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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
adventurous
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay: 4/5
Extremely detailed and meticulous in world-building, Guy Gavriel Kay writes a brilliant stand-alone fantasy story. Ignoring the real world inspirations or interpretations of the book’s world, I am always captivated by court politics and how our protagonist will have to navigate them to survive. Pacing was perfect with seamless blending of different characters but I wish we got more with some characters. All the narrators were interesting to read, which is surprising since I always hate at least one, and they all played crucial and insightful pieces to the story.
I wish we got more of the ending as I wanted to see these characters in peace. The plot was concise and tightly packed, it feels like a faraway tale told to remind ourselves of the costs of war. It reminded me a tamer version of the Kushiel’s Dart series by Jacqueline Carey with the sly court politics and how the world is set up. I loved the addition of the poetry elements, and in the later half of the book, of the discussion on recording and interpreting history. It added a lot of texture to the story. Definitely worth looking in to if you’ve been wanting a fantasy novel!!!
Awesome, as always. Kay remains pretty much my favorite fantasy author ever, or at least in the top 5. Fascinating story with lots of twists & turns, vivid setting (a fantasy China/Mongolia), and complex compelling characters. Plus: ghosts! assassins! warrior monks! palace intrigue! spooky stuff! Devoured the whole book in about a day, which is probably a little crazy; in my defense, it was a sick day. Sometimes his endings are painful, this one splits the difference with both happiness & melancholy.
C just finished it yesterday, and as he notes, it's also great fuel for my still-developing Central Asia-based game world, up to and including the inside-cover map. :)
C just finished it yesterday, and as he notes, it's also great fuel for my still-developing Central Asia-based game world, up to and including the inside-cover map. :)
Political intrigue, adventure, romance and chivalry set in ancient China and Mongolia. The author, clearly a master storyteller, crafted noble characters, set them in dangerous circumstances then played the reader in such a way that I was left hankering for the next chapter.
This particularly enjoyable as an audiobook. The actor narrating the book performed the broad variety of voices well, using inflection well to play out the subtleties hidden in courtly poetry.
This particularly enjoyable as an audiobook. The actor narrating the book performed the broad variety of voices well, using inflection well to play out the subtleties hidden in courtly poetry.
adventurous
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Definitely a story of characters, with many events toward the end kind of happening in the background, which was sorta odd in that the events were fairly large ones.
Maybe that's it. Maybe the events don't matter in the grand scheme of things. What matters are the characters around which the events shape. Their relationships, hardships, courage, and perseverance all come to the fore, and that's where GGK excels: characters. There were some exciting parts, sure, but it wasn't exactly an exciting book.
Beautiful prose that helps (re)create an equally beautiful setting and I'm definitely happy I finally got on the GGK train. Still slightly conflicted, but in a rather good way. Haven't had a book make me think like this in...forever?
Maybe that's it. Maybe the events don't matter in the grand scheme of things. What matters are the characters around which the events shape. Their relationships, hardships, courage, and perseverance all come to the fore, and that's where GGK excels: characters. There were some exciting parts, sure, but it wasn't exactly an exciting book.
Beautiful prose that helps (re)create an equally beautiful setting and I'm definitely happy I finally got on the GGK train. Still slightly conflicted, but in a rather good way. Haven't had a book make me think like this in...forever?
The beginning was strong, and I enjoyed that part a lot. Good development, backstory reveals, mystery and some drama. The middle was enjoyable, but not nearly as strong as the beginning. Moves a little slowly. The end wraps things up acceptably, but more wistfully than happily.
challenging
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Kay always impresses. His handling of the different cultures he writes on are always impressive. He has a way with language and setting that few in fantasy grasp, and I can't say enough how excited I am to be able to catch up on all his works. Based in Chinese history (fictionalized of course), this story of royalty and wealth felt like it could have really happened. Amazing.
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated