Reviews

Le dernier rayon du soleil by Guy Gavriel Kay

mrbear's review against another edition

3.0

This book was honestly pretty disappointing. the characters weren't compelling, and it tried a bit too hard to be deep and full of Earth Shattering Moments. Not even close to the quality of the Lions of Al-Rassan or a Song for Arbonne.

dromwald's review against another edition

4.0

Another great read from a master story-teller. This one, influenced by Alfred the Great and the Anglo Saxon kingdoms and Wales during the dark ages was particularly interesting for me as I currently live in a part of what was once Wessex and spent much of my childhood in the valleys of Wales. There is also a supernatural element in the book surrounding the pre-christian deities supposedly worshiped in those times which, though should be taken as pure fantasy, caused a tingle in my memories. Anyone who has spent a windy Halloween night on Badbury Rings or sat near the King's Barrows near Stonehenge at dusk will appreciate there was a reason why our superstitious ancestors felt the ancient forests that surrounded them held more than a little of the fey about them.

jakelewis_23_'s review against another edition

4.0

This was my first GGK book and wow, its was fantastic! Set in a anglo-saxon/celtic/norse world that has many things plucked from real history and given a fantasy tweak. With many characters who would be recognised by other names in our own history, King Alfred the Great, Ivar the Boneless, potentially King Arthur and Merlin (might be stretching on that one).

The characters were great and I love any book that has a setting like this one so it was always going to be a winner for me!

Will definitely be tackling more GGK!

4.5 ⭐️

heathermcc54321's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

4.5

xeyra1's review against another edition

5.0

The only book by this author I had read was "Tigana" and I absolutely loved it. So I had very high expectations when I picked this book up. And they were met. Granted, it's not "Tigana", but it's nonetheless an incredible story by this great author. The Last Light of the Sun was well-researched, well-written, gritty, and utterly believable, and the characters are people you identify with and understand, even in the bloody world they inhabit.

Kay is a master storyteller... there's no doubt about it. I have other books of his in my TBR and I will certainly be reading those sooner rather than latter.

zacwest's review against another edition

4.0

After reading several of Kay's novels in a row, this one felt like the rare miss. I enjoyed the story and world building, but it didn't feel like I built up or resolved anything. It was kind of a glipse into the life, not really a well-unified epic story. I did enjoy the long-term impact of The Sarantine Mosaic in some side conversation of characters in the book.

koalanibletts's review against another edition

adventurous relaxing tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Violence

januaryf's review against another edition

2.0

I can't really put into words what is lacking in this novel. This was my second time reading it - I read it when it initially came out and was dissapointed, but I think it was because I read it too fast and missed much of the subtlety that is usually present in Kay's works. Apparently that wasn't the issue.

I think its the characters - they aren't remarkable or interesting or even very real. I had no emotional connection to them. When a Kay character dies, I expect to feel some emotion, and with this book I got nothing.

I also had a very unique feeling while reading this book - that I just had to finish it. It was like pulling teeth to get through it, and I usually devour Kay books.

onlyjoy's review against another edition

4.0

Definitely a top 5 Kay novel

richardwells's review against another edition

4.0

Guy Gavriel Kay is reliable. He tells a good story ("historical fiction with a quarter turn" to the fantastical) peoples it with characters that have an inner life, picks interesting periods, and loads in the action. Nothing shabby there. He's also got a winning formula that seems to always involve a strong heroine, and that's a big plus as well. The only problem with a formula is that if you start lining the books up as I just did - three in a row - you can get a little jaded. That's not to say this isn't a good read, as you can see by the four stars.

This time we have England as a nascent nation, the Irish, Vikings (yay!) and, get this, fairies. Sexy fairies, at that. Love scenes with fairies - whoopee! I loved it.

I'm a big fan of Bernard Cornwell's The Last Kingdom series - I've read all of them - so I'm up on Viking lore, and though Mr. Kay is not as down and dirty as Mr. Cornwell, he presents well. Nobody can beat Mr. Cornwell when it comes to blood and guts, and I'm glad Mr. Kay doesn't try. He does serve up some action, though.

As usual, plot summaries elsewhere. I'll be setting Guy Gavriel Kay down for awhile, but I'll be back for more.