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Ysabel [Paperback]

Guy Gavriel Kay (Author)
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (66 customer reviews) |
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Book Description

Publication Date: February 5, 2008
Saint-Sauveur Cathedral of Aix-en-Provence is an ancient structure of many secrets-a perfect monument to fill the lens of a celebrated photographer, and a perfect place for the photographer's son, Ned Marriner, to lose himself while his father works.

But the cathedral isn't the empty edifice it appears to be. Its history is very much alive in the present day-and it's calling out to Ned...

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Kay (The Last Light of the Sun) departs from his usual historical fantasies to connect the ancient, violent history of France to the present day in this entrancing contemporary fantasy. Fifteen-year-old Canadian Ned Marriner accompanies his famous photographer father, Edward, on a shoot at Aix-en-Provence's Saint-Saveur Cathedral while his physician mother, Meghan, braves the civil war zone in Sudan with Doctors Without Borders. As Ned explores the old cathedral, he meets Kate Wenger, a geeky but attractive American girl who's a walking encyclopedia of history. In the ancient baptistry, the pair are surprised by a mysterious, scarred man wielding a knife who warns that they've "blundered into a corner of a very old story. It is no place for children." But Ned and Kate can't avoid becoming dangerously entangled in a 2,500-year-old love triangle among mythic figures. Kay also weaves in a secondary mystery about Ned's family and his mother's motivation behind her risky, noble work. The author's historical detail, evocative writing and fascinating characters—both ancient and modern—will enthrall mainstream as well as fantasy readers. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

In Kay's eagerly awaited new book set mostly in twenty-first-century Aix-en-Provence, 15-year-old Ned Marriner is spending a spring vacation with his celebrated photographer father during a shoot of the Cathedral of Saint-Sauveur. His mother, a physician with Doctors without Borders, is in the Sudan, so Ned and Dad are extremely worried. Exploring Saint-Sauveur, Ned meets American exchange-student Kate Wenger, who knows a lot about the history of Aix. The two surprise a knife-carrying, scar-faced stranger in the cathedral, who tells them, "I think you ought to go. . . . You have blundered into the corner of a very old story." Ned and Kate, then the rest of his family, including the aunt and uncle from England and his mother, are drawn into an ancient conflict with the shades of Celtic spirits. Kay characterizes Ned superbly as he matures amid fantastic circumstances until he is able to make the final sacrifice; reader disbelief is unimperiled, and psychobabble unindulged. Outstanding characters, folklore, and action add up to another Kay must-read. Frieda Murray
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Product Details

  • Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  • Paperback: 432 pages
  • Publisher: Roc Trade (February 5, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0451461908
  • ISBN-13: 978-0451461902
  • Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (66 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #293,769 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
59 of 66 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
A one sentence summary of Ysabel sounds unnervingly like the rote formula of some very, very bad pulp fantasy: a vacationing 15 year old in the South of France comes of age as he gains magic powers, works with his family, and becomes a hero. But Guy Gavriel Kay is at the height of his own powers here, and breaks out by weaving a powerful tale of love and revenge as he slowly reveals the truth - some of which will unexpectedly delight longtime fans. In general, this is his best since Song for Arbonne. A couple of minor nitpicks, but a solid 5 stars.

First, the nitpicks. The beginning part of the boy-becoming-man plotline here isn't original and in fact makes the first part of the novel drag a bit, as Kay seems slightly out of his element in dealing with both the narrative of a fifteen year old and a modern setting. Maybe kids grow up quicker now, but protagonist Ned Marriner seems a bit too mature even before what Kay calls the last day of his childhood. Kay's attempts to integrate modern technology and society actually distract from plot advancement at times and in a few years will badly date this book, even if his ruminations on how technology has changed things can be interesting. And finally, there are some minor and a couple non minor characters that could have used more stage time.

However, once Ned becomes fully engaged in the bigger picture, the book takes off. Kay settles comfortably into meticulously researched history as to why certain things are transpiring - in this case an age old struggle of barbarians versus civilization in which neither has a monopoly on good - but really hits his stride with the exploration of love and revenge and their effect on innocent bystanders. The ensemble cast supporting Ned is generally well developed and very believable. Better yet are the plot twists and denouement; you don't know where he's taking you, and the ride to find out is marvelous. He's done the love triangle story several times before, but this version is well executed and worth 5 stars on its own.

For long time readers of Kay, the delicious bonus here is that the modern setting allows the reintroduction of several major elements from the Fionavar trilogy. I won't ruin the plot surprises by saying much more, but in some senses this is almost a sequel. Where this may be Kay's best writing (probably not his best novel, though, given some of the early miscues) is that he weaves this in so effortlessly that you might not initially notice, and unlike most similar efforts it's a not a requirement to have read the previous books to understand the plot or the characters and doesn't heavy-handedly ruin the main story. It just adds delicious levels of depth and occasionally inside humor to an already good tale.

Five stars. Might be 4 1/2 stars in comparison to Kay's other work, but that's too much nitpicking.
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33 of 39 people found the following review helpful
Captivating February 26, 2007
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a book that swallowed my weekend. I opened in on Saturday morning and put it down, finished, on Sunday night. I've missed Mr. Kay's work and this book happily joins its predecessors on my shelf.

I have read all of Guy Kay's novels and can, therefore, compare. This is very different fare from Lions, Tigana and Sarantium. Ysabel lacks that sweeping scope, the feeling of a story that will stay with you forever and characters that burn their way into you heart. Ysabel sweeps 2,500 years of history, but it is not an epic. It looks at that history from the outside. On the other hand, though I worship the three works above, I do not hesitate to admit they are not told as concisely as they might have been. Some parts drag and that takes away from the momentum of the phenomenal stories lines. Ysabel is all story; all motion. I was on the edge of my seat throughout. It is exciting, a little scary, completely engrossing. The true mark of Kay's talent and precision here is that he did not just shift from a character-driven story to a plot-driven one. Not at all. The characters are vivid. Their image is instantly before you. They are instantly complex. You do not like or dislike anyone absolutely, but take them as they are in all the shades of gray. A shameless honesty, there. There is no barrier to knowing them and getting into their heads. I cared for them all, even the more peripheral personages.

Beneath it all and all around is the history. I loved the history. The description of Provence as dripping with it is wonderful. Every inch of land is saturated with stories. All the stories are exciting and intriguing. All are worth telling. All are Real. You walk away from the book with a clear understanding that the 400-some pages of the book barely scratched the surface; that fifty more books could come out of that land and still not tell it all.

That is, perhaps, the general feeling the book left in me: motion, the promise of change, the guarantee of memory and an appreciation for the beauty of human nature, despite all we've done to each other over the centuries. I don't see myself re-reading Ysabel every year like I do Lions and Tigana, but it WAS wonderful. (Every other year, then!) My gratitude to Mr. Kay.
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22 of 25 people found the following review helpful
A Poignant, Mythic Tale February 6, 2007
Format:Hardcover
It was with great anticipation that I sat down to read Guy Gavriel Kay's latest offering "Ysabel" just a few days ago. I have read all of his novels and I knew that he always brings a magical genius that imbues his stories with a deep sense of history- even when those histories are formed entirely within his own creative imagination. I was not disappointed. This book is astonishing. "Ysabel" is different in that it is set in our own contemporary world with characters that at first seem familiar and understandable. Only as the story unfolds, do we realize that all (including the reader) will be drawn into to a vastly deep mystery that the world, it's history and even time itself is something much more incomprehensible than anyone could have predicted or understood. The story is set within the history-steeped beauty that is Aix-en-Provence; a place where the past bleeds beyond the defined boundaries of our modern existence and deep natural powers seem to offer alternative theories to accepted history.

It is a story in which Ned Marriner, an intelligent but seemily ordinary 15 year-old, not only comes of age, but also crosses a threshold that leads him to a surprising discovery that he is apparently much more than he thought he was. With typical Kay mastery, the author develops intriguing, intelligent and imminently likable characters that often emerge from their ordinary lives to become people who prove to do extraordinary things.

This novel is a history lesson, a multifaceted love story, a fantastic spiritual exploration and an astonishingly poignant story of people outside of time, trapped by history but vastly courageous in their love and devotion to a poetic destiny. Like the historical event it chronicles, it is intensely deep and often sad. Like the story it tells, this book is a thing of beauty.

It is highly recommended...
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Simple plot
The plot is simple and has been done to death. The novel is not bad, but it has little selling point.
Published 1 day ago by Pippi
Classic GGK
Haven't read Guy Gavriel Kay for a long time so reding this one brings back the same reaction having reading his other works ie emotional fantasy.
Published 2 months ago by niknas
Feels like a YA book
It doesn't have the same depth and gravitas as othe Kay novels. I was left disappointed at the end. Great writing but average story.
Published 5 months ago by Benleg
Boring
I am a fan of the author but this book just didn't fit what I would expect from him. The story was way more simplistic than his other books and barely kept my interest.
Published 5 months ago by Heather S.
Excellent YA Kay book
I make no apologies ... I am a fan of Guy Gavriel Kay. He writes thoughtful and complete plots with compelling characters, plausible plot lines and fulfilling prose. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Dion Morse
Well...it could have been worse...
I remember reading Tigana more than ten years ago. I remember the feeling, the excitement, the joy and the feeling of loss when I finally read the book. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Matko Vladanovic
Good Case Against Multi-Book Authors
Apparently "Ysabel" is not a book to be read by GGK virgins, which I was. I don't know who Kim and Dave are, have no idea about the Feud, and so a lot of that remained unanswered... Read more
Published 17 months ago by WorldLitLover
A disappointing read
I am a Guy Gavriel Kay fan, but this book is subpar. All of the banter between Ned and the others in Provence tries to hard to be hip, clever, and teasing. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Joservice
Not the best work of a very talented author
"Ysabel" is a difficult book to review, because it represents what I feel is a subpar effort for an extremely talented author. Read more
Published 24 months ago by Michael Ratner
Awkward--but it's still Kay
Not his best; the modern characters are thin and there is a crushing sense of Fionavar nostalgia in the latter half of the book. Read more
Published on May 22, 2010 by NKA
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First Sentence:
The woods came to the edge of the property: to the gravel of the drive, the electronic gate, and the green twisted-wire fence that kept out the boars. Read the first page
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Aunt Kim, Guy Gavriel Kay, Edward Marriner, Kate Wenger, Uncle Dave, Edward Martinet, Dave Martyniuk, Ned Marriner, Oliver Lee, Meghan Marriner, Meghan Martinet, Ned Martinet, The Celt, Les Baux, New York, Queen of Sheba, Les Alyscamps, Valley of Hell, Mont Sainte-Victoire, Larry Cato, Villa Sans Souci, James Bond, Barry Staley, Fort de Buoux, Swiss Army
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