It’s the third week of the Republic of Thieves Read-Along and we’re over half way through the book. Week one was all about getting to know the characters again while week two was all about revealing Sabetha. As the story unfolds we find out more about Locke and Sabetha’s shared history and I can only hold my head in my hands as I read Locke’s romantic endeavours… Clockwork maids sound better and better 
Locke and Jean also find out that Sabetha might just outwit them in the election. Again clockwork maids would be easier to deal with. This week’s questions come from the fabulous Lynn over at Lynn’s Book Blog.
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’s plan was pretty much in line from what I expected from her – mindbogglingly thorough and ruthlessly executed. At first I had to laugh because it was ingenious and over the top and unexpected and then I admired it. As soon as she separated Locke from Jean, alarm bells were ringing. She suckered him in with his desires and put him out to sea… I was staggered at that turn of events.
Overall it was well-thought out and executed with every detail thought of… apart from Locke’s ability to improvise his way out of things although she placed spies on the city wall so I guess she anticipated it might happen. So it was mostly air-tight. Her reasoning for the plan was to both win the election and keep Locke from hurting himself and while the first point is fine the second one makes her seem like an abusive wife!!!
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?
This is the weekly Eldren question and whenever that crops up in every read-along I start babbling on about Lovecraftian things like shoggoths, fishmen and elder gods.
I hope the lights relate to the Eldren. Do you know what the lights were? Probably creatures. Evil sea creatures. But I secretly hope that they are the bright lights of the sunken city of R’lyeh or the dread creatures that lurk in it.
Oh R’lyeh? Yes.
Check the city out! We should all head there once it rises out of the sea. Just be careful when traversing odd angles.
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?
The three have been apart for so long and through so much that I bet if Locke and Jean had been false-facing Sabetha might not have known it was them. I thought the meeting went as well as it could. Again, they have spent a lot of time apart and a lot of stuff has happened, they have lost a lot of people, and now they are together again so of course there is going to be distance between them. Jean’s reaction, when seen in the context of the fact that they have been pitched against each other as rivals by the Bondsmagi, is perfectly reasonable because he knows how dangerous she can be and Locke won’t be cool. If Locke had adopted his caution then they wouldn’t have had a boat trip!
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?
The justice system seems to be in line with the brutality of the world the gang inhabit. Because Espara is a dirt town (in comparison to Camorr) where rich and poor are more likely to rub shoulders, justice must be draconian to keep people in their places. Filthy commoners
The gang just have to be that little bit more careful with the way they interact with the locals because they are far from home and foreigners.
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 actually like these scenes a lot. I think the storyline is perfect for the characters. They all have to act out roles when False Facing and it is fun to see the gang actually have to play identities not created by them and get to grips with a text – motivation, performance etc. The interludes will probably culminate in a performance.
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?
Moncraine is an arrogant ass. Sorry, I know he’s meant to be a melodramatic genius thespian but he is way too arrogant – what type of person would sacrifice their hand for their pride?!?!? That written, you’ve got to have an ego to get ahead in acting but it’s going to cause trouble if it isn’t kept under control. More drama for the GBs!
Boulidazi is danger writ large. He comes across as a brute and despite pretensions, he’s a fighter. Our dynamic duo Sabetha and Locke are running a dangerous con here and he will have to be treated carefully because if he finds out that a con is on and he’s the mark he can bring pain both judicially and personally to the dynami… I mean, dysfunctional duo. MORE drama for the GBs!
None of the other characters have really grabbed me. Chantal and her husband, maybe. I just imagine them to be a cool couple.
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?
Gods, emotions are messy. The rooftop apology was pretty much the continuation of the omnishambles that is Locke’s attempt to get closer to Sabetha. Here’s some prime British comedy to explain what I think of Locke’s chat-up techniques:
This is a continuation of the idea that the two are really blind to each other and others, only interested in their own interpretations of the world, painfully self-conscious and quite self-absorbed. So Locke has this image of Sabetha as a Goddess and doesn’t realise she’s a girl with thoughts and feelings and he runs into a major hang-up Sabetha has – one based on a horrific fact – that has defined her life. I don’t think he could have avoided it unless he was really aware of what happened to girls like Sabetha and it’s never established if he is or not.
Sabetha is like some impossible video game where the levels keep getting harder with some beast of a boss at the end. Seriously Locke, play something else! If she is still a tsundere, she ain’t as cute as this one!
Enough from me, here are the answers from the rest!
