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kblincoln 's review for:
Under Heaven
by Guy Gavriel Kay
I fell in love with Guy Gavriel Kay's somewhat self-consciously grandiose style of writing with his Fionavar Tapestries....and then did not like the way that kind of writing played out with other books.
However, with Under Heaven, I think he's found the perfect vehicle/story to carry off that kind of heart-string-plucking, grand sweep-of-things, historical perspective writing.
Shen Tai is the second son of a great general in the Kitai (ancient China) Empire. In homage to his dead father, he traveled to a remote lake (the site of a battle) and spent two years among ghosts of dead soldiers burying their bones regardless of nationality.
In return for this deed, a princess grants him the gift of 250 Sardian (think Arab) horses, an imaginably generous gift in those times, as well as a dangerous one as it places Shen Tai in a politically precarious position.
With the help of Kanlin warriors (Shaolin) Shen Tai navigates the Emperor's Court of Ta-Ming and tangled political and emotional relationships against a rich backdrop of history, culture, and poetry.
All the reasons I fell in in love with Kay's writing in the first place emerge in this book: rich history, sympathetic characters who are restrainedly emotional and sacrifice their own priorities for their loved ones, quiet suffering, and grandiose political schemes.
Besides that, Kay's book doesn't read as a stereotyped, blah blah blah version of China. Somehow that period comes alive, makes sense with the character's lives, and isn't an exotic veneer over the story, but an integral part of it. Very few historical fantasy books I've read manage to pull that off.
It's been a long wait, but Under Heaven is definitely worth it.
This Book's Food Designation Rating: Chicken and Shrimp Fried Rice for the overall harmonious mix of many elements as well as the richness of flavor. Can't stop eating it, and you want more even when you've eaten the whole carton.
However, with Under Heaven, I think he's found the perfect vehicle/story to carry off that kind of heart-string-plucking, grand sweep-of-things, historical perspective writing.
Shen Tai is the second son of a great general in the Kitai (ancient China) Empire. In homage to his dead father, he traveled to a remote lake (the site of a battle) and spent two years among ghosts of dead soldiers burying their bones regardless of nationality.
In return for this deed, a princess grants him the gift of 250 Sardian (think Arab) horses, an imaginably generous gift in those times, as well as a dangerous one as it places Shen Tai in a politically precarious position.
With the help of Kanlin warriors (Shaolin) Shen Tai navigates the Emperor's Court of Ta-Ming and tangled political and emotional relationships against a rich backdrop of history, culture, and poetry.
All the reasons I fell in in love with Kay's writing in the first place emerge in this book: rich history, sympathetic characters who are restrainedly emotional and sacrifice their own priorities for their loved ones, quiet suffering, and grandiose political schemes.
Besides that, Kay's book doesn't read as a stereotyped, blah blah blah version of China. Somehow that period comes alive, makes sense with the character's lives, and isn't an exotic veneer over the story, but an integral part of it. Very few historical fantasy books I've read manage to pull that off.
It's been a long wait, but Under Heaven is definitely worth it.
This Book's Food Designation Rating: Chicken and Shrimp Fried Rice for the overall harmonious mix of many elements as well as the richness of flavor. Can't stop eating it, and you want more even when you've eaten the whole carton.