Red Seas Under Red Skies (Gentleman Bastards #2)

[imyril]

A new adventure means a new thread to help keep things tidy.

We propose to continue straight into Book 2, with a discussion schedule as follows:

5th May Chapters 1-3 hosted at x+1
12th May Chapters 4-6 hosted at x+1
19th May Chapters 7-10 hosted at The Illustrated Page
26th May Chapters 11-13 hosted at x+1
2nd Jun Book 3 & Epilogue hosted at x+1

NB For any week noted as hosted at x+1 - I'm more than happy to pass the baton to a volunteer :) Just let me know what week you'd like to host...

[Lisa]

Yesss. Sign me up to host. ;-)

[imyril]

First stab at some banners (I might try and clean these up next week - hard to find hi res for this book!)

Option 1

Option 2

[imyril]

...on a semi-related note, I've been sufficiently distracted this evening by thoughts of gif sets that I can now tell you that the boat you can see in the first banner can't possibly be the Poison Orchid because it has too many masts.

(but I still can't put together a gif set. Simple banners are my limit, apparently)

[Lisa]

Imyril wrote: "First stab at some banners (I might try and clean these up next week - hard to find hi res for this book!)

Option 1

Option 2"

I prefer Option 1 - it's kinder to my eyes. (Not being snarky; I couldn't look at 2 for very long.)

[imyril]

Yep, I prefer Option 1 too - option 2 is the original cover design in the UK and I like that it's red, but it's hard to look at. Even when it's in perfect focus *cough*

[imyril]

...this may be why it got replaced so fast ;)

[Lisa]

Yeah, publishers probably don't want readers being unable to read... ;)

[Sarah]

I also like Option 1 better.

[Lisa]

Lisa wrote: "Yesss. Sign me up to host. ;-)"

Eek. OK, so after a bit of schedule revising I think it's better to sit out of the hosting for this book. I'm still in for reading, just no questions from me...

[Wendy]

Oh did we officially sign up for this? Tiara and I are in.

[imyril]

Hooray! On we go.

[Susan]

Looking forward to it. It's a re-read for me but I will probably fall behind the middle of May as I have to be out of state for a week but I will catch up if that happens.

[imyril]

Marvellous - we have a full crew! Now, I've got some kittens here somewhere...

[Susan]

Pirate kittens!

[imyril]

I think all kittens may be pirates at heart?

[Susan]

Lol - my crew are. They steal my warmth, my heart, my food, even my stuffed panda.

[Lisa]

Now I'm imagining kittens with eye patches and it's the cutest imaginary thing ever.

[Sarah]

[Lisa]

Hey... Who's hosting when...?

[imyril]

Err at the moment me the whole way through. Happy to share at any point but I know it's busy season :) first questions up later today...

[imyril]

Okay, questions for this week...

1) "Jean, I would describe this turn of events as less than helpful."
We get off to an unexpected start, jumping straight into the middle of - well, what? We're in Tal Verrar and the wheels appear to have come off. In the subsequent chapters, there's a lot of focus on Locke and Jean's friendship and devotion to one another. Do you think Jean has really turned against Locke?

2) "I am an honest working thief and I'll do what I have to to keep a table set and a roof over our heads!"
This time, the interludes are flashbacks to what the Bastards have been up to for the past two years. How did you feel about Locke’s depression - and Jean's responses?

3) "It is possible," said Locke with a sheepish grin, "that I have been slightly too bold."
The Requin game is worth more than the Bastards entire lost fortune in Camorr (and Locke gives us a little insight into what it means in real terms). His reputation is ominous. Given everything we learn about Requin, is Locke over-reaching himself?

4) "It'll be good to be the predators again."
(view spoiler)[I guess Maxilan Stragos and the Bondsmagi are front of the queue to disagree with Jean (even if you don't think Requin is more dangerous than a half-starved, blood-crazed wolf shark). (hide spoiler)]And is it just me, or does Tal Verrar feel even more intense than Camorr? Even if the average bod on the street seems less knife-happy, a lot of the buildings seem to be designed to intimidate and/or murder you. How are you liking the new setting?

...and, as always - any favourite moment(s) this week?

[Sarah]

The semester will have ended by week three, so I could take on that one.

[imyril]

Yay! Week 3 is yours :)

[imyril]

My week 1 post is live here

[Lisa]

Here's my Week 1 post! http://overtheeffingrainbow.co.uk/201...

[Sarah]

My week one post is here - https://theillustratedpage.wordpress....

[Tiara]

Here we are for week 1!

https://bibliosanctum.com/2016/05/05/...

[Susan]

Sorry i'm late - here's my Week 1: https://dabofdarkness.com/2016/05/06/...

[imyril]

Week 2 slows the pace and adds more intricacy than a Verrari artificer. Or maybe just as much as a Gentleman Bastard.

Q1 And if some small part of him felt sour at twisting her emotions (gods damn it, that part of him had rarely spoken up before!) – well, he reminded himself that he could do as he pleased and feel as he pleased while he was Leocanto Kosta. Leocanto Kosta wasn’t real.

Between flirting with Selendri, confronting the horrors of Salon Corbeau and handling a certain cliff-top encounter, Locke’s conscience gets a solid work-out this week. What do you make of our little thief’s elastic ethics? Is he a good man, a good thief, or both?


Q2 “I think Selendri can be sweet-talked, at least a little bit.”

…what do you think? What do you make of Selendri so far?


Q3 “You are thieves. I am offering you a chance to help steal history itself.”

Now that Stragos’s plan is laid bare before us, what do you make of his purported ambitions – and of his strategy for achieving them?


Q4 “Then I may report to my masters that the plan is underway?”

How many different factions do you think are in play at this stage? Any ideas who Merrain might be working for?


Optional extra: Now let’s be frivolous. How cool are Verrari job titles? Eye of the Archon. Consulting Poisoner. Second Mistress of the Great Guild of Artificers. What would you like your Verrari job title be?

[Lisa]

Here's my Week 2 post! http://overtheeffingrainbow.co.uk/201...

[imyril]

Week 2 post is over here - passing the hosting baton to @coolcurry for next week!

(it is now official: the release of The Thorn of Emberlain has been pushed back to the autumn)

[Sarah]

My week 2 post is here - https://theillustratedpage.wordpress....

[Susan]

Here's my Week 2: https://dabofdarkness.com/2016/05/12/...

[Sarah]

The questions for Week 3 are under the spoiler tags:

(view spoiler)[Locke risked his entire role as Ravelle by giving the dead sailors the blessing of the Thirteenth. How much of his conscience do you think is tied up in his priesthood?

Stragos's plan to set Locke up as a pirate captain has gone disastrously wrong. Do you think there's any chance of Locke getting the plan back on track?

What do you think of the Poison Orchid? Any opinions on Ezri Delmastro or Zamira Drakasha? Have they been all that you've expected of pirates?

The ending of this section has a rift growing between Locke and Jean. Any ideas as to the cause and to the end result?

Finally, any further thoughts on who Merrian is working for? (hide spoiler)]

[Tiara]

Didn't realize we hadn't posted our week two to the group, yet! It's been a busy week for us. Here we go:

https://bibliosanctum.com/2016/05/12/...

And we'll have this week up on Thursday.

[imyril]

Week 3 post is here

Locke swashbuckling with a barrel! <3

But mostly, I'm dancing around the room at being back aboard with Zamira, Ezri and Treganne.

[Sarah]

Here's my week three post! - https://theillustratedpage.wordpress....

[imyril]

I'm being super organised (which sounds better than I'm procrastinating, y/y?) so have some week 4 questions...

(view spoiler)[
We get to know the crew of the Poison Orchid - and get a glimpse of other crews ashore in Port Prodigal. What do you think of the pirates? Any particular favourites?

Strange things happen at sea. How did you find the Parlour Passage?

Rodanov has a double-agent aboard Drakasha's ship. Any idea what Utgar's orders might be?

We end up where we started - back on the docks with a crossbow stand-off. Now you know how we got here, do you have any change of heart on where Jean stands?

(hide spoiler)]

[Susan]

Here's my week 3 - https://dabofdarkness.com/2016/05/25/...

Sorry for posting late - medical stuff.

[Lisa]

Here's my week 4 post: http://overtheeffingrainbow.co.uk/201...

[imyril]

>40 sorry you've been in the wars - hope you're on the mend.

Week 4: http://onemore.org/2016/05/26/red-sea...

[imyril]

Also, we're only a week left to run, it's time to ask about The Republic of Thieves... Story-wise it follows straight on from Red Seas (no two year gap), but we now know The Thorn of Emberlain won't be out until September. So if you are drowning in books and need a break, we could take one!

Let me know what you'd rather. It breaks down as 6 weeks of roughy 100 pages per week - so slightly easier pace than Seas.

[Lisa]

June is going to be pretty jam-packed for me, so if we could wait at least until July that would be good?

[Sarah]

Here's my Week 4 post - https://theillustratedpage.wordpress....

I'm fine starting The Republic of Thieves whenever. July sounds fine.

[Susan]

Sorry again for posting late - my week 4: https://dabofdarkness.com/2016/05/28/...

[imyril]

We're reaching the end of our stay on the Sea of Brass. Questions for the final week:

(view spoiler)[
1. Backstabbing! Rodanov & Jacqueline Colvard plot against Drakasha as soon as she's over the horizon. Were you surprised?

2. Thieves prosper. The rich remember. Did Ravelle make a good pirate in the end?

3. A glass raised to air for a fallen friend. Given our discussions about Nazca, how do you feel about Ezri?

4. At the end, our thieves have successfully delivered a revolution and been disappointed in all their hopes. How do you feel about the outcome? (hide spoiler)]

[imyril]

Separate thread set up for The Republic of Thieves!
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Lisa]

Here's my final week post! http://overtheeffingrainbow.co.uk/201...

[imyril]

And me: https://onemore.org/2016/06/02/red-se...