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Title: Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay ISBN: 0-451-45776-5 Publisher: Roc Pub. Date: December, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.41 (161 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: My choice for Greatest Fantasy Ever.
Comment: And I do not say so lightly. I read it first a number of years ago, and was blown away by everything about the book. The characters are fully realized, every single one, even the villains; it is rare that an author can make you so sympathize with his villain that you can imagine yourself, in his position, doing exactly as the author had him do -- and hating yourself for it, even as Brandin does.
The basic plot is nothing new -- a band of freedom fighters struggling against tall odds to throw off an oppressive foreign yoke -- but then, the Bard himself stole virtually all of his material. And what is done within that framework is fresh and original, captivating and engrossing enough that I read it in one sitting (and this is a 400+ page novel).
The setting is, as others have noted, loosely based on the historical balkanized Italy (and he has gone to Spain and France in Al-Rassan and Arbonne, since then). This is perhaps the only place where Kay does not measure up to others in the fantasy craft; Tolkein, Williams, and LeGuin have proven their ability to pull worlds out of whole cloth. But even if Kay has plagiarized history in his foundation, the fact that it is historical makes it firmer, and the details that he builds atop it glitter without threatening to collapse under its own weight.
The wordsmithing is worthy of a master of the craft. It is clear that Kay learned something from his work in Fionavar, which I thought was good but not great; this was great.
And back to the characters, again. The characters are the heart of the story, and what makes everything, ultimately, work. There have been two novels that I have read to date that have made me cry while reading them. One was Hugo's Les Miserables; the other was Tigana. Kay knows how to tug the heartstrings and cut to the quick, but all the pathos in the world will do nothing if the reader does not believe in the character; Kay makes you believe.
Read this book, if you have not already.
Rating: 5
Summary: Shades of grey: internal struggles of Tigana's citizens
Comment: Set in a fantasy land closely resembling Tuscany with its rolling hills, fractious city-states and tiny villages filled with tall, medieval towers, the tale of Tigana unfolds.
It is after the diaspora of many of fallen Tigana's citizens, from apprentice to prince, who could not bear to live in a country where their very name is taken away by the powerful sorcery of their conqueror, heartbroken by the death of his son.
Richly combining both the medieval setting of Tuscan Italy, the warring sorceror invaders who have carved up the Peninsula of the Palm bring a taste of mid-20th century cold war struggles, along with the chilling "memory hole" of George Orwell's 1984 and the deeply divided hearts and minds of its principal characters are hauntingly realistic.
While Kay's masterwork is properly housed in its high fantasy genre, this is a book that offers deeply satisfying reading for any number of literary tastes.
Rating: 5
Summary: Forget Tolkien, just read this book!
Comment: Tigana is not only one of the best fantasy novels I've ever read, but also one of the best novels, period, I've ever read. Forget Tolkien - I know there are obvious comparisons to be made, but if you leave Tolkien aside and read Tigana you'll discover a world entirely its own. Tigana - an emotionally driven fantasy - owes more to One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez than anything by Tolkien. Excellent for fantasy lovers but excellent for anyone who loves a well told story, as well. All of Kay's work is good, but this is best, by far.
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Title: The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay ISBN: 0061056219 Publisher: Eos Pub. Date: 01 March, 1996 List Price(USD): $6.50 |
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Title: A Song for Arbonne by Guy Gavriel Kay ISBN: 0451458974 Publisher: Roc Pub. Date: November, 2002 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: The Summer Tree (The Fionavar Tapestry, Book 1) by Guy Gavriel Kay ISBN: 0451458222 Publisher: Onyx Books Pub. Date: 10 April, 2001 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: The Darkest Road (The Fionavar Tapestry, Book 3) by Guy Gavriel Kay ISBN: 0451458338 Publisher: Roc Pub. Date: 12 June, 2001 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: The Wandering Fire (The Fionavar Tapestry, Book 2) by Guy Gavriel Kay ISBN: 0451458265 Publisher: Roc Pub. Date: 08 May, 2001 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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