โ Scribed by Guy Gavriel Kay
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
Starred Review. Historical fantasist Kay (Ysabel) delivers an exquisitely detailed vision of Kitan, a land much like Tang Dynasty China. Shen Tai's father died leading troops in battle, so he spends his mourning year burying the bones of soldiers on both sides, laying their ghosts to rest. He attracts the attention of Cheng-wan, a princess of his people sent to wed one of the enemy. As her gifts make Shen Tai wealthy, an assassin kills his best friend. Shen Tai hires a bodyguard, Wei Song, to keep him alive while he figures out what to do with his riches and who wants him dead. Kay writes deftly of women who are sexually suborned by their societies, neither minimizing their constraints nor denying their agency, and the complex intrigues of poets, prostitutes, ministers, and soldiers evolve into a fascinating, sometimes bloody, and entirely believable tale. (May)
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What a lush and expansive world Kay has created here, wrote the critic from the SF Review. Indeed, most critics were quite in awe of Under Heaven , an ambitious undertaking that proved almost impossible to put down. With its unparalleled character development and marvelous storyline, Kay's latest is sure to appeal to lovers of historical fiction and fantasy fiction, as well as to readers who never thought they'd pick up a fantasy novel. There were a few quibbles: one reviewer felt that secondary characters were occasionally lost in the crowd. Well, that's just part of life in the world of thick, world-building fiction. Under Heaven is a strong entry in that category.
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SUMMARY: Inspired by the glory of Tang Dynasty China in the eighth century, Guy Gavriel Kay melds history and the fantastic into something both powerful and emotionally compelling. Under Heaven is a novel on the grandest narrative scale, encompassing the intimate details of individual lives in an
SUMMARY: Inspired by the glory of Tang Dynasty China in the eighth century, Guy Gavriel Kay melds history and the fantastic into something both powerful and emotionally compelling. Under Heaven is a novel on the grandest narrative scale, encompassing the intimate details of individual lives in an
**View our feature on Guy Gavriel Kayโs _Under Heaven_.** **In his latest innovative novel, the award-winning author evokes the dazzling Tang Dynasty of 8th-century China in a story of honor and power.** Inspired by the glory and power of Tang dynasty China, Guy Gavriel Kay has created a masterpie
**View our feature on Guy Gavriel Kayโs _Under Heaven_.** **In his latest innovative novel, the award-winning author evokes the dazzling Tang Dynasty of 8th-century China in a story of honor and power.** Inspired by the glory and power of Tang dynasty China, Guy Gavriel Kay has created a masterpie
An innovative story of honor and power from the award-winning author of Ysabel. In Under Heaven, Kay tells a story of honor and power, this time in a setting that evokes the dazzling Tang Dynasty of eighth-century China. In recognition of his service to the Emperor of Kitai, Shen Tai has been sent a