Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

The Lions of al-Rassan

by Guy Gavriel Kay (Goodreads Author)

4.27 of 5 stars 4.27 · rating details · 6,762 ratings · 399 reviews

The ruling Asharites of Al-Rassan have come from the desert sands, but over centuries, seduced by the sensuous pleasures of their new land, their stern piety has eroded. The Asharite empire has splintered into decadent city-states led by warring petty kings. King Almalik of Cartada is on the ascendancy, aided always by his friend and advisor, the notorious Ammar ibn Khaira...more

Paperback, 528 pages

Published June 28th 2005 by Harper Voyager (first published 1995)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

The Best Epic Fantasy

93rd out of 1,545 books — 10,508 voters

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

Medieval Fantasy Books

15th out of 232 books — 513 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Dec 16, 2012 mark monday rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantastickal, into-the-past, i-will-follow-thee

The Lions of al-Rassan is a sweeping historical epic that examines the price of war, the deadly toll on lives that can occur when religion and politics meet and clash, the seemingly endless give and take between Christians & Muslims & Jews, the power that certain charismatic individuals can exert during times of tumult and change, and - just as important as everything i've mentioned - the nature of love and of friendship. its cast features El Cid and Ibn Ammar; it is set during Moorish S...more The Lions of al-Rassan is a sweeping historical epic that examines the price of war, the deadly toll on lives that can occur when religion and politics meet and clash, the seemingly endless give and take between Christians & Muslims & Jews, the power that certain charismatic individuals can exert during times of tumult and change, and - just as important as everything i've mentioned - the nature of love and of friendship. its cast features El Cid and Ibn Ammar; it is set during Moorish Spain.

actually, no it isn't set there and those characters are nowhere to be found in this novel. and yet Moorish Spain, Ibn Ammar and El Cid, the history of conflict between Jews and Muslims and Christians are exactly what Kay is using as his templates. it is a rather ingenious idea: instead of having to worry about getting everything just right, each historical detail and each character's deeds and traits, why not just use them all as inspiration and recreate a world anew? and so the novel is considered a "fantasy" because it takes place in an alternate reality that has two moons (as well as a boy with psychic powers - but hey, that can happen right here in this dimension).

i have a GR bookshelf called "Into the Past" in which i place books that are some sort of historical fiction. The Lions of al-Rassan is on that shelf, mainly due to how this novel perfectly (and beautifully - Kay is a gorgeous writer) evokes its time period. but recreating Moorish Spain and paying homage to fascinating historical figures are not the novel's goals. this is a romantic saga that illustrates the best and the worst of mankind; the details of a past milieu are really not its overriding concern. those details are all backdrop. what it is is wonderful wish fulfillment at its purest - heroes who are wise & witty & brave & kind, a heroine who is strong & empowered & brave & kind, a story full of battles big and small, complicated political machinations and complicated villains, vivid supporting characters, a richness that is rich because in many ways it is timeless. its narrative is thrilling and melancholy and brutally clear-eyed and sweetly sentimental in equal parts. its prose is elegant and has such a lovely flowing feel to it. its themes are genuinely adult themes. it sees the need for change and yet mourns all the beautiful things buried by time. it is full of anger and gentleness.

at the heart of its story is the idea that people can actually come together, respect and love each other, move past their differences while respecting those differences - how people can truly see each other as brothers and sisters. they can come together in romantic love, they can come together as teachers and students, they can come together as a family. and most of all they can come together in friendship, as equals. the novel features one of the most heartfelt and tragic bromances i've read in a while. but it is not just about the boys - it also features a very real and very independent woman at its core. all three characters are splendid creations. for me, the best thing about their complicated relationship is how necessary each of them is to the other. at different points in the novel, each of the three characters will save the life of somone dear to another of those three characters. this was a beautiful thing, a resonant thing, a timeless thing. humans can rise above their baser instincts, they can be more than just pawns or animals or people who keep their heads down while others fall. we can save each other's lives. we can, i know we can. if not, then why even be alive?(less)

like 39 likes · see review

Jan 25, 2010 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed, fantasy-sci-fi

No one does the bromance like Guy Gavriel Kay. His guys love each other, man, and they don’t even have to be drunk to admit it. The best part of Kay’s books is that his characters have deep, thoughtful, feelings, and they struggle with them, visibly. The fantasy genre generally suffers from characters that seem so intent on war/domination, or doing something really cool with one’s newly discovered magical powers and then learning an important lesson about responsibility from it, that they don’t...more No one does the bromance like Guy Gavriel Kay. His guys love each other, man, and they don’t even have to be drunk to admit it. The best part of Kay’s books is that his characters have deep, thoughtful, feelings, and they struggle with them, visibly. The fantasy genre generally suffers from characters that seem so intent on war/domination, or doing something really cool with one’s newly discovered magical powers and then learning an important lesson about responsibility from it, that they don’t quite exist as people.

Kay focuses on the personal relationships behind sweeping historical tides. He sets this book in an alternative to medieval Spain just before the Christian re-conquest. (See, readers, there is something to be done with a history major – you can write dry, academic history books that some talented fantasy writer will use as a base of a huge bestseller). You get wrapped up in the story. It’s hard not to be swept up with the adventure of night rides across the plains; ambushes in remote, echoing valleys; and assassinations in royal courtyards. There’s a Venetian-style carnival with beautifully crafted masks, boats, and assignations.

But the real depth of this book, really all his books, comes from the walks on night streets, and conversations around desert camp fires, and the intense looks between two strong men when the meet for the first time and recognize something of themselves in the other. I don’t mean to make fun (well, a little) because this is the strength of his books. These are not faceless warriors who run into battle screaming the god’s name. These are men who have passions and doubts and struggle. He tries to create a man who one wants to understand, who has also ordered the burning of women for heresy.

I struggle with it; for two reasons. The first is I don’t particularly want to feel anything for such a character and, damn, Kay, for making me. The second is that his women characters are often much of a same type – beautiful, strong, (often) doctors or competent wives/queens who their husbands fear, just a little. He puts them in different guises, different religions, different professions, but they are fairly similar from book to book. This book, in fact, is better than any of the others in creating real women characters, but it’s still all about the guys. It becomes a little funny, over the course of so many books, to see the same patterns emerge. The strong, proud man, who has become famous for one thing or another, and has a deep hurt in his inner being, who meets and respects another man much like himself. They often end up in some military company together and experience the joys of life in battle, comradeship, and sex, and then are presented with difficult choices that will define them as men, and change the fate of the world around them.

When I describe it like that, I wonder why I read these books, but I’ve reduced complex plots and intelligent characterization to the component parts. Kay is a gifted writer and creates both sunshine and shadows with the components. This book, while not my personal favorite, is probably the best example of what he can accomplish with them. It’s still a bromance but a worthy one.(less)

like 38 likes · see review

Sep 04, 2012 Mario rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone with a heart and half a brain

You will fall in love with one of the characters in this book. I absolutely guarantee it. The only question is, with whom?

Will it be with the flamboyant Ammar ibn Khailan, poet, spymaster, kingslayer, warrior? With Jehane, strong and stubborn doctor? Perhaps with Miranda, so beautiful and queenly even when managing a horse ranch? Or with proud Rodrigo, the Scourge of Al-Rassan, brave, virtuous, faithful?

Or will it be with one of the minor characters? Starstruck Alvar, alluring Zabira, the wise...more

like 10 likes · see review

Jun 26, 2011 Terence rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Terence by: GR Friends too numerous to name

Shelves: sf-fantasy

Perhaps it’s incipient dementia?

I’ve lost too many brain cells to time and American TV but I just don’t get the GGK “love” evinced by many of my GR friends. I struggled through the first 100 pages of this book and seriously considered giving up entirely but I persevered to the end (albeit skimming through many pages) and left profoundly unimpressed.

Upon reflection, my difficulty with the novel is that at no point did the writing engage me. I didn’t find the alternate Medieval Spain all that inve...more

like 24 likes · see review

Jan 29, 2011 Felina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, favorites, star-5, 1own-dead-tree

The dialogue is witty and meaningful and the characters are well developed and have depth. Kay weaves an intricate tale and trusts you to figure out the plot. He doesn’t talk down to the reader by handing them the story’s intricacies through dialogue or useless plot shifts. He expects you to pay attention and if you don’t, well then to bad, you won’t get it.

The dialogue, the description and the inner thought processes of the characters are all written in beautiful prose, sometimes poetry. A wri...more The dialogue is witty and meaningful and the characters are well developed and have depth. Kay weaves an intricate tale and trusts you to figure out the plot. He doesn’t talk down to the reader by handing them the story’s intricacies through dialogue or useless plot shifts. He expects you to pay attention and if you don’t, well then to bad, you won’t get it.

The dialogue, the description and the inner thought processes of the characters are all written in beautiful prose, sometimes poetry. A writing style that instantly moves and transports the readers to Medieval Spain. This book isn’t fantasy, it isn’t historical fiction, it is it’s own sub-genre with traits from many different genres…a brilliance rarely tapped into.

Kay writes amazing characters that face modern day problems, relatable problems, in a medieval society. Its easy to hate the face of an entire people, easy to kill the faceless masses but it becomes much more difficult when one of those people has earned your trust or saved your life. It’s harder to hate a group of people on principle when so many of them have proven to be better than your own peers. This is a book about a group of people from many different walks of life who are thrown together and find amongst themselves the very best of humanity, love and trust. I really haven’t seen this kind of character development to the point of me actually grieving over the death of a character, since Harry Potter. And I fully believe that Kay has mastered in this single book what Rowling took seven books to achieve. If you are a character driven reader then this book will definitely move you.

I fear I must get on my soap box and offer a tiny tiny rant. Nobody can know that their religion/belief structure is correct because nobody has gone to the afterlife and come back to report (seeing a light at the end of a tunnel does not count, sorry). There is no greater act of arrogance then to claim to know the truth behind the unseen. To claim to have looked into the cosmos and seen the very mind of God. And I would count it as the very highest level of egotism and folly to engage in a holy war; to kill, rape and mutilate people who have different beliefs as you because of the will of a God you have no proof of. So many horrible things have been done in the name of God. How dare a person claim to be better than somebody based on birth right, class or sex! In my opinion, any idiot claiming that their religion and their God has told them that they are superior to a group of people and therefore have the right to deal the death card, will eventually get theirs in the afterlife. If there is no God I hope there is at least Karma or something akin to it.

/Rant

This book is amazing and everybody should read it. It is the best book I have read this year and probably the most enveloping, intense and emotional book I have read since finishing the HP series. Intelligent and poignant, simply beautiful in it all its writing, even, or especially during, the horrible parts.

(less)

like 6 likes · see review

Jul 18, 2012 Sandra aka Sleo rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, favorites

I can't even think how to review this book. First of all, I guess, it's a good lesson on why not to give up on a book before you finish it. I was more than halfway through, and getting a little frustrated and somewhat bored with Kay's POV changes and introduction of new and mostly peripheral characters so far into the book. This is the fourth Kay book I've read, and I find myself a little put off by his distant approach to events that are positively horrifying. He introduces one of the main char...more

like 7 likes · see review

Aug 14, 2012 Laurel rated it 5 of 5 stars

A friend recommended this book to me, not so much for the story, but for the two main characters. I decided to give the book five stars, not so much for the quality of the story, but for the creation of two amazing leads, neither of which could have existed without the other.

Guy Gavriel Kay is one of my favorite authors, and usually that would mean that I had devoured every word he'd written by now. However, I almost think that I purposefully take my time getting around to each of his books, be...more

like 5 likes · see review

Jan 24, 2011 Yamit rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: cultural, fantasy, fiction, historical-fiction, middle-east, history, retelling, disappointing

I was very excited to read this because of the premise: Alternate medieval Al-Andalus, clash of cultures and religions, the fall of an Empire, the end of an era, and romance!

By the time I got 100 pages into it, I was skimming. Pretty soon I was skipping whole chapters, looking for the names of people that vaguely interested me. This is not to say that the prose isn't good, and I know that the premise is...so what went wrong? The following.

1. The set up surrounds a woman Kindath (Jewish) doctor,...more I was very excited to read this because of the premise: Alternate medieval Al-Andalus, clash of cultures and religions, the fall of an Empire, the end of an era, and romance!

By the time I got 100 pages into it, I was skimming. Pretty soon I was skipping whole chapters, looking for the names of people that vaguely interested me. This is not to say that the prose isn't good, and I know that the premise is...so what went wrong? The following.

1. The set up surrounds a woman Kindath (Jewish) doctor, a Jaddite (Christian) Captain, and a Asharite (Muslim) Assassin/Poet/Statesman. I was all set for really compelling cultural clashes, and the meaningful address of religious importance and differences.

Instead, religion was treated with a very light (almost non-existent) hand by the main characters (because the author wants you to like them) and outside of those you were to like, religion was a statesman's tool or a caricature of religion. Way to set up a legitimate (and relevant!!!) conflict and take all the weight out of it. It's like saying "Let's noblely climb this hill" and then calling in a bull-dozer to dig it down so you don't have to work for it. It was tin religion, for easy escape is what I'm sayin'

2. Extremely modern sensibilities, for 12th-13th century style characters. No patience for that coming form my corner

3. There was a lot of dialogue meant to establish the cleverness and friendship between the three main characters, but it was kind of wearing. I felt like everything was a set-up for the 'witty line' that came after. I read reviews that warned me that Kay overly built up his characters' marvelousness and cleverness, and I found this to be true.

4. Sex scenes that, aside from my prudish preferences which others may not share, seemed a little ridiculous. Maybe they were meant to be over the top? I'm a romantic at heart, and I was looking for something compelling...and didn't find it. I was most intrigued by the Ammar (the Muslim Assassin/Poet) and Jehane (the Jewish doctor) romance. Probably due to my great skimming, I just wasn't drawn in. I am not normally a skimmer either. I like to take a book word by word, and savor the sentences.

5. Also, like another review said, everything is made out to be very portentous and meaningful, but it comes off as pretty melodramatic.

In conclusion, I was saddened because I found the premise so very alluring. Perhaps its better than I perceived, but it simply was not what I was expecting. And I love the idea of an alternate version of an intriguing piece of history, but I wish it wasn't so very alternate that all the crucial challenges (religion! Culture!) weren't eschewed for "lite'n'easy" counterparts.(less)

like 4 likes · see review

Jun 23, 2012 Carol Kerry-green rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction-fantasy

I am always torn between saying this book, or Tigana is my favourite Guy Gavriel Kay novel, both sweep you up in their intensity and rich story telling. In Lions, we following the story through the eyes of three people, Jehanne a Kindath physician, Rodrigo Belmonte a captain of a company of cavalry (turned mercenary) and Ammar ibn Khairan a poet and a mercenary for many years the advisor to King Almalick and tutor to his son.

Loosely based on the Moorish occupation of Spain, Kay's countries and p...more I am always torn between saying this book, or Tigana is my favourite Guy Gavriel Kay novel, both sweep you up in their intensity and rich story telling. In Lions, we following the story through the eyes of three people, Jehanne a Kindath physician, Rodrigo Belmonte a captain of a company of cavalry (turned mercenary) and Ammar ibn Khairan a poet and a mercenary for many years the advisor to King Almalick and tutor to his son.

Loosely based on the Moorish occupation of Spain, Kay's countries and people come to life and are richly presented, the Kindath saying, 'when the moon, the stars and the sun lay down together' indicates a time when all three religions would be at peace with each other, a time that is unlikely to come during the action of this novel.

Whilst in the market place of her home town of Fezana at her weekly surgery she is summoned by Ammar to attend one of her patients, a merchant suffering from kidney stones; by that action, she becomes involved in the action, as they discover that the merchant was due to be slaughtered with others of his class as a lesson by King Almalick to his subjects. By saving her patient, Jehanne's life is put at risk and she must flee with him away from the city, her patients and her parents. Finding herself in the company of Rodrigo Belmonte who is camped outside the city to collect the regular tribute to the Jaddite kingdom, she becomes witness to the brutality some of Rodrigo's countrymen (disaffected nobles) visit on a nearby village. After helping out in the aftermath, Jehanne leaves Rodgrigo to make her way to the court of Ragosa, where she expects to find a post as physician, little expecting her life will continue to be caught up in the conflict that is coming, and also in the lives of both Rodrigo and Ammar, who both become mercenaries at Ragosa and create a friendship that will be tested to the limit.

As well as the three main characters, there are a host of supporting characters who are well drawn, the young man in Rodgrio's company who is sent with Jehanne to protect her on her journey, Miranda Belmonte, Rodrigo's wife, their two sons, Almalicks' young consort who persuades Ammar to help her flee to safety after he assassinates the King for the King's son, and is them sent into exile by said son.

A large, satisfactory novel, very well executed by Kay. Can't recommend this one highly enough.(less)

like 4 likes · see review

Dec 29, 2008 Célia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, 5-stars, 2008, saida-emergencia, favorites, gift, fantasy

Tinha este livro debaixo de olho desde que foi lançado, devido às boas referências que tenho lido em relação ao autor (apesar de ainda não ter lido nada dele), e por isso a simpática oferta da Saída de Emergência devida à minha participação no Fórum BANG! foi recebida com bastante alegria e expectativa.

O espaço físico deste livro centra-se numa Península Ibérica medieval dividida pela fé religiosa, na qual encontramos 3 povos distintos: os Asharitas (baseados nos muçulmanos), os Kindates (basead...more Tinha este livro debaixo de olho desde que foi lançado, devido às boas referências que tenho lido em relação ao autor (apesar de ainda não ter lido nada dele), e por isso a simpática oferta da Saída de Emergência devida à minha participação no Fórum BANG! foi recebida com bastante alegria e expectativa.

O espaço físico deste livro centra-se numa Península Ibérica medieval dividida pela fé religiosa, na qual encontramos 3 povos distintos: os Asharitas (baseados nos muçulmanos), os Kindates (baseados no judeus) e os Jaditas (baseados nos Cristãos). Tal como a certa altura da história da Península Ibérica, os Jaditas ocupam o território do norte, enquanto que os Asharitas têm o domínio sobre o sul. No entanto, a aparente paz é precária devido aos anseios de conquista de quem detém o poder em Al-Rassan.

É neste contexto que encontramos as 3 personagens principais deste livro, cada uma delas pertencente aos povos que referi: a médica kindate Jehane bet Ishak, o capitão jadita Rodrigo Belmonte e o poeta asharita Ammar ibn Khairan. É o destino destas personagens que seguimos ao longo do livro, entrelaçado com o próprio destino da terra que habitam.

Devo dizer-vos que a leitura deste livro, que se pode enquadrar na categoria de romance fantástico-histórico, foi um prazer do início ao fim. A construção deste novo mundo, a partir de um outrora existente, é sublime: a descrição detalhada de cidades, pessoas e costumes dá vida a Al-Rassan e permite que o leitor a visualize de uma forma muito completa. Só tive pena que não estivesse presente um mapa, que facilitaria bastante a percepção da localização dos palcos dos principais acontecimentos.

As personagens principais (e muitas das secundárias) são fantásticas. São fortes, brilhantes, mas acima de tudo, humanas. Ao longo da leitura, vão-se tornando quase como família, tal é o carinho e admiração que suscitam no leitor. De todas elas, a minha preferida foi Ammar ibn Khairan, auto-entitulado poeta, mas para além disso assassino, diplomata, e cheio de mistério. Simplesmente fascinante.

Gostei muito do estilo que o Guy Gavriel Kay utilizou para contar esta história. Apesar de não ter ainda lido outras obras dele, deduzo que seja uma voz muito própria. Percebe-se que sabe, habilmente, levar o leitor por um caminho quando afinal a história foi por outro. Para além disso, há partes da história verdadeiramente emocionantes: uma delas fez-me ficar com as lágrimas nos olhos em pleno comboio da linha de Sintra :)

Para terminar, a minha percepção quanto à mensagem deste livro é a necessidade de tolerância e compreensão entre os povos. O facto de acompanharmos os vários lados da barricada faz-nos compreender que a razão não está em nenhum dos lados, que todos têm as suas virtudes e os seus defeitos. E isso, independentemente de se tratar de ficção ou vida real, continuará sempre a ser importante.

Resumindo, só posso aconselhar esta leitura. Não deixem que esta verdadeira pérola vos passe ao lado. Espero que a SdE aposte brevemente em mais livros deste escritor.(less)

like 5 likes · see review

Feb 14, 2008 Martine rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: lovers of good pseudo-historical fiction

Shelves: favourites, historical-fiction, north-american, fantasy

Guy Gavriel Kay is best known as a fantasy author. However, as far as I'm concerned, he is at his best when he's writing semi-historical novels -- novels in which he re-imagines some historical event or place with just a little recourse to fantasy elements. The Lions of Al-Rassan is such a novel. In it, Kay tells the story of the Spanish Reconquista, a thrilling time during which the Christians drove the Muslims (who had by then ruled the southern half of their peninsula for several centuries) f...more Guy Gavriel Kay is best known as a fantasy author. However, as far as I'm concerned, he is at his best when he's writing semi-historical novels -- novels in which he re-imagines some historical event or place with just a little recourse to fantasy elements. The Lions of Al-Rassan is such a novel. In it, Kay tells the story of the Spanish Reconquista, a thrilling time during which the Christians drove the Muslims (who had by then ruled the southern half of their peninsula for several centuries) from their country and took back what was theirs. Rather than telling the story from a purely European perspective, Kay uses characters from all the major groups involved (fanatic Christians, less fanatic Christians, fundamentalist Muslims, less fundamentalist Muslims, Jews) and lets them find their own ways towards the inevitable ending -- a holy war. As it happens, the war is dealt with rather perfunctorily in the book; the story mainly deals with the different players' motivations and the decisions leading up to the momentous events which take place later.

Kay's depiction of a polarised society gearing towards war is excellent, and quite topical, given recent history. He ably demonstrates what happens when three hostile cultures have to co-exist in one country and fundamentalists stir up feelings of hatred. Yet it's not all about cultural differences and mutual dislike. A large part of the book deals with friendship and with the romance between a female Jewish doctor and a charismatic Muslim poet/strategist. And lest that get boring, too, there is an amount of intrigue and political skullduggery of which many a thriller writer would be proud. It's a testament to Kay's skill as an author that he combines all these ingredients into a seamless, tightly plotted whole, which is both epic in scope and intensely personal.

As always, Kay's greatest strength is his characterisation, which is superb. Nearly all the main characters of the book (even the ones whose morals are compromised) are remarkable, intelligent and likeable people, which makes it a joy to follow them through their lives. Kay makes the most of their friendships and shared fates. He also makes the most of their divided loyalties, sense of duty and sense of fate, which give the book its tragic quality. For make no mistake: The Lions of Al-Rassan is a tragedy. A country may be regained in the end, but an era is lost, and the loss is made quite tangible. The book has a melancholy end-of-an-era atmosphere which stays with you long after you turn the last page.

If I have any complaints about The Lions of Al-Rassan, they concern the way in which Kay sometimes withholds information from the reader. At several points in the book (but mostly at the end), the reader is led to believe that a certain character has died, only to find out later that it was actually someone else who died. I don't particularly care for this kind of cheating, which feels manipulative to me. However, this is only one minor blemish on an otherwise fine book which shows Kay at the top of his powers, or very near it.
(less)

like 5 likes · see review

Jan 14, 2011 Bill rated it 1 of 5 stars

I learned something reading this book. I dislike Guy Gavriel Kay's writing. It was my first book of his and it will probably be my last.

I was reading several other books at the same time, a habit of mine, and the further I got into this book, the harder it became to make myself leave the other books to give this one its turn. I almost stopped reading it in the middle of the book.

I was reading David Copperfield, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, and Shadow & Claw at the same time. David Cop...more

like 4 likes · see review

Jul 29, 2012 Dawn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Dawn by: Everett

This book was a slow simmer for me initially, but by the end it had bubbled up towards the top of my favorites list. An absolutely honest and heartfelt look at the bonds of friendships, the tragedy of war, the deep bonds of brotherhood and love, and the humanity of everyone. Very thought-provoking, and gorgeously written.

I read this book shortly after returning from a trip in Spain, having just visited several of the Moorish cities in the south of Spain that the landscape, history, religions, &...more

like 2 likes · see review

Dec 24, 2012 Daniel Roy rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: taw-bookclub, sf, fantasy

I usually have a rule that if a book doesn't grab my attention within 50 pages, I just drop it and move on. Too many great books, not enough time. I gave The Lions of Al-Rassan a good chance with 150 pages, and it still utterly failed to grab me. Maybe it was a bad idea to read a high-minded historical fantasy epic right after The Black Company. Or maybe I'm too old and grumpy for bombastic opera-like fantasies. Maybe A Game of Thrones has made fantasy unpalatable unless it features a threshold...more I usually have a rule that if a book doesn't grab my attention within 50 pages, I just drop it and move on. Too many great books, not enough time. I gave The Lions of Al-Rassan a good chance with 150 pages, and it still utterly failed to grab me. Maybe it was a bad idea to read a high-minded historical fantasy epic right after The Black Company. Or maybe I'm too old and grumpy for bombastic opera-like fantasies. Maybe A Game of Thrones has made fantasy unpalatable unless it features a threshold amount of scars and realpolitik. I dunno.

All I know is, I neither care for the style nor for the characters. The prose felt to me like what a 15 year-old boy would find amazing. It's full of semi-clever turns of phrases and descriptions, but it still drips with dialog adverbs. And man, it's so bloody high-minded. The author uses the word 'congress' to describe fucking, for crying out loud.

The setting bugs me. I know it's historical fantasy. But see, when George R.R. Martin strips medieval Europe of its specifics for the purpose of creating a fantasy world, he replaces the cultural details he takes out with some appealing details of his own. But The Lions of Al-Rassan is just stripped down, diluted Moorish Spain. You can tell right away who are the Jews, the Arabs, and the Christians, except that they're from an alternate universe where everything lacks detail and texture. Gone is the aesthetics of Islam, for instance, or the gravitas of Jewish history. Instead we get Kindath waxing poetic about how it sucks to be a wandering people.

The characters never pulled me in. They're all suitably noble yet mischievous, and the women are appropriately strong and independent despite living as second-class citizens. It's just all so pat. They feel like the vanilla ice cream of fantasy protagonists.

My only regret in dropping this book early is that I won't get to witness the magnificence of the intercultural bromance at the heart of this book. Ah well. I'm sure it was filled with just the right amount of drama and yearning.(less)

like 3 likes · see review

Feb 19, 2009 Jessyca rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: historical fantasy fans, people is search of vivid characters

Shelves: fantasy

Lions of Al-Rassan is a recent discovery of mine - I read one of Kay's Finovar Tapestry series a few years ago and while it wasn't awful, it wasn't something I'd read again. So I didn't pick up any of his other books until last fall, when I was skulking around the used bookstore in search of that rare thing, a non-cookie-cutter fantasy. I decided on Lions and devoured it within two days.

I love this book, aside from the ending - which seems to be the popular opinion. The characters are vibrant an...more

like 1 like · see review

May 23, 2007 Kelly rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Kay fans, historical fantasy fans, epic lovers

Shelves: fantasy-and-scifi, favorites, fiction, owned, grande-dames

I'm reminded of something, thinking of this book. I was reading the Unbearable Lightness of Being recently, and there was a motif introduced from a piece of Beethoven's. "En muss sein!" or, translated, "It must be!". In other words, a 'heavy' (as Kundera would have put it) sense of your own life and destiny. All the characters have that here, but in such a way that you love them for it, you don't want to hurt them for being pompous as is occasionally a problem in epic adventures. It's all about...more

like 4 likes · see review

Mar 12, 2009 Makuka rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Às vezes é bom ser surpreendida e foi, de facto, isso que aconteceu, quando recebi Os Leões de Al-Rassan, de Guy Gavriel Kay. Não estava (ainda) na minha lista de desejos, mas, assim que li a sinopse, algo me cativou. Agora que acabei de o ler só posso recomendar. Maravilhosamente escrito, com retratos fantásticos de sítios imaginários, transporta-nos para um mundo extraordinário a cada virar de página. A obra do autor é, sem dúvida, para acompanhar.

Numa Península Ibérica medieval dividida e pre...more Às vezes é bom ser surpreendida e foi, de facto, isso que aconteceu, quando recebi Os Leões de Al-Rassan, de Guy Gavriel Kay. Não estava (ainda) na minha lista de desejos, mas, assim que li a sinopse, algo me cativou. Agora que acabei de o ler só posso recomendar. Maravilhosamente escrito, com retratos fantásticos de sítios imaginários, transporta-nos para um mundo extraordinário a cada virar de página. A obra do autor é, sem dúvida, para acompanhar.

Numa Península Ibérica medieval dividida e preenchida por três crenças distintas, vive-se uma acalmia precária. A ambição dos senhores Jaditas do Norte choca com o desejo de mais poder dos Asharitas, no Sul. E, no meio destes, vivem os Kindates, odiados por ambos. Al-Rassan é o ponto de discórdia entre Jaditas e Asharitas e o centro de poder que todos desejam conquistar.

Apesar de todos os conflitos religiosos e políticos, surge uma amizade estreita entre um estranho trio de personagens: a médica kindate Jehane; o capitão jadita Rodrigo Belmonte; e o político e poeta asharita Ammar ibn Khairan. As diferenças entre eles, que vamos acompanhando ao longo da leitura, fortalecem a sua amizade. São as suas histórias, dos seus povos e das personagens que os rodeiam que seguimos. O autor deu a estas personagens o dom de verem para além das crenças religiosas, por isso, Jehane, Rodrigo e Ammar estão constantemente a surpreender e a cativar o leitor. Assimilamos os seus medos, o seu sofrimento, os seus desejos, as suas dúvidas e sentimo-nos presentes nas suas vidas.

Confesso que, inicialmente, foi difícil acompanhar a leitura, devido aos vários nomes de personagens e de regiões. Porém, com o tempo, tudo se foi tornando mais claro e, devido à escrita realista e colorida do autor, foi ganhando corpo. De facto, as descrições são um dos pontos fortes desta obra, transportando-nos para zonas belas, cheias de vida e carregadas de um misticismo que nos envolve. Gostei particularmente da forma como o autor descreve os acontecimentos e, depois, volta atrás, redescrevendo-o, permitindo-nos conhecer várias perspectivas e apreender diferentes pormenores. Um constante limbo entre o passado e o presente.

Por o fim estar ainda tão recente, talvez não vos saiba transmitir quanto este livro me tocou. Sugiro que leiam e se deleitem. Vão-se emocionar - como tive de aguentar lágrimas... -, vão viajar por terras distantes, vão conhecer personagens fortes e fantásticas - destaco as femininas - e vão ficar a pensar no mundo que vos rodeia - pessoalmente, criei, sem querer, um paralelismo entre o livro e o conflito israelo-palestiniano. Apesar de existirem várias fases marcantes no livro, foi esta frase que me tocou, por ser tão real e intemporal: "'O Alvar e a minha querida pessoa, tal como nos encontramos humildemente à sua frente, somos a prova de que homens oriundos de mundos diferentes podem combinar e unificar esses mesmos mundos. De que podemos pegar nas coisas mais requintadas de cada um deles, para formar um novo todo, brilhante e imperecível.'(less)

like · see review

May 06, 2013 Jeffrey Grant rated it 2 of 5 stars

I think the way I would describe it is that I "made it through" this book.

When I'm reading, I like things to occasionally go well for the main characters. Death in and of itself is not an issue for me; characters dying isn't a dealbreaker (except with GRR but, seriously, come on). In fact, I prefer it to the relentless beatdown that some authors like to put their characters through. I know some people derive great pleasure and are fascinated by characters in torment, eating up the analysis of t...more I think the way I would describe it is that I "made it through" this book.

When I'm reading, I like things to occasionally go well for the main characters. Death in and of itself is not an issue for me; characters dying isn't a dealbreaker (except with GRR but, seriously, come on). In fact, I prefer it to the relentless beatdown that some authors like to put their characters through. I know some people derive great pleasure and are fascinated by characters in torment, eating up the analysis of the inner conflict. For me, that works when it's done in parts, but not as a theme.

I liked most of the characters, and I thought they were really well fleshed out. They did spend a lot of time brooding and/or pining through the middle of the book, but even that was tolerable because it was mostly character development and somewhat akin to the dance two characters in a romance will do before things resolve.

But everything was happening with this pall of "everthing's going to **** and soon". I found myself not wanting to finish because I didn't want to read what was going to happen, and that sort of ruined the whole experience for me. I didn't even realize it until about 3 quarters of the way through when I realized I was trying to come up with excuses not to finish the book.

I don't know if this was Kay's writing style or just me being intolerably racist, but I also had trouble with the names of the characters, which also didn't help. And it wasn't just with the Asherite names either; except for Rodrigo I was losing track of the Jaddites, too. I probably should have taken that as another hint that I wasn't really into this one.

In all, this was a rather frustrating book.

(view spoiler)(less)

like · see review

Nov 14, 2012 Justine rated it 4 of 5 stars

In college I took a class from a visiting professor about medieval Spain. It was legitimately awful and all I remember from the experience was the qtip (old guy) who wrote with a fountain pen and used rather outdated names for peoples. Oh, and I remember that it was a pretty fantastic period of history where vastly different cultures clashed and coexisted.

Guy Gavriel Kay’s the Lions of Al Rassan takes place in a fictionalized Spain around the time of the reconquista and beautifully (and on the...more

like · see review

May 01, 2012 Simon Turney rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's very hard for me to rate Guy's books comparatively, since I prize most of them equally highly. The Lions of Al Rassan is particularly impressive, though. I read it at a time when I was visiting Spain semi-regularly and I could picture every scene in not only my mind's eye but my actual eyes too. You see Guy's descriptions are not only beautifully evocative, but are also very realistic.

As with all his books, Lions is a powerful tale of love, hate, brotherhood and betrayal and brings the read...more

like 2 likes · see review

Apr 15, 2012 Charlotte rated it 4 of 5 stars

I like Guy Gavriel Kay. His books are never quick or easy reads; he writes complex stories with complex characters, but the storytelling is absolutely beautiful. He takes disparate threads, makes them glimmer, and then weaves them into a glorious tapestry.

The Lions of Al-Rassan was a bit of a disappointment though. I enjoyed it, but it was a little too complex for me. Political intrigue on intrigue gets a little mind numbing after awhile, and Kay has this annoying tendency to make you guess who...more

like · see review

Mar 12, 2012 Coleen Scott rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-sci-fi

So many books, so little time. But this book gets the first review from me.

Set in a world based on Spain during the time of the Moors, The Lions of Al-Rassan tells the story of three religions on a collision course - through the eyes of three remarkable characters.

Kindath (Jewish) physician Jehane, Jaddite (Christian) horseman and warrior Rodrigo, and Asharite (Muslim) statesman Ammar come together in a pivotal time on the Al-Rassan peninsula. The two brightest military stars - Ammar and Rodrigo...more

like · see review

Dec 30, 2011 astried rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

Shall I praise Kay for being a great story teller? Or curse him as manipulative suspense junkies? because what he did, didn't really impress me much. I wonder if he has problem w/ people dying, which is funny for a war story writer…Two things that led me to wonder; first, he made such a production of it, carving the story so purposefully to fool you (yes, you, dear reader) blurring the identity of the deceased (save that broken heart for later); made you weep then laugh at your face, ha ha… And...more Shall I praise Kay for being a great story teller? Or curse him as manipulative suspense junkies? because what he did, didn't really impress me much. I wonder if he has problem w/ people dying, which is funny for a war story writer…Two things that led me to wonder; first, he made such a production of it, carving the story so purposefully to fool you (yes, you, dear reader) blurring the identity of the deceased (save that broken heart for later); made you weep then laugh at your face, ha ha… And I wouldn't mind it so much if it's done only once in a book. After all we all love our suspense & emotions, and those hormones need a bit of work-out as well. But twice, it can even be considered thrice? The device is getting rusty and the joke is getting old.

Second, is how he would bend over backward to make sure someone survives a deadly peril; actually it's not even peril, they actually were quasy dead. It made me want to shout to him letting him know that people do die, you know… Which is again ironic since people are dying left and right since the beginning of the story.And this made it even stranger. what made them so special? Why did you survive? Why aren't you dead? Is it because that family ties with that hot shot superstar hero? To think of it this was also something that happened in Tigana and was something truly annoying that I can't forget about the book. Honestly it made me a bit wary of reading another Kay's book.

So why do I still read his books? I don't know… It's about manly man hero in a colosal war; my standard favorite book is about underdog being scared by pigeons. I sympathy more with the skinny flawed desperate people, maybe because I took comfort on their flaws. If they, with flaw more numerous than mine still hang on, still make a living out of it, maybe I too can hope. So his stories are aberration on my staple. Well, as long as it's a fun one, why not.

Last piece of nag from me. What is it with him and the word "dissemble"? It sticks out like a sore thumb and I truly would like to scratch it out if only I could, but then it would only look more prominent.(less)

like 1 like · see review

Apr 03, 2011 Jeannie Chao rated it 3 of 5 stars

This really is a 3.5 scoring. I need one of my friends to read this so I can talk about it. It is a fantasy/historical fiction set in an imaginary land called Al Rassan. However, the setting has direct parallels to medieval Spain. The back cover states it is "hauntingly evocative of medieval Spain" but I would argue the comparisons are pretty obvious when the northern land is called "Esperana" and the army captain is called "Rodrigo." The story is about warring kingdoms and clashing religions (d...more

like · see review

Feb 24, 2011 Erica rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, sci-fi-fantasy

This book is great, though from the beginning and throughout I was annoyed by the very thinly veiled medieval Spain setting. The obvious allusions were either heavy-handed or lazy, though I can see why the author chose to not set the story in medieval Iberia with Catholics, Muslims and Jews instead of Jaddites, Asharites and Kindath. A 'real' setting would have made it much harder to so openly critique religion, not just one of them but all of them, as the source of violence and a tool for the p...more

like · see review

Feb 09, 2011 Michael Harry rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: history-fiction

I would have given this book five out of five but the ending section left me feeling slightly short changed. The author spent so much time building up and setting up such a titanic clash not just of various kings and city states but of holy wars and two individuals. This was all sped through at breakneck speed and felt more like a summary or synopsis of what should have been fully detailed and layed out. I wanted those chapterss. To jump forward so much by weeks and then months and then decades...more

like · see review

Aug 29, 2010 Sli rated it 5 of 5 stars

Mada se mnogi neće složiti, po mom mišljenju Lavovi su definitivno najzreliji i najrazrađeniji Kayov roman.
Kompleksnost zapleta je nemoguće niti početi opisivati - ovo je roman uzroka i posljedice (prije svega političke, ali i ideološke). Mada roman nije savršen, pati od uobičajenih Kayovih boljki; to su plastičnost likova i stila pisanja koji ponekad postaje cilj sam po sebi, a ne sredstvo prenošenja zapleta na papir. Unatoč tome, Lavovi zaslužuju odličnu ocjenu.
U odnosu na svoje druge romane...more

like · see review

Aug 08, 2010 Catsadiablo rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own-books, you-must-read-this-book, favorites

Adorei este livro! Um épico grandioso, com personagens excelentes e bem construídas. A escrita é fascinante, pela maneira como me soa ligeiramente diferente de cada vez que estamos sob o ponto de vista uma personagem distinta, e nos prende aos acontecimentos futuros (que às vezes já são passado, mas nós ainda não sabemos como aconteceram).

É comovente, sem ser lamechas. É poético, sem ser cliché. É histórico, de uma forma que chega a ser irónica. As 3 religiões introduzidas de forma tão clara e...more

like 1 like · see review

Sep 12, 2010 Ron rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, maps

What can I say? he's done it again.

Good characters, good story, good setting, many twists and turns with a satisfying close.

Of the eight books by Katy I've read, this has the least fantasy. in fact, except for the "talent" of a minor character, there's none. Perhaps this is because the collision of three different faith groups (differently interpreted by different believers) gave him sufficient material to explore.

like 2 likes · see review

Jul 21, 2010 Johnny rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, historical-fiction

Lions have been symbols of royalty for millennia. The ancient Egyptians, Israelites, Assyrians, and even the medieval English used lions as royal symbols. So, it is no surprise that Guy Gavriel Kay entitled his fantasy novel about a thinly disguised Medieval Iberia as The Lions of Al-Rassan. It is a fantasy novel in the sense that it features imaginary places, but it is different in that those imaginary places are remarkably parallel to Iberian geography and history. In addition, there isn’t any...more Lions have been symbols of royalty for millennia. The ancient Egyptians, Israelites, Assyrians, and even the medieval English used lions as royal symbols. So, it is no surprise that Guy Gavriel Kay entitled his fantasy novel about a thinly disguised Medieval Iberia as The Lions of Al-Rassan. It is a fantasy novel in the sense that it features imaginary places, but it is different in that those imaginary places are remarkably parallel to Iberian geography and history. In addition, there isn’t any magic in The Lions of Al-Rassan, but there are definitely some larger-than-life heroic characters. So, even though the author and publisher don't position this as historical fiction or even alternate history, it has some similarity to such.

The action in The Lions of Al-Rassan seems like a condensed version of the events from the late 11th century, but the Kingdoms of Leon, Castille, and Aragon seem to have been morphed into Ruenda (combining Leon and Galicia), Valledo, and Jaloña. Indeed, where the authentic historical figure, Ferdinand, divided the larger sections of his kingdom between his three sons (Alfonso VI, Sancho, and Garcia), Kay’s Sancho the Fat divided his kingdom between Raimundo, Ramiro, and Sanchez. And, even as the historical Sancho was poisoned in order to give Alfonso VI the chance to reunite Leon and Castile, Raimundo was poisoned to Ramiro’s advantage. Even as Alfonso VI took refuge in Toledo during his exile (while Sancho was a threat) and later forced Toledo to pay tribute, Ramiro once took refuge in Fezana and late forced the city to pay tribute.

Think those parallels are superficial? Consider also that one of the heroic characters in the story is named Rodrigo Belmonte. He is a brilliant general who is exiled by the king for whom he won many victories and, as a result, became a mercenary for a king of another faith. Does that sound anything like “El Cid,” more accurately Don Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, known in the fantasy novel as “The Chief?”

Another major feature of Medieval Iberia was that Christians, Jews, and Muslims lived in relative (but not perfect) harmony during this era. It wasn’t until 1492 (yes, the same year that Columbus sailed the ocean blue and that of the surrender of Granada, the last major Muslim stronghold in the peninsula, making all of Spain under the control of the Christians) that Judaism was outlawed and Jews forced to convert (Muslims weren’t forced to convert until 1502). So, it shouldn’t surprise us to discover that Jaddites (worshippers of the sun (pun?) god) who made the sign of the “disc” instead of the cross), Asharites (followers of a desert prophet), and a Kindath faith (full of wise men and women with some particularly gifted physicians) live side-by-side in a delicate dance of culture.

At one point, the events in the novel are actually described as a “reconquista” or “reconquest” of the peninsula. But the actual conclusion of the novel is more about the characters than about the “history,” even Kay’s alternate history, if you will. Without offering spoilers, I can indicate that it is a rich novel full of crises of honor for two great heroes, a plea for tolerance among different faiths, a sense of appreciation for different cultures, a skepticism about those who use faith as an excuse for atrocities, and a positive attitude toward love. It is realistic enough that beloved characters die, but it is idealistic enough that some dreams and relationships come true. There is sexual tension with unconsummated triangles, never going into the trite territory of Tristan and Isolde or Lancelot and Guinevere. Some of the character interaction caused me to literally cry. This is one of the most emotionally packed novels I’ve read in years.

Lest you think The Lions of Al-Rassan is fodder for a Lifetime Original Movie, however, let me also state that it is also full of gritty, realistic violence. Beheadings, blinding, burning of corpses, impaling upon poles, and crushing of skulls are prolific within the book. The prologue begins with an assassination and there is more than one assassination (and, at least one personal sacrifice) that impacts the plot. The battle scenes and mob violence have verisimilitude in the sense of including lots of chaos and friction, just as one would imagine.

Finally, I’d like to share one clue and one image. The clue is not to skim over the poetry. There is a significant amount of poetry in the novel and the poetry serves both as foreshadowing and as contextualizing the current events in the light of past events. The image is an important one for desert lands. At one point, the poet describes “Water the body needed, waters the soul desired.” (p. 341) In a land where water is both vital for survival and hard to acquire, water also becomes a metaphor for one’s goals and hopes in life. This seems reminiscent of the metaphor in the Gospel of John (Chapter 4) when Jesus offers “living water” to the Samaritan woman—water that was vital for life and water that symbolized the restoration of her life to normalcy.
(less)

like 2 likes · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (29)

More editions...

Genres

Fantasy

846 users

Historical Fiction

101 users

Science Fiction Fantasy

24 users

Fantasy > Epic Fantasy

22 users

Science Fiction > Alternate History

14 users

Cultural > Canada

13 users

Fantasy > High Fantasy

12 users

Romance

10 users

Science Fiction

9 users

Adult

9 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Guy Gavriel Kay

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...

Books by Guy Gavriel Kay

The Summer Tree (The Fionavar Tapestry, #1)

The Wandering Fire (The Fionavar Tapestry, #2)

The Darkest Road (The Fionavar Tapestry, #3)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About The Lions of al-R...

3 trivia questions

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from The Lions of al-Rassan

“The deeds of men, as footprints in the desert.
Nothing under the circling moons is fated to last.
Even the sun goes down.” — 23 people liked it

“Eyyia?" said her husband, and Eliane bet Danel heard the mangling of her name as music.
"You sound like a marsh frog," she said, moving to stand before his chair.
By the flickering light she saw him smile.
"Where have you been," she asked. "My dear. I've needed you so much."
"Eyyia," he tried again, and stood up. His eyes were black hollows. They would always be hollows.
He opened his arms and she moved into the space they made in the world, and laying her head against his chest she permitted herself the almost unimaginable luxury of grief.” — 2 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: The Lions of al-Rassan
avg rating	preview: The Lions of al-Rassan Goodreads rating: 4.27 (6762 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/104101.The_Lions_of_al_Rassan?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348007861l/104101.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/104101.The_Lions_of_al_Rassan?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Lions of al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay[/url]

The Lions of al-Rassan

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website