Red Seas Under Red Skies

Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved this book! Not surprising though, because so much of it mirrors the good aspects of The Lies of Locke Lamora. There are the characters we know and love, the familiar template of big con underway when the main characters are coerced into working for someone else (who will probably kill them), the chapters devoted to learning how to false-face and blend in, the chapters that switch back and forth in time, and all the witty banter and awesome insults you could want.

With all these similarities the book could feel stale, but it manages to avoid this trap by changing the surface elements in ways that make you ooh and ahh. For starters, Locke and Jean are in a new city with new wonders to behold. The sinspire casino is the scene for the big con, and it is so richly described- familiar turf (because yeah, it's a casino) but embelished with interesting people, cool new games, and exotic animals- that you feel like you are there. Other scenes such as the archon's garden and the wealthy vacation city are so well described it's like they are real.

Now let's talk about pirates. The book takes a sharp turn before the casino con is through, and Locke and Jean are pushed into the middle of Tal Verrar's most nasty political battle. For reasons too complicated to go into here, Locke and Jean find themselves becoming pirates. This is the real meat of the book, where our favorite criminals go through the equivalent of pirate boot camp, captain a ship, lose a ship, find love, lose almost everything, and (with some help) save the day. I had heard about the pirate thing before I read the book and was skeptical to say the least. But the pirate life turns out to be such a good fit for Locke and Jean! It was a really inspired move by writer Scott Lynch.

But despite all the awesome-ness of the book there are some problems. For one, the transition between casino heist to pirate bay is a little jarring. I couldn't make the mental transition between the two plots very well, and it took a while for me to realize that the pirate story was now primary. And it was a little sad, because casino cons are fun!

Other readers have rightly pointed out some pacing issues as well. The book is pretty long (554 pages on my nook) but only the last 50 pages were concerned with the endgame. It felt very rushed, and kind of disappointing. I wish that more space had been given to really fleshing out their last night in Tal Verrar, the way that space and time are given to events at sea that don't matter as much to the plot.

Last, there are some nagging minor details that I can't get off my mind. Like how tidy it was that Locke could just wipe out the whole city that he hated (with the exception of the furniture maker, of course). Also, what's with that crazy fog that tries to convince the crew to commit suicide?

These problems are small in comparison to how great the book is. Read The Lies of Locke Lamora first, and then get on Red Seas Under Red Skies!

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The Magicians

The Magicians by Lev Grossman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Magician King by Lev Grossman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

First off, I liked these books. A lot. In fact I have read them three time in this year alone! (Although I realize that this fact says equally as much about how I am too broke to buy new books).


The Magicians
The first book, The Magicians, introduces us to Quentin Coldwater. The story starts off in ordinary, dreary Brooklyn, but the author wastes no time in killing someone off and then taking us out of that place and to Brakebills College. Brakebills is a college for magicians, and Quentin gains acceptance there by passing a series of exams (that are really a treat to read about!).

The first half of the book is about Quentin's five years at Brakebills. We get to know him and his friends as we are immersed in their magical studies. If this sounds a little like Harry Potter it's becaues the premise is similar- boy and his friends go to a school for macigians (or wizards). But the experience is different. For one, Brakebills is a college, and college-aged students are drinking, having sex, and worrying about their future. For another, Grossman's characters aren't all textbook heroes like Harry and his gang. At times Quentin is downright unlikeable, and his friends are all flawed. But for me these characters are at the heart of my love for this series. When they talk, I can actually hear them because they talk like me (especially Josh- he is always using my slang!). I believe their conversations because they are familiar. It could be that I'm at just the right age/socioeconomic status/level of geekery/etc. for these characters to seem so real.

After graduation the group starts dragging their feet, and they all become pretty mopey and self-destructive. This is hard to read about because you have high hopes for their lives after graduation. However, it's also heavily foreshadowed so you have a feeling that it's coming. This section is short, and it serves as a transition between college and Fillory.

The last section of the book takes place in the magical world of Fillory. (Which is basically a riff on Narnia. Riffing is big here- the book will be much more enjoyable if you have a baseline background in Fantasy so that you catch the allusions.) It's written as a quest: group journeys to new land in order to achienve a goal. This part of the book forces you to think about some "big questions" like God, the purpose of magic, the point of life, ends justifying the means, responsibility, etc. Some of the questions the book poses are more obvious than others. Most are interesting and worth ruminating over. At the end of the book you will feel sad, and you will also feel like you were knocked on your ass. And then you will want to read it again.

The Magician King
This book is certainly different from the first one, although echos from the events of the first influence the story of the sequel. It starts off in Fillory, where Quentin, Elliot, Julia, and Janet are kings and queens. It seems that they have everything they have ever wanted, but Quentin is restless. A quest quickly develops.

In this book the main characters are Quentin and Julia. They embark on the quest together, and in the process they are pulled back to Brooklyn, make a visit to Brakebills, spend time in Venice, meet a dragon, go to the Chatwin's house, and more. Part of the fun of this book is the constantly changing scenery. But scenery isn't the only thing changing- you can see see Quentin and Julia growing and changing throughout the book. Quentin changes into a more mature, more appreciate, and less mopey person. And Julia into something entirely different (no more! I don't want to ruin the story).

Another cool thing about this book is the format. The chapters alternate between current events starring Quentin and Julia, and the past where we learn about Julia's story and what she went through during the time of the first book, when the other characters were at Brakebills. Her story shows you another kind of magical education, the kind you learn on your own in seedy safehouses, with disreputable teachers, and in genius chatrooms. You learn about her losses along the way- the true price she paid for her power.

I wish I could say that this book had a happy ending, but alas it doesn't. Fillory is saved (no surprise), but your hopes for Quentin will be dashed. Out of both books, the ending of the Magician King is the part I still have the hardest time grappeling with. Why is this an appropriate ending for Quentin? Why do his friends let it happen? What is with the arbitrary rules of Fillory, and what kind of power do these people really have? If you put yourself in Elliot and Josh's shoes you might feel a little sick. If you put yourself in Quentin's shoes you will want to cry. And your own shoes? Well, you will feel mostly impatient for Book #3.

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