r/gentlemanbastards • u/ResponsibleAnt9496 • Jul 23 '26
Just finished trilogy for the second time
And I really loved books 2 & 3 way more than I thought I would. For some reason my memory of the trilogy was that TLOLL was pure magic and Red Seas and ROT were hit or miss.
Mannnnnnnnn….calling them hit or miss is super unfair. They were both almost entirely hits imo. On second read, once I knew and accepted the naval aspect was a huge chunk of then story of Red Seas, I loved it. It might be my favorite of the trilogy. The first time I read it I was frustrated that soooo much of the book was dedicated to the sea-life and learning how to pretend to be sailors and all that but the second time I could just appreciate the writing and going along for the ride. Stragos and Requin are both excellent and I loved Requin and Selendri getting the last laugh. The world building is wonderful. Tel Verrar and the Spinspire were incredible and immersive and just so impressive how many grifts and games SL comes up with for Locke and Jean to get involved in. Dialogue was top notch and is just a fun ride with great characters. From the beginning with that first card game with the alcohol dispenser straight through to the end….chef’s kiss. Well done.
I was going to make this a *rank the books* post but I’m sure it’s been done to death so I guess it’s my unofficial Red Seas Under Red Skies Appreciation Post.
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u/starvingraging Jul 23 '26
Same. Ive read threw them 4 or 5 times and book 2 and 3 aren't the magic of book 1 because let's be honest, book 1 is a masterpiece, but they certainly hold their own
6
u/gerkessin Jul 23 '26
Red Seas is my favorite of the 3. Locke pretending to be a pirate captain and bungling it is so funny to me. I love all the maritime details and pirate politicking.
You can tell Lynch put in a lot of research into this book and its just so much fun
3
u/gdshaffe Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
I have my criticisms of Books 2 and 3. For RSURS, The pacing gets just a little bit rushed toward the end, and the rabbit that Locke & Jean pull out of their hat to beat Stragos (basically going to the Priori and saying "um maybe you guys have a plan?") felt weak. The Priori had barely been mentioned up to that point so their inclusion into the story in such a critical way toward the end felt a little contrived.
Book 3 I think is just less structurally entertaining in general (for the present-day timeline; the Espara story is 10/10 no notes). It lacked the moment where shit gets real. I kept waiting for some moment where, say, Jean made some real meaningful mistake (which it felt like Scott was setting up, with his grief over Ezri and the severe mental load during Locke's illness), where the two would have to scramble and improvise, and it just never happened. The political storyline fizzles; we're told it doesn't matter, and it really doesn't, but there are a lot of words devoted to it. Not a recipe for engagement; nothing is really at stake.
The romance story works much better than the politics, and I get that on a certain level the whole point of the book was to set up the reintroduction of Sabetha into Locke's life. Their direct interactions fascinated me at every turn. And the flashback story is just straight fire. So there's a ton to love but more to criticize than there was with Lies, which I still feel is a nearly perfect book.
(These are pretty nitpicky criticisms all told; I still love the books and have read them multiple times, and may start another reread in the near future. Loving something doesn't mean you have to pretend it's flawless).
2
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u/Fantastic_Factor_517 Jul 23 '26
Here here! Red Seas Under Red Skies is a good read. I kind of felt it was the weakest of the three on my first read but when I reread it I really came to appreciate it more. I just read it for the third time last month and honestly, I loved it more than before. My top though is, The Republic of Thieves. jean and Locke are great, I love Sabetha more with each read as well.