The Nameless Planet - Book Reviews

A Song For Arbonne - Guy Gavriel Kay

This is a book I read in October of 1998. I had it recommended to me at a bookstore, and it is the first book I read by Mr. Kay. This book led me to his work, and after reading it I knew I was onto something good. The book is set in a somewhat historical France, yet remains fictional (if you look at the maps, you can see the similarities between Arbonne and France). There is only a hint of magic, in the form of the Priestesses that worship the goddess Rian.A Song for Arbonne was a very emotional book at times, and had me sympathizing with the characters. I must admit the book was at times very superficial, i.e. the people in it were either "really good" or "really bad" (case in point, the King of Gorhaut - constant descriptions of how "evil" he was). In hindsight, this book was inferior to Kay's earlier Tigana which made me have legitimate feelings for the primary antagonist (even though he was bad). The main protagonist in Arbonne, Blaise, is a fairly decent man who ends up having to betray his own father and brother. The final confrontation scenes are played out nicely. The ending of the novel was quite surprising, but expected in a way. It gave a sense of "completeness" to the cycle that was started in the Prologue. Overall a good book, and deserving of its rating. It is an excellent example of Kay's work post-Fionavar tapestry. Rating: **** (Added 1999.05.27)

The Lions of Al-Rassan - Guy Gavriel Kay

This book completes Guy Kay's transformation from Fantasy to speculative historical fiction. There are just too many parallels between this novel and the events of the Spanish Reconquista in the middle ages. The book is loosly based on the warring religions of that time, and the holy war that ensues between them. The three main religions in the book have obvious similarities to their "real world" counterparts: the sun-worshipping Jaddites represent Christianity, the moon-worshipping Kindath represent Judaism, and the star-worshipping Asharites represent Muslims. You can detect Mr. Kay's distaste of organized religion from the beginning of the book, which is kind of annoying, since I don't particularly like when authors force their opinions on you through their writing. I read fantasy to escape reality, not to be reminded of it. Anyhow, the book gets off to a very slow start. So slow, that I actually put it down and read a couple books in between. Mr. Kay goes through his usual bombardment of names, places, and historical figures right at the beginning, and you spend a lot of the time trying to figure out who all the characters are and their significance. This is not necessarily a bad thing, since it happened with Tigana and A Song for Arbonne. Near the end, the familiar characters begin to get killed off as usual, and everyone seems to be a martyr for their appropriate causes. This is something I've come to expect from Mr. Kay, so it was somewhat predictable. The ending was very emotional, but again, like in his other books everything works out for the best in the end. Now don't get me wrong here, I did not dislike this book. As I have come to expect, Mr. Kay's writing is flawless: poetic and flowing with emotion and detail. The characters come to life through Mr. Kay's masterful storytelling. Although I found this book to be a bit lacking in some parts, it is still heads above some of the Fantasy that is out there today. Overall a very good read, and if you like Guy Kay, you will probably enjoy this book for what it's worth. Rating: **** (Added 1999.08.07)

Tigana - Guy Gavriel Kay

This is one of the finest books I have ever read. I read A Song for Arbonne before this one, and I was quite pleased the way that one turned out. However, Tigana revealed to me what a master of the writer's craft Mr. Kay is. He does not simply describe; there are tangible emotions in every paragraph. This book is a fantastic read from cover to cover. The book takes place in The Peninsula of the Palm, which bears an uncanny similarity to medieval Italy. The story focuses on young Devin who joins a band of travellers who are intent on restoring to former glory of their home province, Tigana. However, the name of the land has been erased from the minds of the inhabitants of The Palm by a tyrannical sorcerer, except for those who were born in Tigana. That is the common bond that joins the band of travellers. This is a well written story that lets everything connect by the end of the tale. It is amazing the way Mr. Kay blends in magic in this novel as well, making sorcerers fallible and human. For example, one of the evil wizards performs a spell that significantly drains his power, and changes his appearance, as well. The romance between Devin and Catriana was a bit forced, but still Mr. Kay pulls it off. The most intriguing love story is between Brandin (the main antagonist) and his concubine, Dianora. A lot of people have also said that the ending of the novel was diappointing or rushed. On the contrary, the ending is the best part of the book. It ties every plot thread together, but does not give a sense of closure. Instead, it leaves you thinking, and knowing that the main characters' lives go on after winning their epic struggle. This book has been labelled a "tear jerker", and even though I did not cry, it was most definitely an emotional book. Just read it - you'll be impressed. Rating: ***** (Added 1999.06.14)

Newton's Cannon - J. Gregory Keyes

After reading The Waterborn I must admit I was a little disappointed. The ideas in the book were very original for a Fantasy novel, but it just wasn't enough to make me pick up the sequel. Well whatever Mr. Keyes did wrong in that book, he improved enourmously with Newton's Cannon - and then some. I went into this book knowing it was the beginning of a new series: The Age of Unreason. It's based on an alternate history, roughly focused on the lives of Isaac Newton and Benjamin Franklin, except this is a world where chemistry and physics don't exist - instead Newton is the discoverer of the ancient art of alchemy. He stumbles upon what is known as Philosopher's Mercury, which becomes the basis of all inventions in that time period. Some people are probably thinking "Oh geez...another science lesson", but fear not, Mr. Keyes' delightful prose does not make you feel dumb (see my review of Rama), but instead lets you become engrossed in the storyline instead of worrying about insignificant details. You follow the adventures of a 14 year old Ben Franklin as he discovers an invention, "Newton's Cannon", that may end up destroying England. You encounter many historically based characters in this book, and although I'm not entirely familiar with all aspects of Renaissance history, the names Edmund Halley, King Louis XIV of France, and the grandson of a swordsman from another familiar tale, Nicolas D'Artagnan strike a chord. I found the way Keyes integrated scientific facts that were easy to read with the ongoing story was amazing. He has a great way of luring you into each story thread, and as soon as it gets interesting, on to a different chapter and another story thread. But as you start wishing to find out what happens next, you're right into the next thread. I cannot convey what I felt while reading this book, it was just too amazing for words. He creates likeable characters that have real human aspects to them, and are not just composed of the fantastic. However, part of what makes this book great is the use of the fantastic. There is a lot of magic and dark sorcery, but nothing that overwhelms the rest of the book. The only problem I had with this novel is the end. I hate it when authors decide "well, that's enough for this volume" and basically cut the story off. Mr. Keyes basically summarizes what happens to the characters at the end, and leaves an open end in the epilogue that doesn't carry as much weight as it should. As an aside note, the cover design on this book is fantastic. Newton's Cannon is some fine reading, I highly recommended it as fresh, new fantasy. Rating: ***** (Added 1999.07.08)

The Waterborn - J. Gregory Keyes

For some reason this book caught my eye at the store, and sounded very interesting. First of all, it is the first book in a two book series (the second is called The Blackgod) that follows the life of a young princess as she discovers her magical powers, and her place in the world. This book introduces us to a society which worships the River God and the royal family are supposed decendents of this god. Young Hehzi is a princess (part of the Royal family) who is just starting to realize her magic potential, when she must flee the city or be banished to the underworld where she will most likely die. However, it becomes evident that all of the past descendents who have been banished have been stronger than the priests and royal family (have more of the River's blood in them), and have been banished for fear of them taking control of the throne. The parallel story is of a young boy, Perkar, who takes it upon himself to kill the Rivergod as a quest to enter manhood, and finds himself seeking Hehzi at the same time. They finally meet as Hezhi's powers are complete in a climactic battle (don't worry, its a happy ending). As far as plot goes its fairly original, but maintains the standard quest and the return of a hero. Since the adventure is continued in the next book, it is hard to say what exactly happens afterwards. I was reluctant to get the second book since The Waterborn didn't really leave me satisfied. The character development was fairly decent, and you can really see some Native Indian mythology showing through in Mr. Keyes' descriptions of the gods (which are extremely cranky, and powerful to boot). Overall I enjoyed the book; it was an easy read. Pick it up if you want something new and interesting to add to your fantasy collection. Be on the lookout for Mr. Keyes - there's a lot of talent here just waiting to explode.
Rating: *** 1/2 (Added 1999.05.27)