Tuesday, 11 November 2014

Book Review: Red Seas Under Red Skies (Gentlemen Bastards 2) by Scott Lynch


TL;DR:
+/- Starts out a bit slow, but gathers steam after a while.  Can be a bit dragging at times.
++ Still your favourite characters.  A new cast of hateful villains are well matched for our favourite pair.
++ Just like the first book, nothing goes as planned.
+/- Decent ending, but you know there's a follow-up novel (which is already out, thank the gods).

Review:
Locke Lamora and Jean Tannen return in what has fast become my favourite low-fantasy pair of scoundrels, and, of course, they're up to no good. The book picks up from where the previous book left off, with greater emphasis on the relationship between Locke and Jean.

The book is pretty long, with the pair going from one impossible situation to another, and their plans becoming more and more convoluted as they struggle to survive against the odds.  As the title implies, a big portion of the book occurs at sea, though this doesn't really take up the majority of the story.   The naval portions are well done, though it's no Patrick O'Brian.

The main highlight for this book is still the developing relationship between our two thieves: there are times when their bromance seem to be unraveling at the seams, as the tension of their situation runs high and higher still.  This part is done quite well and made me love them both all the more.

Of course, this book is a must read if you loved the first one.  I'm on to the next book (The Republic of Thieves) and I'll probably going through it real quick, only to wait years for the next book in the Gentlement Bastards series.

Verdict: Recommended 3.5/5

Details:
Author: Scott Lynch
Genre: Fantasy
Book Length: 576 Pages (Hardcover Version)
Published: July 31, 2007
Amazon Link:  http://www.amazon.com/Seas-Under-Skies-Gentleman-Bastards/dp/0553588958
Preceded By: The Lies of Locke Lamora
Followed By: The Republic of Thieves

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