Today at Veni, Vidi, Legi: Roman Blood by Steven Saylor

5 stars for Roman Blood by Steven Saylor

Today at Veni, Vidi, Legi: The King's Gambit by John Maddox Roberts

5.0 stars for The King's Gambit by John Maddox Roberts

Today at Veni, Vidi, Legi: The Silver Pigs by Lindsey Davis

5 Stars for The Silver Pigs by Lindsey Davis

Today at Veni, Vidi, Legi . . . A Season For The Dead by David Hewson

4.5 Stars for A Season For The Dead by David Hewson

The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch: Part 5

If you haven't read the book, or the whole series, why not? This week the links to the other posts can be found at Tethyan Books.

This week we read through to the end of the book. Sob! 

1. The Republic of Thieves:  It’s the first and final performance!  What did you think of the play?  Were you entertained, or eager to get on with the rest of the story?  Also, how do you feel about how the play fits in the novel, in terms of the story and the characters who play the parts?

I thought that it had a rather Shakespearean feel to the language and structure. I particularly liked the ghosts remaining on stage to ‘oversee’ their murderers’ actions. I was surprised, but delighted, to see an acknowledgment to Anthony Sher and his book Year of the King, which talks about his portrayal of Richard III. I can see how Mr Lynch used it to make the stage work seem realistic.

It was good to get an idea of the play’s story and I enjoyed following the increasing tension as the performers tried to keep Boulidazi ‘alive’. However, I did start to feel that there was a little too much of it included in the book, especially the rehearsals. I suppose that it was fitting that Locke and Sabetha ended up as the leading players, and they certainly added some realistic snogging to their roles, but other than that I did not find too many connections.

2. The Other Performance:  Of course, the GB and company had another important performance to get through—the one that ensures none of them end up hanged!  What was your favorite part of this scheme?  Do you agree with their plan for dealing with Moncraine’s treachery?

I loved the idea to have ‘Boulidazi’ appear in stage because it was so bold. I also laughed a lot at the scenes in the bathhouse and Moncraine’s moaning, and not just at what he was saying. It was an excellent use of Boulidazi’s well known character against him. None of the hirelings batted an eyelid at such scandalous behavior because they were so used to seeing it.

I am afraid that I did agree with their scheme to place all the blame on Moncraine. The man was completely narcissistic and deserved to be paid back for betraying his company yet again. No doubt he will take the money and run, so he might be able to avoid justice, but there was no reason to make things any more comfortable for him. Also, it played on everyone’s opinion of his character and so was totally believable.

3. The Election:  It seems Lovaris was indeed the final trick, and the election is over.  Are you satisfied with how things turned out? Do you wish that the election had focused more on the political problems of Karthain, or are you satisfied with the mudslinging and pranks that went on between Locke and Sabetha?

I can see how this was the only thing that they could possibly offer to Lovaris: total control of all decisions until the next election. It was very smart and a neat way to get around the supposed democracy of Karthain.

Unfortunately, having lived in the US through the 2012 campaign, I can see many similarities to this election competition. I certainly got the impression that the Republicans had little interest in presenting a political debate of any type, relying on using their bottomless funds to spread misinformation and effectively attempt to ‘buy’ the election. They repeatedly treated the electorate as gullible idiots who would simply concentrate on the next shiny, sparkly object to float past. It was a similar lack of respect for the voters that led them to think that Sarah Palin would be a suitable counterpoint to Hilary Clinton . . . Their attempts at Voter ID legislation were just a slightly more subtle version of some of the tricks that we saw at play in Karthain. I spent many an unhappy hour ranting about why the election was not being fought over policy rather than meaningless promises and empty rhetoric.

4. The War: Do you have any speculation on what specific issues might have escalated the two Bondsmagi factions rivalry into this kind of violence?  What do you think the surviving Bondsmagi will do next, with all their gathered money and knowledge?

It seems that Patience’s led the majority, conservative faction, who hold a genuine fear of what might happen if the Bondsmagi were to use too much power and attract the big bad that destroyed the Eldren. The opposition are much bolder and less eager to settle for taking a backseat in the affairs of the world. They believe that they are more powerful than ‘normal’ humans and so should rule the world. In many ways, I see a parallel to the Jedi and Sith of the Star Wars universe.

It sounds as if they have decided to withdraw from the world and concentrate on sitting quietly in the dark with their eyes closed. I assume that they will also have their fingers and toes crossed that they can remain quiet enough to avoid the apocalypse they fear. It would make sense that they would also spend time assessing their training techniques and finding safeguards to try to minimize the rise of more psychopaths like The Falconer.

5. Patience: Given the final revelation that Patience does hate Locke for what he did to the Falconer, what do you make of her behavior towards Locke throughout the book?  Do you think her plan of vengeance is well suited to Locke?  What do you make of the Black Amaranth story now, as well as the prophecy she threw on top? 

I can see how she would be massively conflicted by who she says Locke is and by what he did to her son. Although the Falconer has become everything that she abhors in a Bondsmage, he is still her son and Locke did treat him mercilessly. I was not at all surprised that she threw them out penniless and destitute, because I had no faith that she would ever play nice with them even if they had one the election. However, our boys are resourceful so I do not have much worry about them being able to beg, borrow or steal a crust of bread or two.

To my way of thinking, the revelation of her anger towards Locke adds weight to the Black Amaranth story. Otherwise, it makes no sense that Patience would not simply kill, torture or maim Locke at the very first opportunity. The revelation of his previous identity has no doubt saved his life and so I believe that she thinks that it is true. Her prophecy suggests that Locke has a great destiny, but that seems quite reasonable to me . . . as does her prediction that he will lose it all! :D

6. The Epilogue: Speaking of vengeance, do you think the Falconer’s vengeance against his mother was merited or excessively cruel, given the circumstances?  On that note, how do you feel about the Falconer’s transformation and possible status as a continuing villain?

Sorry, but I have to say this:

“WTF? OMG! OMG! T1000! OMG! WTF? OMG! WTF? So cool! WTF? OMG! OMG! OMG! YUCK!”

I believe that this is a reliable representation of my stream of consciousness during this section of the book, although I have shortened it a little.

If we did not already have the impression of The Falconer as a psychotic madman, then we surely do now! I found it interesting to discover that his use of animals was considered something of a no-no amongst the Bondsmagi and yet his mother did not really make much of an effort to stop him doing it. Of course, this may have been because the only alternative was his death, but it does mean that I hold her partly responsible for her own downfall. Her death was unnecessarily cruel, but I think that the Falconer is not exactly the most reasonable of people, so I was not really surprised.

Obviously, I am now rather scared for the world because he is going to have a great time creating a huge amount of havoc, especially as the other Bondsmagi may not be available to keep him in check. However, his use of the dreamsteel was undoubtedly very, very cool and his new T1000-like abilities will certainly make him entertaining to read about.

7. Wrapping up:  Thus ends the third book in the Gentleman Bastard sequence.  How do you think it compares with the first two?  In the end, do you prefer the Espara storyline or the Karthain storyline, or did you like them both equally?

I always find this kind of question difficult to answer when I really, really love a writer’s works because it is so difficult to understand why I respond to them as I do. In terms of tone and writing style, I think all three are fairly evenly balanced, but I felt that this one edged ahead of the others because of its exploration of our lead male characters. Revisiting Chains and the Sanzas was also a great selling point, as was finally meeting Sabetha, but my main enjoyment came from getting a deeper understanding of both Locke and Jean. In line with this thought, I enjoyed both of the storylines and appreciated what they revealed about our boys.

The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch: Part 4

If you haven't read the book, or the whole series, why not join in and read along with the rest of us? This week the links to the other posts can be found at the Little Red Reviewer.

This week we read through to the end of Chapter 10.

1. We finally know why Sabetha dies her hair, and that's so disturbing even the Thiefmaker under Shade's Hill was disgusted by it. Too dark for this world? Or just right?

Unfortunately, it was pretty much what I expected. I say this because there is a similar tradition in Africa where sex with a virgin is supposed to cure all manner of sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS. I thought the mutilation beforehand added a certain extra layer of cruelty that I had not expected though. As you say, it has to be really bad if even the Thiefmaker is appalled by it.

One thing did surprise me about this though: it is very misogynistic, which seems a little at odds with the world in general. So far I have been rather impressed by the sexual equality that we have seen, although Moncraine’s comment later in the section did hint at a background of sexism.

2. The "Asino" brothers are drunken idiots, but they're not blind. What did you think of the little rendezvous they helped arrange for Sabetha and Locke?

I thought it was rather sweet of them and surprisingly considerate. It also showed that they are much less self-obsessed than you would think, and have genuine compassion for others. This showed up again in their happiness that Jean had got himself a girlfriend. Of course, the venue that they chose was not exactly romantic, but it seemed more than adequate and was probably more spacious than the backseat of a car! :D

3. Locke managed to get everyone out of the Boulidazi mess we discussed last week . . . what do you think of this latest  Boulidazi complication?

As it turned out, the cliffhanger last week was pretty tame compared to this one. While I will not shed a single tear for Boulidazi, I am much more concerned about how they will wriggle out of this latest disaster. Travelling in his head was a singularly unpleasant experience, so the outcome was a lot less bloody than I had expected: I assumed that the Sisters would come into play and leave a bit of a mess.

I enjoyed seeing the whole gang acting together, just like Chains wanted them to, although I suspect that he would be a little disappointed in what brought them together. Just as I was beginning to feel all smug that they had everything worked out we get the final spanner in the works and now they look totally stuffed. However, I have faith that they will escape relatively unscathed and not just because we know that they survive this little hiccup in their plans.

4.Time is flying, and the election is getting closer. Desperation calls for cheap tricks. I think my favorite so far is Sabetha's special roof guards. What's your favorite election dirty trick so far?

I have to agree that the geriatric roof guards were a masterly stroke, but I think the snakes in Locke’s carriage are my favorite. I appreciated the way that Sabetha could get the carriage adjusted so quickly, although I did feel a little sorry for the poor reptiles . . .

I am afraid that the one that made me laugh the most was Locke’s rather personal way of manipulating Sabetha’s major domo. When it got to the bit about them going upstairs, I’m afraid I was in great danger of soiling myself at the mental image it conjured for me! :D

5.There's a mole in the Deep Roots. Was that person's identity a surprise to you? And how did you like Locke's method of identifying the person?

I thought it was pretty obvious that the raging drug addict was going to be exploited as a mole. In fact, I was surprised that it took so long for Sabetha’s bought policeman to corner the sweaty little weasel. I was rather disappointed that Locke and Jean did not keep a close enough eye on him when he was obviously suffering from withdrawal symptoms: it seemed rather sloppy to me.

Locke used the same method that I would have to uncover their little leak, although the increased sweating and nervousness would have been a bit of a clue as well. Again, I was genuinely surprised that they had not guessed before having it confirmed. However, it is possible that they were being sarcastic and that their insistence on his going cold turkey was a plan to make him an obvious target for blackmail. Or perhaps I am overthinking things . . .

6.What's so important about this Lovaris fellow? The election is right around the corner, so why introduce someone new so late in the game?

I am not sure if this is a double cross, triple cross or quadruple cross. I realized a long time ago that trying to guess where we would go next is a fruitless task with Mr Lynch, so I will simply sit back and enjoy the ride.

7. It's so nice that Locke and Sabetha can finally have some nice, normal dinner dates. He even cooks her dinner! But that sneaky Patience, always interrupting everything! Finally, she promises some answers. that's nice. what, Locke is WHO? Locke is a WHAT? How much of it do you believe?

I loved their romantic dates and a man who can cook is always a prize catch in my opinion. I was disappointed that Patience turned up when she did and I do worry that this is a misdirection to put a wedge between Locke and Sabetha . . . However, I find it hard to believe that Patience would go to all the trouble that she has in getting Locke to Karthain unless she had a really, really good reason.

Well played, Mr Lynch, well played: you have left me totally amazed and confused with my mouth hanging open . . .

The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch: Part 3

If you haven't read the book, or the whole series, why not join in and read along with the rest of us? This week the links to the other posts can be found at Lynn's Book Blog.

This week we read through to the end of Aurin & Amadine.

1. The election competition.  Sabetha isn’t wasting any time throwing pranks at Locke and Jean.  Mostly it seemed fairly harmless, or at least not overly serious, until they were kidnapped and put onto a ship and taken out to sea.  What did you make of Sabetha’s latest plan? And what did you think about the way she executed it?

Sabetha is obviously a meticulous planner with a great eye for detail and she knows her marks inside and out. Her plans for the ‘cruise’ were almost perfect, but did not account for the almost suicidal tendencies of her prisoners. I am quite sure that she has more nice surprises in store for them: I just hope that Locke is awake and paying full attention now.

2. During the escape overboard and Jean’s rather subtle nose dive into the water - I was curious about the lights Locke saw deep in the water when he was performing his rescue - Locke thought they looked different once he was under the waves which I suppose they would but he also had the feeling that he was being watched?  Do you think this relates back to the Eldren or some other presence?

I found scene that rather creepy as I had a horrible suspicion that the glowing lights were bioluminescent animals with a particular taste for Camorri . . . However, Locke’s reaction to whatever he saw was equally unnerving, so I hope that we eventually find out what he saw. I suppose that it could be something as simple as a sunken or collapsed city, but he made it sound a lot more menacing than that.

3. Given that Locke hadn’t seen Sabetha for five years how did you think their first meeting together went (well, it wasn’t strictly speaking their first meeting of course - were you surprised that Jean and Locke hadn’t figured out that the woman pickpocket was Sabetha?) and also what did you make of Jean and Sabetha’s reaction to each other?

I was a little disappointed that, yet again, I spotted the pick pocket ruse before Locke did: either I am getting seriously clever or he is slipping into his dotage. I thought it was really obvious that the woman would plant something on him during their accidental collision, and that she was actually Sabetha. I do hope that this does not mean that Mr Lynch is getting sloppy . . .

Although I can sympathize with Locke a little, I do think that he is still completely blind to Sabetha’s massive advantage in this competition. He walked into a very neat trap and she played him beautifully: I was actually shouting “No! Don’t do it!” as he started to nuzzle at her neck. What a total idiot! I have no idea why he cannot bring himself to distrust her, but I hope that his dunk in the ocean has awoken his more careful side and made him realize that ha cannot afford to let his guard down around her.

It was very noticeable that she did not try to charm Jean at all: she obviously knew that he would be too difficult to trick. I have a feeling that Jean is not blind to Sabetha’s ability to mess with them and she realizes that he is on his guard around her at all times.

4. So, the gang have arrived in Espara and already the plans have gone wrong through no fault of their own!  Jail for a year plus lose a hand for slapping a noble?? What do you think of the justice system in Espara and how does this bode for the gang?

As the lawyer points out, the high and mighty are more than happy to make laws unequal so that they can beat on the lower orders, so it was not a huge surprise to me. I believe we also heard that dueling was a constant issue in the city because everyone is so touchy about his or her honor, so that would add weight to the need to save face if one was struck by a peasant.

The justice system seems much the same as the other ones we have come across. It seems merciless, but is actually fairly open to corruption and bribery, so they should be able to navigate it without too much trouble, if they can keep their collective noses reasonably clean.

5. The acting company are finally coming together and we’re watching the gang as they try to read, act and grab the best parts - are you all ‘happy face’ with the whole theatre scenes or, sad face!  Also, I can’t help feeling like this whole storyline is a step out of character for the gang.  Any ideas of how it will play out??

I am a long time fan of the theatre, so I find it quite funny watching people rehearse something akin to Shakespeare. I especially loved all the byplay with Sylvanos: there were lots of great insults to savor. I can understand what you mean about it being a little out of character for the Bastards, but I can also see how it will improve their ability to play a role convincingly. Acting is a skilled craft, after all, so learning some of the tricks of the trade will be very useful for them. I can also imagine that it will give them an insight into psychology and how to manipulate a mark effortlessly.

I thought it was interesting that Jean was marked as useless acting material. He does play a much narrower selection of roles, most often playing the less flashy, supporting role while Locke hams it up with gay abandon hogging all the attention. Somehow this is quite endearing as it shows how ‘honest’ Jean’s underlying character is in comparison to the others.

6. We are also being introduced to a number of new characters, particularly Moncraine and Boulidazi.  What are your first impressions of these two and the other new characters in the Company and any particular likes or dislikes so far?

Most of the actors are great fun and I particularly like Sylvanos and Bertrand. However, my favorite aspect of the group is that they all know each other so well that the banter is sparkling and very edgy. Terrific! :D

Boulidazi strikes me as someone to keep an eye on. Moncraine is obviously as mad as a ferret, but I think his assessment of his new partner is not far from the truth. He is not trustworthy and there is something slimy feeling about him.

7. The rooftop scene and the apology.  How did it all go so wrong?  And how will Locke get out of this latest fix with Boulidazi?

I suppose it would have been far too easy for Locke’s apology to work properly and let him sweep Sabetha off her feet. Obviously the poor guy is totally unaware of what is so significant about redheads, but I hope we find out why it makes Sabetha so very angry. I wonder if the Sanzas will be able to enlighten him . . .

As I said, I do not trust Boulidazi and I thought it rather presumptuous of him to ask Locke if he could have a go at Sabetha after that single, rather short, meeting. That does not seem like the behavior of a nice person to me. Perhaps Locke can persuade him that they were rehearsing? Otherwise I fear that Mr Lamora is due to get a new set of lumps and bruises.

Other Thoughts

Well, I think we finally got out answer to the “Did they?” question. However, I feel as if there is still a lot for us to learn about the relationship, and I can only imagine how often Locke managed to say totally the wrong thing and cause a giant argument.