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timinbc's review
5.0
Sometimes I read a book and think, "this is a good author." Then I read Kay's latest and I think, "This is a master at the peak of his craft."
Every word is precisely placed, like the mosaics Kay loves. Every comma, every dash–and gosh, there are a lot of them, it's a wonder there are any commas left in the world for others to use–is exactly what is needed to create Kay's unique voice, to create the feeling that we are sitting in a medieval room with Guidanio Cerra, looking out across the bay and sipping our drinks while his smooth voice tells me his story the way a poet would, with rhythm, pacing, emphasis exactly as he wants them.
Remember the chariot races in Sailing to Sarantium? There's a horse race here that's even better, and based on a real historical race.
Remember Kay's other books, when things happen to characters, and you thought, "oh no, he didn't, no, no not him/her!" ? Yep, that's here.
Remember Kay mentioning almost too often that our lives are made up of memories and choices, decisions and actions that either did or didn't make a difference, arrows that either missed or didn't? Here he comes very close to overdoing it, but gradually I came to realize that he is driving home the point that for many people, even the almost-important ones, that's all there is. We roll the dice, or someone else does, and the wheel of fate rolls on.
Late in the book, he says of a lesser character that he was a fool, and not entirely trustworthy, but he was doing his best before his god. As we all are.
Later in the book, we see two new characters, and realize that we are going to go back to our bookshelves and re-read Children of Earth and Sky, because this one rolls right into it.
My only disappointments with this book are (1) it's over, (2) it will be a year or more before there's another. My consolation is that I can read Children again while I wait, then the Sarantium books, then Arbonne ....
Every word is precisely placed, like the mosaics Kay loves. Every comma, every dash–and gosh, there are a lot of them, it's a wonder there are any commas left in the world for others to use–is exactly what is needed to create Kay's unique voice, to create the feeling that we are sitting in a medieval room with Guidanio Cerra, looking out across the bay and sipping our drinks while his smooth voice tells me his story the way a poet would, with rhythm, pacing, emphasis exactly as he wants them.
Remember the chariot races in Sailing to Sarantium? There's a horse race here that's even better, and based on a real historical race.
Remember Kay's other books, when things happen to characters, and you thought, "oh no, he didn't, no, no not him/her!" ? Yep, that's here.
Remember Kay mentioning almost too often that our lives are made up of memories and choices, decisions and actions that either did or didn't make a difference, arrows that either missed or didn't? Here he comes very close to overdoing it, but gradually I came to realize that he is driving home the point that for many people, even the almost-important ones, that's all there is. We roll the dice, or someone else does, and the wheel of fate rolls on.
Late in the book, he says of a lesser character that he was a fool, and not entirely trustworthy, but he was doing his best before his god. As we all are.
Later in the book, we see two new characters, and realize that we are going to go back to our bookshelves and re-read Children of Earth and Sky, because this one rolls right into it.
My only disappointments with this book are (1) it's over, (2) it will be a year or more before there's another. My consolation is that I can read Children again while I wait, then the Sarantium books, then Arbonne ....
jjcopper's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
amblygon_writes's review
4.0
This was beautiful as usual (a swan dive into a vivid and exciting world!), but it made a couple of unexpected choices. Generally enjoyed it and found it hard to put down at times, but was left with a tiny nagging feeling of dissatisfaction at the end that I find difficult to articulate.
sloreads_ca's review
Full Review
I loved A Brightness Long Ago. One of the reasons Guy Gavriel Kay is one of my favorite authors is I always feel absolutely awestruck when reading one of his books. This book is a first person retrospective, primarily covering one period. I found it easy to forget that it was a retrospective and often made the assumption that the period being described was current. It took me a lot longer than it probably should have to figure out which character was the main protagonist. I'm going to blame that on it being an audiobook and on listening in 15-20 minute snippets for the first third of the book.
I loved A Brightness Long Ago. One of the reasons Guy Gavriel Kay is one of my favorite authors is I always feel absolutely awestruck when reading one of his books. This book is a first person retrospective, primarily covering one period. I found it easy to forget that it was a retrospective and often made the assumption that the period being described was current. It took me a lot longer than it probably should have to figure out which character was the main protagonist. I'm going to blame that on it being an audiobook and on listening in 15-20 minute snippets for the first third of the book.
canaanmerchant's review
5.0
Look GGK just does it better than almost anyone. Here you have fantasy, history, love, loss, regret, chance, triumph, and a thrilling horse race.
mrbear's review
2.0
In the end, this was really quite disappointing, and perhaps made worse by comparison with Kay’s other books. If you’ve never read his books before, please, please, PLEASE do not start here!
The problem is pretty simple: Kay has always had a “philosophy of life” bent to his books. Often times a little moralistic, overbearing, third-wall breaking, and heavy handed. But always a little. Usually his books are character driven, and his forays into the human condition are nicely contained as relevant ways to show the gravity of an occasion, or a broader perspective to an otherwise interpersonal conflict.
This book simply goes too far, and its characters are far less compelling. His story arcs for the main characters are (frankly) terrible in comparison with almost all his other works, and he spends more time laboring on about “we are what we are” and hitting you over the head with character tropes like “the battle hardened commander,” “the heartthrob who wants nothing more than to open a bookshop and live a quiet life,” and “the pre-industrial revolution woman who wants desperately to live a life of intrigue.” I have nothing against these characters, but they’re basically the entire depth that he provides. Beyond that he simply tells about what they do, and then rambles about how it fits with his increasingly dark takes on life and death.
Overall, maybe I liked this book less because I have read his other books, and know that they are almost all strictly better. They have the same style of insights amidst story, but are much less heavy handed, feature better and more developed characters, and make the reader feel the intended emotions without the help of a narrator’s hammer.
Do yourself a favor, and just read the Lions of Al Rassan instead!
The problem is pretty simple: Kay has always had a “philosophy of life” bent to his books. Often times a little moralistic, overbearing, third-wall breaking, and heavy handed. But always a little. Usually his books are character driven, and his forays into the human condition are nicely contained as relevant ways to show the gravity of an occasion, or a broader perspective to an otherwise interpersonal conflict.
This book simply goes too far, and its characters are far less compelling. His story arcs for the main characters are (frankly) terrible in comparison with almost all his other works, and he spends more time laboring on about “we are what we are” and hitting you over the head with character tropes like “the battle hardened commander,” “the heartthrob who wants nothing more than to open a bookshop and live a quiet life,” and “the pre-industrial revolution woman who wants desperately to live a life of intrigue.” I have nothing against these characters, but they’re basically the entire depth that he provides. Beyond that he simply tells about what they do, and then rambles about how it fits with his increasingly dark takes on life and death.
Overall, maybe I liked this book less because I have read his other books, and know that they are almost all strictly better. They have the same style of insights amidst story, but are much less heavy handed, feature better and more developed characters, and make the reader feel the intended emotions without the help of a narrator’s hammer.
Do yourself a favor, and just read the Lions of Al Rassan instead!
chrismacc's review
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
banjoetic's review
2.0
Holy bury your gays, Batman.
Maybe I would have liked this more if Guidanio was actually interesting, or if everything that happened in the book actually amounted to anything. A high profile assassination had little to no consequence in the end, and the book builds up to bring characters together in a certain point, only for all of them to just leave and fizzle out. Was at a solid 3 stars until that point, and then it all just went downhill. I'm just glad to be done with it.
Maybe I would have liked this more if Guidanio was actually interesting, or if everything that happened in the book actually amounted to anything. A high profile assassination had little to no consequence in the end, and the book builds up to bring characters together in a certain point, only for all of them to just leave and fizzle out. Was at a solid 3 stars until that point, and then it all just went downhill. I'm just glad to be done with it.