Won't you let your red heart show?

[debitha]

Two in one night! Will the world survive?

Red Seas Under Red Skies - Scott Lynch

The sequel to The Lies of Locke Lamora is just not as good as the original. It took me a while to work out why, because I am a sucker for a good con job, and Lies was certainly that. I came up with two main factors.

The first is that Lies was in part about the relationships of the Gentleman Bastards, between each other, and the world. What those relationships are now, and how they got that way. For reasons that I won't go into, Red Seas is The Locke and Jean Show. And although their relationship is interesting in itself, it's not enough to carry the volume of world building that Lynch continues to pour in at the same rate. The balance, which wobbled occasionally in Lies is just completely off in Red Seas.

The second thing that bugged me was the sense that they were just getting fucked over the whole way through the book. Throughout Lies they maintain a careful balancing act, one aspect of which eventually goes pair-shaped because they are out-matched on one front. In Red Seas they are out-matched on every front, and that takes away the fun. In Lies it felt like they were competent and had it together. In Red Seas it feels like their ambition completely outstrips their ability. Possibly the author is going for an "Empire Strikes Back" "darkest before the dawn" kind of vibe, but it just didn't work for me.

I feel about Locke the same sort of way I feel about Jack on Torchwood. On their own I find them to be a bit much. I need the leavening effect of their team to be able to relate to them, or the mix of cocky brashness and emo just annoys me.

Anyway, I'm betting on a third book. I'm not sure I'll read it. Unless Sabetha makes an appearance. I'm curious about her.

A quick check of Wiki reveals that there are, in fact, another five books in the series. I wonder if he can really carry it that long.

The List
The List
Books I have finished but need to write up are:
- The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman
- A Snowball in Hell - Christopher Brookmyre
- Freakonomics - Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner

Still To Be Read:
The Prince - Machiavelli
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - JK Rowling
The Seven Words You Can't Say on Television - Stephen Pinker
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
Invisible Cities - Italo Calvino
First Among Sequels - Jasper Fforde
Histories - Heroditus
The Unicorn Hunt - Dorothy Dunnett
Sword at Sunset - Rosemary Sutcliffe
The Rider of the White Horse - Rosemary Sutcliffe
The House That Jack Built - Guy Adams
The Demon's Lexicon - Sarah Rees Brennan
Fearless Fourteen - Janet Evanovich
The Portable Door - Tom Holt
A Fraction of the Whole - Steve Toltz
Pandaemonium - Christopher Brookmyre
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - JK Rowling
Turn Coat - Jim Butcher
Inkheart - Cornelia Funke
Azincourt - Bernard Cornwall
The Book of Unholy Mischief - Elle Newmark
The Time Traveller's Guide to Mediaeval England - Ian Mortimer
Nation - Terry Pratchett
Case Histories - Kate Atkinson
Fruits Basket - Natsuki Takaya (my first foray into manga!)
Living With The Dead - Kelley Armstrong
Warrior Scarlet - Rosemary Sutcliffe
Dogs and Goddesses - Jennifer Crusie, Anne Stuart, Lani Diane Rich
Red Seas Under Red Skies - Scott Lynch