Loading...
40th out of 1,113 books
—
5,857 voters
My rating:
add to my books
Tigana
Eight of the nine provinces of the Peninsula of the Palm, on a world with two moons, have fallen to the warrior sorcerers Brandin of Ygrath and Alberico of Barbadior. Brandin's younger son is slain in a battle with the principality of Tigana, which the grief-stricken sorcerer then destroys. Years later, a small band of survivors, led by Alessan, last prince of Tigana's roy...more
Paperback, 678 pages
Published
December 1st 1999
by Roc Trade
(first published January 1st 1990)
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
12,614)
oh Tigana! 20 years ago, the warring lands of the peninsula known as The Palm were conquered by two opposing Tyrants, and split into two. during this time of war and magic, one land was punished, transformed, forgotten.
20 years later, a band of men and women fight to reclaim that land, its history, their memories. oh Tigana!
SPOILERS FOLLOW
memories of a distant life are a strange and beautiful and sorrowful thing. i can remember places, scenes, people in the l...more
20 years later, a band of men and women fight to reclaim that land, its history, their memories. oh Tigana!
SPOILERS FOLLOW
memories of a distant life are a strange and beautiful and sorrowful thing. i can remember places, scenes, people in the l...more
view all 28 comments
A parent's grief at the death of their child can be a terrible thing. When that parent is the world's most powerful wizard, and his beloved son dies in battle in one of the last provinces to be conquered, the grief becomes an all encompassing spell. And so starts the drama that is Tigana and the struggles for independence and remembrance against Brandin (the Tyrant and sorcerer).
My first thoughts when I started reading this story were of events in our own history where tyrants ha...more
My first thoughts when I started reading this story were of events in our own history where tyrants ha...more
The greatest strength of Tigana -- Guy Gavriel Kay's masterpiece -- is the "ambiguity" of his characters' ethics. Fantasy, as a genre, suffers from the widespread simplicity of its expressions of good and evil. Kay consistently transcends this genre weakness, and Tigana marks his first and greatest break with the good vs. evil tradition. Tigana is full of characters who struggle with their decisions and the impact those decisions have on others.
Alessan, the "hero"...more
Alessan, the "hero"...more
Richard
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Richard by:
SciFi & Fantasy Group 2009-05 Fantasy Selection
This was the Fantasy selection for the Goodreads SciFi and Fantasy Book Club for the month of May 2009. Visit this link to see all of the discusions, group member reviews, etc.
If Goodreads had half-stars, I would have dropped this to only 4-1/2, but more on that below.
Tigana is among the handful of fantasy novels that can make me wonder whether Tolkien is as good as I remember him, or as good as his reputation. It has been many years since I read Lord of the Rings, and I ...more
If Goodreads had half-stars, I would have dropped this to only 4-1/2, but more on that below.
Tigana is among the handful of fantasy novels that can make me wonder whether Tolkien is as good as I remember him, or as good as his reputation. It has been many years since I read Lord of the Rings, and I ...more
There was no way I was not going to love this book. Experience has shown that I love Guy Gavriel Kay and the characters he comes up with. They are, without exception, passionate people, and I love reading about passionate people, especially when they have a Cause. And boy, do the characters in this book have a cause. Can you say, epic cause?
Tigana is the name of one of the countries of the Palm, a peninsula loosely based on Renaissance Italy. Divided and distrustful of one another, a...more
Tigana is the name of one of the countries of the Palm, a peninsula loosely based on Renaissance Italy. Divided and distrustful of one another, a...more
Kelly
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
lovers of fantasy, lovers of myth. This rises above the fantasy genre, without question.
It says that I read this back in January 2000. It would be more accurate to say that I've read this book /since/ January 2000. I've read this book no less than ten times. I own the 10th Anniversary Edition as well now, because I expect my first one to fall apart very soon. It's lost at least one cover being passed around among all my friends throughout high school.
Guy Gavriel Kay writes among the only books that I loved when I was 13, and I can still appreciate a decade later. (Aside...more
Guy Gavriel Kay writes among the only books that I loved when I was 13, and I can still appreciate a decade later. (Aside...more
This is the first book by Kay I've ever read, and one of only three books on my shelves signed by the author (one of only two signed specifically to me, and the only one I actually got myself). Its size is daunting if you're not a regular fantasy reader, but it's a stand-alone novel and would be disappointing if it were any shorter.
Tigana is about a great many things, but the central plot and theme of the novel is the subjugation of the people of the Peninsular of the Palm (modelled...more
Tigana is about a great many things, but the central plot and theme of the novel is the subjugation of the people of the Peninsular of the Palm (modelled...more
Chris
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Fans of Brandon Sanderson, Patrick Rothfuss, and Mario Puzo. With a little Tolkien thrown in.
I really can't decide whether to rate this a 4 or 5 star, but I'll go with 5. There is more that I like about this book than dislike.
Overall, I love the story. It is quite the epic, and it seems a waste of great worldbuilding to contain it to one volume. On the other hand, it is good to see such a marvelous work that stands on its own, without a dozen sequels, prequels, and hard to find novellas. In fantasy, that is a rare treat.
Still, this is a world I'd like to visit ag...more
Overall, I love the story. It is quite the epic, and it seems a waste of great worldbuilding to contain it to one volume. On the other hand, it is good to see such a marvelous work that stands on its own, without a dozen sequels, prequels, and hard to find novellas. In fantasy, that is a rare treat.
Still, this is a world I'd like to visit ag...more
This review was written in the late nineties (for my eyes only), and it was buried in amongst my things until recently when I uncovered the journal in which it was written. I have transcribed it verbatim from all those years ago (although square brackets may indicate some additional information for the sake of readability or some sort of commentary from now). This is one of my lost reviews.
I loved being surprised like this. Every once in a while someone out of the ordinary suggests a b...more
I loved being surprised like this. Every once in a while someone out of the ordinary suggests a b...more
It was good...really good, but the authors ponderous, occasionally convoluted style prevents him getting a five. Ten percent shorter, this would have been an even better book.
Rich, involved plot with complex characters--more than needed perhaps. Evokes more Robert Jordan than J.R.R. Tolkien even though he assembled a band of odd personages reminiscent of the Fellowship of the Ring.
Midway, Kay seemed to lose lost track of his own plot for the fun of developing ancillary ch...more
Rich, involved plot with complex characters--more than needed perhaps. Evokes more Robert Jordan than J.R.R. Tolkien even though he assembled a band of odd personages reminiscent of the Fellowship of the Ring.
Midway, Kay seemed to lose lost track of his own plot for the fun of developing ancillary ch...more
Tigana is a land forgotten by most through magical means. The naming of which unlocks the memories of those who belonged to it. I feel at the end of this book as though something has been unlocked in me. A coming home to something I didn't know I loved.
Yes, I liked it this much. It is an experience I want to share with others who have journeyed here before me. And that I wish to gift to someone who has not yet gone.
One of the best fantasy book I have ever read and quite possibly of any...more
Yes, I liked it this much. It is an experience I want to share with others who have journeyed here before me. And that I wish to gift to someone who has not yet gone.
One of the best fantasy book I have ever read and quite possibly of any...more
August 2009.
This is still such a beautiful, beautiful book. This is my first reread, but I can tell you already that it won't be my last. The writing is gorgeous, and the imagery and the politics and the characters are all amazing. The careful laying of the plot, with the different subplots that weave in, like the Carlozzini and Dianora's own plans, is amazing. There are so many points in the book where I found tears coming to my eyes that I don't even know how many times it happened...more
This is still such a beautiful, beautiful book. This is my first reread, but I can tell you already that it won't be my last. The writing is gorgeous, and the imagery and the politics and the characters are all amazing. The careful laying of the plot, with the different subplots that weave in, like the Carlozzini and Dianora's own plans, is amazing. There are so many points in the book where I found tears coming to my eyes that I don't even know how many times it happened...more
I really liked the ideas behind this story—the power of names in the face of colonialism, in the face of enforced forgetfulness—but there was just too much in the writing that worked against my enjoyment of it. Kay's style has improved from what it was in the Fionavar series, but it's still clunky and laboured (and desperately in need of some commas), while the world-building is pedestrian and two-dimensional. Many of the better-drawn characters are unengaging, and most of the cast are such clic...more
I remembered reading this in high school, and being captivated by it. I'm glad I took the time to re-read it.
This is a wonderful fantasy book. Not perfect, by any means, but it's very easy to overlook the few flaws it does have in favor of the engaging story, unique setting, and epic characters.
The novel focuses on a band of characters attempting to free their land (a peninsula painstakingly based on Renaissance-era Italy, a wonderful break from the usual fantasy norm) fr...more
This is a wonderful fantasy book. Not perfect, by any means, but it's very easy to overlook the few flaws it does have in favor of the engaging story, unique setting, and epic characters.
The novel focuses on a band of characters attempting to free their land (a peninsula painstakingly based on Renaissance-era Italy, a wonderful break from the usual fantasy norm) fr...more
I liked this book every bit as well as I remembered. It's as layered as an onion, complex, full of satisfying and memorable characters deployed in a world that's rich and believable.
The magic is well-thought out. There are plot twists in plenty- as there should be when there's a dispossessed Prince in a band of itinerant musicians. There are brave and noble women with complicated lives.
Beyond the well-told story, though, what this book seems to me to be is an exploration...more
The magic is well-thought out. There are plot twists in plenty- as there should be when there's a dispossessed Prince in a band of itinerant musicians. There are brave and noble women with complicated lives.
Beyond the well-told story, though, what this book seems to me to be is an exploration...more
Stephen Winkler
rated it
Recommends it for:
fantasy
Recommended to Stephen by:
godreads group
Shelves:
fantasy
I bought this book based on the recommendations of the people in my scifi/fantasy goodreads group after I had complained that I could not find Fantasy novels that dealt with "larger issues" the same way the Science Fiction does. tigana did not disappoint. This is not a typical "boy finds sword, vanquishes evil, wins girl" fantasy novel. It is as much a thought experiment as any good SF book.
I hadn't thought anyone could top Tolkien for world-building and engaging my passions in characters... and then I found Kay. For me, the question is only how to choose a favorite between Tigana, Arbonne, and Lions. Tigana has the advantage of having been first. I still remember how it caught my eye in the window of the used bookstore in Flemington as I was going in; I can remember the feeling of the sun on my legs sitting in the yard behind the courthouse at lunchtime wishing I never had to g...more
This is the fourth book by the author that I have read so far and it's the one I've enjoyed the most but that's honestly not saying much. I've tried to give Kay a fair go but I've come to the conclusion that I just don't like his style.
The premise of the book is very interesting and it is clear from the beginning that this story is about the preservation of memory and history and the perpetration and consequences of cultural genocide.
Unfortunately, the book is let down b...more
The premise of the book is very interesting and it is clear from the beginning that this story is about the preservation of memory and history and the perpetration and consequences of cultural genocide.
Unfortunately, the book is let down b...more
There's a lot I liked about this book:
1) I would describe the writing style as "lush." There's a lot of flourish and color to Kay's writing style. Almost like a Bard were speaking it in an orally dramatic fashion. There were times I would read certain paragraphs out loud just to see how the words rolled off my tongue.
2) I liked that, as with other fantasy genre writers, Kay didn't keep rehashing, or restating the storyline as if all us readers are dolts and have forgotte...more
1) I would describe the writing style as "lush." There's a lot of flourish and color to Kay's writing style. Almost like a Bard were speaking it in an orally dramatic fashion. There were times I would read certain paragraphs out loud just to see how the words rolled off my tongue.
2) I liked that, as with other fantasy genre writers, Kay didn't keep rehashing, or restating the storyline as if all us readers are dolts and have forgotte...more
How do I review a book that was so important to my teen years? A book that even now fifteen years later has the same profound affect? This is no small book at 600 odd pages but it is far weightier than could be imagined at first glance. This adventure will pull you in and keep you returning until the stories are all resolved.[return][return]The plots dance around each other drawing you ever further into the richly described world and the lives of the memorable characters. It’s a tale of struggle...more
This book is quite good. The beginning is really good, but it kind of lingers in the middle. The end felt a little rushed and awkward.
A lot of it was really good, like the great characterization and the flowing prose. I like that Devin wasn't a total idiot like the traditional character in his position would be (in other books). I like that the treatment of love was excellent. (view spoiler)...more
A lot of it was really good, like the great characterization and the flowing prose. I like that Devin wasn't a total idiot like the traditional character in his position would be (in other books). I like that the treatment of love was excellent. (view spoiler)...more
While it’s not a bad book, this novel is (for me) a study of what prevents a fantasy novel from attaining the heights of mastery. It looks like Kay had learned during this process while working on this book, and delivered The Lions of al-Rassan six years later, which I loved. That result was a focused, compelling work without extraneous and distracting events or characters. As for this, I skimmed the last 2/3. Nevertheless, writing a review helps me think through what worked and what didn’t in n...more
If you want more stories like the Lord of the Rings, with a scruffy, even-tempered lost prince fighting to regain his homeland from sorcerers, then Tigana is for you. In this case, one sorcerer has even eradicated the name of his homeland, and only with his death will it be remembered.
However, said sorcerer is not portrayed as evil, and to me, this is where the story grew interesting. He was simply angry over the death of his son in battle, and in grief he enacted his revenge against...more
However, said sorcerer is not portrayed as evil, and to me, this is where the story grew interesting. He was simply angry over the death of his son in battle, and in grief he enacted his revenge against...more
I enjoyed the richly imagined world, full of different regions, the people that inhabited it, the folklore. I found most of the characters likable (even one of the villans!) and my curiosity was piqued by the idea of a nameless home and a lost generation. I can tell a lot of thought went into this world, the political aspect, the characters, the plot, etc and I was able to appreciate both the author and the story more for it.
Yes, there were sorcerers and wizards, but unless it was po...more
Yes, there were sorcerers and wizards, but unless it was po...more
Tigana has one thing that I love in fiction, moral ambiguity. I was really astonished at how well my emotions were manipulated. There were actions that Alessan, the hero, took which made me grimace and doubt his entire cause. In addition, I grew to like Brandin, Alessan's nemesis and even got to a point where I felt that he would make a good ruler of the Palm. These feelings were done and undone several times throughout the book. This unclarity of who to root for really drew me in.
...more
...more
"This is one of those stories in which the very extremes of human emotion can tear the reader apart."
Said the review on Amazon.com. My own impression was something more along the lines of meh. I'd give this book maybe a 3 or a 4 on the Richter scale, you know, the sort of earthquake that rattles the windows a bit, and people who felt it have something to talk about for the next day or two (I'm from California originally.)
The premise for the book is really a pretty cool curse. While Kin...more
Said the review on Amazon.com. My own impression was something more along the lines of meh. I'd give this book maybe a 3 or a 4 on the Richter scale, you know, the sort of earthquake that rattles the windows a bit, and people who felt it have something to talk about for the next day or two (I'm from California originally.)
The premise for the book is really a pretty cool curse. While Kin...more
Tigana has been mentioned as one of the greatest fantasy books of all time, a staple in the genre, and an absolute must read for fantasy fans. It is described as lyrical, poetic, heartfelt, and beautiful. How could I not give it a try?
We are thrown into the middle of things at the beginning of the book and have to work out what is going on for ourselves. You have to really pay attention and remember little details to be able to understand later conversations, yet even then the dialogue...more
We are thrown into the middle of things at the beginning of the book and have to work out what is going on for ourselves. You have to really pay attention and remember little details to be able to understand later conversations, yet even then the dialogue...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Tigana is probably not going to shatter my views on world literature, but I couldn't put it down. It has all the right ingredients for an extremely enjoyable novel: sympathetic characters with reasonable depth and evolution, a complex world with carefully-plotted politics, and above all the realism, high ideals, princes in disguise and lots of honourable deeds. Don't expect archaic, legendary figures like Tolkien's, but don't expect GRR Martin's gritty realism either. Tigana is just in between, ...more
After reading Guy Gavriel Kay's excellent Under Heaven, this book felt like a bit of a step backwards in my admiration for the author. While Under Heaven seemed to effortlessly walk the tightrope between action and love and philosophizing about the paths that men and women take in their search for meaning in their lives, this story seemed more forced, and definitely more violent. I almost put it down several times, but was sucked in enough to have to read to the ending.
And I have...more
And I have...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GWJ Book Club: Discussion is tonight! 8:30 PM EST | 1 | 1 | 11 hours, 25 min ago | |
| GWJ Book Club: Tigana | 1 | 4 | Feb 01, 2012 08:53pm | |
| Goodreads Librarians: 9780143051497 Tigana | 3 | 21 | Jan 15, 2012 11:06am | |
| The Fellowship of...: Sept/Oct. Group Read: Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay | 5 | 14 | Sep 16, 2011 08:16am | |
| Sci-Fi Fantasy Bo...: Tigana | 8 | 14 | Jan 20, 2011 12:29pm |
Guy Gavriel Kay is a Canadian author of fantasy fiction. Many of his novels are set in fictional realms that resemble real places during real historical periods, such as Constantinople during the reign of Justinian I or Spain during the time of El Cid. Those works are published and marketed as historical fantasy, though the author himself has expressed a preference to shy away from genre categoriz...more
More about Guy Gavriel Kay...
Share This Book
8 trivia questions
More quizzes & trivia...
“There are no wrong turnings. Only paths we had not known we were meant to walk.”
—
30 people liked it
“In this world, where we find ourselves, we need compassion more than anything, I think, or we are all alone.”
—
29 people liked it
More quotes…
