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Quill & Quire
In a land far away and a time long ago, the devious Wen Jian sits inside a silk-curtained sedan chair being carried through the streets of Xinan. Jian is known as Precious Consort, the favoured companion of Emperor Taizu. She is stunningly beautiful and cunningly dangerous.
“Will you take a lychee?” Jian asks the virtuous and virile Shen Tai. “I can peel it for you Master Shen Tai. We could even share it. Do you know the most enjoyable way to share lychee fruit?”
Tai realizes that dallying with the flirtatious Jian could result in his death at the hands of the jealous emperor. But death could also come should he annoy Precious Consort and rebuff her overt sexual advances. What is a young man to do?
This is merely one of the many dilemmas Shen Tai faces in Guy Gavriel Kay’s new historical fantasy novel. The setting evokes the Tang Dynasty of 8th-century China, but Kay calls his imagined land Kitai. It is a place of seductive princesses, cruel villains, brave warriors, unending duplicity, and difficult choices.
Kay is a philosopher at heart with far more to offer than comic book representations of clanging swords and perfumed seductresses. His novels, including Ysabel, Sailing to Sarantium, and those that comprise the Fionavar Tapestry trilogy, are filled with the great questions that have bedevilled mankind throughout the ages and continue to gnaw at our psyches. Under Heaven is no exception. Readers accompany Tai on a journey that repeatedly tests his loyalty to family, friends, traditions, country, and honour. Tai makes wise choices, but Kay constantly challenges his readers to ask themselves what they would do in similar circumstances.
When the story opens, Tai has just spent two years honouring the memory of his late father, a celebrated general, by journeying to the scene of an epic battle at a remote mountain lake and burying the bones of thousands of fallen soldiers from the armies of both Kitai and its enemy neighbour, Tagur. Tai’s selfless attempt to calm the restless spirits of the dead has moved the White Jade Princess of Tagur to promise him a gift “to overwhelm an emperor”: 250 prized horses. The gift also turns Tai into a target for those who would kill him to secure the booty. The novel traces Tai’s attempts to fend off his enemies as he travels to collect the animals.
What Kay has created here is a mythic tale in the tradition of Odysseus. Tai must endure heartbreak, sorcery, and civil war to obtain the horses and bring honour to his country. Along the way, he must also save his sister, who is being forced to marry a distant barbarian leader.
Although Under Heaven is primarily the story of a man, it is noteworthy for its many strong female characters. The book could easily have become just another male-centric tale of looting, raping, and pillaging, but Kay’s women refuse to let the men and their actions dominate. There is Wei Song, an unforgettable ninja-like female bodyguard hired to protect Tai. There is Spring Rain, the canny courtesan Tai loves. There is Precious Consort and Tai’s courageous sister, Shen Li-Mei.
Advance publicity material includes a letter from the author explaining why he does not use real historical characters or places in the novel: “I do not know what the real prime minister of Tang Dynasty China thought about at night in the middle of the eighth century,” Kay writes. “I have a pretty good idea of what my prime minister of Ninth Dynasty Kitai is all about and I am happy establishing a space between the invented character and the real man.”
On the surface, that seems like a more honest approach than inventing events and emotions holus-bolus for historical figures such as Genghis Khan, Cleopatra, or Napoleon. Kay’s argument, however, can be turned on its head. He has thoroughly researched ancient China and used that knowledge to create the imaginary world of Kitai. Some of that world includes the customs and attitudes of a real historical period. Others are pure inventions. But which ones? Experts of the era will know. Most of us won’t. Under Heaven does, however, answer a question that echoes one dear to amorous, canoe-loving Canadians: Is it possible to make love in a moving sedan chair? “It can be done,” says Precious Consort.
Review
"A recurring problem in fantasy and science fiction is the absence of strong and plausible female characters. This is one of Kay's great strengths. His courtesans and warrior maidens are fully realized and believable, and not merely the stereotypical place holders they too often are in the hands of less skilled authors...Under Heaven is an engrossing read, filled with well-drawn characters who live in a richly detailed world." - Winnipeg Free Press
"Simply put, Under Heaven is one of the most exhilarating novels I’ve read. a novel so beautiful, so carefully imagined, so elegantly constructed as to dwarf any efforts to explicate, expound, or analyze — a book that has given me a tremendous amount, but of a nature that I find very hard to explain. But that’s a feeble excuse, for my difficulties are nothing compared to the challenge Guy Gavriel Kay sets himself again and again; if we cease to strive after the seemingly impossible, books of this ambition and grandeur would no longer be written." - Walrus Magazine
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Most helpful customer reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A return to form.,
By
This review is from: Under Heaven (Hardcover)
It feels wrong on many levels to review a novel by Guy Gavriel Kay, as he is a writer of a such skill, talent and dedication. Really, who am I to evaluate his work? But as a reader it's good to know what you will enjoy vs. what you will not.Simply put, if you have ever enjoyed a Guy Gavriel Kay novel you will not only enjoy this one, you will be glad that he wrote it. Guy exploded onto the fantasy novel scene with the Fionavar Tapestry series, and followed it up with the masterfull "Tiganna". It would be hard for any author to reach those heights reliably and repeatedly. But he managed it again with "The Lions of Al Rassan" and perhaps somewhat less successfully with "A Song for Arbonne". But as a reader I felt dissappointed with "Last Light of the Sun" and "Ysabel". While they retained the poetry expected of GGK they lacked the immediacy of his earlier work. They were poetic as expected, but the pacing seemed off, the stories somehow less gripping. Reading them was like watching a movie that was beautifully shot but where nothing of real substance takes place. But with "Under Heaven" Guy is able to present us with a story that is both poetic AND immediate. It's complex but accessible, substantial. Truly a pleasure to read. Enjoy.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Kay at his best,
By
This review is from: Under Heaven (Hardcover)
Having just finished Under Heaven, I can say that it easily rivals Kay's best works, and is in fact my new favourite book. After the dividing Ysabel, Kay returns to the historical fantasy he is best known for with awesome success. All the reasons I've loved Kay's other books, the superb characterization and flawless storytelling.. The royal courts are so convoluted, very reminiscant of his Fionavar Tapestry series. The chinese-influenced setting is perfect for Kay's style.Easily 5/5 stars. Possibly his best novel, which is amazing considering the awesomeness of Tigana. An absolute must-read!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Could be Kay's best work to date,
By
This review is from: Under Heaven (Hardcover)
It doesn't habitually take this long for me to write a review, but I needed time to let Under Heaven sink in properly before doing so. I needed time to gather my thoughts to come up with something that would fully encompass how I felt when I reached the last page of Guy Gavriel Kay's latest. And yet, though I've given this much thought, I'm woefully aware that this pathetic review can never do justice to just how grandiose Under Heaven truly is. Simply put, this is one of the very best novels I have ever read.Indeed, Under Heaven showcases a Guy Gavriel Kay at the top of his game. No stranger to quality books and memorable reads that remain with you long after you've reached their ending, the author has set the bar rather high throughout his career. To be honest, I doubted that Kay could ever produce a work that would surpass Tigana and The Lions of Al-Rassan. Of course, I should have known better than to think that Kay had already reached his peak. And with Under Heaven, Kay came up with his best work thus far. Here's the blurb: UNDER HEAVEN will be published in April 2010, and takes place in a world inspired by the glory and power of Tang Dynasty China in the 8th century, a world in which history and the fantastic meld into something both memorable and emotionally compelling. In the novel, Shen Tai is the son of a general who led the forces of imperial Kitai in the empire's last great war against its western enemies, twenty years before. Forty thousand men, on both sides, were slain by a remote mountain lake. General Shen Gao himself has died recently, having spoken to his son in later years about his sadness in the matter of this terrible battle. To honour his father's memory, Tai spends two years in official mourning alone at the battle site by the blue waters of Kuala Nor. Each day he digs graves in hard ground to bury the bones of the dead. At night he can hear the ghosts moan and stir, terrifying voices of anger and lament. Sometimes he realizes that a given voice has ceased its crying, and he knows that is one he has laid to rest. The dead by the lake are equally Kitan and their Taguran foes; there is no way to tell the bones apart, and he buries them all with honour. It is during a routine supply visit led by a Taguran officer who has reluctantly come to befriend him that Tai learns that others, much more powerful, have taken note of his vigil. The White Jade Princess Cheng-wan, 17th daughter of the Emperor of Kitai, presents him with two hundred and fifty Sardian horses. They are being given in royal recognition of his courage and piety, and the honour he has done the dead. You gave a man one of the famed Sardian horses to reward him greatly. You gave him four or five to exalt him above his fellows, propel him towards rank, and earn him jealousy, possibly mortal jealousy. Two hundred and fifty is an unthinkable gift, a gift to overwhelm an emperor. Tai is in deep waters. He needs to get himself back to court and his own emperor, alive. Riding the first of the Sardian horses, and bringing news of the rest, he starts east towards the glittering, dangerous capital of Kitai, and the Ta-Ming Palace - and gathers his wits for a return from solitude by a mountain lake to his own forever-altered life. Under Heaven is another one of Kay's history-based fantasy yarns. The worldbuilding was inspired by the Tang Dynasty of 8th centure China. Richly detailed, the book enthralls you from the very beginning. Not since the Sarantine Mosaic has Guy Gavriel Kay come up with such an evocative narrative and arresting imagery. Not that The Last Light of the Sun and Ysabel were lacking in that regard, mind you. But Sailing to Sarantium and Lord of Emperors swept you off your feet and immersed you into the Byzantine multilayered intrigues from the start. Under Heaven, if you can believe this, is even more powerful. History buffs might disagree, yet I feel that Kay captured the moods and nuances of his chosen setting to perfection. And this richness of details make for an even more impressive reading experience. Still, beyond the vividly depicted environment, it's the superb characterization that makes Under Heaven impossible to put down. Guy Gavriel Kay has always possessed a deft human touch and his past novels are filled with memorable characters. In this one, the author has outdone himself. As the main protagonist, Shen Tai takes center stage and is a well-realized three-dimensional character. But his tale would never be as touching without the presence of men and women like the Kanlin Warrior Wei Song, the poet Sima Zian, the courtesan Spring Rain, or the Taguran officer Bytsan sri Nespo. Although the fate of the entire empire of Kitai could be on the brink of doom, at its heart Under Heaven remains a character-driven work revolving around the lives of the members of the Shen family; Shen Tai, his brother Shen Liu, now principal advisor to the first minister, and their sister Shen Li-Mei. Absorbing, Under Heaven is the sort of book you wish would never end. It does start a bit slow, yet as you read along you realize that Kay was just laying the groundwork for what is to come. I felt at times that there was more than enough material to warrant at least a duology. However, looking back, I feel that drawing out the story, though it would have fleshed out certain events and characters, would indubitably have robbed readers of such a moving ending. The momentum would never have been the same had the book been split into two installments. In retrospect, I can't find a single thing I didn't like about this one. . . Although it's still early in the year, I'll go out on a limb and predict that Under Heaven will be the speculative fiction novel of 2010. For the life of me I can't imagine having the privilege to read any work matching, let alone surpassing, the magic of this book. Novels don't come much better than this. Award-winning author Guy Gavriel Kay has been one of my favorite writers for years. Hence, it came as no surprise that Under Heaven turned out to be a gorgeous and unforgettable work. I expected no less from Kay. What I didn't expect was the feeling of awe that left me speechless when I reached the end. . .
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