Fantasy

Red Seas Under Red Skies

Red Seas Under Red Skies

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  • Create Date：2021-08-03 09:54:52
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Scott Lynch
  • ISBN：0575079673
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Summary

Thief and con-man extraordinaire， Locke Lamora， and the ever lethal Jean Tannen have fled their home city and the wreckage of their lives。 But they can't run forever and when they stop they decide to head for the richest， and most difficult， target on the horizon。 The city state of Tal Verarr。 And the Sinspire。

The Sinspire is the ultimate gambling house。 No-one has stolen so much as a single coin from it and lived。 It's the sort of challenge Locke simply can't resist。。。

。。。but Locke's perfect crime is going to have to wait。

Someone else in Tal Verarr wants the Gentleman Bastards' expertise and is quite prepared to kill them to get it。 Before long， Locke and Jean find themselves engaged in piracy。 Fine work for thieves who don't know one end of a galley from another。

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Reviews

Seth Centner ，

So good！

RebeccaErGlad MegetGlad ，

3/4 stars

Paul Holden ，

3。5 stars。 Even though I love the characters I got bored regularly。 But then some action would appear， however that pattern repeated itself far too often。

Urosh Novakovic ，

Full disclosure， I was not a fan of the first book in the series。 In fact so much so that it took me a few months just to get through it， and after I was done with it I went to read other stuff for two full years before I picked this one up。And I thought I would never continue with this series cause the first one did not do it for me。 Alas I own the current three books so two years later I decided to give the 2nd book a chance， but this time in audiobook format and on English （first book I read Full disclosure， I was not a fan of the first book in the series。 In fact so much so that it took me a few months just to get through it， and after I was done with it I went to read other stuff for two full years before I picked this one up。And I thought I would never continue with this series cause the first one did not do it for me。 Alas I own the current three books so two years later I decided to give the 2nd book a chance， but this time in audiobook format and on English （first book I read translated in my native language）。Long story short， this one I LOVED so much。 All the tedium from the first book was gone in this one and I can't point my finger on what specifically changed。 It's probably a cocktail of me being familiar with Scott's style， reading the book in its original format （not translated） and the fact that this time around the book was read to me by Michael Page。 All in all， looking forward to the third book which I will pick up immediately。 。。。more

aLirEza nEjaTi ，

جلد اول مجموعه منو به کلی از این مجموعه ناامید کرده بود و حدس می‌زدم دیگه ادامه‌ای برای مجموعه و داستان وجود ندارهbut boy oh boy。 i was WRONGداستان و روایت نسبت‌به جلد قبلی خیلی پیشرفت کرده بود و پختگی کامل مشخص بود。 گرچه نویسنده خیلی علاقه به مقدمه‌چینی و درست‌کردن کامل شرایط داستان داره و من هم کمی‌ کم‌حوصله و یک فاصله‌ی حدودا یک‌ماهه بین کتاب انداختم :（دلم برای شخصیت‌های جلد قبل خیلی تنگ شده بود و هر صفحه دنبال‌شون بودم :（ این جلد هم به‌نسبت جلد قبلی خیلی جدی‌تر شده بود و اون طنز و نمک خاص ل جلد اول مجموعه منو به کلی از این مجموعه ناامید کرده بود و حدس می‌زدم دیگه ادامه‌ای برای مجموعه و داستان وجود ندارهbut boy oh boy。 i was WRONGداستان و روایت نسبت‌به جلد قبلی خیلی پیشرفت کرده بود و پختگی کامل مشخص بود。 گرچه نویسنده خیلی علاقه به مقدمه‌چینی و درست‌کردن کامل شرایط داستان داره و من هم کمی‌ کم‌حوصله و یک فاصله‌ی حدودا یک‌ماهه بین کتاب انداختم :（دلم برای شخصیت‌های جلد قبل خیلی تنگ شده بود و هر صفحه دنبال‌شون بودم :（ این جلد هم به‌نسبت جلد قبلی خیلی جدی‌تر شده بود و اون طنز و نمک خاص لاک دیگه توش مشهود نبوداگر جلد قبل کمی ناامیدتون کرد حتما این جلد رو بخونید تا دوباره به لاک امیدوار بشید :دی 。。。more

Daggry ，

Thieves have figured prominently in bunch of my reading lately， so it was a fun time to tackle this sequel—the further brass-balled connivances of Locke and Jean。 As in The Lies of Locke Lamora， the world is full of opportunities and cruelties， and our two thieves have to contend with both in ever escalating schemes with ever escalating stakes。 The cruelties were sometimes too much， but the central friendship kept me going。 Locke and Jean have a delightful ease between them and hilarious banter， Thieves have figured prominently in bunch of my reading lately， so it was a fun time to tackle this sequel—the further brass-balled connivances of Locke and Jean。 As in The Lies of Locke Lamora， the world is full of opportunities and cruelties， and our two thieves have to contend with both in ever escalating schemes with ever escalating stakes。 The cruelties were sometimes too much， but the central friendship kept me going。 Locke and Jean have a delightful ease between them and hilarious banter， but they’re also willing to admit when they’ve been or done wrong。 No toxic bro-ness here。 It’s even believable when they’re willing to die for one another。 The world grew on me in this book。 I enjoyed the various patron gods and the idiosyncrasies of ship life and other sub-cultures。 But above all I appreciated that this wasn’t just another heavily patriarchal fantasy world rife with misogyny。 There are women of all ages at all levels and in all manner of roles， some of whom become important and fascinating secondary characters。 A solid chunk of my enjoyment comes from the audiobook’s stellar narration by Michael Page。 A solid chunk of my ire comes from the absolutely egregiously cliffhanging cliffhanger of an ending。 。。。more

Lilifane ，

Maybe my expectations for this sequel were too high。 I loved the first book so much， I wanted to love the second one as well。 And there were aspects of this book I really loved。 The characters are phenomenal。 I was so happy to see Locke and Jean again， but the new characters that are introduced here are amazing too。 I'm still in awe of the world building and the atmosphere。 It’s so immersive， it feels like you’re right there with the protagonists。 And it doesn’t get boring， I still want to know Maybe my expectations for this sequel were too high。 I loved the first book so much， I wanted to love the second one as well。 And there were aspects of this book I really loved。 The characters are phenomenal。 I was so happy to see Locke and Jean again， but the new characters that are introduced here are amazing too。 I'm still in awe of the world building and the atmosphere。 It’s so immersive， it feels like you’re right there with the protagonists。 And it doesn’t get boring， I still want to know a lot more about the world and its wonders。 But… I didn’t find the plot as intriguing as the lies of Locke Lamora。 Loved the beginning/first part， but the whole time at sea was very predictable。 And it felt so unnecessary in the end， just like a way too long filler to postpone the finale。 Which was - although refreshing - a little disappointing as well。 I still enjoyed the book a lot and will continue with the series。 3，5 stars rounded up to 4。 。。。more

Jeff ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 A good follow-up to the incredible first book。 A new city， some new characters， a plot that moves from a casino to a pirate ship， and the two lovable rascals Jean and Locke at the core， trying to outsmart rivals who are less scrupulous than they are。 I enjoyed this quite a bit but I missed some of the camaraderie from the first book。 Jean and Locke on their own are missing something。 And the plot felt just out of control， there's so much time spent up front in the casino setting up that job that A good follow-up to the incredible first book。 A new city， some new characters， a plot that moves from a casino to a pirate ship， and the two lovable rascals Jean and Locke at the core， trying to outsmart rivals who are less scrupulous than they are。 I enjoyed this quite a bit but I missed some of the camaraderie from the first book。 Jean and Locke on their own are missing something。 And the plot felt just out of control， there's so much time spent up front in the casino setting up that job that when the story finally takes our heroes out to sea it felt like a subplot。 It all comes together in the end but not in a way that really left me feeling satisfied。 Maybe I'm being too critical。 It was good fun。 I would happily read twenty such books。 。。。more

Heidi ，

I wasn’t sure if this would hold up to the high standard The Lies of Locke Lamora set for me- but this definitely exceeded my expectations and then some。 Normally， I am not one for books about boats and pirates but this story held me entranced。 And my lack of nautical knowledge did not prevent me from enjoying the story one bit， although sometimes I got a little lost during some of the action/fight scenes。 As usual， the dry humor of Scott Lynch made me laugh， a few tears were even shed， and over I wasn’t sure if this would hold up to the high standard The Lies of Locke Lamora set for me- but this definitely exceeded my expectations and then some。 Normally， I am not one for books about boats and pirates but this story held me entranced。 And my lack of nautical knowledge did not prevent me from enjoying the story one bit， although sometimes I got a little lost during some of the action/fight scenes。 As usual， the dry humor of Scott Lynch made me laugh， a few tears were even shed， and overall the creativity kept me entertained。 I’d highly recommend reading this one！ 。。。more

Alina ，

I'm so sad that I didn't like this book very much。 None of the reasons I liked the first book （the fun heist， the snappy dialogue， the found family） carried over to this sequel。 The tone of this book was so bleak that I found it difficult to read。 The entire first half is incredibly slow， but it picks up a bit in part two。 I was having a good time for a little while， but then it slows down again and becomes bleak and sad again which goes right up until the end。 I did not enjoy reading this book。 I'm so sad that I didn't like this book very much。 None of the reasons I liked the first book （the fun heist， the snappy dialogue， the found family） carried over to this sequel。 The tone of this book was so bleak that I found it difficult to read。 The entire first half is incredibly slow， but it picks up a bit in part two。 I was having a good time for a little while， but then it slows down again and becomes bleak and sad again which goes right up until the end。 I did not enjoy reading this book。 It was sad to read。 I don't know whether or not I will pick up the next in the series。 。。。more

Mariya ，

4。5

Hung ，

A nice change of scenery setting most of this book on the sea。 It felt like there were less humour this time around。

Gorrit-Cor Lootsma ，

That's a wrap on the second book of the Gentleman Bastard series， probably one of my favorite fantasy series of all time。 I know a lot of people complained about it being very different from the first book but I feel like the general set-up has remained the same。 Much of what worked in the first book， still works here。 We've still got the daring heists and my favorite fantasy duo。 They're trying to escape about a million different threats closing in on them and are able to （barely） do so。 In thi That's a wrap on the second book of the Gentleman Bastard series， probably one of my favorite fantasy series of all time。 I know a lot of people complained about it being very different from the first book but I feel like the general set-up has remained the same。 Much of what worked in the first book， still works here。 We've still got the daring heists and my favorite fantasy duo。 They're trying to escape about a million different threats closing in on them and are able to （barely） do so。 In this installment， da boiz are trying to steal from the largest gambling house in Scott Lynch's world。 They've got their scheme planned out but of course a wrench is thrown into their plans and they're sent out to sea。 Sailing the Sea of Brass as makeshift pirates was not what I expected for the sequel but it was a ton of fun！ Lynch somehow made the sea an exciting place to be and the characters that you meet there quickly become favorites。 There's nothing deep or especially valuable to learn from these books but they're just pure fun。 It gives my brain the purest shot of dopamine。 All the media I'm consuming at the moment is full of pirates and/or heists so I feel like it just fit right in。 。。。more

Andres Rodriguez ，

Not as good as the first book's plot but still a very good read。Michael Page does a fantastic narration。 My salute to him， his accents and his much appreciated talent。 The major issue I had with the first book not receiving 5 stars has been carried over into this book。 The lack of Sabetha confuses me with how much she can interfere between Locke and Jean。 She has so much influence over Locke and their past but the reasons are only known to the author which leaves a bit of confusion for the reade Not as good as the first book's plot but still a very good read。Michael Page does a fantastic narration。 My salute to him， his accents and his much appreciated talent。 The major issue I had with the first book not receiving 5 stars has been carried over into this book。 The lack of Sabetha confuses me with how much she can interfere between Locke and Jean。 She has so much influence over Locke and their past but the reasons are only known to the author which leaves a bit of confusion for the reader。 *spoilers*Secondly the plot of this one was not as crafty as the first。 As the boys are planning their usual con they are being played as pawns by other characters in their very own cons。 Its nice to see how quick witted Locke is。 How he tries to pry at the angles of being in a bad situation。 How cunning and trying he could be even when it doesn't work out。 The entire pirate life to me was so much of an enjoyable read besides the Sabetha。 I was happy for Jean and then I was for Jean。 Locke turned cut throat swordsman was tremendously entertaining and so well written。 Then alas， the ending was one easily predictable turn after another only to see that the author won and tricked me yet again。 The paintings！ Again for such low levels of action and romance and magic。。。 I have enjoyed Mr。 Lynch's adventure very much so。 。。。more

Di Maitland ，

RTC

Chiara Riviera ，

Non mi piacciono i libri sui pirati， eppure Locke Lamora è riuscito a farmi piacere persino una storia di pirati。Il cambio di ambientazione， il mare， è stato necessario per non ripetere le stesse dinamiche del primo libro: è vero che la parte iniziale potrebbe sembrare una ripetizione， con Locke e Jean impegnati in piani per rubare qua e là， ma alla fine l'ambientazione piratesca prende il sopravvento。 Infatti sono curiosa di sapere come verrà gestita la cosa nel terzo libro， dato che ormai la c Non mi piacciono i libri sui pirati， eppure Locke Lamora è riuscito a farmi piacere persino una storia di pirati。Il cambio di ambientazione， il mare， è stato necessario per non ripetere le stesse dinamiche del primo libro: è vero che la parte iniziale potrebbe sembrare una ripetizione， con Locke e Jean impegnati in piani per rubare qua e là， ma alla fine l'ambientazione piratesca prende il sopravvento。 Infatti sono curiosa di sapere come verrà gestita la cosa nel terzo libro， dato che ormai la carta dei pirati se la sono già giocata e suppongo torneranno sulla terra ferma。Il libro è lungo， anche piuttosto lento， quindi consiglio per chi è abbonato ad Audible l'audiolibro: è letto benissimo e il lettore interpreta i personaggi così bene che si riesce tranquillamente a distinguere chi sta parlando anche senza la continua ripetizione di verbi quali dire， parlare， rispondere， etc。。 。。。more

Alice Beckett ，

I think I just can’t help loving these stories and these characters。 Officially， I think I was perhaps less super enthusiastic about this one than the first， but it was still too charming to give any less than 5 stars。 Again， it was slowish to get underway， but I think because I already knew and loved the characters， it was still fabulous。 Just a joy to see the boys back at it。 The pirate-adventure setting was delightful。 Can’t say I’ve read a lot of them， so it felt fresh and engaging。 There wa I think I just can’t help loving these stories and these characters。 Officially， I think I was perhaps less super enthusiastic about this one than the first， but it was still too charming to give any less than 5 stars。 Again， it was slowish to get underway， but I think because I already knew and loved the characters， it was still fabulous。 Just a joy to see the boys back at it。 The pirate-adventure setting was delightful。 Can’t say I’ve read a lot of them， so it felt fresh and engaging。 There was one key plot point that was fairly （and a little disappointingly） predictable， but ultimately， the rest was too compelling to care。 A worthy instalment。 Can’t WAIT to read book 3！ But I have to。 I have other dumb commitments。 😉 。。。more

Angry Paul ，

Frist things first: It's great。 It's exceptionally well written， interesting and gripping from start to finish and presents a veritable layer-cake of intrigue and political interplay that must have been a huge pain in the ass to set up， let alone execute as well as it has been。 So， very much recommended， if you liked the first one。I did， however， come to the realisation that， just as too much can go “right” in a story， thereby making it unbelievable， I also have a limited tolerance for things go Frist things first: It's great。 It's exceptionally well written， interesting and gripping from start to finish and presents a veritable layer-cake of intrigue and political interplay that must have been a huge pain in the ass to set up， let alone execute as well as it has been。 So， very much recommended， if you liked the first one。I did， however， come to the realisation that， just as too much can go “right” in a story， thereby making it unbelievable， I also have a limited tolerance for things going wrong。 On the one hand， repeat failure ads to realism， and this book is extremely good at weighing actions and consequences， as well as having characters not dumbly play along with whatever the main cast have in mind。 Somebody says “this will never work”？ Well shucks， it doesn’t。 Thumbs up for consistency！ That being said， I felt there was a definitive imbalance between the schemes that did end up working out and those that didn’t， in the sense that those that didn’t were incredibly carefully constructed master-plans that fell apart due to unforeseen circumstances time and time again， whereas those that did often seemed shallow and thrown together by comparison and had a feel of “let’s just wrap this up”。The plot is still realised very well， and you want to keep spending time with it。 The characters are also consistent in such a way that almost all of them can make a scene gripping， and the world feel like a construct of many moving pieces， rather than a monolithic block。 I just feel that the level of undue punishment heaped upon the main cast became almost slapstick after a while， if not downright indulgent。 All of these people seem very aware of the fact that the world doesn’t evolve around them， so it’s strange when that’s exactly what seems to be happening in the narrative。So， yeah。 Great book， fun read， just a little much here and there。 Maybe one or two layers of intrigue less would have made the plot more consistent to me。 。。。more

Tammy L。 ，

I didnt enjoy this book as much as the first one in this series。 It was still good but I found myself putting it down a lot。 I wasn't as invested in the end like I was in the first one。 The characters and the dynamic between them was interesting。 If you enjoy the found family feel then this is a good book for that。 The characters are still grey after all we are following thieves and pirates。 They aren't good people but they aren't straight up bad either。 Everything everyone did in this book was I didnt enjoy this book as much as the first one in this series。 It was still good but I found myself putting it down a lot。 I wasn't as invested in the end like I was in the first one。 The characters and the dynamic between them was interesting。 If you enjoy the found family feel then this is a good book for that。 The characters are still grey after all we are following thieves and pirates。 They aren't good people but they aren't straight up bad either。 Everything everyone did in this book was done for their own personal reasons， not just placed in to serve the plot。 I enjoy the complexity of each character and that is what drove me to pick the book back up everytime。 。。。more

Matt ，

Long， but it got good at the end。

Tim ，

Great sequelJust as good if not better than the first。 I bought the third book shortly after starting this one。 Can’t wait to see what is in store for Locke and Jean。

Victoria Wright ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Very fun and a good sequel to the first book。 My favourite parts were by far the scheming and plotting of the heists and robberies。 It’s so clever and extremely fun to read。 The middle third of the book taking place on the boat was definitely my least favourite part （which is a shame- I love the idea of pirates） because it was mostly devoid of this scheming。 Fairly obvious death flag for Ezri （Jean’s pirate gf） but her death was so cool that it’s forgivable。 A shame their heist didn’t work out， Very fun and a good sequel to the first book。 My favourite parts were by far the scheming and plotting of the heists and robberies。 It’s so clever and extremely fun to read。 The middle third of the book taking place on the boat was definitely my least favourite part （which is a shame- I love the idea of pirates） because it was mostly devoid of this scheming。 Fairly obvious death flag for Ezri （Jean’s pirate gf） but her death was so cool that it’s forgivable。 A shame their heist didn’t work out， but I suppose that keeps it unpredictable- the red herring of breaking into the vault worked very well， but it was a bit underwhelming when the true target was some （very expressive） paintings。 I’m interested in the magical fantasy lore that seems to be in the background， and I’d love for it to come to the forefront。 The book was much less unpleasantly gory than it’s predecessor but some parts were maybe still a bit too much。 The focus on the schemes is definitely my favourite part， and I hope there’s more of that in the next book。Pretty fun book， could see myself doing a full series reread one day maybe。 But I’m not sure how much the excitement of the book rests on guessing how they will pull it off （or how the author will manage to wrap up the book with so few pages left！）Actually on that， I’d say the ending felt very rushed in comparison with the amount of time spent with the pirates。 Given all the set up， more time spent on the conclusion would’ve been nice。But overall， had a good time and glad to have read it！ 。。。more

Casimiro Chor ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The book starts out interestingly enough as a casino heist of sorts。 Much of the first third of the book is spent detailing Locke and Jean's schemes explaining their various methods of cheating casino games。 Then it all gets derailed in favor of a pirating adventure on the seas necessitated by a B story not worth mentioning。 It really feels like the author was watching Ocean's Eleven when he started the book， then took a sailing class or something and decided he really wanted to write about the The book starts out interestingly enough as a casino heist of sorts。 Much of the first third of the book is spent detailing Locke and Jean's schemes explaining their various methods of cheating casino games。 Then it all gets derailed in favor of a pirating adventure on the seas necessitated by a B story not worth mentioning。 It really feels like the author was watching Ocean's Eleven when he started the book， then took a sailing class or something and decided he really wanted to write about the intricacies of manning a large vessel。 The pirating section of the book doesn't amount to much though。 There's an epic battle， but I was too busy wondering how Locke and Jean we're going to pull off the heist when they got back to care about that or any of the romance that took place on the water。 By the time our heroes return to dry land they've basically scrapped the entire original scheme and decide to execute the heist and tie up the B story in the same night。 This abrupt end to what I felt was a rather pointless journey left me wondering how this book could be written by the same person who wrote the nearly flawless Lies of Locke Lamora。 。。。more

Sara ，

4。5⭐

Sarah ，

Fairly entertaining。 I like the crass main characters。 It was nice to finally get some strong female characters with some depth。 However， some plot points felt a little forced and the ending left something to be desired。 It certainly had strokes of genius， but often felt like the chain links of plot were created separate them forced together i suppose。 Perhaps this is the setup， the weaker middle piece for a grand finale。

Rebekah Phillips ，

So good I loved it so much， felt like the ending was a bit rushed but other than that whhheeeewweeeee I loved it！ Balance of heartbreak， scheming， tension and humour。 Am in the process of buying the 3rd book now

linda ，

the first one was slightly better in my opinion， but I quite enjoyed this second installment in the series。

Krell75 ，

Locke Lamora e Jean Tannen hanno lasciato la città di Camorr con una certa fretta e si sono spinti a nord verso la grande citta di Tal Verrar。La coppia di simpatici imbroglioni e maestri del camuffamento hanno in mente un piano grandioso e da due anni lo stanno meticolosamente preparando， ma come al solito i problemi non mancheranno。Questo secondo romanzo entra subito nel vivo dell'azione afferrando il lettore e trascinandolo in un rocambolesco susseguirsi di eventi che complicheranno sempre di Locke Lamora e Jean Tannen hanno lasciato la città di Camorr con una certa fretta e si sono spinti a nord verso la grande citta di Tal Verrar。La coppia di simpatici imbroglioni e maestri del camuffamento hanno in mente un piano grandioso e da due anni lo stanno meticolosamente preparando， ma come al solito i problemi non mancheranno。Questo secondo romanzo entra subito nel vivo dell'azione afferrando il lettore e trascinandolo in un rocambolesco susseguirsi di eventi che complicheranno sempre di più i piani e la vita dei nostri amati ladri。La scrittura è ispirata， i dialoghi divertentissimi e curati in modo impeccabile， si ride di continuo。 La trama e le sottotrame si accavallano rendendo meno lineare il racconto。 I due protagonisti danno il meglio di se mostrando una profondità caratteriale e un rapporto di amicizia più marcata del primo romanzo。I personaggi secondari questa volta non sono da meno， davvero ottimi e ben delineati。L'ambientazione è come al solito dettagliata con cura e ben studiata nella sua geografia， politica ed economia。 Ottimo su tutti i fronti。 Consigliato。 。。。more

Steph_the_Bookworm ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Gods！ I’ll never tire of saying it: I LOVE this story surrounding Locke and Jean！ Not just for the amazing style of writing （in which I could drown in）， but for the obvious mastery of storytelling！I’m in awe of the way Scott Lynch slowly unravels a plot - with all the twists and turns in it - just as much as I love his attention to the characters。First and foremost the relationship and development of Locke and Jean。 It was absolutely refreshing and so authentic to read those two having deep root Gods！ I’ll never tire of saying it: I LOVE this story surrounding Locke and Jean！ Not just for the amazing style of writing （in which I could drown in）， but for the obvious mastery of storytelling！I’m in awe of the way Scott Lynch slowly unravels a plot - with all the twists and turns in it - just as much as I love his attention to the characters。First and foremost the relationship and development of Locke and Jean。 It was absolutely refreshing and so authentic to read those two having deep rooted arguments。 It would have felt off hadn’t they have been there - especially after what our two MC’s have been through in Camorr （book #1） and again later in Tal Verrar。Those quarrels etc。 make this frindship even more authentic and I LOVE their brotherly relationship so so much！Next， we have a fair few badass women in this second book who I enjoyed reading so much！ We did get some female characters in the first one too （the Spider comes to mind） but they were just some 'smaller' chess pieces in the plot。 In book #2 we meet women that are needed for the plot just as much （and I love me some strong female pirates） but they， or rather one of them in particular， are there to shatter my heart into tiny pieces too。Ezri is one heck of a woman！ The fact that she sacrificed herself proved several things to me。 1） She honestly loved Jean。2） She understood that he had more to live for than she did。3） Jean would so have deserved to be with a woman like her。I didn’t think that I would cry because of the romance， as I didn’t reallt anticipate any romance tbh。 Yet， I never felt like the romance was forced or didn’t fit into the story， and as it wasn’t the focal point it wasn’t overbearing， but a relief in the very plot driven story。 It grew organically （granted， they didn’t fuss about ;-）） just as love in the real world does。It showed me just how broad Scott Lynch’s writing skills are。An honorable mention goes to Zamira Drakasha whom I’ve come to respect more and more as the story evolved - as much as you can respect a pirate， that is ;-）。 Her role as a mother AND captain of a pirate ship was in equal parts very strange and very comical。 Also， her loyalty to Locke and Jean was heartwarming to read and I very much enjoyed the development of her part in Locks life and his plans。Overall， I’m truly amazed at the way Scott Lynch drives his plots， moves them forward and ties them together。 The way nothing seems to make sense until it does。 The way he almost lets us forget about some circumstances or characters until it jumps up from behind a bush of another important situation。And last but most definitely not least， I am truly baffled at Scott Lynch’s use of words and the way he strings them together - marvellous！！So， all in all， there’s so much I can learn from him to better my own story telling。 In the meantime I’ll gladly enjoy his next book which I fortunately already own。 。。。more

Andi ，

The second installment in Scott Lynch's funny and swashbuckling adult fantasy Gentleman Bastard series - doesn't even really touch the feels or the hilarity or the worldbuilding of book 1， but still a fun adventure with believable stakes。 3。5/5Trigger warnings for references to and threats of sexual assault， depictions of addiction and mental illness， and for vague suicide ideation。I went in to Red Seas Under Red Skies with only the expectation that there'd be more funny hijinks and twists packe The second installment in Scott Lynch's funny and swashbuckling adult fantasy Gentleman Bastard series - doesn't even really touch the feels or the hilarity or the worldbuilding of book 1， but still a fun adventure with believable stakes。 3。5/5Trigger warnings for references to and threats of sexual assault， depictions of addiction and mental illness， and for vague suicide ideation。I went in to Red Seas Under Red Skies with only the expectation that there'd be more funny hijinks and twists packed with feels， though maybe not necessarily of the same calibre as The Lies of Locke Lamora。 That's pretty much what I got， but I was still disappointed by how comparatively lackluster the story is， how less tightly plotted it all was， and how uninteresting the sum of the parts was。I enjoyed all of the new characters， heroes and villains both， and I still love Jean and Locke， with Jean being closest to my heart but Locke still being really funny and the most fun to read about。 Their relationship is still the core and key to the story for me， so I was really happy when the book started out with them dealing with the events of book 1 together， and how they have to relearn to trust each other despite everything throughout the story。 I also really liked the gutpunch of Locke's choices at the end of the book。 Those were all the best parts for me， as well as the casino stuff in the first 25% and the unraveling of everything in the final 5%-10%。 Lynch's dialogue is still consistently amazing。 The writing style is definitely very good overall。 Long fight scenes can get dry， but otherwise， the tone of this book was still lively and fun to read on the sentence level。However， I didn't like how the casino plotline got totally derailed for the sake of the pirate plotline。 The pirate plotline definitely displayed how much research Lynch clearly did， and I liked the pirate characters a lot。 But the plot itself was slow， boring， and not very Locke Lamora-ish。 Having finished the book， I don't know what it was all for。 I spent most of the middle 70% of this book wishing that Lynch had stuck to the casino hijinks and made a book all about that instead。This book also lacks a midway turning point， at least， it lacks one of the strength of book 1's。 It just overall lacked the roller coaster feel of book 1。 In book 1， I mostly enjoyed the flashbacks as well as the present-day hijinks， because they zeroed in on Jean and Locke's relationship。 The flashbacks in this book were supposed to set up parallel plotlines， but were mostly confusing and annoying instead of intriguing。 The red herring of the cold open was also obvious from the start， and while it could've set up some high hilarity for later， that part of the plot is sort of funny but mostly falls flat because Jean and Locke are pretty uncomfortable with each other for most of this book for reasons。 I can only think that the pirate plot was put in here to set up future books， or because Lynch really really wanted to write about pirates。 Either way， fine， but why make it that uninteresting？ In a Locke Lamora book of all things？ Red Seas Under Red Skies left me with a "disappointed， but not surprised" feeling。I have sympathy for Lynch's struggle with depression， even though recent events have led me to believe that he himself is the arbiter of most if not all of his other publicly known problems and writing roadblocks。 I'll go into book 3 with those sympathies， but still - WHY do white men writing fantasy get to take so incredibly long to write their books with no consequences？ It's a trend I'm not liking。 I'll stick it out for book 3， and by the time （if/when） book 4 comes out， I'll probably be in the mood for Locke Lamora again。 Right now though， from what I've heard of book 3， book 1 is the peak of the series so far。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Red Seas Under Red Skies

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Red Seas Under Red Skies&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Red Seas Under Red Skies&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0