Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Under Heaven

by Guy Gavriel Kay

In 2010 when Under Heaven came out, I heard an NPR reviewer gush about Guy Gavriel Kay as a writer, saying more people should be reading his books. She said the possible reason people hadn't heard of him was because his books don't fit neatly in a fiction category. They are largely historical fiction, often based around real events and people, but his books frequently incorporate fantastical elements that often result in them being classified as fantasy. Which is fine, and I like that genre, but this is not your average wizards and dragons fare. And a lot of people who would probably love Guy Kay's prose have overlooked him because they don't generally read fantasy. 

I have since discovered that Guy Kay has several highly acclaimed novels and series, but I chose to read Under Heaven first because it was the first I had heard of him. I immediately fell in love with the book, and could scarcely put it down. I had forgotten how fun it is to discover a new book or author that I love so much. The characters were vivid and interesting, and Kay's prose is simply sublime. The first hundred pages open so many interesting mysteries and questions, I couldn't wait to find out the answers.

Unfortunately, I never got all the answers I wanted. Under Heaven is set in a world based on the Tang Dynasty in China during the time of the An Lushan Rebellion. The book soon scales back to follow a dozen characters through this political and military upheaval, and it loses the tight focus on the characters and the mysteries introduced in the first portion. This isn't to say that the latter part of the book is bad—it's still quite good. I just wasn't in love with it like I was at first. 

After finishing it, I would call this book a beautiful disappointment, one that I don't regret reading at all. It wasn't what I expected, but it did introduce me to a great new author, and I can't wait to read more of his stuff.

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