Customer Reviews

TIGANA.

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I read a lot of fantasy and science fiction. Tigana is one of the best stories I've read. I think it is Guy Gavriel Kay's best work. (Much better than the Fionivar Tapestry.) Follow the struggle of the heroes of Tigana, a country defeated in war, as they try to liberate their homeland and exact retribution on its conqueror.

I just finished reading Tigana today and I must say that I loved it.

The first chapter starts very slowly. But I slogged through it, and by the time I was a few chapters in I was totally hooked. The story builds slowly, but it does build, and by the last chapter of the book I could hardly breathe because I was so eager to find out what happened.

The story is not predictable. I like complex stories like this that take lots of twists and turns, and contain significant surpises. I also like books like this that mostly deal with shades of grey instead of black and white, because they make you think. Often while reading Tigana I had to put the book down to think for a few moments if a character had been justified for doing something. I felt every bit as much sympathy for Brandin and Dianora, because their deplorable actions were done with love in mind, as I felt for Alessan and his group. This is like real life, where bad guys and good guys rarely exist.

Kay's writing contains a message of compassion for all people. But there was one character I really disliked and could feel no sympathy for: Alberico, not only because he killed so many innocent people gruesomely because he seemed to have no feelings at all, no soul, only a cold meaninless ambition. He didn't care about anything except his desire to be Emperor.

As well as the dark and pensive themes of the book, I enjoyed Kay's writing style as always. Although his poetic prose sometimes borders on melodrama he has the power to take my breath away. Rarely do I read a book and want to read certain lines over and over again because they're so beautiful.

The book is full of memorable scenes that are dripping with strong emotion. I felt everything along with the characters: the fear, the pain, the helplessness, the love and elation. I don't think I've ever read another author who conveys such depths of emotion as Kay.

If you like shocking surprises you'll like this book, because it contains quite a few. My jaw dropped open more than once!

All in all a great book that I'll always remember. Kay is a master of emotional, poignant writing that also makes you think. If you're willing to dedicate some time to this book (it's on the long side) as well as some mindpower (it's not something you can breeze through) then you won't be sorry.

I have just finished "Tigana" & feel a deep sense of loss. I can't bring myself to read anything else at present. The book developes complex characters & explores their struggles in a world where good & evil are intermingled in ways which don't allow for simplistic judgements.

"Tigana" (1990) is what's usually defined, as a Fantasy book. Yet IMHO is more than that.

Guy Gavriel Kay (b. 1954, Canadian) has researched thoroughly Italy's historical & geographical background in order to give life to The Peninsula of the Palm he describes in a sort of "alternate universe", so similar and so different of our own world.

Guy Gavriel Kay is a character's goldsmith, and gives accurate and sensible picture of each of them. Not only the main ones but even the short-lived fleeing personas are treated with deepness and care.

Kay has a special knack to depict scenes that lead the reader to jump to conclusions that are, astonishingly, proved wrong a couple of pages later, this keep you reading on tiptoes, expecting new surprises... and they show up even if you are warned.

The story is about a land subject to two Tyrants that had split the Peninsula's realms in two and had been facing each other for the last twenty years trying to device some trick to unbalance and defeat the rival.

Meanwhile the subjugated people of the defeated kingdoms seem unable to rebel and resigned to suffer. However there is one kingdom worst treated of them all: after devastating all their cities, the Wizard Tyrant, has cast a spell over the land that forbids its name to be spoken & understand by anyone except the few survivors of Tigana.

A small band of people from Tigana and all the other realms start little by little a resistance movement combining very different abilities and interests to try to overthrow the Tyrants.

The book is the chronicle of their struggle.

The descriptions of cities, rural places, king's courts, taverns and markets have a distinctive flavor, without being boring. The different characters are fully human and interesting, not two dimensional stereotypes as may be expected in Fantasy story. The inner thoughts of most of them are shown, giving insight as to why they do what they do.

This is a book to be enjoyed by different kind of readers and they won't be disappointed at all!

Reviewed by Max Yofre.