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jjcopper's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
amblygon_writes's review against another edition
4.0
This was beautiful as usual (a swan dive into a vivid and exciting world!), but it made a couple of unexpected choices. Generally enjoyed it and found it hard to put down at times, but was left with a tiny nagging feeling of dissatisfaction at the end that I find difficult to articulate.
sloreads_ca's review against another edition
Full Review
I loved A Brightness Long Ago. One of the reasons Guy Gavriel Kay is one of my favorite authors is I always feel absolutely awestruck when reading one of his books. This book is a first person retrospective, primarily covering one period. I found it easy to forget that it was a retrospective and often made the assumption that the period being described was current. It took me a lot longer than it probably should have to figure out which character was the main protagonist. I'm going to blame that on it being an audiobook and on listening in 15-20 minute snippets for the first third of the book.
I loved A Brightness Long Ago. One of the reasons Guy Gavriel Kay is one of my favorite authors is I always feel absolutely awestruck when reading one of his books. This book is a first person retrospective, primarily covering one period. I found it easy to forget that it was a retrospective and often made the assumption that the period being described was current. It took me a lot longer than it probably should have to figure out which character was the main protagonist. I'm going to blame that on it being an audiobook and on listening in 15-20 minute snippets for the first third of the book.
canaanmerchant's review against another edition
5.0
Look GGK just does it better than almost anyone. Here you have fantasy, history, love, loss, regret, chance, triumph, and a thrilling horse race.
mrbear's review against another edition
2.0
In the end, this was really quite disappointing, and perhaps made worse by comparison with Kay’s other books. If you’ve never read his books before, please, please, PLEASE do not start here!
The problem is pretty simple: Kay has always had a “philosophy of life” bent to his books. Often times a little moralistic, overbearing, third-wall breaking, and heavy handed. But always a little. Usually his books are character driven, and his forays into the human condition are nicely contained as relevant ways to show the gravity of an occasion, or a broader perspective to an otherwise interpersonal conflict.
This book simply goes too far, and its characters are far less compelling. His story arcs for the main characters are (frankly) terrible in comparison with almost all his other works, and he spends more time laboring on about “we are what we are” and hitting you over the head with character tropes like “the battle hardened commander,” “the heartthrob who wants nothing more than to open a bookshop and live a quiet life,” and “the pre-industrial revolution woman who wants desperately to live a life of intrigue.” I have nothing against these characters, but they’re basically the entire depth that he provides. Beyond that he simply tells about what they do, and then rambles about how it fits with his increasingly dark takes on life and death.
Overall, maybe I liked this book less because I have read his other books, and know that they are almost all strictly better. They have the same style of insights amidst story, but are much less heavy handed, feature better and more developed characters, and make the reader feel the intended emotions without the help of a narrator’s hammer.
Do yourself a favor, and just read the Lions of Al Rassan instead!
The problem is pretty simple: Kay has always had a “philosophy of life” bent to his books. Often times a little moralistic, overbearing, third-wall breaking, and heavy handed. But always a little. Usually his books are character driven, and his forays into the human condition are nicely contained as relevant ways to show the gravity of an occasion, or a broader perspective to an otherwise interpersonal conflict.
This book simply goes too far, and its characters are far less compelling. His story arcs for the main characters are (frankly) terrible in comparison with almost all his other works, and he spends more time laboring on about “we are what we are” and hitting you over the head with character tropes like “the battle hardened commander,” “the heartthrob who wants nothing more than to open a bookshop and live a quiet life,” and “the pre-industrial revolution woman who wants desperately to live a life of intrigue.” I have nothing against these characters, but they’re basically the entire depth that he provides. Beyond that he simply tells about what they do, and then rambles about how it fits with his increasingly dark takes on life and death.
Overall, maybe I liked this book less because I have read his other books, and know that they are almost all strictly better. They have the same style of insights amidst story, but are much less heavy handed, feature better and more developed characters, and make the reader feel the intended emotions without the help of a narrator’s hammer.
Do yourself a favor, and just read the Lions of Al Rassan instead!
chrismacc's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
heidi_mcj's review against another edition
5.0
I love Kay's writing style! I could read his stuff all the time.
banjoetic's review against another edition
2.0
Holy bury your gays, Batman.
Maybe I would have liked this more if Guidanio was actually interesting, or if everything that happened in the book actually amounted to anything. A high profile assassination had little to no consequence in the end, and the book builds up to bring characters together in a certain point, only for all of them to just leave and fizzle out. Was at a solid 3 stars until that point, and then it all just went downhill. I'm just glad to be done with it.
Maybe I would have liked this more if Guidanio was actually interesting, or if everything that happened in the book actually amounted to anything. A high profile assassination had little to no consequence in the end, and the book builds up to bring characters together in a certain point, only for all of them to just leave and fizzle out. Was at a solid 3 stars until that point, and then it all just went downhill. I'm just glad to be done with it.
imicklav's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75