Scott Lynch's Red Seas Under Red Skies

Scott Lynch continues the adventures of Locke Lamora with Red Seas Under Red Skies.

The plotting is as tight as the first novel, but the relationship between Locke and Jean, and the aftermath of the climax of the first novel gets this story rolling on the right foot. Our two heroic thieves find themselves in the middle of a con against a casino owner, slightly reminiscent of Ocean’s 11. As they prepare to spring their con and make the score, their past revisits them in a nasty way and forces them to do the dirty work of others in order to get free long enough to bag the loot, slay the villains, and escape into the sunset.

The swashbuckling is more James Bond and less Errol Flynn and the dialogue is more Aaron Sorkin than George R. R. Martin, but this novel manages to be very difficult to put down. Locke Lamora’s character is enough to carry you through some of the more improbable plot twists, and Jean, as always, is solid as the “straight” man. Lynch established a bit of danger in the first book with the (spoilers!) slaying of three members of Locke’s crew, but the sense of danger is a little absent here. None of the readers will believe that Locke or Jean is ever truly in danger, which moves this out of the realm of fantasy and into the realm of caper.

Lynch’s attempts to be clever can be a bit confusing at first. The book opens with a sequence near the end of the novel in order to create tension. The main narrative is then interrupted every chapter or two to tell in detail how Locke and jean found themselves in their present situation. This provides nice breaks from the action, but does feel a little artificial at times. The real questions that readers will have, including the juicier details of Locke’s past, remain hidden.

The ending has a couple of neat little twists that I shan’t give away, but you’ll still be left wanting more (much more) from Lynch in the future. If you liked the first novel, this is a no-brainer. If you’re new to the series or genre, I would say to check your likes first. If you enjoy gritty fantasy mixed with elements of the crime caper, then I’d say this is your series.