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86 of 94 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Intricate, masterful, and engrossing...until the last 50 pages, April 29, 2010
This review is from: Under Heaven (Hardcover)
Guy Gavriel Kay's "Under Heaven" is perhaps his best exercise to date in creating a rich world in which characters, politics, and an intricate plot collide, in this case the tale of an empire on the brink in an alternate early dynasty China, Tibet, and Mongolia. Unfortunately, Kay's decision to rapidly unwind the masterful plot in 50 pages shortchanges the work he does in the previous 500. 4 stars.
"Under Heaven" is Kay's first venture outside of European-based alternate world history, and as you'd expect, the academic underpinnings are extraordinarily well done - an author's note at the end describes much his original source material, and is probably worth the price of the book itself. (One note as to how far out of his comfort zone Kay ventures: a common theme for many Kay fans is the occasional link to Fionavar running through his books, and there's only a marginal such one in this.)
In a sentence or two, the plot isn't terribly complex: a middle son of a good but not great family finds himself suddenly thrown into the heart of palace intrigue and power in an Empire on the brink of change, with all the resulting tragedy and drama one would expect from that setting. The difference with Kay is that while far too many fantasy writers would destroy the setting with cardboard characters, Kay's strength is making them and their actions not just believable but engrossing.
"Under Heaven" plays to this, where constant first person exploration of the motivation of almost all of the critical characters means that the villains are not merely black and white but human, and whatever that takes away in villainous tendencies is more than made up for by keeping the reader on edge as to what they'll do next. Other authors could take note of how Kay writes romance and even a bit of erotica, which is better done than most gooey fantasy writers, and nobody can do court life quite like the poet Kay is.
This works spectacularly for about the first 500 pages, up until (without spoiling things) the brink crests. Unfortunately, after that Kay seems content to wrap up the numerous plot lines that he's labored so hard to create without any sort of grand conclusion or exploration, and often quite abruptly. An example that doesn't give away too much is that a Governor who becomes a fascinating study early on and who has a major role with the main turning point later just, well, sort of disappears.
Part of this may be that Kay had been thinking about this novel for 7 years - he'd originally moved his family to France so as to flesh out ideas he had for a book on the Silk Road, and became so overwhelmed with his setting that he dropped it and instead wrote Ysabel - and just had too much material for a single novel. It's almost as if Kay was reminded by an editor when most of the way through his manuscript that an 800 page book wouldn't sell, so he reluctantly wrapped things up as quickly and as neatly as he could.
This is nitpicking to a degree given the richness of the material prior to this, and some will probably find the resolutions perfectly acceptable. But compared to Tigana or Al Rassan, it's a shame to have this amazing buildup end up leading to what feels almost like an epilogue. A reluctant 4 stars, but still a book that will keep you up well past bed time as a culture most don't know well is explored gloriously. Recommended.
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38 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A rare, genre crossing novel, April 29, 2010
This review is from: Under Heaven (Hardcover)
I picked up this novel with some apprehension and great excitement also. GGK has honed some of my favorite novels, such as Tigana and The Lions of Al-Rasson. At the same time, his two most recent works have had much less impact upon me as a reader.
I am happy to say that Under Heaven harkens back to the former novels.
There are numerous strengths to this novel. The story is tightly written focusing on a central cast of characters. This is refreshing in an era where fantasy stories are told in trilogies, tetralogies, and even decalogies. In its scope, it is not epic fantasy. Rather it is fantasy that focuses on humanity. It focuses on the emotions, decisions, and experiences that define who we are. The characters are fully fleshed out, intimately written. Like GGK greatest works, he pulls you into the struggle of his cast of characters and then pulls on your heart strings as life and death bring change, for good or bad, to that cast. In this, I was reminded of the last chapters of Tigana, though this novel fell just short of that incredible standard for me.
It may even be incorrect to define this novel as fantasy. It has minor elements of fantasy, heavy elements of historical fiction, and above all is simply excellent literature. There is no magic and there are no non-human characters. However, the well written story should appeal to fans of any genre who are simply looking for a good read.
Are there weaknesses to the novel? Certainly none that are glaring or stood out to me. There are a few gritty scenes, but nothing that approaches that of modern fantasy standards set by GRRM or Joe Abercrombie. There are heavy undertones of sexuality throughout the book, but these are handled rather deftly by the author and are made to seem beautiful rather than banal. At times the story is slow, or rather the author takes the privilege of expounding on his world and adding background. In this, the story lacks some of the non-stop pacing that other fantasy novels employ. I did not find this to be a weakness, but others might. I have read enough GGK to trust myself implicitly to his capable hands when reading his novels.
There are many authors thriving in the fantasy genre. There are a select few authors pushing the boundries of the genre. Guy Gavriel Kay transcends the genre. If you like a good read, may I recommend Under Heaven.
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27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Chinese History Meets Fantasy in a Winning Combination, April 29, 2010
This review is from: Under Heaven (Hardcover)
Guy Gavriel Kay has built his (rightfully) strong reputation as a writer by melding together scrupulously researched history with just enough of the touch of the fantastic to bring his books into the realm of "fantasy." Some of his best books include re-imaginings of Renaissance Italy ("Tigana"), the Byzantine Empire (the two books of the "Sarantine Mosaic"), and Medieval Spain ("The Lions of Al-Rassan"). In "Under Heaven," Kay leaves medieval Europe behind but brings his unique approach to a re-imagining of Seventh Century Tang Dynasty China -- and this book is every bit as good as its predecessors!
In "Under Heaven," the action revolves around Shen Tai, son of a celebrated "Kitan" [Chinese] general. As the book begins, Shen Tai is on a quest to honor his deceased father's memory by burying some of the tens of thousands of bodies left from a titanic clash between the Empire of Kitai and its rival, the Kingdom of Tagur [similar to Tibet]. Here, Kay's trademark touch of the fantastic is initially provided by the fact that the tens of thousands of dead soldiers have left behind their very real--and very unquiet--ghosts, giving Shen Tai an aura of the holy man (or madman) in his quest to bury as many bodies as he can in an act of honor to his father. When his quest is honored with an extravagant gift of 250 legendary horses (when one such horse would be a fortune), Shen Tai does not know whether it is in fact a gift or akin to receiving "poison in a jeweled cup." The book revolves first around Shen Tai's efforts to stay alive (whether from assassins on the frontier or the civilized malice of Kitan bureaucracy) and navigate Kitan society in a new role, and then, as is often the case in a Guy Gavriel Kay book, Shen Tai's story is placed in the context of a larger upheaval involving a rebellion in Kitan.
As usual, Kay's writing is elegant and lyric; the plotting is intricate and absorbing; and the characterizations are genuine and captivating. There is indeed a bit of a rushed feel at the end, given the deliberate pacing that set the scene initially, but fans of Kay or even those willing to make the leap from "conventional" historical fiction will not be disappointed.
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