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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
In short: Kay promises a lot, but in the end he falls short to deliver.
A book always comes with expectations. General ones you have towards all books and specific ones for a particular one.
I read "Under heaven" with the "SciFi and Fantasy Book Club". I had not read anything by Guy Gavriel Kay before and didn't know what to expect. I was just curious and decided to give the Kindle sample a try.
I was imediately hooked. Poetic prose, slow and deliberate development of story and character, a familiar and yet exotic setting with hints of more to come. First signs of some supernatural forces, an assassin, an intrigue, political machinations, some fascinating characters, great suspense building. All that interwoven like an emerging tapestry.
I wanted to see this cloth woven, wanted to see the image developed. I bought the book. The expectations now were high.
And then something strange happened. All the strands that got me started, disappeared - one by one. All the promises made about mysterious intrigues, powerhungry politicians, and troubled characters vanished. Vanished in lame resolutions, uninspired character building and a rising sense of loss. Like a river starting from a clear mountain spring meanders through the low lands just to seep away into sand.
The threads of silk and velvet dissolved, replaced by mundane cotton and linnen. The tapestry became a rug.
My reading became desperate. Desperate to find more in a book that had promised so much, and went on disappointing.
There were some bright moments even in the later parts of the book. When there was room for the author’s prose to become enthralling: descriptions of scenery, some character's inner life evolving slowly, poetry, the beauty of a woman, a death scene like in a greek tragedy, the final farewell chapters.
But in the end beautiful prose is not enough, if you start out promising more.
I find it always hard to be disappointed by a book, so I'll give Kay a second chance with one of his other books ([b:The Lions of al-Rassan|104101|The Lions of al-Rassan|Guy Gavriel Kay|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171506640s/104101.jpg|955081] maybe) recommended to me.
A book always comes with expectations. General ones you have towards all books and specific ones for a particular one.
I read "Under heaven" with the "SciFi and Fantasy Book Club". I had not read anything by Guy Gavriel Kay before and didn't know what to expect. I was just curious and decided to give the Kindle sample a try.
I was imediately hooked. Poetic prose, slow and deliberate development of story and character, a familiar and yet exotic setting with hints of more to come. First signs of some supernatural forces, an assassin, an intrigue, political machinations, some fascinating characters, great suspense building. All that interwoven like an emerging tapestry.
I wanted to see this cloth woven, wanted to see the image developed. I bought the book. The expectations now were high.
And then something strange happened. All the strands that got me started, disappeared - one by one. All the promises made about mysterious intrigues, powerhungry politicians, and troubled characters vanished. Vanished in lame resolutions, uninspired character building and a rising sense of loss. Like a river starting from a clear mountain spring meanders through the low lands just to seep away into sand.
The threads of silk and velvet dissolved, replaced by mundane cotton and linnen. The tapestry became a rug.
My reading became desperate. Desperate to find more in a book that had promised so much, and went on disappointing.
There were some bright moments even in the later parts of the book. When there was room for the author’s prose to become enthralling: descriptions of scenery, some character's inner life evolving slowly, poetry, the beauty of a woman, a death scene like in a greek tragedy, the final farewell chapters.
But in the end beautiful prose is not enough, if you start out promising more.
I find it always hard to be disappointed by a book, so I'll give Kay a second chance with one of his other books ([b:The Lions of al-Rassan|104101|The Lions of al-Rassan|Guy Gavriel Kay|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171506640s/104101.jpg|955081] maybe) recommended to me.
This story captured me in a way that hasn't happened in a long time. Once I started, I was unable to put it down. This story caused a casual interest in Chinese history to become an obsession. The only complaint I have is that it ended too quickly. I highly recommend.
A plodding second act salvaged by a strong first and third and great prose.
Great story, historical details of "China" in a fantasy story. Well done.
It took me six weeks to finish this book lol, which is a long time for me. I don’t have any true complaints about this book, just not in my main interests. There is a story line about a girl and her adventures with a wolf-man shaman that I really wish was explored more. While the female characters were not in the center of the narrative, they were interesting and varied.
Guy Gavriel on mu lemmik, puhas lust on lugeda, aga veidi hakkab ärritama, et jälle on kolmveerand raamatut (või duoloogiat, nagu Sarantiumi-raamatutega oli) vägev ja viis pluss, aga siis lõpul pole nagu yldse enam tähtsust. Oleks tahtnud Li-Meist ja Meshagist (ja huntidest) ja Sima Zianist rohkem lugeda ja tegelikult ka Shen Taist ja Spring Rainist ja Wen Jianist ja Kanlinitest ja...
See vist ongi tema lihtsalt heade raamatute häda, et tal on alati nii huvitavad ja meeldivad tegelased, kelle kohta tahaks veel ja veel lugeda, aga siis ei lähe nende lood nii nagu vaja ja siis saab raamat hoopis otsa. Tobe asi, mille yle viriseda ("aga ma tahtsin, et nad teisiti oleks käitunud, kirjanik!"), aga mis teha. Ma tahan veel mõnda "Al-Rassani lõvide" moodi raamatut lugeda.
See vist ongi tema lihtsalt heade raamatute häda, et tal on alati nii huvitavad ja meeldivad tegelased, kelle kohta tahaks veel ja veel lugeda, aga siis ei lähe nende lood nii nagu vaja ja siis saab raamat hoopis otsa. Tobe asi, mille yle viriseda ("aga ma tahtsin, et nad teisiti oleks käitunud, kirjanik!"), aga mis teha. Ma tahan veel mõnda "Al-Rassani lõvide" moodi raamatut lugeda.
Sort of like Game of Thrones meets Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - I appreciated the thoughtful plot, but also thought the repetition and too perfect characters were a distraction.
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Just started it. its my first Guy Gavriel Kay book. Pretty good so far
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated