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A review by sloreads_ca
All the Seas of the World by Guy Gavriel Kay
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
Full review on sloreads.ca
All the Seas of the World is another outstanding story in Guy Gavriel Kay's alternate universe.
As always, Guy Gavriel Kay builds a beautiful world with complex characters. We get to see Falco D'Arcosi and Danio Cerra again. They've aged and grown from where we left them in A Brightness Long Ago. A chance meeting between Falco and Nadia gives him more levers to pull across the continent. Falco continues to be so devious, pushing people, princes, and clergy down the hallways they think have many doors open for them to choose from. They don't realize that Falco has barred all the options he doesn't like, so it's only the illusion of choice.
I love and am frustrated by how Kay creates his characters in almost every book I've read. Each character is an archetype, with a handful of dominant personality traits and history to support it. Falco, for example, is an honourable mercenary who loves his wife and city. That one sentence explains most of his motivations for doing anything. If you want to predict his behaviour, ask:
Does it place his wife or city at risk?
Does it provide benefits for his wife or city?
Does it conflict with direct promises or commitments he's made?
Will his company of mercenaries be negatively affected?
While the reader still sees Kay's characters as vulnerable, growing and developing, having internal conflict, etc., they ultimately behave according to their archetype. I love it because you get to believe that people are consistent and strive almost single-mindedly towards their objectives for the book's duration. I'm frustrated because people aren't that consistent, don't know themselves well, and always take actions that aren't in line with their values.
All the Seas of the World is a moving story. All the subplots and ancillary characters add poignancy and depth to the layers of the story. Reading this story evoked so much happy nostalgia for me as I call to mind the Lions of Al-Rassan, Sailing to Sarantium, and the other books I've read in this world.
All the Seas of the World is another outstanding story in Guy Gavriel Kay's alternate universe.
As always, Guy Gavriel Kay builds a beautiful world with complex characters. We get to see Falco D'Arcosi and Danio Cerra again. They've aged and grown from where we left them in A Brightness Long Ago. A chance meeting between Falco and Nadia gives him more levers to pull across the continent. Falco continues to be so devious, pushing people, princes, and clergy down the hallways they think have many doors open for them to choose from. They don't realize that Falco has barred all the options he doesn't like, so it's only the illusion of choice.
I love and am frustrated by how Kay creates his characters in almost every book I've read. Each character is an archetype, with a handful of dominant personality traits and history to support it. Falco, for example, is an honourable mercenary who loves his wife and city. That one sentence explains most of his motivations for doing anything. If you want to predict his behaviour, ask:
Does it place his wife or city at risk?
Does it provide benefits for his wife or city?
Does it conflict with direct promises or commitments he's made?
Will his company of mercenaries be negatively affected?
While the reader still sees Kay's characters as vulnerable, growing and developing, having internal conflict, etc., they ultimately behave according to their archetype. I love it because you get to believe that people are consistent and strive almost single-mindedly towards their objectives for the book's duration. I'm frustrated because people aren't that consistent, don't know themselves well, and always take actions that aren't in line with their values.
All the Seas of the World is a moving story. All the subplots and ancillary characters add poignancy and depth to the layers of the story. Reading this story evoked so much happy nostalgia for me as I call to mind the Lions of Al-Rassan, Sailing to Sarantium, and the other books I've read in this world.