Illicit Alliance by Rukis
Topics: Pirates, Subterfuge, Gay, Straight
Genre: Drama, History-inspired
Age Rating: 18+ for explicit sex and artwork
You might enjoy this book if you like:
-Stories inspired by history
-Super complex characters
-Subterfuge and sword fights
-Violence and sobering brutality
-Drinking rum like it's oxygen
Review Summary:
Illicit Alliance is a thrilling, swashbuckling entry in Rukis's Red Lantern universe, and a great place to start for people who are just getting into the series (though I'd personally still recommend Heretic for that). Rukis continues to show why she's one of the masters of furry fiction, with intricate, morally grey characters who tear at the heartstrings and a world that uses its roots in historical fiction to beautiful effect. This book is a deep dive on Grayson Reed, the roguish privateer who appears in many of the other Red Lantern novels, so you can expect a lot of sailing, fighting, sex, and moral complexity. Not to mention we get more on this saga's signature character, Luther, and some insight on a new character (at least one I haven't seen before), Lotus. The book is a great time, with plenty of thrills, sexy moments, and the complex character drama Rukis is known for.
Full Review
God I love Rukis's books.
It's been a while since I read one, being caught up in the flood of fantastic new releases lately. But finally I put those on hold to get back to the Red Lantern universe and continue this saga. Considering Windrose, the novel-treatment of the original Red Lantern graphic novel, is coming next year, I think it's high time I start catching up on this series. I don't think that's going to be a problem, because I get so immersed in these books that I forget time exists and end up late to the office (it happened twice).
Illicit Alliance is narrated, in the first-person style Rukis is so stellar with, by Grayson Reed. Reed is the admiral of a privateer ship, working for whoever offers him a good contract. He's an atheist, an anarchist, and an alcoholic, but while he can sometimes be a bit of an ass, I wouldn't describe him as an asshole. While he has a figurative cargo hold full of his own demons, and is also plagued by a condition that gives him random seizures, he's seemingly having a bit more fun in this world than most of the long suffering characters I've met so far in this series, and that makes him a rather interesting guy to follow. (Emphasis on "seemingly")
The book starts with him royally screwing up. Luther, a pirate hunter who appears at some point in many of the Red Lantern novels, has been on his tail, and Reed needs to shake him. In a misguided attempt to do so, he tries to blackmail Luther with evidence of his homosexuality. If you're familiar with Luther, you know how much of a bad idea that is. One thing leads to another, and Grayson finds himself woefully outmatched by Luther, as well as by a fellow admiral privateer, Lotus. He's quickly subdued into joining them in an illicit alliance (roll credits!) to hunt down a very evil pirate--a dhole named Roccosal.
Because see, while Grayson and Lotus are privateers, reveling in the freedom of the seas and in the work they do, they still have a moral code, however grey that code may be. Roccosal might have a code too, but that code includes wanting to own the seas, build an empire of piracy, and bolster the slave trade. Each of our heroes takes particular issue with one of those ambitions in particular, and thus each has a personal investment in taking Roccosal down.
The resulting plan they come up with to try and end his reign of terror is filled with action and subterfuge, and manages to touch on many of the elements of the world of Red Lantern, which can serve as a great introduction to those unfamiliar with the setting. Second to Heretic, this would probably be one of my top recommended books to start the series with because of that. It's a thrilling, swashbuckling ride with lots of tension between the characters and in the mission they've set out on.
But Red Lantern is driven more by its characters than its setting, and while the story here is great, it's Grayson who really shines. Rukis knows how to expertly develop a character through first-person narration. Every character has their own distinct voice, and Grayson's is complex. He's roguish, being witty and charming, but he sometimes stumbles over that roguishness and ends up a bit humiliated. That can make for a comedic voice at times, though that voice never makes the modern narrative sin of minimizing the seriousness of a situation with sarcasm.
To me, the most endearing part of Graysen though is how he acts in the face of that humiliation. He has a lot of humility when it counts. One of the big inciting incidents at the start of the story is in fact him sacrificing his pride to make good on a great wrong he's done to another. You get the impression of someone who has formed a habit of taking hits and rolling with the punches, but also acknowledging the hits that he deserved. It makes him a very likeable character you want to see succeed.
Luther and Lotus, meanwhile, are fascinating characters in their own right. Their backstories are very active. When you learn them, you can see exactly how both of these characters became who they are and what forged their own personal codes, but more importantly how those backstories continue to affect their decisions in the present. For instance, Luther is gay in a society that brands homosexuality as heretical, which makes him willing to do what it takes to survive in a world that hates him, which is part of what makes him not bat an eye at breaking a few eggs and doing a murder on someone every once in a while. Lotus's backstory comes much later in the book, so I won't spoil it here, but you can anticipate some similar active motivation.
(As a side note, I have now read two Red Lantern books where Luther appears as a side character, and in each case you can immediately tell he's from a greater universe, as he is far too developed a character to not be. It's funny every time. The man's got page presence.)
Speaking of Luther, and as another aside, I think Rukis has a wonderful talent for portraying topics we think of as modern in their historical context. This book deals with homosexuality, slavery, disability, family, colonialism, and more--all topics that are discussed fervently in modern times--but Rukis seamlessly portrays these issues in a way that is more accurate to the 17th Century "Age of Sail" that the setting is based on (or at least manages to make it feel that way) while also remaining relatable to modern readers. At the same time, Rukis avoids minimizing the issues or avoiding comparison to their modern day counterparts by showing the similarities in how they affect the lives and mindsets of the POV characters. It's a masterful approach to highlighting modern relevance in historical furry fiction, and to me it's one of the aspects of Rukis's work that further elevates it as exceptional literature.
So if you're looking to get into the Red Lantern saga, Illicit Alliance is a worthy place to start (though I'd personally still recommend Heretic for that). If you're already deep in the Red Lantern sauce, this is well worth a read to see Luther in action as a pirate hunter and to learn more about Grayson Reed, who also makes appearances in the other books. Plus the book is just plain a good time, with some great thrills, sexy moments, and the complex character drama Rukis is known for. It was good to read another one of these. Now I really gotta get around to reading the rest before Windrose comes out…
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