I absolutely abhorred Tigana and because of that I've been afraid to pick up anything else by Kay.
Here is what I sent to a friend who had read it, when we were discussing it by e-mail:
Generally speaking, I was repulsed by the theme of the story, which was very nationalistic. I never felt the pain of the characters because I find the idea of being so attached to a place so foreign. Not only have I not experienced the love of a homeland, but I also find the idea archaic; I associate nationalism with totalitarianism, so I was resistant to the idea from the beginning. The idea of basing your identity on where you are from seems empty to me. Perhaps I could've overcome these feelings if I could've felt why Tigana was so important to the characters ( i.e. what was so special or unique about Tigana, but I was always left feeling that there wasn't anything special except that it was their homeland, and so to my eyes, it didn't seem like it was any better than any of the other countries).
I also found the execution of the story lacking. Not that the prose was terrible, but I don't think it was outstanding. It's more the world itself, and its mechanics. For example, when the prince captures the magician because he is the prince of Tigana, I groaned. The foreshadowing of this event was obvious and therefore clumsy, and the perpetration of the event stretched credulity, even within a fantasy world. Also, I really like gritty descriptions of the way the "magic forces" of a given world work, or at least some deeper understanding, or even hint of depth, and I didn't get that feeling or understanding from the magic users in this world. The whole going into the night world and fighting the zombies and discovering a secret magic to save the day was too fortuitous for my tastes. (Perhaps Martin and his no-sacred-characters-or-events take on fantasy has spoiled me.)
I have this weird way of explaining which books I like. If I like a book, I am able to picture in my head the world as if through a video camera - it is gritty, real, it is like watching a movie or real life. Such works that I can do this with are Tolkien's and Martin's. Books I don't like, or don't like as much, I am only able to picture as if they were a cartoon. Everything has the quality of cell animation about it, and not photorealism. Books like that to me are anything by Brooks, Eddings, and Tigana.
Guy Gavriel Kay
in Literature
Posted
I absolutely abhorred Tigana and because of that I've been afraid to pick up anything else by Kay.
Here is what I sent to a friend who had read it, when we were discussing it by e-mail:
I have this weird way of explaining which books I like. If I like a book, I am able to picture in my head the world as if through a video camera - it is gritty, real, it is like watching a movie or real life. Such works that I can do this with are Tolkien's and Martin's. Books I don't like, or don't like as much, I am only able to picture as if they were a cartoon. Everything has the quality of cell animation about it, and not photorealism. Books like that to me are anything by Brooks, Eddings, and Tigana.