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59 of 66 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding with delicious plot twists, February 7, 2007
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:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Captivating, February 26, 2007
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:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Poignant, Mythic Tale, February 6, 2007
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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