Product Description

In his highly acclaimed debut, The Lies of Locke Lamora, Scott Lynch took us on an adrenaline-fueled adventure with a band of daring thieves led by con artist extraordinaire Locke Lamora. Now Lynch brings back his outrageous hero for a caper so death-defying, nothing short of a miracle will pull it off.

After a brutal battle with the underworld that nearly destroyed him, Locke and his trusted sidekick, Jean, fled the island city of their birth and landed on the exotic shores of Tal Verrar to nurse their wounds. But even at this westernmost edge of civilization, they can’t rest for long—and are soon back to what they do best: stealing from the undeserving rich and pocketing the proceeds for themselves.

This time, however, they have targeted the grandest prize of all: the Sinspire, the most exclusive and heavily guarded gambling house in the world. Its nine floors attract the wealthiest clientele—and to rise to the top, one must impress with good credit, amusing behavior…and excruciatingly impeccable play. For there is one cardinal rule, enforced by Requin, the house’s cold-blooded master: it is death to cheat at any game at the Sinspire.

Brazenly undeterred, Locke and Jean have orchestrated an elaborate plan to lie, trick, and swindle their way up the nine floors…straight to Requin’s teeming vault. Under the cloak of false identities, they meticulously make their climb—until they are closer to the spoils than ever.

But someone in Tal Verrar has uncovered the duo’s secret. Someone from their past who has every intention of making the impudent criminals pay for their sins. Now it will take every ounce of cunning to save their mercenary souls. And even that may not be enough.…


From the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8989 in Books
• Published on: 2008-07-29
• Released on: 2008-07-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 784 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Like its roguish protagonists, Lynch's colorful sequel to 2006's The Lies of Locke Lamora is charming, unpredictable and fast on its feet and stands surprisingly well on its own given its convoluted plot. Initially poised to rob the Sinspire, the notoriously thief-proof casino where the penalty for cheating is death, Locke and his partner, Jean, are unwillingly sidetracked into joining and then leading a pirate crew, swindling their way across the sea as they had previously done on land. The cinematic influences on Lynch's fantasy setting are evident, the borrowing is mostly ingenious and the prose frequently enthralls, but tone and pacing suffer from odd inconsistencies. A handful of dark moments clash uncomfortably with the overall devil-may-care atmosphere. Most frustrating of all is the handling of key secondary character Ezri Delmastro, who shines too briefly as an energetic romantic interest for Jean. The ending promises at least one more installment, but fans may be unhappy if the saga strays too far from its amiable roots. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* The science-fiction caper novel constitutes a small genre to begin with (Keith Laumer and Harry Harrison may be its best-known names), but Lynch added something entirely new to it with his debut, The Lies of Locke Lamora (2006). That novel, which told the story of a young boy taken under the wing of a master thief, was set on a distant planet but at a stage in the planet's history roughly equivalent to our own pirate age. Now Locke, the talented boy who became a world-class thief, returns with a caper so big it defies all reason—to penetrate the vault of the Sinspire, the most protected casino on the planet, and take its contents. If the first novel had undercurrents of Oliver Twist, this one is more in the vein of Ocean's Eleven or The Sting: fast paced, colorful, funny, with a fiendishly intricate plot containing plenty of right-angle turns. Locke and his partner, Jean, trade banter like Redford and Newman and work their light-fingered magic with charm and panache. Lynch hasn't merely imagined a far-off world, he's created it, put it all down on paper—the smells, the sounds, the people, the feel of the place. The novel is a virtuoso performance, and sf/fantasy fans will gobble it up, though they'll have to fight with caper novel aficionados for every crumb. Pitt, David

Review
"Balancing thrilling action sequences with the harsh realities of violence and its aftermath, it's the kind of witty romp that reminds you how much fun heroic fantasy is supposed to be. Rip-roaring entertainment." -- Saxon Bullock. SFX "As sequels go, Red Seas Under Red Skies is fabulous and a more accomplished, more tightly written novel than its predecessor. Considering what a top notch job Lynch did with his debut, this is impressive." -- Rob Bedford SFFWORLD.COM "The Lies of Locke Lamora was one of the most stylish debuts in years. Red Seas Under Red Skies manages to be a worthy succesor." -- Roz Kaveney TIME OUT "The release of another of Scott Lynch's Gentleman Bastard series has become something of a fantasy event." EDGE "This complex fantasy novel is full of surprises and intriguing characters. An absolutely cracking read" DEATHRAY

Customer Reviews

A sequel that is truly worthy of its predecessor.
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.

Superb sequal
This is an excellent book. I find it difficult to buy most of what passes for fantasy these days, but Scott Lynch creates characters that you care about...and he isn't afraid to kill them. Any novel that can create emotion, even beyond the suspense of turning pages, is worth my time and money. Red Seas Under Red Skies does that, and I would recommend it to any who asked.

Very disappointing sequel.
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.