The Last Light of the Sun

Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good.
Review: I took the time to scan a few previous reviews before I started mine. Those of which were done by readers who read previous books by Kay. All gave him fewer than five stars and stated the reason was that Kay's previous books were better.

Well, this is the first book I've read by Kay and I have no other books to compare it to other than the drivel that sometimes comes from aspiring writers. I found Last Light of the Sun to be well written and page turning. There was an impression Kay added to paper that had more to do with the daily lives of the characters. He showed us how each of us and the decisions we make can affect everyone we come into contact with. I especially liked the way he would stop and explain the path of life the less than minor characters took after coming into contact with a major character. He didn't drone on and on, but simply took a few paragraphs to a couple of pages to name the person they ran into, hired, whatever, and said what became of them. It made me think of all the impressions I place on the people I come into contact with. People I know I will never see again, but perhaps there was something I said or did that pushed them choose a different path in life. Was it positive, negative, or nothing at all?

Now to the book, those of you wondering what the story is about; basically you have two main characters: Barn and Alun. The story flips from characters to characters as well as several others major charcters that stay in close contact with these two. Barn represents the viking aspect--maradering, killing, etc. But he really is just a good guy that had a lot of bad luck in his life. Basicallly he is just trying to keep his butt out of trouble. Then you have Alun, who represents the Welch prince (other names used in book). He goes through a tramatic life alternating experence and wants revenge. Other characters include fathers, kings, and the king's children. There are women in the story, but Kay is a very well researched author and properly gave women the same rights they had in this time period--NONE. Although a few women, very few, have the intelligence to use what they have to their best advantage. Those women with the wholier than thou attitude--leave it behind before you pick up the book. (I can say these things because I'm a women):-) Kay flips back and forth between all characters and then slowly brings them together in the end.

I read this in under two days and kept wanting to flip forward to make sure characters were going to be reintroduce quickly before reading on. I greatly enjoyed this book and am eager to read all these other books Kay has written that is supposedly much better than this one. Happy Reading!

Rating:
Summary: A Third Rate Retread
Review: I was glum after reading this book. Unlike Kay's finer works, it left me cold. In fact, it outright failed me. I kept searching for the pulse of life, but found only the flash and bang of spectacle. "The Last Light of the Sun" is nothing but a montage of depressingly one-dimensional characters. We never come to empathize with any of them like we do the wounded but irascible protagonist of his preceding work, "The Sarantine Mosaic".

Character montages can only carry a story so far. For us to love the characters, to not just politely concede them their existence, their lives must have weight and not just affliction.

In Kay's previous works, we come to care for the central characters because they are complex and multifaceted. They elicit our empathy because they have layers, flaws and inner lives. But in this work, the characters are like the elements in a butterfly collection: devoid of life, but gorgeous enough to warrant pinning and display.

Kay's canon seems to swing between style and substance. In some of his past writings, he effectively captures the cadence of life; in others, he misses because he turns to his devices and falls in love with the lilt of his own writing while neglecting the honest literary craftsmanship that is necessary to impart substance and heft. In a world already psychedelic with colours and textures, we don't need yet another supporting character to add yet another hue. What we need is shape, definition, nuance and dimension in the MAIN characters. Instead, what we get is the Prodigal Son, the Redeemed Father, the Evil Villain, the Grieving Brother, the Noble King, the Imperious Princess, each nothing more than the thinnest stereotype of their kind, their one defining feature writ large. There is even the Faithful Dog. <Sigh>

Obviously, this book disappointed me. It possesses neither the subtlety, the substance nor the finesse that makes for a compelling read. The story is predictable, the setting insipid and the themes recycled. Given such failings elsewhere, the characterization must carry the whole weight of the novel, yet each character is incapable of supporting even its own burden. Frankly, I found the book formulaic and superficial--populated with caricatures more than characters.

I confess that some of my sullenness arises from a sense of betrayal. After reading stellar works like "Tigana" and the "Sarantine" duology, I had anticipated an intelligent and subtle book. To find myself instead wading through a mishmash of phoney characters is a bitter disappointment. Not recommended, even for Kay fans--perhaps ESPECIALLY for Kay fans.

Rating:
Summary: Actually, in fact.
Review: I'm not finished this book yet, but I'm ready to write a review none-the-less. For staters, I think that Tigana is one of the best fantasy novels ever written. I have read all of Kay's work, and have liked all of his other novels to varying degrees. He is a talented author, careful storyteller, and a fellow Canadian.

Having said that, his use of language in this book is driving me to distraction. The clipped sentences that are a hallmark of Kay's style are far too prevalent, rendering the paragraphs and the story jilted and unsatisfying. The lack of pronouns, likely a construction designed to mimic the style of his chosen semi-historical period, is annoying. The repetition of certain plot elements (yes, we know that faerie hair changes colour) is insulting to the reader, and makes the story crawl where others have flown. The repetition of certain language elements is just bad editing. I would like to send Kay a copy of The Last Light of the Sun in which someone has highlighted every occurance of "in fact" and "actually".

I'm looking forward to finishing this book so I can get on with Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell. Will I read Kay's next book? Definitely. Would I recommend this one to other Kay fans? Not without a few choice words to go with it...

Rating:
Summary: Good, but not great.
Review: I've been a fan of Kay for a long while now (as such things go) and read this book eagerly. Like most of Kay's recent books, it's more heavily-reworked historical fiction than it is fantasy, although it contains fantastic elements, and is set in the same semihistorical setting as Lions of Al-Rassan, the two byzantine novels, etc.

As always, Kay's characterization is impeccably human. Which is, in a way, the problem with this novel. Kay spends so much time focusing on and illustrating the humanity and the human relationships between his characters that the book lacks some of the drama and larger-than-life feel of some of his earlier books. As always, what Kay does, he does extraordinarily well; the writing is excellent, the historical research superbly detailed (it took me a good many hours to track down the historical antecedent for the Viking mercenary city), and he does an excellent job of realistically bringing across the mentality of characters trying to find peace for themselves in a cold, sometimes brutally violent world.

The problem is that the characters are so realistic and human that they never seem to be much more than that. I like my fantasy to be a little larger than life, at least a little bit Epic and a little bit Romantic, with heroes that do a little bit more than the average are capable of, live a little more nobly, die a little more dramatically, etc. Writing psychologically-realistic fantasy fiction can entail walking a knife's edge between the idealized and the believable, and here, I feel, Kay errs a little too far towards the side of the believable.

I always end up comparing Kay novels to _Lions of Al-Rassan_. Ironically, that novel probably contains the least overt "magic" of any of his books, but there's a grandeur and an epic sweep in the way the characters in that book act, just a touch larger than life -- and that grand sweep is missing here.

I'd still recommend reading this book; it's Kay, it's good. Excellent writing, touchingly human characterization. But I'd recommend it to a reader of historical fiction far more strongly than I'd recommend it to a reader looking for epic fantasy.

Oh, and the book does have one major flaw: it needs a map. Badly. Hopefully they'll correct that in the paperback.

Rating:
Summary: A Deeply Satisfying Read
Review: In "The Last Light of the Sun," Kay has done what only the masters of Science Fiction and Fantasy manage to achieve - he has brought such realism and humanity to his characters that you feel them, love them, and believe in their faeries and gods right along with them.

The writing was, as some have criticized, short and choppy. It was wonderful - moving, biting, truthful, stark. Just like the world he created, just like the historical realms he mirrored. Those that cannot understand this are missing, I think, a great magic.

Read this book and judge for yourself. You will not be dissapointed.

Rating:
Summary: Could n't put it away to the end
Review: In this single volume historic fantasy Kay, the story is staged in the later days of the Viking (Erling) raids on England (Anglcyn) and Wales (Cyngael). The main storyline is that of an Erling raid as revenge for the death of one of their greatest raiders 25 years earlier, and how the Cyngael and Angclyn respond. Besides this raid, the relation between the now converted Cyngael and Anglcyn and the magical Faeries plays an important role.

In this novel, Kay uses the countries and religions (adaptations of early medieval Europe and Christianity) that he developed in his previous novels and moves his attention to the north.
The story is written from the perspective of different players in the lands involved. More than a heroic fantasy novel of big battles and omnipotent heroes; Kay's work is about humans and that works especially well in this novel, since kings and princes are relatively close to the common people. A nice touch in portraying the human interest in this novel are the one-page descriptions of the events and the influence of these events on the rest of their lives for several accidental characters. The limited amount of magic introduced by the faeries and some of the characters feels Celtic and more natural than some of the magic Kay introduced in his last few novels.

Finally the book reads away very easily and I had trouble putting it away. All in all, this is a great book and wholeheaterdely recommended, although I have to confess I am a fan of Kay, and of his 1 or 2 volume series (no long waiting and storylines that the writer seems to lose grip of).

Rating:
Summary: Thank You Mr. Kay for another great story!
Review: It's been said by the other reviewers but all I will add is this: Guy Gavriel Kay is my Numero Uno author, hands down, and this book, this tale, this rich weaving of magic with words based on myth and history once again enchanted me and offered me a time away. Sail with Kay and the characters of myth; with eyes wide open, spell bound by a tale drawn from the pages of time, and hopefully the future will hold many more journey's. Settle back and enjoy another brightly woven piece by this master harper/storyteller. Like bards of old, this one is brightly woven and most welcome once again.

Rating:
Summary: Magical
Review: Kay's strengths have always been dead on characterization, a lyrical and fluid style, and intricate plotting. It is well known that he once worked for Christopher Tolkien, but I seem to recall reading that he once worked for Dorothy Dunnett as well, though my memory may have played me false in this. I know, however, that Kay has stated his admiration for her works and has dedicated a poem to her. Dorothy Dunnett, author of The Lymond Chronicles and the House of Niccolo series, has been described as the greatest living historical novelist (though she is now deceased). Her strengths mirror Kay's, as does her most greates weakness: a penchant for melodrama. In Kay, this was more conspicuous in the Lions of A-Rassan and the Fionovar Tapestry. The Last Light of the Sun is a bit less lyrical than his previous works, the language more direct, but the writing is still excellent, and the melodrama is kept to a minimum. The plot moves along with hardly a wasted word. I disagree strongly with the comments of other reviewers that the numerous side-stories of minor characters were boring. They added considerably to the feel of the age, the long, dark, muted climb of the Middle Ages back up toward civilization. Guy Gavriel Kay is our greatest living historical fantasist. All of his books have been excellent. This is one of his best.

Rating:
Summary: Great fantasy
Review: The kingdoms fight each other and within each realm; feuds are the order of the day. The Erlings of Vimmark are feared for their vicious naval raids done due to a barren and cold land for much of the year. In Cyngael, the clans are constantly feuding and raiding while Anglcyn is a land that is growing stronger and larger thanks to the leadership of King Aeldred. When sibling Princes Dai and Alun are caught in an Erling raid, Alun sinks into a depression.

The cleric of Cyngael, Ceinion of Llywerth, accompanied by Alun, decides to travel to Anglcyn and the court of King Aeldred. While there, mercenary troops start raiding,. They are led by the man that killed Alun's brother. The attempt is foiled but the killer escapes and persuades the mercenaries to travel to Arberth to kill Brynn and retrieve a valuable sword. Aeldred's son Athelbert, Alun and an Erling in service to Brynn's wife prepare the villagers for the coming battle.

THE LAST LIGHT OF THE SUN is a very special fantasy novel that will be read in one sitting because readers will find it impossible to put down. Guy Gavriel Kay is a fantastic world builder drawing on facts from the Middle Ages including the Vikings, Anglo Saxons and Celts. Though it is difficult to keep track of the exploits of the various characters (just read the two paragraphs above for a rudimentary idea), the key cast members feel genuine, three dimensional and at least the good guys are very likeable even with flaws. This is a world one would want to revisit to see how the sun rays reflect on the next generation.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Kay achieves maturity and learns true grit
Review: The Last Light of the Sun is a magnificent book that stirringly depicts a relatively obscure period of history. It also establishes Guy Gavriel Kay as not only a good writer, but one comfortable in his maturity as well.

I have read all of his works, and while this is not my favourite (The Lions of Al-Rassan is), it does take a decidedly different turn from his other works. It takes a far gritier look at the life and times of its characters. None of the main characters exhibit the almost smug rapier wit found in his other books. People die unexpectedly (thank you George RR Martin).

The fantasy element is a bit more pronounced as well, consistent with the cultural milieu of the book's world. Faere are handled deftly. The evolution of Kay's writing from the Fionavar Tapestry is readily apparent. There are no more Pollyannish homilies, and simplistic heroism. The characters here are made of different stuff.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised. Some negative reviews had dampened my enthusiasm. The Last Light of the Sun is a great book, however, it will displease those who are more inclined to the poetic and less violent side of things, prevalent in all of Kay's previous books. The violence here is more graphic, and the grayer characters will disappoint the more romantic fantasists. As someone who enjoys both, the expansion of Kay's range is well received.