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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
In the past two years, I've read approximately 150 books. Of those, only eight were books that I was re-reading. There are so many books that I've never read--that I want to read or ought to read--that re-reading is a luxury. As a result, out of those 150 books, only eight were ones that I allowed myself to re-read. Of those eight, three were by Guy Gavriel Kay. I love the way he writes: his clear, lyrical prose; the heightened sensibility, where characters and events are shaped by a master storyteller; his heroic characters. Kay carefully, eloquently evokes worlds that are almost but not quite like our own past. In "Under Heaven," he evokes Tang Dynasty China with a fantastical slant. Beautifully. Movingly.
The book's opening chapter establishes the main character, Tai, and what it is that Tai has been doing for the past couple of years, a deed that echoes through the rest of the book. I found Tai a very sympathetic character, as were many of the secondary characters. I note that these include strong women, including both a highly skilled warrior and a courtesan. The stories of two of the minor characters (Pei Qin and Wujen Ning) moved me especially, as did much of the poetry included as part of the book. (For others who like the poems here, I recommend Kay's single book of poetry, [b:Beyond This Dark House|104090|Beyond This Dark House|Guy Gavriel Kay|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1309376967s/104090.jpg|100367].) My one gripe is that Kay sometimes pointedly withholds pieces of information, a device that feels as though it is intended to hook the reader, but which, being hooked already, I find rather irritating.
This is a wonderful book. For me, perhaps one shade less wonderful than my very favorite of Kay's work, but among my favorite few. I am glad I re-read it.
The book's opening chapter establishes the main character, Tai, and what it is that Tai has been doing for the past couple of years, a deed that echoes through the rest of the book. I found Tai a very sympathetic character, as were many of the secondary characters. I note that these include strong women, including both a highly skilled warrior and a courtesan. The stories of two of the minor characters (Pei Qin and Wujen Ning) moved me especially, as did much of the poetry included as part of the book. (For others who like the poems here, I recommend Kay's single book of poetry, [b:Beyond This Dark House|104090|Beyond This Dark House|Guy Gavriel Kay|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1309376967s/104090.jpg|100367].) My one gripe is that Kay sometimes pointedly withholds pieces of information, a device that feels as though it is intended to hook the reader, but which, being hooked already, I find rather irritating.
This is a wonderful book. For me, perhaps one shade less wonderful than my very favorite of Kay's work, but among my favorite few. I am glad I re-read it.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Some of my fav books are written by this author, but they were more of the fantasy fair (Fionvar Tapestry and the duology Sarantine Mosaic. After that, I had read one other book, that I am not sure I finished about 20 years ago. This was the first GGK I have read since then. Even though I made it through, I cannot say I enjoyed this. I will not be reading the sequel.
adventurous
informative
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Guy Gavriel Kay is one of the best fantasy writers (or writers in general) around, so it was an excellent reading journey through the fictional Tang Dynasty land of Kitai. However, the editing in this could have been so much better. Beautiful passages often were made redundant by constantly repeating and rephrasing things previously said, in often the same way. And the overall slow pace and lack of climactic resolution would give traditional fantasy fans some pause.
Like so many other reviews I have read, I found the first part excellent. Magical, slow, lyrical. Kay sets a mood that is captivating. The next 3 parts were dull, boring, not-magical. I am sure Kay found 9th century China politcs fascinating but he wasn't able to communicate that enthusiasm to me. The Epilogue brought back what I enjoyed about the first part but the book had lost its luster by that point.
adventurous
dark
reflective
slow-paced
As always Kay's writing is beautiful and in this case inspired by Chinese poetry. A solid offering from him. The book just kind of peters off at the end after the climax where Kay needs to tie up the narrative strings of everyone introduced.
Also notable but not in a good way is Kay's treatment of the weight of General Roshan, as it is mentioned repeatedly in derogatory terms when I don't recall anyone else being described as fat, and Kay taking time to positively point out how thin/lithe many of the women in the book are. The stress on describing Roshan's fatness pushed Kay's treatment of Roshan into caricature.
Also notable but not in a good way is Kay's treatment of the weight of General Roshan, as it is mentioned repeatedly in derogatory terms when I don't recall anyone else being described as fat, and Kay taking time to positively point out how thin/lithe many of the women in the book are. The stress on describing Roshan's fatness pushed Kay's treatment of Roshan into caricature.
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Another terrific and heartbreaking fantasy/history from [a:Guy Gavriel Kay|60177|Guy Gavriel Kay|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1218804723p2/60177.jpg], very much on the same model as [b:the Sarantium Mosaic|104097|Sailing to Sarantium (The Sarantine Mosaic, #1)|Guy Gavriel Kay|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328000207l/104097._SX50_.jpg|1336666] or [b:The Lions of al-Rassan|104101|The Lions of Al-Rassan|Guy Gavriel Kay|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348007861l/104101._SY75_.jpg|955081], this one about a rebellion during the Chinese Tang dynasty. I really can't say much about it, it's too big a book for a little review, but it's very, very good indeed, unsettled me for a good hour after finishing it, and probably will you, too. It's got war, peace, death, life, love, hate, horses, ghosts, courtesans, and a lot of other things, and one can't read about all those things in the context of a civilization's collapse without being unsettled--or you shouldn't be able to, not when more of it is true than not. This certainly isn't the best book Mr. Kay has ever written, but it's a darn good one, and certainly among the better (and the only book of his I'm not hugely enthusiastic about is [b:The Last Light of the Sun|104080|The Last Light of the Sun|Guy Gavriel Kay|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1408923778l/104080._SY75_.jpg|416279], so that's saying something).