The Marquis de Leech Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 I've read Lord of Emperors and Under Heaven so far this month. The prose of the latter is gorgeous, and part of me could not help but grin at certain events - which in another book would be covered in intricate detail - being treated almost as an after-thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanF Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 36 minutes ago, The Marquis de Leech said: I've read Lord of Emperors and Under Heaven so far this month. The prose of the latter is gorgeous, and part of me could not help but grin at certain events - which in another book would be covered in intricate detail - being treated almost as an after-thought. Under Heaven is really really good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Marquis de Leech Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 1 hour ago, SeanF said: Under Heaven is really really good. Considering that I've read the majority of Kay's output (minus the last three novels and the poetry book), I always thought it rather odd that I had never previously found a book of his I'd enjoyed without reservations. Under Heaven is the first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 For me, A Brightness Long Ago was a thin gruel of reading experience, as well as an unsparked recycling of previous characters and plots and subplots, particularly out of Tigana, his 'real' first novel, at least his first novel for adults. But that's my opinion, and so many see it differently, which is fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Marquis de Leech Posted August 20, 2019 Share Posted August 20, 2019 11 hours ago, Zorral said: For me, A Brightness Long Ago was a thin gruel of reading experience, as well as an unsparked recycling of previous characters and plots and subplots, particularly out of Tigana, his 'real' first novel, at least his first novel for adults. But that's my opinion, and so many see it differently, which is fine. Fionavar ain't standard Kay in terms of what came later, but it is certainly an adult work. Darth Richard II, Ran and Calibandar 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isis Posted August 20, 2019 Share Posted August 20, 2019 I tried to read Tigana last month. I couldn't get past the first 20 pages. It's painful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quinze Posted August 20, 2019 Share Posted August 20, 2019 6 hours ago, Isis said: I tried to read Tigana last month. I couldn't get past the first 20 pages. It's painful. I've tried twice. Third attempt will happen eventually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted August 20, 2019 Share Posted August 20, 2019 I hate Tigana but have really liked/loved everything else I've read so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Marquis de Leech Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 13 hours ago, Isis said: I tried to read Tigana last month. I couldn't get past the first 20 pages. It's painful. Of all the issues I can think of with Tigana, they're not in the first twenty pages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isis Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 6 hours ago, The Marquis de Leech said: Of all the issues I can think of with Tigana, they're not in the first twenty pages. I had it on my to-read list for years, I'd had so many recs for it from this board and elsewhere. I was really looking forward to it, expecting lyrical language and great storytelling. I'd been checking the price for the Kindle version and choosing not to buy it whilst it was still priced at almost £10. But when it dropped under £5 I thought this must be a sign that I should go for it. The overly long descriptions of characters were making it hard to retain interest in what was happening. I get that some novels aren't concerned with plot - but I hadn't really pegged this as one of those. It just dragged and I didn't care about the characters. A sad waste of time and money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaxom 1974 Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 Finished Last Light of the Sun, which for reasons, I thought was about sometbing else initally, even though it was talked about here...I thought it was wonderful in many ways. Close to, but not quite on par with Lions. Also finished Children of Earth and Sky, and I liked it, but it also felt a little disjointed in the tales it was telling... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quinze Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 10 hours ago, Jaxom 1974 said: Finished Last Light of the Sun, which for reasons, I thought was about sometbing else initally, even though it was talked about here...I thought it was wonderful in many ways. Close to, but not quite on par with Lions. Also finished Children of Earth and Sky, and I liked it, but it also felt a little disjointed in the tales it was telling... As much as I like Kay's work, it's hard to discuss. I can't remember which events go with which title. Excluding Lions and the latest/freshest (most fresh?) Brightness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
End of Disc One Posted August 26, 2019 Share Posted August 26, 2019 I read Tigana earlier this year and I didn't find it to be slow at all. Maybe I just read a lot of slow books. I loved it. Ran 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ran Posted August 27, 2019 Share Posted August 27, 2019 On 8/21/2019 at 12:50 PM, Jaxom 1974 said: Finished Last Light of the Sun, which for reasons, I thought was about sometbing else initally, even though it was talked about here...I thought it was wonderful in many ways. Close to, but not quite on par with Lions. That's the one I need to re-read. Been ages. On 8/21/2019 at 12:50 PM, Jaxom 1974 said: Also finished Children of Earth and Sky, and I liked it, but it also felt a little disjointed in the tales it was telling... Yeah, that's the structural issue I noted earlier. It's lovely, but dropping a thread for a couple hundred pages only to come back to it and wrap it up in like 30 felt a bit off. I'm not sure what Kay was thinking, exactly, but I'm sure he had an intention that I haven't apprehended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaxom 1974 Posted August 27, 2019 Share Posted August 27, 2019 1 hour ago, Ran said: Yeah, that's the structural issue I noted earlier. It's lovely, but dropping a thread for a couple hundred pages only to come back to it and wrap it up in like 30 felt a bit off. I'm not sure what Kay was thinking, exactly, but I'm sure he had an intention that I haven't apprehended. Maybe if there'd been an intended sequel(s), it might have worked better...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 So, is under heaven set in the same world as any of his other works? I thought it was but a character just mentioned there is only one moon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Marquis de Leech Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, Darth Richard II said: So, is under heaven set in the same world as any of his other works? I thought it was but a character just mentioned there is only one moon. I haven't read River of Stars, but it's obviously set in the same world as Under Heaven (a one moon place, rather than the two-moon one). Edited October 21, 2019 by The Marquis de Leech Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamjm Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 16 hours ago, Darth Richard II said: So, is under heaven set in the same world as any of his other works? I thought it was but a character just mentioned there is only one moon. Aside from the sequel it's not set in the same world as his other books. It would have been easy to make it about the "Chinese" part of the Al-Rassan/Sarantium/etc. world but Kay seemed to decide against that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted October 22, 2019 Share Posted October 22, 2019 Ah yes, for some reason I thought it was, then someone mentioned it would be neat to have two moons and pretty much winked at the camera. Also, I have come to accept that every character in every Kay book is just horny, all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanF Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 On 10/22/2019 at 3:49 AM, Darth Richard II said: Ah yes, for some reason I thought it was, then someone mentioned it would be neat to have two moons and pretty much winked at the camera. Also, I have come to accept that every character in every Kay book is just horny, all the time. Every woman in the Sarantine Mosaic seemed desperate for sex with Crispinus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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