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Comments (18)

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Apr 21, 2021rstubbing rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Under Heaven is a fantastic work of fiction. It held me fascinated and captive to the end. Guy Gavriel Kay is a tremendously creative and gifted author who draws you in to his stories and holds you in a firm grip. There is so much…
Nov 15, 2018SurreyLibraries_Reads rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Guy Gavriel Kay is a master of epic historical fantasy. This sweeping novel inspired by Tang Dynasty China tells the story of Shen Tai, the son of a general, who dedicates two years of his life to burying some of the forty thousand…
Jul 25, 2017SCL_Justin rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Under Heaven is a fantasy novel set in a world almost but not exactly like Tang Dynasty China. The difference is basically just enough to let Kay stray from history and include ghosts and someone who is something else. Also women have…
Aug 05, 2015
This might be my favorite novel by Kay; it's certainly the one I've read the most times. As with all of Kay's later works, the prose style is a pleasure, the characters have depth and humanity, and the plot is fascinating.
Sep 09, 2014WVMLStaffPicks rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
A gifted storyteller, Toronto novelist Guy Gavriel Kay writes a thrilling adventure set in 8th century China about the 9th Dynasty of Kitai (similar to the Tang Dynasty). Blending history and fantasy, Kay’s story is a complex and intricate…
Apr 18, 2014
This book is a good read. The author captures your attention and holds it until the satisfying end.
Jun 27, 2012samdog123 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I read this book for my book club. Since it weighs in at over 700 pages, I downloaded the library's eBook copy and read it on my Kobo. The book has a good glossary of the characters that I wouldl have liked to refer to as I was reading…
Dec 08, 2011tallpinetree rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
One of those I enjoyed immensely. Everyone has one and this is one of mine. I will reread this one again. All of his books are really quite terrific. The Lions of Al-Rassan is equally entertaining.
Oct 02, 2011horthhill rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Under Heaven is a fantasy novel but the fantastical is under-stated. There are ghost and shape-shifters but they take a back-seat to the period drama that unfolds in ancient china. Most of the sword and sorcery takes place off-stage. On…
Sep 29, 2011ravensview rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Read as part of a sci-fi club. Yes, it's historical fiction, but we wanted a change. Really enjoyed this, it blended enough detail about China in the eighth century with the lives of several characters, of various casts and motivations. I…
Sep 22, 2011Lorna rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Guy Gavriel Kay is a Canadian writer who writes “historical fantasy.” Early in his career he was requested by the Tolkien estate to work with Christopher Tolkien on the editing of The Silmarillion. This experience inspired his own…
Mar 28, 2011Ireadalot2 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I was afraid this book was going to be too complicated but it just grabbed me right from the start. I couldn't get enough. I must try more of his.
madame_librarian
Dec 14, 2010madame_librarian rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
In this epic novel of ancient China, readers are transported to a time and place of great beauty, harsh cruelties, and complicated political machinations. Set during the reign of the ficiticious Emperor Taizu of the 9th Peacock…
Dec 08, 2010rosco33 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
An expansive rich tapestry of life in ancient China
Sep 08, 2010yvel rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Another excellent novel by Canadian author Guy Gavriel Kay. This time, it's based on Chinese culture -- introducing Shen, the grieving second son of a famous general. For two years Shen has been burying the bones of soldiers from both…
Jul 06, 2010GuyN rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
One of Kay's best and I am a fan. T'ang Dynasty China is the thinly disguised (as is his wont) space/time for this convoluted work following a young scholar who is rushed to importance before he knows what is coming. One character is…
Jun 30, 2010Zentjo10 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This was great! A good, complex story and excellent poetry made it really enjoyable to read.
May 23, 2010c_anderson rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Not perhaps the very best of G G Kaye, but much better than Last Light of the Sun and Ysabel.