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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
I was disappointed with this book. I could never really get into the story or the characters. They never really did anything!
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
This is my third GGK novel after Tigana and A Brightness Long Ago. Tigana is a top five novel for me and Brightness is probably top 25. That's why it pains me to only give this book three stars.
The pacing until the last quarter was just awful. Tigana was a story of a small group of rebels fighting for their homeland on two simultaneous fronts against evil sorcerers. Brightness tells the tale of a common man thrust into the violent political maneuverings of two mercenary commanders. For the first three quarters of Under Heaven we mostly follow a man trying get some horses to the capital.
There are bright spots in the gloom however, mainly in Li-Mei's struggle for survival in the Bögu lands, and we get Kay's beautiful prose throughout.
The final quarter is what saves this book from a two or even one star review. Our focus shifts from Shen Tai to a larger backdrop of civil war and the future of Kitai which makes for much more interesting reading. Finally, Kay sticks the landing in the novel's final few chapters.
After reading Tigana and A Brightness Long Ago I thought it was a no-brainer to read the rest of GGK's catalogue but it may be a long time before I work up the nerve to read River of Stars, this book's sequel.
The pacing until the last quarter was just awful. Tigana was a story of a small group of rebels fighting for their homeland on two simultaneous fronts against evil sorcerers. Brightness tells the tale of a common man thrust into the violent political maneuverings of two mercenary commanders. For the first three quarters of Under Heaven we mostly follow a man trying get some horses to the capital.
There are bright spots in the gloom however, mainly in Li-Mei's struggle for survival in the Bögu lands, and we get Kay's beautiful prose throughout.
The final quarter is what saves this book from a two or even one star review. Our focus shifts from Shen Tai to a larger backdrop of civil war and the future of Kitai which makes for much more interesting reading. Finally, Kay sticks the landing in the novel's final few chapters.
After reading Tigana and A Brightness Long Ago I thought it was a no-brainer to read the rest of GGK's catalogue but it may be a long time before I work up the nerve to read River of Stars, this book's sequel.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really wanted to get immersed into another Guy Gavriel Kay world.
One of my favourite novels of all time is his Tigana, and The Lions of Al-Rassan and A Song for Arbonne were very enjoyable as well. Unfortunately, well over
ten years ago I had to give up on Sailing to Sarantium because it was trying my patience with such slow story progression.
So time went on, and Guy totally fell of my radar. Until a recent reading slump got me to looking at my past favourite reads and I thought I should give Under Heaven a shot.
Well, either Guy's writing has changed dramatically or I have. Because the number of times I had to reread some paragraphs was beginning to wear on me. I don't remember so many sentences containing so many commas, to the point of having almost a poetic structure, being that prevalent in, say, Tigana.
(sorry for all the commas there, friends.)
In fact, I am sure my younger self would not have enjoyed it, so I'm venturing to say his writing has evolved to a more literary level, which is fine for him and those who dig that.
But it's not for me. Whenever I get to this point I start looking at more reviews and I see there is some lacking of satisfaction where story resolution
comes in. That, and the fact that I've pushed myself through a hundred pages with five hundred on the horizon has chased me off.
It's really too bad, because I certainly liked his story idea from the onset.
Moving on, because, you know, so many books.
One of my favourite novels of all time is his Tigana, and The Lions of Al-Rassan and A Song for Arbonne were very enjoyable as well. Unfortunately, well over
ten years ago I had to give up on Sailing to Sarantium because it was trying my patience with such slow story progression.
So time went on, and Guy totally fell of my radar. Until a recent reading slump got me to looking at my past favourite reads and I thought I should give Under Heaven a shot.
Well, either Guy's writing has changed dramatically or I have. Because the number of times I had to reread some paragraphs was beginning to wear on me. I don't remember so many sentences containing so many commas, to the point of having almost a poetic structure, being that prevalent in, say, Tigana.
(sorry for all the commas there, friends.)
In fact, I am sure my younger self would not have enjoyed it, so I'm venturing to say his writing has evolved to a more literary level, which is fine for him and those who dig that.
But it's not for me. Whenever I get to this point I start looking at more reviews and I see there is some lacking of satisfaction where story resolution
comes in. That, and the fact that I've pushed myself through a hundred pages with five hundred on the horizon has chased me off.
It's really too bad, because I certainly liked his story idea from the onset.
Moving on, because, you know, so many books.
I loved this book. This might be the first book I've read that was set in China, but it won't be the last. The plot centers around Shen Tai, a young man struggling to find his place in the world. When his father, a famous general, dies, he goes west to an old battleground to bury the dead from both sides. He is honored by a gift of 250 "heavenly horses." An extravagant gift that may get him killed.
This book, though complicated with a multi-layered plot and a large cast of characters, was easy to follow and engaging all of the way through. Each strand of the plot was engaging. I didn't find myself impatient to get back to this person or that event, the way I did with some books (like The Stand, for example.) Although some of the loose ends of the plot are tied up a little too neatly at the end, I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in historical fiction, or anyone who likes losing themselves in another world.
This book, though complicated with a multi-layered plot and a large cast of characters, was easy to follow and engaging all of the way through. Each strand of the plot was engaging. I didn't find myself impatient to get back to this person or that event, the way I did with some books (like The Stand, for example.) Although some of the loose ends of the plot are tied up a little too neatly at the end, I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in historical fiction, or anyone who likes losing themselves in another world.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
A young man decides to honour his dead father by burying the bones of both sides still lying on the site of a far-off border battle. A princess rewards him, or signs his death warrant, with a gift of two hundred and fifty supremely prized and valuable horses. Then someone tries to kill him. What follows is the usual Kayian exploration of moments and choices that sometimes makes history or sometimes sends an insignificant life in a different direction. As usual, a beautifully orchestrated drama.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Shen Tai's father, the great Kitan general Shen Gao, died haunted by an epic battle he led against the neighboring country of Tagura. He won the battle but in his old age he came to realize that the cost was too high. 40,000 casualties lie unburied in the beautiful meadow at Kuala Nor. Tai decides to spend his two and a half years of mourning burying those dead to honor his father's memory. Word of his epic task spreads throughout both countries until a Kitan princess married to the Taguran king hears of it. She honors him by gifting him 250 Sardian horses. "You gave a man one of the famed Sardian horses to reward him greatly. You gave him four or five to exalt him above his fellows, propel him towards rank, and earn him jealousy, possibly mortal jealousy. Two hundred and fifty is an unthinkable gift, a gift to overwhelm an emperor." Tai finds himself thrust back into the quick-moving world of court intrigue as he tries to do the right thing for his country, his family, and himself, while also trying to stay alive.
My expectations for this were too high. I tried to temper them, knowing that I might be disappointed, but c'mon. It's Guy Gavriel Kay. It's China. How could it be anything other than a 6++++ star book?
Yeah. They were too high.
I just kept waiting for the story to start. And it kept not starting. And then it was over. So I missed something somewhere. GGKay isn't exactly about the action, he's definitely more about the characters. But there's usually some action going on somewhere. Not here. Tai just sort of went along, reacting to other people's plans for him and his horses, unable to gain much of an initiative himself. It's not his fault; he's dealing with the imperial court of what amounts to ancient China, and there's not much that any individual could have done in his shoes. I'm not very politically minded and the word strategy is way beyond my straightforward self, so all of that just didn't do much for me.
While I'm on what I didn't like let me mention the clumsy foreshadowing. About 2/3 of the way through, the story flashes way forward to historians looking back at what we're reading. The foreshadowing starts and it gets so clunky. "This was, in fact, the almost universally accepted opinion among historians of what should have happened." You are a better writer than that, GGKay. Don't resort to cheap tricks to keep me reading. Please. It happens randomly through the rest of the book. Flash forward to historians looking back and how they agree that this should have happened but something else happened instead. I found it maddening.
I did like the storyline with Tai's sister. I don't want to say much about it and give anything away, but I think I liked her a little more than Tai, and I loved her companion. He was well on his way to breaking my heart when he left the story. I don't think GGKay usually revisits a world when he leaves it, but I'm hoping he makes an exception and revisits this world to give us more of that story.
I finally kind of "got" what this was about when I read this toward the end of the book: "You did what you could to shape your own peace, before you crossed over to the night and left the world behind, as all men did, to be forgotten or remembered, as time or love allowed." Maybe Tai's hands were tied, but the paths he followed among his limited choices spoke volumes about his character. Another theme that I actually picked up on my own pretty early in the story was that of the way your actions cause ripples of cause-and-effect in unpredictable places. Again, I don't want to give anything away, but Tai's basic goodness leaves people willing to help him in unexpected places. These things are two ideas I actually like, so that's what saved the book for me.
I'm left wondering if this was just a bad time for me to read this particular book. I've seen far more "Holy cow, best book of the year" reviews than "meh" reviews like mine. If you love character-driven fantasy (or, I honestly think, historical fiction) and you aren't expecting epic battles but rather smaller, more internal struggles, you will probably love this. It's still Guy Gavriel Kay and he at "meh" is still better than most other fantasy authors at their best.
My expectations for this were too high. I tried to temper them, knowing that I might be disappointed, but c'mon. It's Guy Gavriel Kay. It's China. How could it be anything other than a 6++++ star book?
Yeah. They were too high.
I just kept waiting for the story to start. And it kept not starting. And then it was over. So I missed something somewhere. GGKay isn't exactly about the action, he's definitely more about the characters. But there's usually some action going on somewhere. Not here. Tai just sort of went along, reacting to other people's plans for him and his horses, unable to gain much of an initiative himself. It's not his fault; he's dealing with the imperial court of what amounts to ancient China, and there's not much that any individual could have done in his shoes. I'm not very politically minded and the word strategy is way beyond my straightforward self, so all of that just didn't do much for me.
While I'm on what I didn't like let me mention the clumsy foreshadowing. About 2/3 of the way through, the story flashes way forward to historians looking back at what we're reading. The foreshadowing starts and it gets so clunky. "This was, in fact, the almost universally accepted opinion among historians of what should have happened." You are a better writer than that, GGKay. Don't resort to cheap tricks to keep me reading. Please. It happens randomly through the rest of the book. Flash forward to historians looking back and how they agree that this should have happened but something else happened instead. I found it maddening.
I did like the storyline with Tai's sister. I don't want to say much about it and give anything away, but I think I liked her a little more than Tai, and I loved her companion. He was well on his way to breaking my heart when he left the story. I don't think GGKay usually revisits a world when he leaves it, but I'm hoping he makes an exception and revisits this world to give us more of that story.
I finally kind of "got" what this was about when I read this toward the end of the book: "You did what you could to shape your own peace, before you crossed over to the night and left the world behind, as all men did, to be forgotten or remembered, as time or love allowed." Maybe Tai's hands were tied, but the paths he followed among his limited choices spoke volumes about his character. Another theme that I actually picked up on my own pretty early in the story was that of the way your actions cause ripples of cause-and-effect in unpredictable places. Again, I don't want to give anything away, but Tai's basic goodness leaves people willing to help him in unexpected places. These things are two ideas I actually like, so that's what saved the book for me.
I'm left wondering if this was just a bad time for me to read this particular book. I've seen far more "Holy cow, best book of the year" reviews than "meh" reviews like mine. If you love character-driven fantasy (or, I honestly think, historical fiction) and you aren't expecting epic battles but rather smaller, more internal struggles, you will probably love this. It's still Guy Gavriel Kay and he at "meh" is still better than most other fantasy authors at their best.
I enjoyed this book very much even if at times the descriptions got a bit long winded. Many of the characters stayed the same but they had many dimensions to them. The female characters were a bit weaker then the male characters but they were written in the fashion of their time for which women weren't seen as very important if considered at all besides for marriage and child bearing. A few of the narratives changed very rapidly/abruptly that I had to reread them about 3/4 of the way through and I worried a bit but it was in vain. Very well put together and interesting.