Review: The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch

In 2006 the world of SFF fandom was changing. As you would expect, Fandom had already adopted the internet, however much of it was still bound up in listserves, forums and other early communities that would feel quite dated these days. There were plenty of review sources online, but they still felt like simple digital reprints of dead tree products. In 2006 blogs were coming – sure they had been around for years already, but this was the period when it was realized that pretty much anyone could start a blog (note, my blog was started in 2006). This proliferation of blogs at a time when the old listeserves, forums and other communities were still relatively vibrant created a perfect storm for viral fan mania. Enter Scott Lynch from stage left with The Lies of Locke Lamora, a fan himself quite familiar with the online world (my review, Indiebound, Book Depository, Amazon). The Lies of Locke Lamora was very refreshing at the time – it felt new. Not quite gritty (or do I have to use the term grimdark?), not quite humor, not quite epic fantasy, but all kinds of fun. This was a merry band of thieves that that the 21^st century could get behind (ironically in a renaissance-inspired second world). It went viral, fans everywhere embraced it, and yes there was fun internet controversy as a one reviewer who was not a fan got a bit hyperbolic and fans exploded (even me).

 

*Note: if you follow some of those links back to posts and reviews I wrote 6 and 7 years ago, please be merciful. I’ve come a long way.*

 

Lynch followed in 2007 with Red Seas Under Red Skies (my review, Indiebound, Book Depository, Amazon), which again was wildly popular, though perhaps not as universally praised (though I found it to be much better written). It was still clear that fans loved Lynch’s writing and he was poised to become the next big name in genre. Fans eagerly awaited the next book – The Republic of Thieves (Indiebound, Book Depository, Amazon) – for this one promised to be even bigger and better. We’d finally get to meet Locke’s long lost love and greatest rival Sabetha. Rumors were the bondsmagi would play an even bigger role. It would be the best yet.

 

A year passed and fans were still eager. Another year and they get restless, impatient – comparisons to George RR Martin and Patrick Rothfuss are made (not favorable comparisons, though it’s good company to be in). Rumors fly and the pitchforks begin to come out. Then we learn the reason – Lynch has been suffering from debilitating depression, he’s gone through a divorce and the death of close family members. People are sympathetic, Lynch’s public announcements are widely praised and quite inspirational – most of the pitchforks are put away. A couple more years go by, people are still generally accepting, growing rather cynical, a few are dusting off the pitchforks again, yet most are still eager. Now, it’s 2013. It’s been 6 years since Red Seas Under Red Skies was released and The Republic of Thieves exists in print form for release on October 8.

 

One may question why I’ve begun a review with a history lesson (of sorts), and my response is that it is critical to how The Republic of Thieves will be received by long-waiting fans. Expectations are simultaneously high and low, yet nearly universally hopeful. In the intervening 6 years, this blogger has played all of those fan roles I reference above. I will say this now: The Republic of Thieves exceeded my expectations and was one hell of a good read.

 

Looking at what I wrote above from a different point of view, that of Lynch himself, I can see pressure, anxiety, more pressure, more anxiety, holy shit how did I get myself into this… We fans only made this worse. And Lynch promised us the world – he promised us the long anticipated reunion of Locke and Sabetha. The best cons ever going head-to-head against each other. With bondsmagi. Then he promised us a Shakespearean play to mirror it all. What was he thinking...no wonder he was reduced to anxiety attacks and depression.

 

*Note, it’s not my intent to mock Lynch or anyone else’s anxiety and depression in any way, and I apologize if it’s taken as such.*

 

The Republic of Thieves is very ambitious – it has stories in parallel to other stories, flashbacks, romance, treachery, and Lynch basically wrote an entire Shakespearean play in the middle of it all. This is the best of the best versus the best of the best. It’s deadly serious yet Lynch still needed to maintain that cavalier, mocking attitude that serves to lighten the load. It’s new ground and it’s setting the stage for the next 4 books in the series. It also has a major reveal, one that Locke (and his fans) simply cannot trust…or afford not to.

 

And Lynch pulls it off in grand fashion. The present of Lynch’s world mirrors the past which mirrors the play our favorite thieves are pretending to act in. Sabetha and Locke go head to head in a dance of cons, yet the greater dance in the romance and seduction that underlies it all (both past and present). Who wins the con? Who wins the seduction? Are there winners at all? Does he get the girl? Does she get the guy? Who dies? I throw those questions out there to entice while building up expectations to knock them down. Just as Lynch does. Because, the most important questions may not have been asked.

 

Lynch’s writing is his strongest yet, but that’s only the start as the way he constructs The Republic of Thieves really brings it all together. It’s the plotting, the shuffling of scenes and the emotions of those characters we already care about. It’s Locke, Sabetha and Jean. And those that have (and will) die.

 

The Republic of Thieves is one of the most highly anticipated books in the SFF world over the last 7 years. The biggest question is whether those high expectation will or can be met. As I’ve said in this review, in my opinion Lynch not only meets, but exceeds those expectations. Welcome back Scott – I can’t recall the last time I had so much fun reading a book. So…when’s the next one coming?

 

*yes, I’m an evil bastard too*

 

Scott Lynch: The Republic of Thieves Release Update

I usually don't post updates or release info around here, but for books I'm anxiously awaiting, I'm happy to. And Scott Lynch is wildly popular with many who read this blog. And we have all been waiting patiently (or not) for the next book in his Gentlemen Bastards series, The Republic of Thieves (Book Depository, Powell's Books, Indiebound). And Gollancz (his primary publisher) has just given us an update. (more recent updates are included at the end of the blog)

Well, the months have rolled around faster than anyone could quite credit and we find ourselves in 2012 and still without that final confirmed delivery of the completed draft of Scott Lynch’s The Republic of Thieves. Sadly those who expressed their doubts have been proved right and we’re now forced to move the likely date for Scott’s publication into the Autumn of this year.

Scott is still facing up to his issues and we’re still having to face up to the wait for his book. I know which I’d rather be dealing with.

So, we send our apologies to you and our very best wishes to Scott. Thank you, on his behalf, for bearing with us. And in the meantime, of course, (and to take some of the pressure of Scott) there are plenty of other wonderful books to be reading until The Republic of Thieves does make its appearance.

So, it's not good news, but I'm not going to be critical. Scott has been heroically public with his battle with crippling depression. The battle goes on and I wish him luck. Get healthy - then get us the book if you can.

In the mean time, I can recommend some books for those looking....


Update: April 14, 2012: The comments have some more talk of it, but it's pretty clear by Lynch's increased activity that progress has been made. My speculation is that the manuscript has been turned in and the publishers are seeing where they can fit the release in. It's still possible that there will be a 2012 release. Lynch has assured everyone that when he knows a solid release date, he will announce it...loudly.

Update: Aprill 19, 2012: Lynch's UK publisher (Gollancz) has listed October 2012 for the release. I consider this unconfirmed until I hear an official announcment from either Gollancz or Lynch himself. But it's a promising sign.

Update: August 3, 2012: Scott provides an update at his new blog:

Q: What the hell is going on with The Republic of Thieves?

A: My current necessary edit to TRoT has been shot all to hell by that lovely anxiety I’ve mentioned. I haven’t talked much about it because I hate talking about it. I can be usefully open about my depression in a way I can’t about my anxiety attacks. Sorry. Suffice to say: They are the reason we can’t have nice things. I have a very good feeling at the moment, however, because I know something you do not. When I can say more, I will not be shy.

Q: What’s with the official TRoT release date switching all the time?

A: Because my publishers can’t yet reliably (my fault, not theirs) give retailers a true date, and retailers nonetheless want to keep the book as a forthcoming item in their catalogs, many weird things happen. Nobody is deliberately fucking with you. Least of all me or my publishers. It’s not personal. I have said, several times, not to take any date as valid until you see me posting it online myself. I have just said it again.

Update: September 27, 2012: Nothing official lately, only hints of announcements to come and continuing struggles with depression. Not that it's believable, but Amazon currenlty lists the release date as July 23, 2013.



FINAL (?) UPDATE!: A firm publication date has been announced by the publisher and Scott himself, so I think it is quite reliable. TRoT will be published on October 8, 2013 in the US and October 10, 2013 in the UK (source - well 1 source anyway, lots of news on this one). This is great news and I'm glad that Scott was able to work through his depression to get this published - hopefully things will continue to work out for him.

Review: Swords & Dark Magic: The New Sword and Sorcery edited by Jonathan Strahan and Lou Anders

Swords & Dark Magic: The New Sword and Sorcery edited by Jonathan Strahan and Lou Anders (Book Depository, Powell’s Books, Indiebound) collects original stories from authors who were there near the beginning of sword and sorcery and from the new guys and gals, some of whom have earned reputations as the latest and greatest. As a whole the anthology succeeds with its goal: showcase Sword and Sorcery. These stories are fun and entertaining adventures often full of dark humor. They are not, nor should they be, powerful short stories that punch you in the gut and haunt your dreams – well, OK, some of these stories will punch you in the gut and then kick you in the face, spit on your back and maniacally laugh between guzzles of some horrendous, potent beverage, but I think the point comes across that this is much more of collection of entertainment than deeply symbolic stories on the human condition.

As I was reading I actually kept decent notes for once, so I have at least some comment about every story in the anthology – of course these comments reflect my reading experience and don’t really stand in as true reviews and will probably leave you wanting, but they are what they are.

Introduction

Anders and Strahan do a good job with a complete and illuminating run-down of sword and sorcery as a genre. I felt like I learned something, which is as it should be.

"Goats of Glory" - Steven Erikson

This story embraces the idea of Sword and Sorcery a bit more fully than many of the other stories in this anthology. A small group of mysterious soldiers are ambushed by a nest of nasty demons – I’ve said before that Erikson excels in the short form and this is a pretty good example of it. And nobody names characters better.

"Tides Elba: A Tale of the Black Company" - Glen Cook

This new Black Company story is one of the standouts in the anthology. It’s fun, full of dark humor and makes me want to read more of Cook.

"Bloodsport" - Gene Wolfe

As with much of Wolfe’s fiction, I’m sure I’m missing something, but in the end I found this story to be dull and forgettable.

"The Singing Spear" - James Enge

This short Morlock Ambrosious story rides firmly in the middle of the pack in regards to quality in this anthology, but in combination with his recent World Fantasy Award Nomination, it makes me want to read Enge’s novels.

"A Wizard of Wiscezan" - C.J. Cherryh

“A Wizard of Wiscezan” is one of most complete stories of this anthology. In fact, I’m pretty sure there is a novel to be had.

"A Rich Full Week" - K. J. Parker

This dark tale of the disposal of an unwanted zombie/vampire/dead guy is subtly humorous and well executed.

"A Suitable Present for a Sorcerous Puppet" - Garth Nix

At times fun and witty, but ultimately more forgettable than anything.

"Red Pearls: An Elric Story" - Michael Moorcock

As the introduction of this anthology states, no anthology about Sword and Sorcery would be complete without the presence of Michael Moorcok. This new Elric story is probably the best written of the anthology, yet it still feels as if it’s missing something – now if I could only figure exactly what that is.

"The Deification of Dal Bamore" - Tim Lebbon

This tale of misdirection surrounding the execution of a potential martyr stands out as one of the best of the anthology. Set in Echo City, it makes me very curious about Lebbon’s new book, Echo City.

"Dark Times at the Midnight Market" - Robert Silverberg

In this all-new Majipoor tale, Silverberg writes a mildly entertaining story about a down-and-out wizard trying to make a living in hard times.

"The Undefiled" - Greg Keyes

I forgot everything about this story immediately after reading it, and I think that speaks for itself.

"Hew the Tint Master" - Michael Shea  

This story of a barbarian and a house painter on a mission to save the world started out to be the best of the anthology. The writing was clever, fun and unexpected, but the tale grows bigger than a short story, looses focus, and ultimately falls flat.

"In the Stacks" - Scott Lynch

With a lot of fans anxiously awaiting the next Lynch book for several years now, this little short story gained some legs. Lynch’s take on an exam in a sorcery academy is a good reminder of why fans are eagerly awaiting that next book.

"Two Lions, A Witch, and the War-Robe" - Tanith Lee

This tale of two good Samarians who find themselves in a bit of bind is one of the more entertaining of the anthology.

"The Sea Troll's Daughter" - Caitlin R Kiernan

I learned something I didn’t know with this story – I learned that Kiernan is a geologist. Now to most people that probably doesn’t matter, but since I’m also a geologist, I found this very interesting. As a result, Kiernan’s correct use of geology in “The Sea Troll’s Daughter” stood out. The story it a good one too – I’ll be reading more of her work in the future.

"Thieves of Daring" - Bill Willingham

This was another clever and fun adventure in an anthology that seems to save its best for the end.

"The Fool Jobs" - Joe Abercrombie

I thought this one started out slow, but by the end of the story, Abercrombie’s characteristic dark humor and sense of ‘not quite you’re father’s fantasy’ adventure really takes hold, making this one of the strongest stories in the anthology and good story to end with. “The Fool Jobs” has also been selected for inclusion in The Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy of the Year: Vol. 5 anthology edited by Strahan (Book Depository, Powell’s Books, Indiebound).

Swords & Dark Magic succeeds as an anthology, though perhaps not as a great collection of stories. No single story stands out as great, and there are a couple of real duds. However, the stories in Swords & Dark Magic are hugely fun and entertaining and showcase the pulp-ish genre of Sword and Sorcery. 7.5

Links to Stave Off….

It’s been a mix of a ‘blah’ kind of week and extremely hectic with lots of work to do. And I’m not finding near enough time to watch curling. Anyway, here are a few links.

As the picture shows, I got mail from Patrick Rothfuss – how cool is that? I won prize in for donating to his Heifer International Worldbuilder’s charity fundraiser, which raised nearly $200,000. I got a signed copy of The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks (Book Depository, Powell’s Books, Indiebound, my review) – free signed books are always cool, but I wish it were a book I didn’t already have. Not that I’m complaining.

SyFy is Time Magazine’s third worst corporate name change.

The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch (Book Depository, Powell’s Books, Indiebound) won’t be published in the US until Spring 2011 at the earliest – hopefully there’s still a chance of 2010 release for the UK.

A snarky interview with authors Blake Charlton and Gail Carriger.

I was mind-melded again at SFF Signal – this time about SFF TV shows that should be remade. I have no qualification for this at all, so I attempt humor.

Mark Charan Newton has an idea, a crazy idea. It’s an opportunity for writers to plagiarize remix his fiction. Personally, I’m holding out for Pride of Newton and Zombies – clearly a best-seller.

Author Sam Sykes interviews some bloggers (supposedly I’m in line – last I believe). An aside – what would you do if you found out that this guy lives in the same area as you?

And last, since I am a geologist and landslides are cool…

Reap the Boredom

Near complete boredom combined with an inability to become motivated to do the actual work I should be at the moment have lead me the writing of this post that does little on its own, instead pointing to interesting discussion elsewhere.

The discussion of interest is this one over at Westeros where a question to simply rank 5 of the newer and more talked about (at least in certain circles) authors in epic fantasy. The authors under the gun are Joe Abercrombie, Scott Lynch, Patrick Rothfuss, Daniel Abraham, and Brian Ruckley.

I find this fascinating both because I have read and enjoyed 4 of the 5 authors (and interviewed 3 of the 5) and by the omission of (insert the author you feel should have been included) along side the demographic similarity of the 5.

I’m usually pretty bad with ranking pretty much anything, but in this case, there is a natural rank as I’ve felt about the books I’ve read from these authors.

1. Joe Abercrombie (my review)
   
2. Patrick Rothfuss (my review)
   
3. Scott Lynch (my review)
   
4. Brian Ruckley (my review)

I haven’t read anything by Daniel Abraham yet, but I do have a book on The Stack that I hope to get to in the next couple of months.

In my boredom, I decided to graph the results of the discussion so far (yes, I’m that bored and that geeky). When an author got ranked #1, I gave him 5 pts, #2 got 4, #3 got 3, #4 got 2, and 5 got 1. If someone hadn’t read the author no points were awarded, but it is noted. There were roughly 43 votes as I’m writing this and curiously all had read Abercrombie and Lynch, about a quarter had not read Rothfuss or Ruckley, and about a third haven’t read Abraham. The graph is below.

To give some perspective, if all 16 people who haven’t yet read Abraham gave him a 5, his score would jump to 145 – which is still about 13 points less than Abercrombie (though there would be a corresponding drop of 1 point in Abercrombie’s score for this to be the case, so it would put Abraham on top by 3 points). I mention this to give a bit of an idea of just how far out front Abercrombie is in this little discussion.

Another interesting aspect is the count of #1 votes - Abercrombie received 29 votes for number 1, which blew away everyone else. Lynch received 10 and Abraham 5. Neither Rothfuss nor Ruckley had a single number 1 vote in this informal pole/discussion.

I can’t wait to see what this does to Joe’s ego :D.

Cover Art at Sea

I haven’t blogged about cover art in a while, so I figure it’s time for another post. This installment covers a few newer and upcoming releases of cover art with scenes from the high seas – mostly sailing. Why? Well – why not I say.

First up is Red Seas Under Red Skies (author Scott Lynch) – the UK version (top) and the US version (bottom).

First, notice that this violates a very fundamental rule of cover art – that UK versions are better than their US counterparts. This is clearly not the case this time. The UK cover art with it red, white, and black isn’t really bad, but when put next to the US cover art (which is simply spectacular) it doesn’t compare. I like both – but the US version is some of the best cover art I’ve seen in a long time. I couldn’t find out who the artists for these are, so please comment if you know who the credit goes to – I’ll happily edit them in (edit - it appears the US version is by Steve Stone).

This is the cover for Set the Seas on Fire by Chris Roberson (again, I couldn’t track down the artist). This is also quite good, if a bit….old-fashioned looking. But, this is entirely appropriate for the book – it really is more a historical fiction/alternative history book than standard SFF, which makes this historical image very apt. Yet again, I applaud the cover art used here.


Here is the cover art for forthcoming Pirate Freedom by Gene Wolfe – the cover artist is David Grove. I haven’t yet gotten my hands on the book, but the focus on a single character at the helm of a (presumably) pirate vessel seems appropriate with Wolfe being known for strong characterization. I’m really looking forward to this book, and the cover art underscores this anticipation.

I included the covert below to put add some perspective to where SFF cover art related to the high seas has been in the past. These covers by Steven Youll of Robin Hobb’s Liveship Traders Trilogy definitely fall into a more traditional fantasy cover form. As I’ve said previously, this style doesn’t do much for me, but these covers really aren't too bad (they are certainly drawn very well). some are better than others, but overall I'll give thme a pass. Another plus is that they are rather true to the books.

Mad Ship cover

Ship of Destiny cover.

Ship of Magic cover

Free Copies of The Lies of Locke Lamora

Waterstone's is offering a huge giveaway of The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch - they are giving away 1000 copies! The information and entry form is here - I don't really see any fine print, so as far I can tell it's open to anybody and you aren't signing up for a credit card or anything. If you don't have this book, now is the time.

Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch

The Lies of Locke Lamora set the SFF world abuzz last year as a strong debut about lovable scoundrels taking lots of money from rich people in a fantastically dangerous setting. Red Seas Under Red Skies follows as the second book of the planned seven book Gentlemen Bastards Sequence and fans will not be disappointed with this superior follow-up.

The first half of Red Seas Under Red Skies is structured in much the same way as The Lies of Locke Lamora with alternating views of past and present. The present finds Locke and company in the middle of another grand scheme two years later – a scheme more grandiose and treacherous than ever before – this time in the island city-state of Tel Verrar. The past takes us back to events immediately following events in The Lies of Locke Lamora where recovery and loss strains previously unbreakable bonds.

Look, to avoid spoilers for the first book and appropriately keep you guessing for this one, I’m not going to say much more than these next few hints. We see towering houses of decadent gaming and yes, there are pirates – lots of pirates, maybe even Locke and Jean. The plot twists and turns, death happens and is narrowly avoided, love is found, old love hinted, and bondsmages make their power known while that fight is for a later book – and this barely touches on main storyline where a wannabe tyrant clashes with a merchant guild and underworld kingpin, throws pirates in the mix and places Locke and company in the bloody middle of it all. Locke just may be in over his head this time, and it’s a long, deadly swim in these waters.

The often light and fun, raw and witty Robin Hood meets Ocean’s 11 feel from the first book takes a more strained, forced, and altogether darker hue in Red Seas Under Red Skies. At first this may feel like a failing, but rather this is Lynch being true to his fully realized main cast – past events have taken their toll and some scars never fully heal. This is not to say that the witty humor is lacking, it’s just not at the glib forefront that it was for much of the first book.

Where The Lies of Locke Lamora suffers from occasional first-novel jitters, Red Seas Under Red Skies shows the improvement of Lynch gaining his sea-legs. Supporting characters are still a bit too often paper-machete thin, but Locke and Jean in particular shine even brighter than before. While we learn little new about their past, we see clear character growth, particularly with Locke, and a few hints of what’s to come.

Things start out a bit slow and tedious, but quickly heat up to an all-out gale as Locke’s machinations spin out of control. One the greatest strengths of Lynch is the ability to carefully balance the predictable with the not-so predictable and to get the reader so wrapped up in the story that implications of long forgotten earlier events hit with full force at just the right moment. Any yes, he keeps you guessing. When I was at a point about 100 pages from the end, my thought was ‘how can he possibly wrap things up in a satisfying way in only 100 pages’ – well, Lynch answered with the force of a hurricane. Sure a couple of things may have been a bit too convenient, but high entertainment value cancels such issues out. I once again challenge you to put down the book in the final 100 pages – I sure couldn’t.

Fans have waited a year to see if Lynch will sink or swim after his successful debut. From the card tables to the high seas, assassins in the dark to out-right mutiny, Red Seas Under Red Skies is the real deal – a sequel showing growth and improvement, and offering all the fun a book can. Fans can rejoice while the un-initiated need to join the club and we all anxiously await The Republic of Thieves. 7.5-8/10

Related Posts: Review of The Lies of Locke Lamora

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

Hype – it invokes both eagerness and dread, and The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch has certainly had its fair share of hype over the last year. Rumblings began in 2005 with a few lone voices like Jay Tomio exclaiming excellence. It peaked in 2006 when and unimpressed reviewer stepped over that invisible line and actually accused other reviewers of taking bribes, invoking a virtual firestorm across the net. Since then, the book has topped many best-of lists of fanboys/girls and bloggers. All the while I’m sure Lynch can barely contain his excitement of the attention his debut has received.

So, does The Lies of Locke Lamora live up to the hype? Was my bribe big enough to make me sing its praises? The short answer is yes to the former and that I’m still waiting for that mythological big payout I’m sure to receive for all the positive reviews I write.

Everybody loves a good story about con artists – and this is a very good story about the Gentlemen Bastards, con artists extraordinaire. We meet the young orphan Locke Lamora and follow him though moments in his childhood as he is trained to become the infamous Thorn of Camorr. In parallel we follow an older Locke, leading the Gentlemen Bastards in a grand scheme as he relieves a noble family of disgustingly large sums of money. As we expect, things get complicated on a number of fronts – a power grab for the rule of Camorr’s underworld and the secret police manage to snare Locke and his brilliantly mischievous gang.

The Lies of Locke Lamora delivers in spite of the hype because it succeeds exactly as advertised – this book is just plain fun. The writing flows decently well for a first novel and the plot grips you early. Lynch taps into that unexplainable sympathy and magnetism we all feel for that loveable rogue – the guy we know is bad, a bastard, but secretly are convinced is actually a nice guy – that guy that the women hate to love and men love to hate. The witty dialogue, while overdone at times, captures that ideal and genuine like for a merry band of thieves sticking it the upper class.

Characterization is present, but to be honest, only one or two characters really come off greater than some paper-machete cliché. It’s the plot that succeeds here. The story that’s told is fun, contains numerous twists that are both anticipated and not, while not being too perfect and wrapping everything up in a neat ‘happily ever after’ ending.

Now, this book is far from perfect – it suffers, greatly at times, from the inconsistency of a first-time novel. The dialogue ranges from witty and realistic to silly and awful – the first time I read the word ‘savvy’, a clear copy right out of Pirates of the Caribbean, I had to put the book down for a while. I could have screamed at a few oversights that were made by a supposedly brilliant gang of con artists that could keep their secret so well and fool everyone. There are also at least one too many instances of survival in a situation of certain death.

The Lies of Locke Lamora is not a book offering new and wondering insights to the human condition. No political statement is made. It is simply a great story – action packed, full of humor, hate and revenge. I couldn’t have put the book down during the final hundred pages if…(fill in the blank with something good).

The Lies of Locke Lamora earns a solid 7.5/10 – the plot should pull it even higher, but the minor annoyances of the first-time novel keep slightly lower. This book is easy to recommend to nearly anyone. As you may expect with such a successful debut, a sequel (actually 6 of them) is in the works (Red Seas Under Red Skies is due out in July ’07), but this book stands on its own for those of us not looking to invest in yet another unfinished series – don’t let the fear of a series stop you from reading this one.