/Tigana/

[green_dreams]

Alberico of Barbadior is a selfish, sadistic, and utterly unsympathetic character.

This is completely redeemed by you getting to watch all the bad things that happen to him.

Guy Gavriel Kay is an excellent writer, and if you have not yet picked up Tigana, I recommend booking off however much time you need to read 675 pages and grabbing a copy. Libraries are great if you can't find it in stores. Low-fantasy setting, great and sweeping magic, portents, ancient oaths, creation myth and religion with the most depth and least unnecessary exposition I've ever seen, characters so interesting I didn't once mix up the twenty or so of them, and a plot that clearly and reasonably makes the grand effort to address the central problem an entirely plausible thing.

I thought 'Finaver' clashed a little, but I can accept that. It's a strange concept brought in by Brandin of Ygrath, after all, and not part of the legends and stories of the Palm.

('s weird. People look at you funny when you cry at books, but not *nearly* so much when you cry at movies.)

Comments

[harald387.livejournal.com]

Tigana was very good.

Lions of Al-Rassan, however, absoultely floored me. I loved every character in that book, even the ones I hated, because they made me hate them.

I agree wholeheartedly with you about Kay.

-K

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Remind me to lend you The Last Light Of The Sun, and get Frances to share The Sarantine Mosaic

[kali-kali.livejournal.com]

I absolutely loved Tigana. I read it in grade ten or eleven for an Independent Study at school. I loved it because it was a magic-based story that was very very reminiscent of Soviet destruction and Russification.

[neobitch.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed Tigana, as well. It's not often that a book can come off lofty and earthy at the same time.

I haven't read it in a while. Perhaps I need to revisit it.

I've not read anything else by him, though. Which one of his would you recommend next?

[torrain.livejournal.com]

The only other thing I've read by him is the first book of the Fionavar Tapestry, and that was a while ago. Mind you, I'd *really* recommend that one. Something about the way he writes, for me, results in incredibly involving depth and description; the black swan with teeth[1] still makes me shudder.
---
[1] John, if you post a picture, I wil hurt you.

[amazon-syren.livejournal.com]

Song for Arbonne!

That one will make you cry. (Maybe). :-)

[amazon-syren.livejournal.com]

Agreed. Tigana is faboo.

I quite like Brandon -- He's a villain, but he's a villain who actually has understandable motivation. Consequently, he's actually a truly sympathetic villain.
Wow. :-)
I don't think I've seen that *anywhere* else. :-)

Also. I like the Triad. They are a cool set of Gods. :-)

- Nam'ara,
- Amazon. :-)