#100 Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay
Shen Tai has spent the past two years of his life mourning the loss of his father by burying the dead at Kuala Nor, where a great battle once
took place. Occasionally, he will think back of on his family, and the lover he left behind, but he has distanced himself from his life at Kitai for the most part. Then he receives an extravagant gift of one-hundred and fifty heavenly horses, along with an assassination attempt. Tai soon finds himself pulled back into Kitai, the complex life of court, and eventually a war.
Under Heaven is a complicated epic fantasy that draws from Chinese history. On one hand, I really enjoy works of Asian Fantasy, and feel as if there are a lot of things that Kay does incredibly well in this novel. On the other hand, there's a few things that really drew my enjoyment down. Let's start out with the positive. There's no denying that Guy Gavriel Kay is a fantastic writer. At times, his wording flows like beautiful poetry, and it can be a real joy to read. As far as the world building goes, Kay does a great job of immersing the reader in his Chinese-inspired setting. At times, the novel feels more like historical fiction than fantasy, as Under Heaven is very grounded in history, and light on the fantastic. This is a risky path to take in a genre populated by dragons and magic, but I think he does quite well with this choice. I also found the protagonist Shen Tai to be very satisfying and easy to route for. I really enjoy the scenes where Tai attempts (and sometimes struggles) to fit into the complex and often cruel world of Kitai. There were several side characters that won special places in my heart, especially Spring Rain.
Although I do like Under Heaven (the December selection for calico_reaction 's book club. Come join us!) there's no denying that I do have a few issues with the novel that need to be addressed. While reading the book, I often found myself commenting on the length of the novel (it's a 573 page hardcover, and the print is not large). Now, I don't dislike long novels. One of my favorite authors is Jacqueline Carey, who regularly writes novels of this length, and one of my favorite books is Jonathan Strange and Mr, Norrell, which is quite a bit longer. The problem I have with the length of this novel is I feel as if it could have been more satisfying if Kay had edited a little more aggressively. There are sections that seem to go on for too long, and entire scenes that feel completely unnecessary. I also have issues with some of the secondary characters. One character that has several scenes dedicated to her is Tai's sister, Li-Mei. I feel these scenes take the reader too far away with the main storyline, and I never warmed to Li-Mei, despite Kay's attempts to make her likable. I am also a little disappointed with Wei Song. Despite her early promise, I feel that she ended up underdeveloped, and the resolution of her story with Tai seems rushed.
Reading Under Heaven was a unique experience to me. There were times when I couldn't put it down, and others when I dreaded picking it up. Examining the book as a whole, I do have to admit that I enjoyed it, but the enjoyment wasn't as consisted as I felt it should have been. I am interested in reading more of Kay's work, as I did really enjoy his way with words as well as the fantastic world building.
Rating: three and a half stars
Length: 573 pages
Source: Lewiston Public Library
Similar Books: Jacqueline Carey's Naamah's Curse (in a big way, specifically the first third of the novel, which takes place in a setting inspired by China and Mongolia). Read my review.
Other books I've read by this author: This is my first
xposted to temporaryworlds , bookish , and goodreads
took place. Occasionally, he will think back of on his family, and the lover he left behind, but he has distanced himself from his life at Kitai for the most part. Then he receives an extravagant gift of one-hundred and fifty heavenly horses, along with an assassination attempt. Tai soon finds himself pulled back into Kitai, the complex life of court, and eventually a war.
Under Heaven is a complicated epic fantasy that draws from Chinese history. On one hand, I really enjoy works of Asian Fantasy, and feel as if there are a lot of things that Kay does incredibly well in this novel. On the other hand, there's a few things that really drew my enjoyment down. Let's start out with the positive. There's no denying that Guy Gavriel Kay is a fantastic writer. At times, his wording flows like beautiful poetry, and it can be a real joy to read. As far as the world building goes, Kay does a great job of immersing the reader in his Chinese-inspired setting. At times, the novel feels more like historical fiction than fantasy, as Under Heaven is very grounded in history, and light on the fantastic. This is a risky path to take in a genre populated by dragons and magic, but I think he does quite well with this choice. I also found the protagonist Shen Tai to be very satisfying and easy to route for. I really enjoy the scenes where Tai attempts (and sometimes struggles) to fit into the complex and often cruel world of Kitai. There were several side characters that won special places in my heart, especially Spring Rain.
Although I do like Under Heaven (the December selection for calico_reaction 's book club. Come join us!) there's no denying that I do have a few issues with the novel that need to be addressed. While reading the book, I often found myself commenting on the length of the novel (it's a 573 page hardcover, and the print is not large). Now, I don't dislike long novels. One of my favorite authors is Jacqueline Carey, who regularly writes novels of this length, and one of my favorite books is Jonathan Strange and Mr, Norrell, which is quite a bit longer. The problem I have with the length of this novel is I feel as if it could have been more satisfying if Kay had edited a little more aggressively. There are sections that seem to go on for too long, and entire scenes that feel completely unnecessary. I also have issues with some of the secondary characters. One character that has several scenes dedicated to her is Tai's sister, Li-Mei. I feel these scenes take the reader too far away with the main storyline, and I never warmed to Li-Mei, despite Kay's attempts to make her likable. I am also a little disappointed with Wei Song. Despite her early promise, I feel that she ended up underdeveloped, and the resolution of her story with Tai seems rushed.
Reading Under Heaven was a unique experience to me. There were times when I couldn't put it down, and others when I dreaded picking it up. Examining the book as a whole, I do have to admit that I enjoyed it, but the enjoyment wasn't as consisted as I felt it should have been. I am interested in reading more of Kay's work, as I did really enjoy his way with words as well as the fantastic world building.
Rating: three and a half stars
Length: 573 pages
Source: Lewiston Public Library
Similar Books: Jacqueline Carey's Naamah's Curse (in a big way, specifically the first third of the novel, which takes place in a setting inspired by China and Mongolia). Read my review.
Other books I've read by this author: This is my first
xposted to temporaryworlds , bookish , and goodreads