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Coming soon: Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay
Guy Gavriel Kay is one of Fantasy Book Review’s favourite authors and widely regarded as the fantasy writers’ writer. Tigana, The Lions of Al-Rasan and Ysabel (2008 World Fantasy winner) and the The Fionavar Tapestry and The Sarantine Mosaic series are all wonderful examples of fantasy, often based on real historical events and times.
April 29, 2010 will see the publication of his latest work, an epic historical adventure set in a pseudo 8th century China.
Under Heaven is a novel of heroes, assassins, concubines and emperors set against a majestic and unforgiving landscape. For two years Shen Tai has mourned his father, living like a hermit beyond the borders of the Kitan Empire, by a mountain lake where terrible battles have long been fought between the Kitai and the neighbouring Tagurans, including one for which his father – a great general – was honoured. But Tai’s father never forgot the brutal slaughter involved. The bones of 100,000 soldiers still lie unburied by the lake and their wailing ghosts at night strike terror in the living, leaving the lake and meadow abandoned in its ring of mountains. To honour and redress his father’s sorrow, Tai has journeyed west to the lake and has laboured, alone, to bury the dead of both empires. His supplies are replenished by his own people from the nearest fort, and also – since peace has been bought with the bartering of an imperial princess – by the Tagurans, for his solitary honouring of their dead. The Tagurans soldiers one day bring an unexpected letter. It is from the bartered Kitan Princess Cheng-wan, and it contains a poisoned chalice: she has gifted Tai with two hundred and fifty Sardian horses, to reward him for his courage. The Sardians are legendary steeds from the far west, famed, highly-prized, long-coveted by the Kitans.
We will be reading and reviewing Under Heaven as soon as is humanly possible, so check back nearer the publication date.
Guy Gavriel Kay was born in Canada and is still based out of Toronto. At the beginning of his career Gavriel Kay aided Christopher Tolkien in the editing of JRR Tolkien’s The Silmarillion. Kay incorporates real history into his fantasy books with the influences of medieval France, Moorish Spain and the Byzantium Empire all prominent in his novels. His first major and successful work was the Fionavar Tapestry which was first published between 1984 and 1986.
Posted: March 18th, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: Guy Gavriel Kay
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