By Scott Lynch
I reckon Scott Lynch also knows this.
The second volume of the excellent Gentlemen Bastard sequence finds the two remaining members of the eponymous gang, Locke Lamora and Jean Tannen, midway through an elaborate long-con at the Sinspire, the ultimate casino and centrepiece of the city state of Tal Verrara, which comprises a series of islands inhabited by merchants and the ships that bring them trade and wealth . The Sinspire is owned and run by Requin; immensely wealthy, very powerful and with a reputation for merciless retribution against cheats and debtors. He keeps his wealth under lock and key and alchemy in an impenetrable vault, which also serves as a convenient and discrete ‘bank’ for a number of the Priori, the most powerful and wealthiest of the merchants and the ruling class of Tal Verrar, and this arrangement keeps them both very closely aligned.
On the other side of the political divide lies the official ruler of Tal Verrar, Maxilan Stragos, Archon and Commander of the army and navy. The Archon relies on the Priori for funding but, as things have been very quiet in the city for a many years, the Priori no longer feel the need for an Archon and would rather he ‘went away’ so the pinch of budget cuts and the naked ambition of his enemies leave him feeling that his power and his rule are slipping away. He needs a plan to bring the city back to heel and he needs it fast.
Just as Locke has ingratiated himself into Requin’s company, and he and Jean are about to pull the trigger on their caper and leave the city with a great deal of Requin’s wealth, they find themselves hauled up in front of the Archon. Worse still, he knows their names, their histories and what they are up to and, when he reveals his source, it seems the past has caught up with them at last. The Archon, through villainous means of his own, coerces our two protagonists into helping stage a small ‘pirate war’ against the merchants of Tal Verrar in order to increase the city’s need – and budget – for his services. With their plans on hold, they begin their pirate training and, with a motley crew that they ‘break out’ of prison, set sail on the Sea of Brass.
Needless to say things don’t go entirely to plan and before too long the two men find themselves aboard a real pirate ship, part of the crew of the Poison Orchid, embroiled in a pirate adventure beyond any they ever expected. Can they survive intact to finish their caper while fighting pitched battles and waging piracy on the open seas, carefully playing off the Archon, Requin, their fellow Pirates, the Priori and the mysterious assassins that have suddenly begun stalking them?
I think you know the answer.
I say this because what Scott Lynch has done is crafted, albeit beautifully, a novel that is “the same, but different” to The Lies Of Locke Lamora and because of that, I’ll say up front that I loved it as much as I loved its predecessor. You get the feeling that, with a contract under his belt, Mr Lynch didn’t feel the need to cram every idea he had into the one book in case he didn’t get a second chance, and so it unfolds more organically. In many ways it is a better book than TLOLL, it’s tighter and less rambling, there is much less exposition and while the narrative again switches backwards and forwards in time, the story, particularly in the second half, moves with real pace and vigour, once again twisting and turning against your expectations and leaving you gasping with surprise even while it envelopes you in warm familiarity.
The dynamic of the two main characters doesn’t change much, although Jean gets much more of a showing this time around, becoming more of a partner and less of a henchman, but their camaraderie deepens through shared grief, bitter circumstance and brotherly understanding. As before, the dialogue is nothing less than superb. Probably Lynch’s greatest asset is his ability to lift characters off the page, separating people and cultures with beautifully nuanced dialogue, distinct in cadence and diction and rich with wonderfully crafted vernacular. Any chance you get, call someone a “Jeremite cot doxy” and watch their expression.
The world they inhabit doesn’t change much either, the city state of Tal Verrar and the pirate town of Port Prodigal come across as nothing much more than the rich and poor sides of the city of Camori from the first book, but once again Lynch brings them to life through the kind of lengthy description and exquisite detail that make the reader feel part of the story and not merely a spectator at the games.
You can easily criticise Scott Lynch on several levels. The two main characters are smart but shallow, never having a decent explanation for why they steal, other than the fun they have doing it, and the capers, when revealed, are never particularly original. Similarly, he never gets to grips with politics in his world, although the story and many of the asides in particular, open the subject right up for examination. It’s also uneven in many ways; the poor are always downtrodden and slightly corrupt – there’s never an honest peasant in Lynch’s world – but the rich are even worse and despite the advanced clockworks and mechanics and the ubiquitous use of alchemy, they don’t have guns, printing presses, steam-power or air-travel, but women, rich or poor, are always equal to their male counterparts and can lead or follow according to effort.
I’ll forgive Lynch all of this, though, because he knows how to tell a tale with the kind of verve and panache that leaves many, more experienced authors, trailing in his wake. RSURS does feel a lot like an episode in a longer story – and it should be said that you don’t need to have read one to enjoy the other – although it will help. Having said that, if what you crave is a rip-roaring adventure, full of charm and wit with great characters, rich dialogue, good humour and stuffed with twists and turns that will keep you guessing till the end, then this is the book for you. And it ends as every episode should, satisfying but still open, and personally, I can’t wait for the next one.
The same, but different?
Yes please.
Red Seas Under Red Skies is published by Gollanz and is available from Amazon
Scott Lynch has a website which can be visited here.
He Also has a blog which can visited here.