History Literature / RedSeasUnderRedSkies

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Locke brings this up when comparing the game of HumanChess in Salon Corbeau to {{Wretched Hive}}s like Camorr or Tal Verrar. The latter locations regularly host gladiatorial fights and gruesome spectacle punishments, but at least gladiators chose to fight for cash and glory and the condemned are at least accused of an actual crime. The chess game, in comparison, exists for no reason other than to inflict brutal and humiliating punishments for the piece-actors who are simply down on their luck peasants in need of food and shelter. Camorr may be brutal, but even there you wouldn't see an innocent old woman beaten half to death while a crowd looks on a cheers.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Locke admits that even {{Wretched Hive}}s like Camorr or Tal Verrar would not allow the game of HumanChess in Salon Corbeau, where the piece-actors are routinely beaten, sometimes to death.

* AnAxeToGrind: The Wicked Sisters.

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire''

* UglyGuyHotWife: Requin is described as looking like a puppet put together by a particularly incompetent puppeteer. Selendri was drop-dead gorgeous before a botched assassination attempt left her severely scarred. Nevertheless, the two are completely and utterly devoted to each other.

* ICallItVera: The Wicked Sisters

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Locke admits the game of HumanChess in Salon Corbeau where the piece-actors are routinely beaten, sometimes to death, and subject to all kinds of misery is too evil to be practiced by anyone else and harshly punished by law even in Camorr or Tal Verrar. If something is '''''too evil''''' for the [[EvilChancellor ruthless tyrants]] or [[TheDon mob bosses]] in said places, you know it crossed the MoralEventHorizon.
* GenderIsNoObject: The tradition of the Twelve Gods ''requires'' at least one woman per ship, preferably an officer.

* KillTheOnesYouLove / MercyKill: [[spoiler: Jean must kill Ezri because she is burned so badly that she is dying in agony]]

* TwoFaced: Selendri.
* UnholyMatrimony: Requin and Selendri.

* MercyKill: [[spoiler: Jean is forced to do this for Ezri.]]

The second of seven novels in [[GentlemanBastard The Gentleman Bastard Sequence]], by Scott Lynch. First published in 2007.

* ActionGirl: Ezri, Zamira and Selendri.

* AlliterativeName - Locke Lamora
* AnAxeToGrind - The Wicked Sisters.
* BigBadFriend - Jean [[spoiler: pretends that he]] becomes this in the prologue.
* BittersweetEnding - [[spoiler: Though both Jean and Locke are poisoned, Locke tricks Jean into taking the antidote (they only have enough for one person), and Jean has lost the woman he loved.]]
* BrainsAndBrawn - Zig-zagged. Jean is clearly the brawn, but also has the better book education of the two and is shown to plan and execute perfectly workable heists of his own. However, he lacks Locke's genius when it comes to planning, and is not as good at thinking on his feet when the plan deteriorates.
* CarryingTheAntidote - [[spoiler: Though he only carried enough for one person.]]

* GenderIsNoObject - The tradition of the Twelve Gods ''requires'' at least one woman per ship, preferably an officer.
* HowWeGotHere - Every other chapter is a flashback to the events immediately after the first book.
* ICallItVera - The Wicked Sisters
* InMediasRes - ''Red Seas'' starts with Locke and Jean already deep into their plan to cheat their way up into Requin's office.
* KillTheOnesYouLove / MercyKill - [[spoiler: Jean must kill Ezri because she is burned so badly that she is dying in agony]]

* OutGambitted - The Priori suffer this when they attempt to [[spoiler: kill Locke after he helped get rid of Stragos]]

* TemptingFate - While pretending to be pirate captain, Locke and Jean sailing into a storm. Jean confidently asserts that Caldris, and experienced sailor and the only one on the ship who knows that they're faking, will be able to handle it. [[spoiler: And then Caldris staggers in and dies of a heart attack.]]
* TwoFaced - Selendri.
* UnholyMatrimony - Requin and Selendri.
* YouDontWantToCatchThis - Locke and Jean pretend to contract Slipskin, which appears akin to leprosy.

* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse - Locke

The second of seven novels in [[GentlemanBastard The Gentleman Bastard Sequence]], by Scott Lynch. First published in 2007. http://www.scottlynch.us/books.html#redseas

In the aftermath of the Falconer's demise, Locke and Jean head to Tal Verrar for another, even bigger, con. They lie and cheat their way through a gambling house no thief has ever survived an attempt to rob, and in which cheating has a death sentence. They are deterred, however, by someone looking for their expertise - they are coerced into masquerade as pirates in the Sea of Brass. Meanwhile, they are being pursued by the last people any sane person would ever offend... the ruthless Bondsmagi of Karthain.

* BrainsAndBrawn - Zig-zagged. Jean is clearly the brawn, but also has the better book education of the two, is shown to come up with and execute perfectly adequate heists of his own. Locke is BookDumb, but a criminal mastermind who makes [[SherlockHolmes Professor Moriarty]] look like Marv from ''HomeAlone'' by comparison.

* BrainsAndBrawn - Locke and Jean respectively. Though Jean actually has the better formal education, Locke is clearly the planner.

In the aftermath of the Falcon's demise, Locke and Jean head to Tal Verrar for another, even bigger, con. They lie and cheat their way through a gambling house no thief has ever survived an attempt to rob, and in which cheating has a death sentence. They are deterred, however, by someone looking for their expertise - they are coerced into masquerade as pirates in the Sea of Brass. Meanwhile, they are being pursued by the last people any sane person would ever offend... the ruthless Bondsmagi of Karthain.

* ImpossibleThief: Locke's steals [[spoiler: four purses, a knife, two bottles of wine, a pewter mug, a brooch, gold pins, earrings (while they were being ''worn''), a bolt of silk, a box of sweetmeats, two loaves of bread, and the necklace of the mistress of the governor: she ''was'' wearing it at the time. "In the governor's manor.... In the governor's bed.... With the governor sleeping next to her."]]. In four hours. While he was half-''drunk''.

* BeyondTheImpossible: Locke's steals [[spoiler: four purses, a knife, two bottles of wine, a pewter mug, a brooch, gold pins, earrings (while they were being ''worn''), a bolt of silk, a box of sweetmeats, two loaves of bread, and the necklace of the mistress of the governor: she ''was'' wearing it at the time. "In the governor's manor.... In the governor's bed.... With the governor sleeping next to her."]]. In four hours. While he was half-''drunk''.