbelievably complicated con. Yet again they get in over their heads and are manipulated into perpetrating another person's scam. Finally, they get dramatic revenge. Same book. Different cover.

My biggest complaint about this series is that the prose is just not that good. I tried reading a chapter out loud and it was grating on the ears. My advice, read this for entertainment, not quality.

i borrowed the third book from the library on a whim & didn't realize it had other before it. after the fourth page i was hooked & knew i'd be buying a copy to reread. i bought the set & am glad i read that book first - while The Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas Under the Red Skies made sense by themselves, The Republic of Thieves seemed to pull the books together & everything made more sense with having it as the background

Con artists Locke Lamora and Jean Tannen plan to swindle the renowned gambling house, Sinspire. Tight security makes any attempt futile and cheating breaks the first commandment, which if caught also means break the felon's bones as death is the response to the worst crime anyone can commit.

However, Locke and Jean feel they have a perfect scheme so they are in the city state of Tal Verra completing their final preparations. However, someone knows what the two thieves plot to do and is determined to insure they not fail but are caught. Let the games begin because Locke and Jean will not allow an unknown adversary prevent their latest caper from succeeding.

Locke and Jean are quite the pair as these bold con artists work on a scheme that seems impossible and made even more difficult by their enemy. The fast-paced story line is at its best when the two thieves, their opponent, and the casino staff work towards a final altercation even as the audience expects the antiheroes to succeed (need to read to see if they actually do), but not know how they can pull off the ploy. Although there are well written epic sea battles with pirates, that sidebar feels like an intruder as this fantasy belongs to the scam.

Harriet Klausner

An enjoyable second installment in the Gentlemen Bastards series, albeit with a somewhat anti-climactic ending. The story line takes a number of twists and turns, some of which are admittedly predictable even though you really WANTED to see them occur, and keeps the reader engaged throughout the book. The banter between Jean and Locke and the way both of them embrace seemingly impossible situations with a dark sense of humor are what continue to make these books entertaining for me. The story line is often preposterous, but serves as a great backdrop for a couple of outlandish characters stuck in a perpetual "buddy/heist" film.

The reason this book received four out of five stars was not because the story was unsatisfying but rather because the binding felt a little cheap. This book continues on shortly after the events of The Lies of Locke Lamora. Just looking at the title you wouldn't be sure what to expect from this book. I can tell you that you'll be presently surprised if you enjoyed the first book. It is full of twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat. It earns itself a permanent spot on my bookshelf and I look forward to book 3!

I read Scott Lynch for the dialogue and wonderful descriptions of action and this book doesn't dissapoint. While not as good as Lies of Locke Lamora it is still a worthy sequel and makes you want the third book to come out sooner rather than later. I hope Scott hits a release date this year (2011) for the third installment of the gentleman bastards.

I thought the plot overall could've been better. After finishing it I found myself saying "that's it?". I thought the way everything came together was kind of a let down. Initially, the plot is awesome and you want them to succeed, only to find out that what they're really scheming is something totally different, with blah results. I like the series but hopefully the third book will be a little better.

Can't believe the half hearted reviews on this power packed sequel. Every bit as good as Lies of Locke Lamora! The story is complex, twisting and full of vibrant characters. If you enjoy George R R Martin or Patrick Rothefus, you need to allow yourself to be sucked up into this series!

Locke Lamora and his pal Jean are now in Tel Verrar hoping to pull off the theft of their dreams. The two of them are thieves. While Locke is the brains, Jean is definitely the brawn. Their goal, to get inside the famed vault of the Sinspire, the richest gaming hall in all of Tel Verrar. They've put two years into this plan finally making it to the fifth level in the Sinspire. After so much hard work and thought, they don't intend to let anything interfere with their plans. Not, that is, until the Archon of Tel Verrar decides they will be the perfect pawns to use to regain his power and gives them a slow-acting poison to ensure their cooperation. As long as they do his bidding, the Archon will give them the antidote--not enough to cure them, only to keep them healthy for a time.

Meanwhile, Locke has already put his plan into action by going to the owner of the Sinspire and telling the man he is being paid to get into the safe. So now, Locke is working for not only this man, but also the Archon.

How are Locke and Jean going to satisfy both masters? Can they? Will they live long enough to do so, or will the poison take effect? Will they remain as puppets of the Archon for the rest of their lives?

RED SEAS UNDER RED SKIES is one of those books hard to set down. The action starts on the first page and continues throughout. Of course, plans go awry for Locke and Jean and it's amazing just how quickly they adapt to their new circumstances. Somehow, they always manage to land on their feet. The dialogue is particularly witty in this story and I love the way Jean kept quoting from one of the great writers in their time with his love interest. This story will make you laugh; it will make you cry and it will definitely keep you turning pages. And I definitely plan on picking up a copy of THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA and reading it as soon as I possibly can, along with anything else this author writes.

After the thrill of finding a book like "The Lies of Locke Lamora", I was a little leary of picking up the next one as they seldom live up to the first...I loved this tale however and had a hard time closing it at night to sleep...I loved the dialog, the further investment into these characters, the nautical stuff and even that weird siren thing that lived in the passage...The best thing about it is that the Author is younger than me and shows no signs of slowing down! Keep the pen moving brother!!!

So I finally figured out why this book bothered me so much.

1. The first book was very entertaining and refreshing with humor, swashbuckling adventure with undercurrents of real life and the misery it certainly held for the less fortunate in Locke's world.
2. The second book was such a radical departure from the lynchpins of the first book's success that it just fell flat.

The best way I can quickly summarize how is to point you to the first Pirates of the Carribbean movie and then the third. What a difference between the two. The first was a great surprise and very entertaining. The 3rd? I was just asking myself 'what the hell is going on here' the whole time. It was the same with LIES vs RED SEAS.

If you're not convinced, read the other 2 and 3 star reviews and you will be.

JL

twists and turns and piratical action. read it all in one weekend.

some semi-maudlin dramatical bits as Locke gets over what happened the first book, and as they deal with what happens as a consequence of some of their schemes, but its mostly nautical action and suspenseful conman thriller.

I liked the book and thought it was interesting, ending seemed to be cut short, almost like the author built up the story and wasnt quite ready to end it. It wasnt bad, the story does wrap itself up ( sort of) just seemed cut short. which is why I am not giving it five stars. Charactors are interesting, As we see them develpe from the first book thru the second. Recomend you read the first book, if you liked that one, I am sure you will like this one, I am lookng forward to the 3rd book- It will be interesting, as to how they will resolve all the problems that have been building up. because I believe it is a triology. Dont want to tell you to much cause that might ruin the story for some. Its not the worlds greatest book, but I enjoyed reading the entire story, something that is rare for me these days, as most of these type of books dont hold my attention for very long. This one managed to do that! So i recomend it for those that like the high flying adventure stories with the rogue as the hero.

I was quite disappointed by Scott Lynch's sequel to The Lies of Locke Lamora. Admittedly, a lot of my disappointment was the result of how very much I enjoyed the first book.

In a sense, initial books in a series have a bit of an advantage since they typically have a coming-of-age theme to lean on, so The Lies of Locke Lamora was always going to be hard to follow. But not only does Red Seas Under Red Skies fall well short in the character development department, it manages to make the characters less clever, less competent, and less likable in the process.

In addition, the pacing of Red Seas Under Red Skies tends to drag a bit, and when events finally do start to carry emotional impact, the motivations are flat and formulaic. There is an opportunity to explore different aspects of the characters, but it is abandoned in favor of what is starting to feel a bit tired and one-dimensional.

The wrap-up doesn't satisfy any more than the rest of the book, leaving it difficult to recommend Red Seas Under Red Skies as anything but a shaky bridge to what one desperately hopes will be a more compelling future in the third book of the series.

I luckily came to this series relatively late to the party. Because of this I was nervous as far as how well "Red Seas Under Red Skies" would be able to compare with Lies; especially after reading many of the less than stellar reviews. However I quickly found it to be more of the great same adventures, only now with a maritime theme which I absolutely love and actually swashbuckling. If you enjoyed "Lies" and can manage to understand your Port (Larboard as told in this book) from Starboard, this book will definitely deliver and make you more eager for the forthcoming third novel.

Loch and Jean are a real treat to follow in this second Gentlemen Bastard's novel. The story is well written and leaves the reader with the fear that everything will fall apart while hoping they don't. I'm not sure how these upcoming books could be any better, but if they stay on par then this series will become a worldwide favorite without a doubt!!

After loving the first book, I was pretty disappointed by this novel. It seemed as though the author just wanted to include pirates for the heck of it. The plot was too ludicrous for me, and kind of episodic. And although the characters feared for their lives a lot, for some reason I got the feeling that the stakes weren't very high. I had to force myself to finish it.

another riveting read by lynch. This book delivers. The story is engaging the characters are fun and I found myself thouroughly engaged in this read. What can I say and this is a second book too which usually means a setup book no this one reads as a stand alone almost. I highly recommend this book.

I was always interested in Wars, swords, sorcery, kings, ect. But was new to a book store. I was walking around a Chapters not knowing where to go, what direction to turn then the red cover of "Red Seas Under Red Skies" caught my eye. Seeing those ships on the ocean and considering the book was on a must read table I picked it up and headed for the door. After reading this exciting book I was shocked to realize it was the second in a series of other books, and my love for Fantasy began. This is a fantastic book with a great humor and character depth. You won't regret this read, I would suggest starting with "The lies of Locke Lamora" though, and remember there is still more books to come so the anticipation of the wait makes a good treat for the future.

Count me among the readers that loved the first book in this series, and found this second book a little wanting.

First off, it took me forever. I found myself skipping paragraphs that just weren't going anywhere. Second, I didn't find the bad guys to be as bad as they were in The Lies of Locke Lamora, and finally...the ending just wasn't up to par.

I will continue to read the books though, because Mr. Lynch does do enough to keep me interested, and I do love the main characters.

All in all, an ok read, but I think the future books will be better.

I read Scott Lynch for the dialogue and wonderful descriptions of action and this book doesn't dissapoint. While not as good as Lies of Locke Lamora it is still a worthy sequel and makes you want the third book to come out sooner rather than later. I hope Scott hits a release date this year (2011) for the third installment of the gentleman bastards.

I thought the plot overall could've been better. After finishing it I found myself saying "that's it?". I thought the way everything came together was kind of a let down. Initially, the plot is awesome and you want them to succeed, only to find out that what they're really scheming is something totally different, with blah results. I like the series but hopefully the third book will be a little better.

Can't believe the half hearted reviews on this power packed sequel. Every bit as good as Lies of Locke Lamora! The story is complex, twisting and full of vibrant characters. If you enjoy George R R Martin or Patrick Rothefus, you need to allow yourself to be sucked up into this series!

Locke Lamora and his pal Jean are now in Tel Verrar hoping to pull off the theft of their dreams. The two of them are thieves. While Locke is the brains, Jean is definitely the brawn. Their goal, to get inside the famed vault of the Sinspire, the richest gaming hall in all of Tel Verrar. They've put two years into this plan finally making it to the fifth level in the Sinspire. After so much hard work and thought, they don't intend to let anything interfere with their plans. Not, that is, until the Archon of Tel Verrar decides they will be the perfect pawns to use to regain his power and gives them a slow-acting poison to ensure their cooperation. As long as they do his bidding, the Archon will give them the antidote--not enough to cure them, only to keep them healthy for a time.

Meanwhile, Locke has already put his plan into action by going to the owner of the Sinspire and telling the man he is being paid to get into the safe. So now, Locke is working for not only this man, but also the Archon.

How are Locke and Jean going to satisfy both masters? Can they? Will they live long enough to do so, or will the poison take effect? Will they remain as puppets of the Archon for the rest of their lives?

RED SEAS UNDER RED SKIES is one of those books hard to set down. The action starts on the first page and continues throughout. Of course, plans go awry for Locke and Jean and it's amazing just how quickly they adapt to their new circumstances. Somehow, they always manage to land on their feet. The dialogue is particularly witty in this story and I love the way Jean kept quoting from one of the great writers in their time with his love interest. This story will make you laugh; it will make you cry and it will definitely keep you turning pages. And I definitely plan on picking up a copy of THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA and reading it as soon as I possibly can, along with anything else this author writes.

After the thrill of finding a book like "The Lies of Locke Lamora", I was a little leary of picking up the next one as they seldom live up to the first...I loved this tale however and had a hard time closing it at night to sleep...I loved the dialog, the further investment into these characters, the nautical stuff and even that weird siren thing that lived in the passage...The best thing about it is that the Author is younger than me and shows no signs of slowing down! Keep the pen moving brother!!!

So I finally figured out why this book bothered me so much.

1. The first book was very entertaining and refreshing with humor, swashbuckling adventure with undercurrents of real life and the misery it certainly held for the less fortunate in Locke's world.
2. The second book was such a radical departure from the lynchpins of the first book's success that it just fell flat.

The best way I can quickly summarize how is to point you to the first Pirates of the Carribbean movie and then the third. What a difference between the two. The first was a great surprise and very entertaining. The 3rd? I was just asking myself 'what the hell is going on here' the whole time. It was the same with LIES vs RED SEAS.

If you're not convinced, read the other 2 and 3 star reviews and you will be.

JL

twists and turns and piratical action. read it all in one weekend.

some semi-maudlin dramatical bits as Locke gets over what happened the first book, and as they deal with what happens as a consequence of some of their schemes, but its mostly nautical action and suspenseful conman thriller.

I liked the book and thought it was interesting, ending seemed to be cut short, almost like the author built up the story and wasnt quite ready to end it. It wasnt bad, the story does wrap itself up ( sort of) just seemed cut short. which is why I am not giving it five stars. Charactors are interesting, As we see them develpe from the first book thru the second. Recomend you read the first book, if you liked that one, I am sure you will like this one, I am lookng forward to the 3rd book- It will be interesting, as to how they will resolve all the problems that have been building up. because I believe it is a triology. Dont want to tell you to much cause that might ruin the story for some. Its not the worlds greatest book, but I enjoyed reading the entire story, something that is rare for me these days, as most of these type of books dont hold my attention for very long. This one managed to do that! So i recomend it for those that like the high flying adventure stories with the rogue as the hero.

I was quite disappointed by Scott Lynch's sequel to The Lies of Locke Lamora. Admittedly, a lot of my disappointment was the result of how very much I enjoyed the first book.

In a sense, initial books in a series have a bit of an advantage since they typically have a coming-of-age theme to lean on, so The Lies of Locke Lamora was always going to be hard to follow. But not only does Red Seas Under Red Skies fall well short in the character development department, it manages to make the characters less clever, less competent, and less likable in the process.

In addition, the pacing of Red Seas Under Red Skies tends to drag a bit, and when events finally do start to carry emotional impact, the motivations are flat and formulaic. There is an opportunity to explore different aspects of the characters, but it is abandoned in favor of what is starting to feel a bit tired and one-dimensional.

The wrap-up doesn't satisfy any more than the rest of the book, leaving it difficult to recommend Red Seas Under Red Skies as anything but a shaky bridge to what one desperately hopes will be a more compelling future in the third book of the series.

I luckily came to this series relatively late to the party. Because of this I was nervous as far as how well "Red Seas Under Red Skies" would be able to compare with Lies; especially after reading many of the less than stellar reviews. However I quickly found it to be more of the great same adventures, only now with a maritime theme which I absolutely love and actually swashbuckling. If you enjoyed "Lies" and can manage to understand your Port (Larboard as told in this book) from Starboard, this book will definitely deliver and make you more eager for the forthcoming third novel.

I just happened to stumble across this book in the library, and I am glad that I did. I have not read the first book in the series, but it didn't seem to matter.

I agree that it bogged down a bit in the middle (arrrr!), but there was enough tension to keep me interested. Overall, a fun read!

I liked this book better then LLL. The lead "villans" all seem to have a more realistic motive behind their actions. The Archon of Tal Velarr for example. Has quite a noble reason for being a scum bag. Unlike a lot of reviewers I really liked the time our boys spent on ship.

The book is well written and lives up to the hype of the first.
There's a ton of action that leaves you wondering how the heck can they pull it off.
Jean is a bigger part of the story.
Once again Lynch delivers with action and emotion, with a ending that leaves you wanting more.

I have high hopes for this series and this author. Scott Lynch has really got something good going here. I'll be buying the next book in hardcover, which is my strongest endorsement of an author. This is a great adventure story with less magic and more subterfuge and legerdemain than The Lies of Locke Lamora.

The ending seemed rush, with new characters popping out of nowhere at the last minute. The plot was overambitious. The schemes that they pulled off were unbelievable, they were too lucky to believe. Also, it became clear that Jean & Locke weren't gonna die...there's no suspense if they keep ending up in near-death situations & miraculously escape them everytime. And yeah, Lynch really bored me with every page at sea. I liked the first one though.