Red Seas Under Red Skies read along [last part]

In case you haven't followed the first part of this read along on The Lies of Locke Lamora, let me tell you, you missed something.
But it's not too late! (well, now it kinda is)
Here we are again, reading and answering questions about the second part of this awesome series, Red Seas Under Red Skies.
Care to join?
All the details are on the Little Red Reviewer blog, so take a book and join the fun!

Gosh, it's really the end now. I don't even know why I'm bothered about it because I know that the next book is coming soon, and I'll throw myself at it as soon as it's out like the shameless fangirl I am, but still. The read along was so much fun, and I loved re-reading and discussing the story with everyone, and discovering all the little things I would have never thought of without you. Thanks!!!



1. Oh my god, such a lot going on I thought the showdown between the Poison Orchid and the Sovereign was brilliantly written and they were holding their own until Utgar and his nasty device turned up. Well a lot of you had kind of predicted it, and I suppose we’d been let off too easy so far in terms of deaths of well-liked characters – but come on, did you expect something like that? And how on earth will Jean ever recover?
I'm one of those who knew that the minute Ezri and Jean were head over heels in love, one of them would have to go. How, when... I certainly hadn't predicted that she would bloody burn alive to save the ship. Fucking devotion!! I know, the ship (and the crew) totally deserved to be saved, and sending Drakasha to do it would have been really cruel for her kids, but Ezri was still so young :( *sob*
I don't know if Jean will recover, grief is something that fades away without ever disappearing, so I think part of him will always remain torn by the lost of his loved one. I wonder if he'll ever let himself fall in love after that... as if we needed a second Locke, really!


2. The deceit, the betrayal, first Rodanov and then Colvard. Even now I’m not entirely sure I understand Colvard – Rodanov was never keen on the oath but Colvard seemed okay with it all and yet in this final deceit she was more devious than Rodanov – what do you think was her motive?
I think they are pirates, and even though they pretend to get along, in the end everyone thinks of themselves first. If it had been Rodanov asking for what Drakasha asked, Colvard would have probably behaved the same way and suggested to get rid of him behind his back. Some people are like that... yay for trust issues!


3. Merrain – such a puzzle, no real answer, the mysterious tattoo, the determination to kill everyone to keep her identity and that of her master a secret. Does anybody have any ideas where she’s from and what she’s up to exactly and who the hell is she working for??
Hum, Karthain? I don't think they do women (or do they?). Maybe something to do with where Sabetha is? I kinda remember that the Lillies had tattoos, or was I dreaming? She could be in one of those guilds that do the same as the Gentlemen Bastards in their youth, disguise themselves to infiltrate a powerful organisation and get away when it becomes dangerous. I don't know if she's clearly against them or just trying to dissuade them from coming after her...


4. Finally we get to the point of the GB’s latest scheme, all that elaborate planning for two years, fancy chairs, gambling, dust covered cards, abseiling lessons – all for one gigantic bluff. I loved the diversionary tactic here but having finally reached the end of the story and, more to the point, the end result – do you think the GB’s are as clever as they think they are?
I think this was the shittiest EVER result they could have gotten, I mean, what the hell?! Mr Lynch, leave them be, for christ sake!!
Back to the question, it's tough to assess how clever they think they are, when you think of it they did run the plan very well, they anticipated quite many things and managed to get away safely without killing anyone unnecessarily, so just for that they deserve an A. The fact that Requin had fakes... how could they know if no one does, not even Selendri? And according to the buyer it's not a common practice there, so really, that was just bad luck.
Or should I say... relentless persecution?


5. I must admit that I liked Requin and Selendri – particularly at the end – I don’t think Requin will go after Locke and Jean, he was even sort of cool and composed about it all, in fact he came across as a bit pleased with himself because he had the last laugh. Plenty of good characters this time which did you enjoy reading most about this time?
Yes, that bastard, he indeed got the last laugh. At least he's fair enough not to go after them, that would really have been too much!
I love a lot of the characters in these books, so it's really hard to pick one. Locke was the big star in the first one, and now it's more Jean's turn, but the people gravitating around them all had their charm and their defaults, so I can't choose.


6. Finally, a triple barrel question, I know I shouldn’t ask this BUT, on reflection do you have a favourite between LoLL or RSURS?? And why? Are you going to pick up Republic of Thieves? And, where do you think Lynch will take us to next??
Hum, don't know, but maybe RSURS was a bit better because more focused on less characters, and less flashbacks, so easier to follow and get enthralled by it. First one was still awesome, though, but you feel more like it's a first book, and now that we know all we need to (well, almost), we can focus on more detailed stories.
As I said before, I'll throw myself at Republic of Thieves the minutes it comes out. Can't wait to meet them again!
Regarding the next adventures... with the prologue about Sabetha, I'm expecting to see her joining the gang again, and discover what happened between her and Locke and how he will react around her. And I'm also expecting vicious bondsmage throwing challenges at them, and some sneaky attacks from Regal, because hey, kittens, that's how they are.


So sad to end this read-along, but looking forward to the next one! Check the other reviews from the Little Red Reviewer and see you... someday, I hope!

Posted in: read along,Scott Lynch