Reviews

Six stars, minus one for occasionally being over-written = 5.

Heck, it was 21 years ago, and I know from reading Children of Earth and Sky that he is well past that now.

But still ... take a real history, twist it slightly to allow artistic licence, then drop in some characters. And oh, what a cast of characters! There are at least ten well-realized, interesting, you-care-what-happens-to-them people here. A few of them are impossibly capable, but I gather that era was familiar with the idea of inflating its heroes, and who can fault an author for asking, "What if they really were like that?"

The key players end up in the same place far too often and too easily, even if Kay does go to considerable lengths to establish why it happened that way.

The plot is carefully worked out, and we start to see how certain threads are going to be "this can't end well" threads. Characters sometimes get to make decisions, sometimes are forced to, and sometimes don't get to make the decision. And they get to realize this as it happens to them.

A few too many people love each other, but they are balanced by amusing people.

In this book Kay plays with us a little too often, hinting what is about to happen, or having something happen as he withholds who it's happening to.

But in the end he tells a heck of a story about very interesting people in a very interesting place, who despite their brilliance can't stop things from happening as they must.

There's a lot of subtle comment, too, about the bad things strict religion and dogma and intolerance can do, and whether good, clever people can surmount these. There's more to be said about that, but go read the book to find out what it is.

For ten years, maybe longer, if someone mentions Rodrigo Belmonte or Amman ibn Khairan, or Jehane or Miranda or Mazur or Velaz, and I will smile and nod in fond remembrance.

adelt's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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? No

5.0

larobb01's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

trilbynorton's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

There was a world for the making in Esperaña, in Al-Rassan, one world made of the two - or perhaps, if one were to dream, made of three. Sun, stars and the moons.

I found The Lions of Al-Rassan a very sorrowful novel. It's a book about intolerance and the worlds and relationships that are lost, corrupted, or are never even given the chance to exist, when people let intolerance guide them. Guy Gaviel Kay's prose is beautiful; reading on my eReader, there were numerous passages I highlighted for their insight and emotional impact on me. I think a lot of that impact comes from how much this book, published almost 30 years ago, resonates with the intolerance and cultural divisions of the world we find ourselves living in today.

madao3's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

ravyncrow's review against another edition

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Not grabbing my attention.

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