I have been reading Scott Lynch's Red Seas Under Red Skies, the sequel to his terrific The Lies of Locke Lamora. Lynch's writing style is clever and fun, and though the books are quite large, they are quick reads since the reader never has a chance to get bored.
Lynch does commit what I consider to be some rather large mistakes, but he does so in such a delightful way that the typical reader would not even notice. The biggest mistake in my opinion has been to make the main character have abilities that are simply too good to be true, and thus the character becomes unbelievable. For example, he enters the most prestigious gambling den in the world and some guards who are supposed to be the very height of professionalism thoroughly search him. Later when he meets the owner he amazes the guy and shows his guards to be inept by pulling out five different packs of playing cards from various parts of this clothing. Sorry, but this is flat-out unbelievable. It did pull me temporarily out of the story, even if most readers would just accept it.
He also makes use quite often of deus ex machina, which is considered a particularly egregious crime by today's writing standards. The main character is always getting himself into situations that feel impossible to get out of, and only after he has miraculously escaped do we find out some pertinent information that makes perfect sense as to why he could escape.
I'm not complaining, really, as Lynch manages to weave such a wonderful story that he simply proves that not all rules can be set in stone. Despite my nitpicks, I still think he is one of the very best of the newer fantasy authors, and readers will generally love his work.
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A Crumby Deal
9 hours ago
Red Seas Under Red Skies blew me away when I read it. I loved it...
ReplyDeleteIt sounds pretty amazing if you can still love the writing while simultaneously not believing in the characters. LOL. I guess that's quite unique, and probably very hard to pull off! If her weren't a fantasy writer, I'd probably check him out. It sounds interesting ... Hmm ... do you read anything other than fantasy? It sounds like you have some pretty interesting taste! I like off-beat tastes :o)
ReplyDeleteJessica, you should check out my Goodreads list. I think I have well over 300 books listed so far that I have read, and they are not all fantasy. I do love fantasy the most, though!
ReplyDeleteOkay! Will do! :o)
ReplyDeleteI guess with some things one just has to suspend belief.
ReplyDeleteThis is interesting. I think it points heavily toward how much being a writer changes you as a reader. I find myself questioning a lot of things that I never would have worried about before.
ReplyDeleteExactly right, Matt! It isn't a huge deal for me, except that I now notice all these things that I would have glossed right over previously.
ReplyDeletekinda ruins reading for you a bit, huh?
ReplyDeletebut on the plus side- when you come across particulary magnificent writing, you truly appreciate it on a whole new level!:)
I agree with you and Matthew. I notice many more things than I used to while reading, and think "How do they get away with that?" I don't think it ruins the reading per se, but it makes me more aware of the "how", and if it's really good (or really bad) I have to go back and figure out the technique that led to it.
ReplyDeleteI can't say I'm much of a fan of revealing the secrets afterward, though, without some kind of foreshadowing, no matter how subtle. I feel like the post-reveal is kind of a writerly cop-out, or a "whoops" moment.
So, despite all of that, you're still giving the book a thumbs-up? Maybe I'll have to check it out.
Rosie, I think Lynch gets away with it because of the way he has developed the character. You just know that Locke will constantly get himself into impossible jams and somehow find a clever way out. It's just the way it works for him, so in a sense that serves as the foreshadowing.
ReplyDeleteI think those flaws would bother me too, but I'm going to check this out anyway.
ReplyDeleteNew follower...
demitrialunetta.blogspot.com
those secret pockets are feel proof. they are also airport full body scanner proof.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Demitria, though I would try The Lies of Locke Lamora first.
ReplyDeleteBudd, those are some pretty amazing pockets!
Ha! Am reading something with similar problems. It is an angle of tomorrow's blog (a rare planned topic), in fact. I will give you a link back as evidence I'm not the only one bothered by 'too good to be true' ('bout 13 hours from now)
ReplyDeleteI have to say I did not enjoy Lies. The writing was fine, but the story was just barely interesting enough to keep me reading. My big gripe is that it only qualifies as fantasy on a few small technicalities. The fantastic elements are so minimal, so downplayed that I did not feel I was reading fantasy but more like an alternate universe historical fiction with a only few small details that were supernatural in any way. That's all well and good, I suppose, but it's not what I read fantasy for. Also, the villain was pathetically uninteresting. Lynch is a decent writer, but he lost me as a reader.
ReplyDeleteInteresting and mixed reviews. Those flaws are things I hope to avoid.
ReplyDelete