Tigana

Rating:
Summary: Anguished and Beautiful
Review: There are those who believed that Guy Gavriel Kay couldn't possibly top the Fionavar trilogy, but in my opinion at least, he does just that with Tigana, a book that reaches the heights of both anguish and beauty.

Tigana seems to take place in medieval Italy and contains a veritable gold mine of detail. Kay covers everything from warfare to social mores to politics to love relationships and more. Emotions run the gamut from love to betrayal to hatred, however, the dominant emotion in this book is pain. These characters are people who have lost everything and are experiencing the resultant anguish and despair.

Tigana takes place on a mythical peninsula known as the Palm. The Palm has been destroyed by two invading armies, one from the east, led by the Barbadian sorcerer, Alberico and one from the west, led by the Ygrathen sorcerer king, Brandin. There are nine provinces in the Palm and each invader has conquered eight. The ninth, Tigana, remains neutral, however, as the book opens, Brandin is close to conquering it as well. Brandin does have a bone to pick with Tigana and its people. Some years before, the Prince of Tigana killed Brandin's son in battle and Brandin has vowed revenge. He destroys most of Tigana and then casts a dreadful curse upon the land and its people. If all that seems interesting to you, consider the fact that that is just the Prologue.

The main storyline of the book occurs some twenty years later as the two invaders (and sorcerers) have reached a seeming stalemate. Although the inhabitants of Tigana have lost everything, some of them do manage to rally around Alessan, a charismatic resistance fighter who just happens to be the son of the former Prince of Tigana (the one who killed the son of Brandin).

Alessan is fighting for a greater good, however, and he wants to remove not only Brandin, but Ygrathen as well. Don't expect any bloody battlefield scenes in this book; Kay is a much more subtle writer and the typical revenge storyline of good versus evil doesn't take place in the usual way. This is one of the hallmarks of Kay's writing and something that marks him as a writer or superior fantasy. He simply doesn't need bloody battlefield cliches to enrich his book. His stories weave their magic through muted complexity instead, something that should greatly please the mature and discriminating reader.

Tigana is not Alessan's story alone. Kay alternates Alessan's point-of-view with that of a fascinating woman named Dianora who bears much of the pain existing in the book. Having survived the destruction of Tigana, Dianora has made a personal vow to kill Brandin herself. To reach this end, she becomes a member of Brandin's harem and unwittingly becomes not only his lover, but his trusted friend as well. But don't believe this is all there is to Dianora. Kay is much too good a writer for that to happen.

Kay has peopled Tigana with a large cast of characters and each is both memorable and distinct. Especially interesting is the wizard, the Duke Sandre. The manner of the Duke's entry into the story of Tigana is simply a masterpiece in miniature.

Everything in Tigana is fantasy, yet everything in Tigana seems as though it could have really happened. Much standard fantasy fare exists, it is true, but Kay goes much, much further and creates characters and a world that we can really believe in. In short, this is fantasy writing of the highest order. You really can't do much better than the anguised and beautiful world of Tigana.

Rating:
Summary: Spectacular
Review: I have read this novel six times so far, and Kay never ceases to amaze me each time I read it! Tigana is the spectacular tale of a people so bewildered by the sorcerer who conquered their fabled country that even the very name of their land cannot be heard by anyone not hailing from it. His magic twisted history itself to make it as if Tigana - the proudest nation of the Peninsula of the Palm - never existed. A group of people from this broken land set out to free the entire peninsula from the two tyrants, Brandin the sorcerer-king and Alberico, who simultaneously overwhelmed eight of its nine nations.
The beauty of this novel lies in its thorough research, its dazzling plot, and most importantly in its character development. No character is totally evil, and none is totally good. They are all human, with their vices and strong-points. Even Brandin of Ygrath does not enchant Tigana just because he can. He has a very good reason for doing so ... but that's until you read the book. My personal favorite, however, is Dianora, the tragic Tiganese who sets out on her own to murder the sorcerer who bewildered her country only to fall desperately in love with him. As anybody can probably tell there are stories within stories here, intertwined with the passion and craftsmanship that only Kay can exhibit. Tigana is the most fulfilling book (Fantasy and otherwise) I have ever read!

Rating:
Summary: A beautiful book
Review: This book was a complete surprise for me. I didn't expect this level of emotion and intensity. There are no good guys and bad gays, there is just people, fighting for their own beliefs. It's a story of pride, love, friendship, and magic. You will be surprised with many events that take place, especially near the end. Tigana is a beutiful book. In my opinion, it's Kay's best book.

Rating:
Summary: A true master at work
Review: A colleague at work came up to me one day and handed me a copy of Tigana; while feverishly extolling it's virtues. At that time I was heavily into science fiction and the realms of fantasy were not much of a driving force in the building of my current and future reading lists. As will happen in life, change occurred quickly and unexpectedly. I packed up my office for a move to a new building and Tigana was transported home with other secondary items of unimaginable importance. They were imbued with so much power that I decided to keep them in a box firmly entrenched next to a radiator in my spare bedroom. For 2 years. I dug into this forgotten treasure trove one day and pulled out Kay's work, with a guilty hand. I had "borrowed" this book and I figured it was about time to start paying my debt. Man, was I a fool. I devoured this book and became a Kay disciple somewhere around page 100. I have lent this paperback to 8 people and have not had a dissappointing review brought back to me yet. Everyone shared in the glory, magic, wonder that is Tigana. I have since purchased a 1st edition hardcover to sit beside the other seminole works that draw me back to their palaces of imagination. Read and savor every moment. The book deserves it. And so do you.

Rating:
Summary: Its Too Bad...
Review: ...that the book ends so soon! I could have spent another hundred pages with Alessan and Baerd, Dianora and Brandin.

Tigana is a story about a land without a name. It is a story about love and betrayal. The characters are wonderfully fleshed out, and the story moves quickly enough to keep you interested, but slowly enough to give you wonderful insight and detail into the characters and setting.

The book is essentially two interwoven stories. One takes place as Prince Alessan and his small band cross and re-cross the Peninsula of the Palm trying to destroy the two sorcerers that hold it in their grips. The other story takes place in the Tyrant Brandin's court, as a beautiful concubine tries to avoid the love that flourishes between her and the man who took away the name of her home.

The two stories meet in a final battle that will have you laughing, crying, and wanting more.

Mr. Kay is truly one of the best fantasy genre authors that I have ever encountered. I recommend you disregard the less than happy reviewers, and pick up a copy of this book.

Rating:
Summary: Power & mystery, what a combination!
Review: Unpredictable! What a wonderful story, no trilogy, no sequel, just this well constructed, complete, deep story that tells of war, love, hate, sacrifice & loss!!!! I loved it, I couldn't put the book down & the ending left me in a daze.
I started to get into the story after a few pages (as I got my bearings). I liked the way Mr. Kay goes back & forward in time to show what the characters are doing while he builds up anticipation within the reader.
He even got me to like one of the "Evil" characters, like seeing the other side of the person depending on where you stand!!
I noticed that most reviews don't tell much about the gist of the story & I suggest that you go read it without knowing 'cause it's much more surprising.
All in all an excellent read, very engaging & well worth your time.(...)

Rating:
Summary: Very disappointing.
Review: I had high hopes for this book, especially given all the positive reviews here. However, I found Kay's writing to be incredibly tedious, the characters one-dimensional, and the story rambling. I was really trying my best, but I got halfway through and gave up. Maybe I'll take a break and try to clear my head with Saberhagen's Empire of the East, a much better book.

Rating:
Summary: Once again, I was captivated...
Review: ...by Kay's disturbingly insightful view into the depths of the soul. I've just finished Tigana for the sixth time and it never fails to leave my eyes brimming with tears and my heart touched by the characters. Guy Gavriel Kay has done something truly magnificent with his imaginative take on history combined with a healthy dose of fantasy and magic. Rarely is a novel so completely spellbinding as Tigana. It's one of those rare tales that will stay with you forever and perhaps change some of your habits and prejudices. I realize that this is my second review of the book...I couldn't help myself...but I can't stress enough that reading - and re-reading - Tigana will be well worth your time.

Rating:
Summary: It will sweep you off your feet.
Review: This book was an emotional tornado for me. It made me go laughing out loud at some points, and brought me to the brim of tears at others. At the end it maintains a balance of forces that it is so realistic in this Kay's woven world, that you honestly can't find anything that bests it.
Full marks on this one!

Rating:
Summary: Wow.
Review: Okay, not many books get better than this. If you like books that move, captivate, and stun you, 'Tigana' is one of the best. I have to say, it is a book for mature audiences, but I think that it's worth it. Very well worth it. It brings the emotions of a lost people into the open, and gives you two, completely different perspectives. Even though the ending leaves you completely hanging, it is easy to finish it off yourself. 'Tigana' is a wonderful book, overall, if you don't mind semi-sad endings.