Recent Releases That Look Interesting

There have been a number of books out recently that look really neat, or that I've really enjoyed reading.

Under Heaven
Guy Gavriel Kayjavascript:void(0)
ROC Hardcover
Copyright: April 2010
ISBN: 978-0451463302

The Amazon.com product description:

In his latest innovative novel, the award-winning author evokes the dazzling Tang Dynasty of 8th-century China in a story of honor and power.

Inspired by the glory and power of Tang dynasty China, Guy Gavriel Kay has created a masterpiece.

It begins simply. Shen Tai, son of an illustrious general serving the Emperor of Kitai, has spent two years honoring the memory of his late father by burying the bones of the dead from both armies at the site of one of his father's last great battles. In recognition of his labors and his filial piety, an unlikely source has sent him a dangerous gift: 250 Sardian horses.

You give a man one of the famed Sardian horses to reward him greatly. You give 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.

Wisely, the gift comes with the stipulation that Tai must claim the horses in person. Otherwise he would probably be dead already...

The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun
J.R.R. Tolkien
Ed. Christopher Tolkien
HarperCollins
January 2010 (Paperback release)
978-0007317240

The amazon.com product description:

The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún is a previously unpublished work by J.R.R. Tolkien, written while Tolkien was Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford during the 1920s and ‘30s, before he wrote The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. It makes available for the first time Tolkien’s extensive retelling in English narrative verse of the epic Norse tales of Sigurd the Völsung and The Fall of the Niflungs. It includes an introduction by J.R.R. Tolkien, drawn from one of his own lectures on Norse literature, with commentary and notes on the poems by Christopher Tolkien.

I read and reviewed this when the book first came out in hardcover.

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest
Stieg Larssson
Knopf
May 25, 2010
978-0307269997

The amazon.com product description:

The stunning third and final novel in Stieg Larsson’s internationally best-selling trilogy
Lisbeth Salander—the heart of Larsson’s two previous novels—lies in critical condition, a bullet wound to her head, in the intensive care unit of a Swedish city hospital. She’s fighting for her life in more ways than one: if and when she recovers, she’ll be taken back to Stockholm to stand trial for three murders. With the help of her friend, journalist Mikael Blomkvist, she will not only have to prove her innocence, but also identify and denounce those in authority who have allowed the vulnerable, like herself, to suffer abuse and violence. And, on her own, she will plot revenge—against the man who tried to kill her, and the corrupt government institutions that very nearly destroyed her life.

Once upon a time, she was a victim. Now Salander is fighting back.

If you like Stieg Larsson's books you probably don't need my reminder that the third book is out officially today.

Stealing Fire
Jo Graham
Orbit Books
 May 25, 2010
978-0316076395

Amazon.com product description:

Alexander the Great's soldier, Lydias of Miletus, has survived the final campaigns of the king's life. He now has to deal with the chaos surrounding his death. Lydias throws his lot in with Ptolemy, one of Alexander's generals who has grabbed Egypt as his personal territory. Aided by the eunuch Bagoas, the Persian archer Artashir, and the Athenian courtesan Thais, Ptolemy and Lydias must take on all the contenders in a desperate adventure whose prize is the fate of a white city by the sea, and Alexander's legacy.

Under Heaven - Guy Gavriel Kay

Under Heaven
Guy Gavriel Kay
ROC Hardcover
Copyright: April 2010
ISBN: 978-0451463302

The Amazon.com product description:

In his latest innovative novel, the award-winning author evokes the dazzling Tang Dynasty of 8th-century China in a story of honor and power.

Inspired by the glory and power of Tang dynasty China, Guy Gavriel Kay has created a masterpiece.

It begins simply. Shen Tai, son of an illustrious general serving the Emperor of Kitai, has spent two years honoring the memory of his late father by burying the bones of the dead from both armies at the site of one of his father's last great battles. In recognition of his labors and his filial piety, an unlikely source has sent him a dangerous gift: 250 Sardian horses.

You give a man one of the famed Sardian horses to reward him greatly. You give 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.

Wisely, the gift comes with the stipulation that Tai must claim the horses in person. Otherwise he would probably be dead already...

I've not really read much of Guy Gavriel Kay's work before, or much fantasy set in China, so when I saw this book I thought it was definitely worth a try. And, it most certainly was. Kay has done a wonderful job setting the scene and evoking the characters.

Perhaps it's not the most 'active' book around, but there is quite a bit going on in the story. For one thing, I couldn't figure out who were the "good guys" and who were the "bad guys" until right at the end of the book, things just kept twisting back to make it seem like any of the possibilities fit. The culture is a very 'political' one at the level the book is set in, plenty of ambition and double-crossing going on. Everyone wants an advantage for themselves or their family.

At the same time, things are very strict in some ways, such as the requirement for poetry from anyone in the civil service. It's clear that there are some very longstanding traditions that have become absolute requirements. That need for people to be able to express themselves in poetry following some very rigorous standards shows itself in the text of the book in many ways, ranging from entire poems to quotes of a line or so. Not to mention that the prose of the book had an extra dimension of 'awareness'. Not the best word, I'll admit, but I can't think of one better.

The prose of Under Heaven reminded me strongly of the writing of J.R.R. Tolkien, especially The Silmarillion. Not too surprising, I suppose, as Guy Gavriel Kay helped Christopher Tolkien edit that book after the death of J.R.R Tolkien. It just felt like there was an extra element of care in the word choices he made while writing the thing.

One thing I didn't like about the book is the way some of the viewpoint characters were written in present tense, but all of the rest were written in the more normal past tense. I know quite a few authors do it, including L.E. Modesitt, but it's something I really don't like in any of them. Especially when I can't figure out an overall reason for it, such as to differentiate the villains from the others.

Overall though, this was a really good book and one I'll happily recommend to people.

What Would You Recommend? - Guy Gavriel Kay

This is a question I get asked all the time working in the bookstore: "What would you recommend for somebody who loved "_________"? (fill in the blank)" Usually I can come up with something, but that something can be a bit of a wild guess if it's not a book or genre I normally read. This is where you helpful people come in. If you have a suggestion, I'd love to hear it.

This week I'm partly asking for myself. I just finished reading Under Heaven, Guy Gavriel Kay's latest book and I quite enjoyed it, although it was very different from most of the novels I read. It's the only one of his books other than the Fionavar Tapestry trilogy that I've read (and that was years and years ago), although I do have a copy of The Last Light of the Sun on my Unread Books List. I'd like to know what other authors you might suggest as I might like to read them myself.

Guy Gavriel Kay writes fantasy overlayed onto history, or is it history overlayed onto fantasy? Either way, he takes a particular culture and uses it as the basis for the people and worlds he creates. He's done Byzantium, the Vikings and the Chinese that I remember, and I think also the ancient Celts. The books are very detailed and feel quite 'real'.

So, what would you recommend?