THE LIONS OF AL-RASSAN by Guy Gavriel Kay - No Spoiler Review
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- Опубліковано 12 гру 2021
- THE LIONS OF AL-RASSAN by Guy Gavriel Kay - No Spoiler Review
#bookreview #booktube #guygavrielkay
The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay is a standalone book and has been recommended to me multiple times. Guy Gavriel Kay is considered among many to be one of the prolific writers in the genre. The Lions of Al-Rassan is definitely one of the better books i've read in 2021 and Lions of Al-Rassan was a great introduction to Guy Gavriel Kay's work for me. I cannot wait to read some more Guy Gavriel Kay and hope you enjoy this no spoiler review of The Lions of Al-Rassan!
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What are some other historical fantasy recommendations?
uh...Tigana, sorry
@@jakebishop7822 lmao literally was waiting on you to comment that
The Dragon Waiting by John M. Ford has been on my radar for a while and the description has me super intrigued: alternate history War of the Roses with magic, dragons, and vampires, and also the Byzantine Empire never fell and has conquered most of Europe.
@@mathewshaw3713 OMG THAT SOUNDS AWESOME
Historical fantasy with low magic is some of my favorite type of fantasy. Here are some recs.
The Sevenwaters Trilogy by Juliet Marillier - set in Ireland and draws inspiration from conflicts BTW the Celts and Britons in the 19th century. Each book is a mostly complete story so you don't have to read all three (and I think there are 3 more as well).
The Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden - more magic in this one but it takes place in a small village in medieval Russia. Uses folklore elements and has a great atmosphere. Follows a young woman that is condemned by the church for being attached to old magic.
The Golem and The Jinni by Helene Wecker (one of my favorite books of all time) - set in late 1800s New York. Follows a newly awakened Golem without a master as she assimilates to life in New York among the immigrant Jewish community. Also follows a jinni who is newly awakened, has lost his memory, and lost his powers.
The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley (one of my favorite books of all time) - a king Arthur retelling from the pov of Morgaine. Follows the whole life of Morgaine and how Christianity comes to dominate the way of life and the erasure of pagan religions.
Love the melodrama in Kay's books. Also love how big events are sometimes told from the pov of some random peasant, lol. My personal favorite from Kay is Under Heavan and The Sarantine Mosiac duology.
Can't wait to read more! He does a great job of making it feel like history is unfolding before us
The Sarantine Mosaic is my second favorite next to Lions. Think The Fionavar Tapestry will be a bit of a shock for Jimmy after this one but it might be fun for him to see how much Kay's grown.
@@catsreadbooks9359 I hope I like it 😁
This was my first GGK novel. Loved it. Then I read The Sarantine Mosaic and it blew my mind away. The impermanence of beauty and striving to achieve eternal beauty through art is an amazing theme he explores. As well as legacy. The Sarantine Mosaic was easily the best book - duology but I see it as one huge story - I've read this year. His imagery and immersive prose is unrivalled. I love Kay!
Wow high praise! I'll be sure to get to that one then!
I've been reading GGK's novels in publication order this summer and just finished this one. It blew my mind. Can't wait to start the Sarantine Mosiac next.
It’s great!
Im very hyped for GGK since everyone and their momma seem to love him. My start will be Children Of Earth And Sky because it is actually set in Croatia which is crazy to me! Apparently it is also thr only fantasy book out there with that setting so im sold 😅
Oh that's sick! I'd be curious to hear your thoughts about it when you get to it
I'm so eager to re-read this, especially now that I'm almost finished reading all of the non-Fionavar connected works. Its probably my 2nd favourite Kay I've read so far.
The best way I can describe Kay is "a more chill, more contained Robin Hobb for history enthusiasts"
I love standalone recommendations, and I've been so curious about Guy Gavriel Kay! Sexy time in books isn't a bad thing though some authors describe it better than others. That's so true that it is a part of our humanity, and it can also showcase so many facets of it. Not sure how I'll feel about the amount that Kay writes about it, but I at least I know what I'm getting into if I pick this up. Great review!
Thanks, would love to hear you opinions on this one
You have really been diving into some of the meatiest writers in fantasy lately and your discussions on their works has been great. I look forward to seeing where your channel goes in 2022.
Hey thank you for that, I'm hoping 2022 is a year of even more discussions and quality talks on some great works. Feel like I am finding my groove!
I just finished this, and you hit all of the points I considered as important review notes. Excellent summary.
I really appreciate that
I am so excited to get to this one! I’m reading A Brightness Long Ago by him next month, another of his standalones.
I can't wait to hear your thoughts 🤗
I have been a fan of GGK for many years and have read all of his stuff. Lately I have been touring around a number of fantasy/horror/sci-fi book review sites like yours and was amazed to find that not one of them - NOT ONE! - had referenced (as far as I could tell) any of the work by this prolific, award winning Canadian author. Thank you so much for enlightening the fantasy readership world with this wonderful review. (BTW - As he is of French-Canadian background I believe his first name is pronounced as rhyming with KEY - not "guy" as it appears).
Thanks for checking it out, I will definitely be doing more videos for GGK in the future!
I’m pretty excited to check this book out. Thanks!
My pleasure 😃
in terms of world building and stand alone novels rather than series - most of GGK’s books are set in the same world - just different times and places - but they’re all linked in some ways - so not a series, but a single world. my favourite author.
That's very cool
@@thefantasynuttwork the Fionavar tapestry is high fantasy (really good) but written coming off his work with the Tolkien estate, so pretty standard high fantasy (orcs & elves & dwarves etc) with a connecticut yankee in king arthur’s court framing device - and not particularly representative of his later “historical fantasy” work. Tigana & Arbonne are influenced by history and place but it’s at Lions that really begins his work taking actual historical events and people and turning them into fantasy. And you definitely don’t need historical knowledge/context to enjoy them (I knew nothing about Tang dynasty China or Justinian in Byzantium, or the city states of medieval Italy going into any of those books)
All I can say is - enjoy the journey, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Excellent review Jimmy! I hear about this book a lot but have yet to have anyone tell me what it’s actually about. Seems up my alley. I’ll give it a go
I'd be curious to see if you like it!
You started out with a bang. Lions is my favorite GGK. I love his books.
He's made a great first impression on me!
Fantastic review. Never read GGK before but have always been interested, and this pushed me over the edge. Just grabbed it on kindle, lets goo. and yes - for historical fiction/fantasy recs Conn Iggulden might be a good choice!
Thank you for the compliment and the recommendation!
Great video! You’re definitely one of my favorite booktubers. Will we ever get a bookshelf tour?
That means a lot, thank you so much. And yes we will do a tour one day! 😁
I loved figuring out the worlds Kay builds and was really excited when I realized some books are set in the same world
It's a nice surprise
Great review, definitely want to try some GGK soon. Historical fantasy is my fave 😁
It's becoming a favorite of mine as well 😎
This sounds fantastic 👏✨
You'd love the vibes I think
I need to get started on him. I bought Tigana in 2014 and havent read it. Im a mood reader so something else always caught my eye. I think it is finally time.
I'm also a mood reader so I get it haha
I love GGK - he's an auto read asap author when he has new book. He likes to explore how someone's fate and future can turn on just one happening / meeting in their life. But funnily enough it is his very first series the Fionavar Tapestry that remains my favourite of his as it is very much a traditional fantasy compared to his later books which are alternate history with very few fantasy elements. I bawled during the second book and I bawled even more in the third one. I hope you'll love it.
I'll also second the recommendation for Juliet Marillier - she is amazing and I think you'll also love her. But start in publication order with her books too and spread them out.
Thanks for the recommendation! I'm really excited to get to Fionavar!
Love Kay! Definitely one of the greatest. Satantine mosaic is my favorite
He's a high priority for me going into the new year
Great book, great review.
Thank you kindly!
Happy reading to you!! ❄️😊📖☃️
You as well!
As a lover of both historical fiction and fantasy, this blending of the two sounds intriguing.
In the historical fiction realm, if you enjoy Bernard Cornwell, you might also enjoy Ken Follett's Kingsbridge novels. The first is "Pillars of the Earth", which while being a mainstream popular novel, is still very good. I steered clear of it for a long time because the premise didn't sound very interesting, i.e., building a Gothic Cathedral in 12th century England. But it is so much more than that, with establishment of the setting and some very good character development. Historical characters and events are always present in the background. While building the Cathedral is a central theme, it is more about the people in the town of Kingsbridge, along with the politics of the monastery associated with that town. Really gave me a good sense of what it was like to live in that period of English history. The other novels cover other periods in the same town, with the most recent being a prequel about the establishment of that town (very Saxon in flavor). A good follow up to the Saxon Chronicles since it is the same region of Wessex shortly thereafter.
Those are good recs, I really want to read Pillars of Earth
I commend you for being to give a detailed review without spoilers. I finished it yesterday and have no idea how to talk about it spoiler free 😂
It’s a hard one 😅
Nice review Jimmy. It's my personal choice to read a new author in publication order as well, for good or bad. I had little choice with GGK in fact, being a tad older than you, but then if he returns to a prior setting, you can think of it as a prequel. (good luck trying to re-order something like LE Modessit's Recluce cycle!)
The Fionavar Tapestry is a portal fantasy, but it's not badly written by any means, and Tigana has a nice hook as the basis for the story.
He has said in interviews that he takes a real world historical period and gives it a quarter turn, so it's mostly real but just has that little edge of unreality. You should enjoy most of his work if you liked this one.
I'm so pumped to continue and I actually love portal fantasy (recently figured that out)
I hope you read or are reading Fionavar Tapestry. I remember at some point reading that this trilogy was Guy's high fantasy homage to Tolkien. And high fantasy it is. I love this trilogy, and reread it every few years. Guy doesn't just write, he crafts sentences that can actually make me catch my breath, sentences of unsurpassing lyricism that make me stop to process what the heck he just did there. He does this in all his works: some books I love more than others but I jump on the hit to purchase now for this author every time. That fact that he's a fellow Canadian just endears him to me more.
I definitely will
I've read about it, and have just purchased it. I'm gonna start reading it tonight. Apparently, it's based on Moorish Spain, and the genuine Christian Mercenary El Cid (Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, who in real life, would change from one side (Christian kingdoms) to the other (the Moorish kingdoms), depending on the highest bidder, when money was involved). In Spanish Literature, there is a medieval poem, like the French Chanson of Rolland, called El Cantar del Mio Cid (where he's ideolized -- the perfect Christian knight). I had to study the whole darn historical poem in high school, here in Spain.
Oh wow!
I'm definitely will be reading this book hopefully I will like it
GGK is very talented
You can read his books is any order, but I started with the Sarantine Mosaic (my favorite solely based off of my love for the Byzantines). He leaves a few references here and there in his other books in the same world.
Oh that's awesome!!
You have to consider “guns of the dawn” by adran tchaikovsky. Def hits that historical famtasy feel
I'm def gonna try it
Happy to see you liked this enough to give it a dedicated review! Let's bring more attention to GGK on booktube. I loved both Tigana and this, and am looking forward to future reads. Agree about the horny stuff. I kind of shrugged it off but what stumped me about it was how little it mattered to the plot and characters most of the time.
Yeah it made me feel like I was missing something ya know? Like why 😂
I agree with your opinion on the pacing of the middle of “Lions”, in my opinion, Arbonne and Brightness are some of his most consistently paced novels.
Lions is still in my top 3 though - with Tigana and Under Heaven.
Under Heaven is fantastic
Love your reviews. Check out Priest of Bones. Described as peaky blinders in a fantasy world
Thank you! I'll add it to my list!
I’ve read Tigana and A Song for Arbonne. Guy Gavriel Kay is a favorite author of mine.
The Lions of Al-Rassan is on my TBR list. Well, all of Kay’s books are on my TBR list.
I’ve read that The Lions of Al-Rassan is book 2 of a series. I can’t remember what book 1 is. I’ve also read that is a stand alone. In your opinion/knowledge, which is true?
Either way, I’ll still be reading it. Love Kay’s writing style.
Glad you love GGK! I am not aware of the book that goes after Lions but I do know if anything it’s most likely a very loose sequel. I’d have to research more to be sure though
Man, I have got to re-read this book. I read it last year, having heard that it’s considered by a lot of people to be GGK’s masterpiece, and I honestly think I went in with my expectations too high. I closed this book feeling like it was more flawed than people say it is. It’s a good book, but I thought that some of Kay’s other works, like Song for Arbonne and Under Heaven, were better. I wonder how I would feel after a re-read.
I love this book but like UH and ASFA more
Loved this book, especially the three main characters and their entourage!
If I have some “complaints”, if any, I would agree with you that the Ragusa chapters (while good) was a bit meandering, especially when other major events are almost done in paragraphs (especially the antagonists and world building, which while perfectly nice done by most standards, feel almost underdeveloped after reading their counterparts in Tigana (which in return had the same issue for me with it’s main characters)). In the end, this is a story more about of the relationship between the main trio, then about who will win the war and rule Al-Rassan. Currently on the last pages of “A Song for Arbonne”, which hit all the right spots for me.
Yeah, GGK does have a certain “European” attitude when it comes to “desires of the flesh” for storytelling, which I agree is borderline. That said, he does not shy away from violence either, going pretty dark (at least three massacres I can remember on the spot) without becoming too much exploitive/without empathy for the victims/survivors (no doubt something both GGK and Erikson share).
I wondered if you would mention a certain bottle 😂
Can recommend Ken Liu’s “Dandelion Dynasty” (slightly more Devine intervention and steam/silk-punk).
Have not read them, but have heard high praise for the Witcher books, “Eaters of the Dead” (“realistic” retelling of Beowulf mixed with Ibn Fadlan and his famous account of the Volga Vikings/Varangians), Paul Anderson’s “The Broken Sword” (inspired by Norse Sagas and Kalevala) and the books by Adrian Selby.
Dandelion Dynasty is probably one of the top 10 things I'd like to read soon. Feels right up my alley
@@thefantasynuttwork I finally got around to start a video series about the historic connections of the mythology of “Tigana”, with the first video about the Triad of the Palm! ua-cam.com/video/hgwv78lBAzo/v-deo.html
@@MacScarfield I'm def gonna check it out!
@@thefantasynuttwork Thank you so much! It is currently without any audio, but I hope to get around to do something about that in the not too distant future!
I agree that you do not be aware of the history that the book explores. However if you are aware of the history bein explored in this book it is a much more enjoyable book in my opinion. The ending is great ,not what I wanted but like you said , it is a much more believable ending Thanks for sharing this video ;)
Thank you for watching!
I hate sex scenes in my books so much so I'm grateful for the disclaimer and warning
I figured I should mention it
Fionavar was, as I understand, portal fantasy rather than historical fantasy, as opposed to most of his other works, and so I've personally skipped it (I really don't care for portal fantasy). From his works I've read, Lions definitely felt like it had the best character work. Tigana felt like it did the best in terms of exploration of themes. And Under Heaven was the most beautifully written and my personal favourite.
Lots to love then, excited!
I'm one of the few who preferred The Fionavar Tapestry to Tigana. The beginning of The Summer Tree had me a little worried. I just felt that the 5 main characters' reactions and thoughts were off. Maybe it's a little dated in the way college students would act. By around the 3rd or 4th chapter I became much more invested. Portal fantasy is not a subgenre I enjoy often. It's only the first two chapters I think that take place in the real world. The rest of it is in Fionavar which is Middle Earthish. There are much more fantastical elements and races/creatures than any other of Kay's books. However, his historical fantasies are the best I've found and I truly love them. Kay is my number 3 favorite. Only behind Erikson and Martin.
Please give Fionavar Tapestry a chance. It has more depth, I feel, than is implied by “portal fantasy”. It’s been a long time since I last read it, but I remember it having the most involved description of an original world where two moons rise, a repeated motif by Kay. Also, Arthurian!
The fatally flawed hero who must return to expiate his sin.
I'm making my way through Kay's work but haven't read this one yet. My introduction to Kay's work was the Under Heaven duology and they were sexy scenes there too but because everything else was just so epic I didn't really mind. I can't say that with Tigana.
It did hinder my enjoyment of the book and like you I felt they dragged. I've heard that in Tigana Kay was trying to explore how war and trauma changes sexual desires in people... so there's some literary merit there but,I still didn't like it.
His endings! they're always so poetic and emotional and always leave me feeling melancholic.
Great review.!
I'm glad you enjoyed it Nihad, this one has been a long time coming huh? I think you were the first person to ever recommend GGK to me, so thank you! I adore his execution, especially of endings and will dive into more of his work sooner rather than later 😁
@@thefantasynuttwork it has. But it's here now and we have a new Guy Kay fan 😄
@@nihad-m all thanks to you!
I feel like I've been seeing GGK a lot more on booktube recently. Something I've heard, but don't know if it's true, is that his fantasy books are all connected in a shared world.
To be honest, I've been feeling a little intimidated starting his books. He's so well respected by almost every fantasy author, it seems. I feel like I'm setting my expectations way to high.
Don't feel intimidated, it's beautiful writing but not super dense at all. He has standalones so if you don't like it at least it's not some 3000 page series or anything haha
He has a couple books that are in the same world, but it isn't an MCU, Cosmere, or King multiverse thing.
It is that he was like....well I have this entire world I spent a long time making, I might as well not start from scratch.
It is the equivalent of having a book in our world, where one follows the fall of the Roman Empire, and another follows the London Blitz.
They are technically in the same world, but not at all connected.
He has actually said in interviews that it is very important to him for any point to be an equally valid starting point.
Do I have a tbr shelf full of 20 books already? Absolutely
Has Jake bishop Indoctrinated me to love ggk already? Also yes
And your review has convinced to immediately start ggk next year after Hyperion cantos
Always happy to bust up or lengthen a TBR 😁
Love love love GGK. I am lucky in that I discovered his writings in the early to mid 1990s. I had a friend at the time who was an author (well, he’s still a friend), but he introduced me to him. I also had the pleasure of starting with Fionavar Tapestry (talk about sex 😂). I had kind of forgotten how much sex is in a lot of his books, but it’s never really bothered me.
Have you ever read anything by Marion Zimmer Bradley? She has some historical fantasy books that are really good and a friend of hers Diana Paxson ends up helping her with some towards the end of her life and Diana picked up the series where she left off. There’s one that is kind of unrelated to the others, although I think there are ways to tie them to the others, but it’s Firebrand. It’s about the fall of Troy told from the point of view of the sister of Paris and Hector - Kassandra. It’s really good. Also, she has a two-part series about the fall of Atlantis and this sets the stage for a series of books that surround the Druids in England and there are a number of books in this series that continue and all tie in together, especially in the fact that there is reincarnation in this world and some of these characters are reincarnated and keep finding one another. You might have heard of her book, Mists of Avalon, that takes place in this series and surrounds the Arthur and Morgana story.
I have not read any of her works yet, I've heard the books themselves are very good
Skip the fionavar tapestry! Honestly, it's not worth it. It was my introduction to Kay and fantasy in general. And it's just really really not what you're looking for. It was what he wrote after his time with the Silmarillion and feels like getting that bug out of his system. Tigana onwards is his true style and what you're describing that you liked. My personal fave is Song for Arbonne, but the sarantine mosaic and lions are right next to it.
The Fionavar Tapestry is excellent, except for the cheesy setup to the story. I tried reading Tiganna years ago and I think I lost interest part way through. I do plan to give it another try soon. I agree his prose is amazing.
I hope his other works feel as solid as this one, hopes are high!
Before highly praised P. Rothfuss there was a G. G. Kay. I mean beautiful style of writing.
He's great
I avoided GGK for literally decades because I read several reviews that claimed he was basically a Tolkien knock-off based on his Fionnavar Tapestry trilogy. A few years ago I fnally decided to read Tigana and I was so impressed with it that I went back and read every single book he'd published so far the following couple of weeks, and have read the two or three that he has released since then shortly after each came out. He's one of the best, if not the best hands down, fantasy authors currently working. His worst novel is still solid, and most of his novels are better than most fantasy out there by a long shot. He's way more literary than most fantasy writers, and he does his research in order to make his worlds and characters feel real. It's a shame his books are not more famous and that he doesn't get enough recognition because his books remind me much more of things like Latin American Magical Realism than simple fantasy, much less modern fantasy. Calling him a Tolkien knock-off is an absurd description of his work.
YeH I’d say calling him a Tolkien rip off is very disingenuous
@@thefantasynuttwork The only one of his novels that is Tolkien-esque is the Fionnavar Tapestry trilogy, and while I do agree it's his weakest work, it's still pretty solid and the only reason it's Tolkien-esque is because he used for inspiration a lot of the same folklore and mythologies Tolkien himself used and both are high-fantasy stories about defeating a god-like evil being and saving the world. I guess it was an easy criticism because he had that background working with Tolkien's son on the Silmarillion and all that.
You could like "The King must die" by Mary Renault
Thank you!
Tigana has a couple weird sex scenes, but he talks a lot about the relationship between the psyche of a people and the rebellion of sex or whatever in his afterword.
Still weird, but definitely intentionally done, not necessarily for titillation. Also will echo Jake Bishop in that yes, please read Tigana.
Tigana is a must!!
If your reading Fionavar Tapestry next, my understanding is that Ysabel also ties into it, kind of a revisit written decades afterwards. Haven't read Guy yet, I just know that.
Very cool!
I have yet to read any GGK, but he is next on my list after finishing Bakker's Aspect Emperor series (half way through The Judging Eye). The Library Lagger is a great channel in general and he has this GGK tier ranking and considers him the greatest living fantasy author so glad to know you liked him too. And how amazing is it that he co-edited The Silmarillion, wow! ua-cam.com/video/WoFYvjIDaCM/v-deo.html
Had library ladder on the channel for an interview a few weeks back, we both love GGK!
@@thefantasynuttwork nice, I'll check that out, I hope you pointed him towards R. Scott Bakker.
Wtf is wrong with that door? Something looks really off there
Wow it does look weird if you stare at it haha
I don't like slow paced, romance or melodrama. I'll pass Thanks
No problem!
@@thefantasynuttwork 👌