Saturday, 9 August 2025 09:46 pm
Book Review: Red Seas Under Red Skies
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
deckardcanineIt's been more than five years since I read The Lies of Locke Lamora, the first book in Scott Lynch's Gentleman Bastard Sequence. Fortunately, I remembered the plot pretty well and was never confused for long when the sequel made reference to past events. You might even choose to start here.
Locke and Jean, the only remaining Gentleman Bastards, have moved to the city of Tal Verrar and started their next multi-year heist, targeting a secure casino and even daring to make the ruthless owner's acquaintance. But the vengeful Bondsmagi have persuaded the city's leader, Maxilan Stragos, to coerce them -- via a slow mystery poison and the promise of medicine -- to take on another task in the meantime: infiltrating a pirate crew and inducing them to attack Verrari ships so Stragos has more popular support. Neither Locke nor Jean knows much about ships, so they'll have to exercise their fakery more than usual. (I can take a perverse pleasure in seeing someone lie almost constantly, whether believed or not.)
Once again, the fantasy element is seldom in play, and it always involves an enemy of the antiheroes. Of course, in their line of work, they gather enemies far more easily than friends. Locke and Jean even get on each other's nerves half the time, tho their dynamic remains excellent.
I did learn a few nautical facts along the way. That said, it's not the best choice to that end, because some jargon is made up for the fictional world. And I'm pretty sure the sailors' superstitions (e.g., bringing a cat for luck on a voyage) are not common in RL.
Speaking of superstition, Locke is more serious about his obscure religion than I realized. He actually considers it his moral duty to steal from the rich. Not for charity, tho; he'd rather spend his share on wine. No wonder some people, even fellow thieves, want to kill him just for his faith. I've grown fonder of Jean, who's at least as talented and more relatable to me.
Innocent parties are hard to come by; even the little kids are budding brigands. But if Locke and Jean gain one thing from their forced adventure, it's an appreciation for the seafaring variety of robbers. Despite a rough start, they grow quite close to a number of pirates, especially a female captain and first mate.
Between banter and insidious scheming, I came close to guffawing several times. But make no mistake: It's still more gritty tragedy than comedy. Just because the Gentleman Bastards aren't shrinking even further doesn't mean there's no one left to care about. Only the victims' semi-villainous ways limit my sympathy.
I see that the threequel ties up the loose ends. I'll have to check it out someday, but not too soon. After 760 pages with Locke and Jean, I don't want to start thinking like them.
My next read is The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna. Back to a focus on country folk.
Locke and Jean, the only remaining Gentleman Bastards, have moved to the city of Tal Verrar and started their next multi-year heist, targeting a secure casino and even daring to make the ruthless owner's acquaintance. But the vengeful Bondsmagi have persuaded the city's leader, Maxilan Stragos, to coerce them -- via a slow mystery poison and the promise of medicine -- to take on another task in the meantime: infiltrating a pirate crew and inducing them to attack Verrari ships so Stragos has more popular support. Neither Locke nor Jean knows much about ships, so they'll have to exercise their fakery more than usual. (I can take a perverse pleasure in seeing someone lie almost constantly, whether believed or not.)
Once again, the fantasy element is seldom in play, and it always involves an enemy of the antiheroes. Of course, in their line of work, they gather enemies far more easily than friends. Locke and Jean even get on each other's nerves half the time, tho their dynamic remains excellent.
I did learn a few nautical facts along the way. That said, it's not the best choice to that end, because some jargon is made up for the fictional world. And I'm pretty sure the sailors' superstitions (e.g., bringing a cat for luck on a voyage) are not common in RL.
Speaking of superstition, Locke is more serious about his obscure religion than I realized. He actually considers it his moral duty to steal from the rich. Not for charity, tho; he'd rather spend his share on wine. No wonder some people, even fellow thieves, want to kill him just for his faith. I've grown fonder of Jean, who's at least as talented and more relatable to me.
Innocent parties are hard to come by; even the little kids are budding brigands. But if Locke and Jean gain one thing from their forced adventure, it's an appreciation for the seafaring variety of robbers. Despite a rough start, they grow quite close to a number of pirates, especially a female captain and first mate.
Between banter and insidious scheming, I came close to guffawing several times. But make no mistake: It's still more gritty tragedy than comedy. Just because the Gentleman Bastards aren't shrinking even further doesn't mean there's no one left to care about. Only the victims' semi-villainous ways limit my sympathy.
I see that the threequel ties up the loose ends. I'll have to check it out someday, but not too soon. After 760 pages with Locke and Jean, I don't want to start thinking like them.
My next read is The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna. Back to a focus on country folk.