Red Seas Under Red Skies

By: Scott Lynch

Narrated by: Michael Page

Length: 25 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's Summary

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....

Praise for Red Seas Under Red Skies

"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." (Booklist starred review)

"Red Seas Under Red Skies firmly proves that Scott Lynch isn’t a one-hit wonder.... It’ll only be a matter of time before Scott Lynch is mentioned in the same breath as George R. R. Martin and Steven Erikson." (Fantasy Book Critic)

"Grand, grandiose, grandiloquent.... No critic is likely to fault Lynch in his overflowing qualities of inventiveness, audacious draftsmanship, and sympathetic characterization." (Locus)

©2007 Scott Lynch (P)2020 Random House Audio

Critic Reviews

"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." (Booklist starred review)

"Red Seas Under Red Skies firmly proves that Scott Lynch isn’t a one-hit wonder.... It’ll only be a matter of time before Scott Lynch is mentioned in the same breath as George R. R. Martin and Steven Erikson." (Fantasy Book Critic)

"Grand, grandiose, grandiloquent.... No critic is likely to fault Lynch in his overflowing qualities of inventiveness, audacious draftsmanship, and sympathetic characterization." (Locus)

"The kind of witty romp that reminds you exactly how much fun heroic fantasy is supposed to be." (SFX)

Good enough, but should of been better.

Lynch didn't spend as much time logic-checking his writing for this book as he did for his first.
Most of the problems a minor and forgivable.
BUT!
Jean lost is glasses when he jumped of the roe boat. He never acquired a replacement pair from an alchemist/physica. And since he's horribly farsighted, he would have had a hell of time accomplishing any of the ship duties/fighting/arrow dodging/forging demanded of him during this story.
I also feel he needs to ramp up the complexity of the schemes and the overall adrenalin of the story if he wants to keep future books from becoming dull and repetitive.

great story and narration

so glad I stumbled upon this series, I become more hooked as it goes on .

fantastic

As great as the first one and awesome all around. Really looking forward to the third novel in the series

Great series!

I’ve loved this trilogy so far. Can’t wait to read the third! The writing is the best!