The Last Light of the Sun: Amazon.ca: Guy Gavriel Kay: Books

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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews

5 star:		(5)
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Average Customer Review

4.1 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)

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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book., Mar 6 2004

By

Wendy E. Middleton "Booklvr" (Barrie, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Last Light of the Sun (Hardcover)

I have read all of Guy Gavriel Kay's novels and I have loved every one. The Last Light of the Sun is even better than most of them. I like the combination of real history and his parallel universe. Kay does not try to hide the fact that King Aeldred of Anglcyn is really Alfred the Great. But this is history with the additional twist of fantasy. Before I read The Summer Tree (Kay's first novel), I did not read most fantasy, other than The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, which I had read in adolescence. It took the strong persuasion of a good friend and a trusted student to get me to try that book. I soon realized that Kay's novels were very different than the stereotypical genre novels I had associated with fantasy. Kay writes well and draws upon a strong literary background in his work.

Aside from the compelling story-telling and the strongly drawn characters, the aspect I loved most about The Last Light of the Sun is the faeries. In fact I wish that the unnamed faery who meets with Alun was present in more scenes. Kay is drawing strongly on the English and Celtic tradition here, not just for his historical detail.

I do have one complaint about this book (and would actually have given it four and one-half stars had this rating existed) and that is the authorial intrusion. At times the narrator admittedly manipulates the story, telling the tales of peripheral characters and commenting on the development of the plot. I liked this technique in Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being. However, these traditional tales need a more traditional narrative and Kay's attempt to interfere with that style annoyed me, but only a bit.

I would like to see a sequel to this book to follow the stories of the young characters. Particularly I think the bond between Alun and Kendra deserves another novel.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Kay does it again, Feb 27 2004

By

Ben Jeffery (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Last Light of the Sun (Hardcover)

Once again, I am impressed by Canada's Master of Fantasy, Guy Gavriel Kay. As with previous tales, Kay has created a work of wonder.
The Last Light of the Sun is a tale of three cultures, the Cyngael, the Anglcyns, and the Erlings. Through the eyes of these peoples, Kay weaves a tapestry of sorrow and joy that is deserving of the highest accolades.
I will not give away any of the story. I will only say that this is a book that should be read and enjoyed by anyone who has ever read a book.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Another GGKay triumph, April 10 2011

By

Brian Ashe "Fantast" (Ottawa, Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: The Last Light of the Sun (Paperback)

GG Kay is one of my favorite authors. His The Lion of Al Rassan is an amazing adaptation of El Cid. His Sarantium novels are great. Ysabel is strange. But this novel, incorporating Alfred's England with the Vikings, Iceland, and territories west, is one of the best. Excellent characters, who develop during the story, settings that are believable, fantasy magic according to the setting and the times, and a strong story line. Add to that a strong sense of the languages, both modern English and those of the time, and what's not to like? I will continue to read this man's writing, as long as he writes and I can read.

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Most recent customer reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Kay's best work.
I have read an enjoyed much of Guy Gavriel Kays novels (excpeting the Finovar tapestry), and I must say that this latest book is not up to his usual standards. Read more

Published on Nov 16 2005 by Craig

2.0 out of 5 stars Actually, in fact.
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. Read more

Published on Oct 1 2004 by S. Henderson