Scan barcode
samueldhall's review against another edition
4.0
"In the space of calm almost lost in what followed, the question of why tended to surface."
If you enjoy Patrick Rothfuss for his prose then Guy Gavriel Kay will also be down your alley.
If you enjoy Patrick Rothfuss for his prose then Guy Gavriel Kay will also be down your alley.
heikieesmaa's review against another edition
4.0
Probably some of the best written high fantasy. Some of how GKK structures the plot can be annoying, but the end result feels alright.
trin's review against another edition
2.0
Five Canadian college students are transported to a magical kingdom, and all of them are pretty blasé about it. Their lack of reaction cued me in pretty early on that I wasn’t going to like this book. None of these characters felt like real people to me; the students are pretty interchangeable (one’s a bit crankier! one has guilt! two possess vaginas!) and they all completely lack one of the most important things, in my opinion, for a successful fantasy novel: a sense of wonder. Nothing about this other, magical realm felt wondrous, so when it was threatened, I couldn’t bring myself to care. Which is a pity, because I felt there were some interesting ideas buried in here: Paul’s story of redemption and self-sacrifice is the type of thing that’s usually right up my alley. But it was stuck under a mountain of overwrought prose and I’m not willing to wade through that.
Plus—FUN BONUS!—there was a brutal rape scene right at the end! *makes cranky face*
Plus—FUN BONUS!—there was a brutal rape scene right at the end! *makes cranky face*
reynier's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A weird mix of absolutely gorgeous prose and the most annoying high fantasy cliches in the business
And also Francis Crawford is there
And also Francis Crawford is there
whimsicalmeerkat's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Based on the two [a:Guy Gavriel Kay|60177|Guy Gavriel Kay|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1218804723p2/60177.jpg] books I have read, I think I will continue to find his work enjoyable, but hardly world-changing or meaningful. This book has a definite "Narnia for older people" feeling to it, which I found charming. It had its silly moments, some jarring, but also managed to be frequently touching. Basically, it's well-done for a fun, light fantasy read.
letkris10sing's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.75
laura_corsi's review against another edition
4.0
I just love Guy Gavriel Kay’s writing. This series is one of his earlier attempts so the plot tends to be a little bit clunky at times. The transitions are not always finely drawn and the plot does borrow heavily from Tolkien as others have said, but all of the elements of Kay’s more mature writing is also here and there is much to love in this trilogy. It is like a waking dream of a book.
youngjeninspats's review against another edition
The fantasy world just happens to speak English? Identical board games? Nope.
lolajoan's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I don't know why it took me so long to get around to this trilogy but it's fantastic.