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timinbc's review against another edition
4.0
Not quite a good as some of his others, but still very good.
I was occasionally snatched away from being lost in his magical world by stylistic things.
First, Kay seems to be obsessed with the blood-eagle thing. It comes up over and over, far more than needed.
Second, and this is true of most fantasy, every arrow shot in the book seems to kill its target instantly. Every one of them can shoot individual peas out of a pod at 100 paces.
Third, while I have no problem with sentence fragments and the occasional "whole lives can turn on small moments like this" or "that turned out to be a bad decision", they seemed to come up too often -- even allowing for the comfortable feeling Kay gives that you're sitting around a fire with him and a few friends and he's telling you a story.
There are a LOT of characters, and a lot of plot threads, but by golly he ties them all together at the end with a flair, including a couple of "huh, didn't see THAT coming" to balance the more predictable outcomes that the plot demanded.
Still a very good book, and I'm ready for Children of Earth and Sky now.
I was occasionally snatched away from being lost in his magical world by stylistic things.
First, Kay seems to be obsessed with the blood-eagle thing. It comes up over and over, far more than needed.
Second, and this is true of most fantasy, every arrow shot in the book seems to kill its target instantly. Every one of them can shoot individual peas out of a pod at 100 paces.
Third, while I have no problem with sentence fragments and the occasional "whole lives can turn on small moments like this" or "that turned out to be a bad decision", they seemed to come up too often -- even allowing for the comfortable feeling Kay gives that you're sitting around a fire with him and a few friends and he's telling you a story.
There are a LOT of characters, and a lot of plot threads, but by golly he ties them all together at the end with a flair, including a couple of "huh, didn't see THAT coming" to balance the more predictable outcomes that the plot demanded.
Still a very good book, and I'm ready for Children of Earth and Sky now.
davidjags's review
Couldn't maintain interest with all the changing characters and vignette.
winnifred's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
tbeaumont223's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book. He can be a hit and miss author, but when he is good, he is great!
kcrouth's review against another edition
1.0
I freakin' give up on this one. There are too many other books that I want to read for me to waste any more time on this one. Following the plot and the characters is like some sort of twisted puzzle or whodunnit mystery. As a result, after 232 pages, i couldn't care less about any of the characters nor about how this convoluted story will end. The first book that i read by this author was "Under Heaven" and it was excellent in every way that this book is found wanting. It was excellent! Unfortunately, other books i've read by Kay are not as compelling. This is the third i've read and I'm done with him.
Additionally, as a result of this book, i've implemented an overdue personal policy of NOT finishing a book unless it has won me in the first 25%. If i am not completely into the story by 1/4 of the way through, I'll spend the remaining 75% on another book that I want to read. Life is to freaking short.
Additionally, as a result of this book, i've implemented an overdue personal policy of NOT finishing a book unless it has won me in the first 25%. If i am not completely into the story by 1/4 of the way through, I'll spend the remaining 75% on another book that I want to read. Life is to freaking short.
mrbear's review against another edition
3.0
This book was honestly pretty disappointing. the characters weren't compelling, and it tried a bit too hard to be deep and full of Earth Shattering Moments. Not even close to the quality of the Lions of Al-Rassan or a Song for Arbonne.
dromwald's review against another edition
4.0
Another great read from a master story-teller. This one, influenced by Alfred the Great and the Anglo Saxon kingdoms and Wales during the dark ages was particularly interesting for me as I currently live in a part of what was once Wessex and spent much of my childhood in the valleys of Wales. There is also a supernatural element in the book surrounding the pre-christian deities supposedly worshiped in those times which, though should be taken as pure fantasy, caused a tingle in my memories. Anyone who has spent a windy Halloween night on Badbury Rings or sat near the King's Barrows near Stonehenge at dusk will appreciate there was a reason why our superstitious ancestors felt the ancient forests that surrounded them held more than a little of the fey about them.
jakelewis_23_'s review
4.0
This was my first GGK book and wow, its was fantastic! Set in a anglo-saxon/celtic/norse world that has many things plucked from real history and given a fantasy tweak. With many characters who would be recognised by other names in our own history, King Alfred the Great, Ivar the Boneless, potentially King Arthur and Merlin (might be stretching on that one).
The characters were great and I love any book that has a setting like this one so it was always going to be a winner for me!
Will definitely be tackling more GGK!
4.5 ⭐️
The characters were great and I love any book that has a setting like this one so it was always going to be a winner for me!
Will definitely be tackling more GGK!
4.5 ⭐️
heathermcc54321's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
xeyra1's review against another edition
5.0
The only book by this author I had read was "Tigana" and I absolutely loved it. So I had very high expectations when I picked this book up. And they were met. Granted, it's not "Tigana", but it's nonetheless an incredible story by this great author. The Last Light of the Sun was well-researched, well-written, gritty, and utterly believable, and the characters are people you identify with and understand, even in the bloody world they inhabit.
Kay is a master storyteller... there's no doubt about it. I have other books of his in my TBR and I will certainly be reading those sooner rather than latter.
Kay is a master storyteller... there's no doubt about it. I have other books of his in my TBR and I will certainly be reading those sooner rather than latter.