Guy Gavriel Kay

Guy Gavriel Kay's masterful novel about the road to rebellion is an epic filled with intensely realized characters and powerful emotions. An enduring classic of Canadian literature, Tigana is a powerful exploration of memory and lost identity, tyranny and freedom. Two rival conquerors have divided the Peninsula of the Palm. As the provinces in the peninsula were falling one by one, the sorcerer Brandin made a fateful decision, sending his beloved son to capture the last one. But when that son is killed on the battlefield, Brandin, blinded by grief, avenges his death by ruthlessly vanquishing the resistance and then cursing the people of this province with a dark sorcery--so that the very name of their home cannot be spoken or remembered. Years after that devastation, a handful of men and women set in motion a dangerous plot. Their aim: to overthrow both conquerors, and bring back to the world the lost brightness of an obliterated name--Tigana.

Tigana

Allesan, son of the king of Tigana, and other survivors of the forgotten world band together to plot the demise of Brandin of Ygrath.

Anniversary Edition

Sandrin

Guy Gavriel Kay, you evil evil man. Everytime I think I'm done I'm pulled right back in. FUCK this was good.

Even though the author refuses to pass the Bechdel test(I get it, more than two amazing and cool women in one scene talking to each other as friends? The power would be too much, the pages will burn) I still immensely enjoyed the story.

The characters were the driving force of the story and they were masterfully written, with complex feelings and difficult decisions to make that weren't always the right ones. Loved the morally grey personalities and intricate storylines.

The way it was written though, the style, might not be for everybody, because a lot of the times we are told what has happened after the fact and we are rarely in the middle of the action. It was a very exposition based story, which at times might feel like it's hindering the plot development.

Still the ending is so worth it and it truly delivers on the promise of an epic bittersweet ending.

Truly magnificent.

Asher Black

Tigana is the kind of book I won't talk about with people who don't love it. If you can shrug and say "it was all right", let's not discuss it. Not because I don't respect your opinion, but because you'd be better off giving my wife a black eye - I'd be less emotionally involved. I'm exaggerating, of course, but not by much. When I think about Tigana or, to be more accurate, think in Tigana, I'm thinking about heroism, making love, beauty, peace, and friendship.

Tigana is a tale of agony, of the meaning of words, of the significance of history and story, and the compromise between love and hate, desire and purpose. All that sounds nebulous, I know, and like empty sales hype on a jacket blurb of some Harlequin romance. Not the idea I mean to convey - the failure is mine perhaps - but some things are delightfully, irreducibly complex - or if you're one of those worshippers of simplicity, let's say "rich". I've no intention of pursuing a full review right now, or of trying to sum up what I see as a vast expanse that can't be conveyed by throwing a plot outline at you. That's what jacket blurbs are for, and no jacket is going to convey this book's significance.

I will say that if you rule out things by genre, you won't like this. I always feel a kind of helpless pity for people that don't read fiction, and thereafter for people who dismiss whole genres like sci-fi or fantasy (which I think takes the most eye rolls from the uninitiated - people who think fantasy is just swords, sorcery, and elves and sci-fi is shoot-em-ups with aliens in spaceships - not that I"m knocking those things - good writing is good writing, and I defy anyone to not have fun in one of Heinlein's starship shoot-em-ups). Anyone that can read Ursula LeGuin, though, for instance (I know, I know, poster child for crossover work), and can dismiss those two genres doesn't know beans. It's like saying there's never been a worthwhile mystery novel. I'm not a big fan of mystery, but the master (Doyle, you know) can have my attention any time. But you're also writing off some of the best work ever in political philosophy (Robert Heinlein, Ayn Rand, Ray Bradbury, Orwell, Huxley, Zamyatin - and shorting yourself a liberal education - reading about political philosophy, isn't the same as reading political philosophy - and the academics would have us think that's specialized work - nah, the best stuff has been written for a popular audience - it has come out of the ivory tower and gotten dirty in all the right bars). And you're missing in some authors, like Kay and C.J. Cherryh, for instance - definitely LeGuin) some stunningly insightful work in social anthropology and social theory (Orson Scott Card). You either have to dismiss whole disciplines of human endeavour, or be unaware of their presence in the genres - ignorance either way, you see. You know what they say - ignorance can be cured. Willful ignorance...

Not to beat up people who don't routinely like sci-fi or fantasy. It's one thing to say I don't like squashes and zucchini. It's another to say I don't like vegetables. If you're in the latter camp, get to a doctor, you're not going to live much longer than it takes to read this entry. But you could get some really great stuff out of Umberto Ecco who usually stays out of these genres, for instance, and Rand who usually does. So yeah, I'm taking a block of space to not talk about this book in particular. Precisely because by doing so, I'm saying it's too rich to be represented by a blurb. It's more honest to just mention it and talk about other things around it, irritating or bewildering as it may prove.

Note: The 2nd time around, I 'read' it in audio format. Available from Amazon.

Derek

beauitful prose, good story, but unfortunately laden with problematic elements that would stop me from recommending this to anyone

Michael Springer

At the more traditional and dull end of the fantasy genre we have writers writing redundant hero journeys full of elves and dwarves and other cutesy races. Then, at the other end, we have gritty realism with very few fantastic elements, and an inversion of the hero journey storyline. Either the heroes are croaking at a rapid rate (think Martin) or the heroes are...well...not heroes at all when you get down to it, and are incapable of growth (think Abercrombie). 

Tigana captures what is best from both these aesthetics without keeping any of the stuff that is lame and/or infuriating about them. 

Set in a world that's basically Italy before the Renaissance, Tigana is the story of a stolen nation. But not only the land has been stolen: this nation's name, "Tigana," can no longer even be heard by those who didn't actually live in Tigana when it was known by its true name. Brandin, the sorcerer king who made this word unspeakable, is finding ways to stay alive long enough for those who remember Tigana to die off so the nation will be entirely forgotten. Kay's book is the story of those who remember Tigana seeking their revenge and trying to bring their nation back and keep it from being forgotten. 

Here's why I say it captures the best of both aesthetics: from the more traditional camp, we DO have a hero who DOES start off a touch naive. He doesn't know anything about the country of Tigana at the beginning, and he gets drawn into the political intrigue after overhearing a couple conversations he wasn't supposed to overhear. 

But Kay leaves out all of those elements that are cheesy and don't make sense: the hero doesn't become the most amazing badass of all time; he doesn't go alone to a mountain in Mordor with a Sacred Ring. In fact, he's just one of the many heroes, more of a Merry or Pippin than a Frodo. (But he's not comic relief.)

They're all--well, ALMOST all--rounded and believable characters. And perhaps the most important point is that even the badguys are people too: we see enough of Brandin to discover some of his motives, his passions, and his own tragedies; by the end of the book, he was one of my favorite characters. 

And this is why the book comes off as, well, not gritty exactly, but nuanced in the way that realistic fantasy ought to be. Our heroes hurt people. Our villains love passionately. And by the end of the novel, which is as epic as one could want out of a single book, we have a conclusion that will be satisfactory to any fantasy reader: yes, the heroes win. But evil isn't defeated; one political force overcomes another, and there are big losses. 

The only complaint I have about the book is...well...I appreciated the sex scene with Alienor and all. It was quite steamy. But I'm foggy on how that particular sultry vixen contributed to the story. In a book peopled with mainly complex male and female characters, she seemed like the standout weak character. It's like Kay had a Piers Anthony moment: "Brandin is tormented by loss and is torn between love and duty; Dianora is torn by her love of Brandin and her yearning for revenge; and Alienor is really frickin' hot. And does everybody." (Okay, she wasn't quite that shallow, but in comparison...I'm just sayin'.)

But that isn't a big deal, and the ending was brilliant enough to offset a weakness that small. Unfortunately, I don't feel I can give it five stars, and that's totally my fault. Or maybe it's the fault of Netflix. You see, I subscribed to Netflix at the beginning of April, and I've barely been reading since. Instead, I've been watching a shit-ton* of movies and catching up on my television watching. Lord knows I don't want to fall behind in THAT.

Ultimately, I thought this was an exceptional fantasy novel, and I look forward to reading more books by this Guy. (I had to make the pun. I'm oh-so-very sorry.) I would recommend this to any fans of fantasy, regardless of what subgenres you usually prefer. This is indisputably one of the good ones.

*: 
1 shit-ton (sht) = 100 short tons (st), or 200,000 pounds (lb).

Prashanth Srivatsa

Tigana was, is, and will remain one of the pillars of beautifully written standalone fantasy fiction. It is an adventure, an exploration, and a gorgeous service to memory and culture.

Dipo Apelehin

Hana 

Pros:
- Superbly written
-Amazing, vivid characters and their development
-plot-twists
-Setting / World Building

Cons:
- It takes a while for the story to pick up 
-Too Many Coincidences

Tigana is the internationally celebrated epic of a beleaguered country struggling to be free. It is the tale of a people so cursed by the dark sorceries of the tyrant king Brandin that even the very name of their once beautiful home cannot be spoken or remembered. But, years after their homeland's devastation, a handful of men and women set in motion a dangerous crusade--to overthrow their conquerors and bring back to the world the lost brightness of an obliterated name: Tigana. Against the magnificently realized backdrop of a world both sensuous and brutal, this masterful novel of a passionate people pursuing their dream is breathtaking in its vision, and changes forever the boundaries of fantasy fiction.

Celeste Richardson

Full review now posted!
Original review can be found at Booknest.

The best books in any genre are the ones that move you. And I just found a new one in my very favorite genre.

“There are no wrong turnings. Only paths we had not known we were meant to walk.”

I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that I’ve read hundreds of fantasy books in my lifetime. I’ve taken so many adventures through extravagantly strange worlds with casts of immensely varied characters on a multitude of nigh impossible quests. Fantasy is a genre that never gets old for me, because there’s no limit to what the human imagination can spawn onto a page. That doesn’t mean that every single fantasy book I read is a hit for me. I’ve had disappointments. But my first foray into the writings of Guy Gavriel Kay was definitely not a disappointment. I think I’ve found a new favorite author.

“Language. The process of sharing with words seemed such a futile exercise sometimes.”

GGK has an exquisite way with words. My favorite fantasies are always those with breathtaking prose, and GGK delivers that is spades with Tigana. But the lovely language is just a vehicle for the amazing story he has crafted. In a world where magic is very real, what happens when an entire land and people are torn from their name, and to what lengths will they go to recover that identity? That is the central plot of the book, but there is so much more to the story. What truly defines you? How important is a name? When does seeking vengeance cross a line and become not worthy of its cost? Where does the line between love and loyalty break, and which wins in your heart? Is a dream worth sacrificing not just your life, but your quality of life? Is it easier to die for a dream than live without it? There were so many deep questions raised here. Philosophy and religion are always one of my favorite aspects of fantasy worlds, and both were very well developed here.

“Words were power, words tried to change you, to shape bridges of longing that no one could ever really cross.”

	There is such a beautiful, eclectic cast of characters in this book. And they all have so much personality and depth. Devin, a young man with the voice of an angel but the face of a child, is my very favorite character. I also loved Alessan, Baerd, Catriana, Alais, Dionara, and a couple of others whose names I can’t even use because they’re almost spoilers. I will say this, though: I appreciate so much how GGK made his characters gray instead of black and white. Even the characters who were supposedly “bad” had so many redeeming qualities. Except for Alberico. He was just a douche. But every character had understandable motivations, and it was nearly impossible to choose a side. I loved that. Because people are nuanced and deep and almost never see themselves as evil, and it takes a really great author to get that point across in his work. 

“In this world, where we find ourselves, we need compassion more than anything, I think, or we are all alone.”

	Because GGK was able to make the vast majority of his characters so sympathetic, reading this book was an incredibly emotional experience for me. Seriously, I was reading through tears for hundreds of pages. There was just something about the way GGK strung together his prose and plot that resonated deeply with me, and moved me more than most fantasy novels are able to. I was profoundly invested in the story and the characters and the fate the Palm as a whole and Tigana in particular. The ending was beautiful and devastating, and I’m still trying to come to terms with the amount of both joy and sadness it inspired within me.

On last thing I loved about this book: the importance of hope. Even when things looked dire, even when people were devastated or torn, there was hope. The worldview felt so bright, even in the midst of despair. I don’t know exactly what GGK believes, but I feel like he has to believe in something in order to create a world this broken that still has so much room for hope.

If this level of craftsmanship is what I can expect from the rest of GGK’s catalogue, I will be reading every book penned by him I’m able to get my little hands on. I heartily recommend it to any fan of high fantasy.

A buddy read with the always wonderful Petrik!

Fraser Simons

The concept of a group of refugees who lose parts of themselves when their sense of place and home are forcibly excised from their memory, is just a fantastic concept for a fantasy novel. And the worldbuilding mostly supports the concept and premise, which is, essentially, this group gets together and attempts to get revenge on the wizard that magically made it no longer possible for them to remember parts of themselves tied to Tigana. 

I think of the characters in this book as being similarly initially very interesting. Trauma has effected them in various ways, and they are subsequently wound up like wind-up toys and set off. The problem is that on their path they became wildly less interesting than the initial anticipation of their path. They don’t really feel nuanced as they go on, and sometimes stray in the cliche. Very much feels like a fantasy book of the 90s. 

On a prose level, it’s uneven. Above average, generally—flowery and descriptive to out-of-the-way, completely forgettable. With such a strong premise and concept I really wanted the character work to be better. There’s way too much plot device sex right away and throughout. And as soon as the characters “thing” is solidified, meaning their motivation or one sort of flourish, it’s generally over. They don’t feel nuanced and feel like they are an archetype set into a mold of a trauma response. They aren’t contradictory, they don’t really stand out stylistically in dialogue (though the dialogue is more than competent, generally). Like I said: wind-up toys set off. No more, no less.

This was pretty satisfying macro experience and a sometimes boring granular one. I know I will remember the ideas in this and not the characters. The craft doesn’t feel able and up to the very ambitious and fantastic concept, I think.

Ugh...this book was gorgeous. I actually really liked it! From the look of the summary on the back of the book itself, I thought this was going to be a slow-moving and dry read.

Boy, was I ever wrong.

The characters...the characters! Devin had me gushing in an altogether fangirlish way every other page (well, for the sections that were in his POV). Catriana had me CHEERING. THIS is how you write female characters! Steven Moffat, take notes. I don't think I've ever seen characters like Alessan and Catriana with such depth to them. Alessan (usually with the help of Baerd) had me laughing incredibly hard on some pages, and on others almost moved me to tears. Aaaaaagh. Note to self: a side effect of this book is uncontrollable bipolarity.)

So, why four stars and not five?

There's only one big beef I have with this book. Only one.

But, it happens to be gaping and horribly obvious, even from the first few chapters.

Mr. Kay, I understand that you wanted a variety of relatable characters. Maybe you might have wanted to show off a bit: "Ha! Look at all of these fantastic characters! I can keep up with so many characters at once and keep them believable and perfectly flawed! I can write both male and female characters!" 

Mr. Kay, let me put this plainly: OVERKILL, MATE.

Every few paragraphs, the POV would, sometimes completely (and I'm talking to a different province), shift. The results were disorienting and sometimes even dizzying. This book jumps from Devin to Catriana, to Baerd, to Alessan, to Dianora, to Valentin, to some citywatchman, to Brandin of Ygrath, to Alberico, to the Nightwalkers, to Elena, to Alienor, to Alais, to Rovigo, to Erlein, to...AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

It's too much! I can't do it!

In all seriousness, I'm pretty sure this problem stems from the complete tsunami of characters that Mr. Kay wants us to keep up with at once. This also leads to issues with temporal reckoning: it was sometimes really difficult to tell what happened at what time, because the book wasn't always in chronological order. When new characters are introduced halfway through, it's hard to tell if it's a flashback or actually happening in the now of the novel.

And on that somewhat sour note, I'm gonna finish this review up. So minus one star from what would've been a five star review, but, you know what? The novel was still fabulous through and through. Highly recommended to any fantasy fan...this is a must-read!

Mel Odom

Allesan, son of the king of Tigana, and other survivors of the forgotten world band together to plot the demise of Brandin of Ygrath

Simon Elliott Stegall

It saddens me that I didn't like this book, as it was recommended to me by someone whose literary taste I greatly respect. I suppose it was good enough by fantasy fiction standards... but why does the standard have to be so low? Seriously, wizards, giant battles, creepy monsters are all awesome things! Why must we ruin them with terrible writing? The characters in this book are completely flat and free of conflict, the plot is boring as toast without butter, and WHY DO THE CHARACTERS CRY SO MUCH. THEY HAVE LITERALLY EXPERIENCED NOTHING. 

It's just so frustrating. Blarg.

dead line

Very well written, and a great story.

But... I can't help but feel frustration at the end. Through teamwork they bring about their goals, only to reinstate a monarchy, the very thing that kept them oppressed.

Sure, Alessan will probably be fine as a ruler, but they're gambling on his offspring. And why should he even rule at all?

He would tax his subjects, and do what exactly? Nothing they couldn't do for themselves.

It's disappointing that the limit of the author's imagination is "return things to the way they were"

Amber Laha

This was amazing. The writing was beautiful, but used every word to take you to where you needed. Heart racing, exciting with the best of all reveals at the end, that I never expected. I rarely am moved to tears, and several moments I had to stop because of tears. I am sure this will end up on my favorites list of the year.

Tigana

Reviews