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Tigana

by Guy Gavriel Kay (Goodreads Author)

4.13 of 5 stars 4.13 · rating details · 15,530 ratings · 1,010 reviews

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. After sweeping down and destroying the remnants of their army, burning their books...more

Mass Market Paperback, 692 pages

Published 2002 by Earthlight (first published August 1990)

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Nov 30, 2011 mark monday rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: i-will-follow-thee, fantastickal

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 can be a strange and beautiful and sorrowful thing. i can remember places, scenes, people in the land where i was born, far away fr...more

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Feb 02, 2012 Catie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, read-in-2012, favorite-books

While reading this book over the past month, I thought a lot about the differences between youth and adulthood, between young beliefs and mature ones. And I think that maybe our youth is the only time that we can hold simple, firm convictions. Maybe it’s the only time that it’s possible to believe completely that love will conquer all, or that there are good guys and bad guys, or that if we try hard enough, we can achieve anything we dream about. In our youth, we can say things like, “I would ne...more

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Mar 29, 2013 Jon added it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, read-in-my-40s, my-favorites, favorites, loved-it, five-star-favorites

5 stars. Fear not! I bring you tidings of great joy! My review escaped the clutches of Amazon and can be found, safe and sound, at my blog in this post: http://bit.ly/YYPncF

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May 23, 2007 Kelly rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: lovers of fantasy, lovers of myth. This rises above the fantasy genre, without question.

Shelves: fantasy-and-scifi, fiction, favorites, always-on-my-mind, owned, worlds-lost-dead-and-dying, 20th-century-postwar-to-late, grand-opera

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.

One day I will write a real review of this! Just can't put my thoughts together yet.

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May 28, 2009 Brad rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, historical, canadian-lit

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" of the piece, enslaves a wizar...more

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Jun 21, 2009 Richard rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Richard by: SciFi & Fantasy Group 2009-05 Fantasy Selection

Shelves: bookclub, fantasy, fantasy-magic, fantasy-epic

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 almost never re-read boo...more

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Dec 12, 2012 Duchess Nicole rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Hard core epic fantasy fans

Shelves: buddy-reads, genre-fantasy, genre-manly-authors, e-pcs, read-in-2012

3.5 stars

“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.”
― Mahatma Gandhi

Don't let my 3.5 rating fool you...this book was written by an amazing storyteller. It's a book that I can't possibly do justice in a review, and I encourage you to read some of the other reviews written by those who are more eloquent with wor...more 3.5 stars

“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.”
― Mahatma Gandhi

Don't let my 3.5 rating fool you...this book was written by an amazing storyteller. It's a book that I can't possibly do justice in a review, and I encourage you to read some of the other reviews written by those who are more eloquent with words.

I was hesitant to start this, as it's over 700 pages long. Fantasy tends to be wordy, what with the necessary world building. But seven hundred pages? Yeesh! I've come to the realization that it was actually necessary. Only the words written exactly as they are could suck you into this world, immerse you in the many different cultures, and force you to see things from so many different points of view.

This is a powerful book, in so many ways. First and foremost, it is about a land called Tigana, a land rich in all forms of art, with beautiful cities build by master architects...a land with a loving king and wonderful people. Their downfall was to defend against invaders who saw them as an easy mark. They were, in fact, an easy mark. Peaceful nations tend to be. But their second mistake was to kill the invaders leader, who just happened to be a powerful sorcerer king's son. And his grief led him to destroy Tigana. Not only to smash their beautiful towers to dust, ruin every artistic masterpiece, and destitute it's people, but to take away its very name. Through magical means, only those born in Tigana were able to even hear the word "Tigana." He renamed it Lower Corte and it soon became the name of a poor, impoverished nation.

I was unsure how I could connect with the characters despair at having lost their homeland's name. I understood that it must be horrible and that they should be hurt and angry, but I thought that the oppression and tyranny were the worst part of it. Not so, and it was proven, over and over, through each characters eyes. I was floored at how sad I was, how the sense of longing was portrayed until even I missed the way Tigana used to be.

The other thing that struck me about this book is how the lines of good and bad are blurred. There are so many characters who stand out in this story who are all two sides of the same coin. From kings to traveling musicians to political figures to merchants...they all play a huge role in this epic tale. And not one of them seems wholly good at the end. Innocent, maybe. But even innocence won't hold out when this much evil is so readily apparent all around you. The powerful seat of a king or leader is one of the hardest places to be, but especially if you are a benevolent man. Because in order to be efficient and an actual benefit to your people, you have to be cruel at times. Cruelty comes with a high price; that of your inner peace. On the flip side, truly evil people - grasping, power hungry 'leaders' tend to lead to their own demise. It's all the more powerful when it finally comes to be.

Fist pump!!

Tigana is touching and romantic at times. I cried sad, sloppy tears. I rejoiced at small victories and surprise happy endings. I can say without a doubt that I did not expect, after the first 25% of this read to enjoy the rest of it so much. I could rate this a five, easily, for the emotions it engendered in me. But I was bored witless for the first two hundred...read it...two HUNDRED pages. That's nearly the size of most other fiction books that I read. So you see why I can't give it a better rating. However, somehow those two hundred pages were necessary, so I can't say that the book should be cut down because it can't. In order to be this epic journey for all of the myriad of characters involved, the reader has to slog through some blah first.

Would I recommend it? Absolutely, but probably only for hard core fantasy fans, possibly more literature minded that a lot of modern popular fantasy tends to be. This novel is a deep thinker, and one that, unless you're a speed reader, can and should take many days to get through. It's unforgettable!(less)

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Jan 05, 2010 Martine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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

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, and unlikely...more

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Jul 22, 2008 Shannon (Giraffe Days) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, autographed, favourite, 2007

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 after Italy...more

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May 29, 2009 Chris rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of Brandon Sanderson, Patrick Rothfuss, and Mario Puzo. With a little Tolkien thrown in.

Shelves: scifi-fan-group, guy-gavriel-kay, osga

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 again someday. The story i...more

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Jan 10, 2012 Brad rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: canadian-lit, fantasy, lost-reviews, personal-mythology

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 book to me...more

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Aug 26, 2009 Kat Hooper rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, audiobook

ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

Nobody remembers Tigana — a land bright with beauty, culture, and wealth — nobody but those who lived there before the land was cursed by the conqueror Brandin of Ygrath after the prince of Tigana killed Brandin's son in battle. When the now-oppressed Tiganese try to tell outsiders about Tigana, the name just slips out of the listener's mind. Only those born in the land are able to keep its beautiful name in memory.

But the prince of Tigana's son still live...more

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Aug 02, 2012 Scribble Orca rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, unfinished

Ahh.

(That was meant to be a pain-filled gasp.)

I lost interest. Yes, I have attention-deficit syndrome. I'm also a dreadful pragmatist insisting on information (information!) spoon-filled into my needs-facts-for-fuel brain (there's a review somewhere by Greg about this despicable phenomenon and eventually I will hyperlink it).

Perhaps Mr Kay's editor was on holiday. I drowned in a sea of 'ly'. Continually. This was genre-bender of the gratuitous-sex-as-the-McGuffin-when-magic-fails kind. And in ca...more

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Jun 16, 2012 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: action, adventure, book-club, fantasy, world-fantasy-nominee, aurora-winner, male-author, 1990s, book-club-scifi-and-fantasy, book-club-sword-and-laser

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I'm finding it really hard to say how I felt about this book. I did enjoy it and found it engaging throughout. But now, a couple hours later, I don't feel anything about it. I didn't take anything of value away from my reading, it has left no impression upon me.

It is yet another story of the survivors of an occupation by a foreign tyrant biding their time before they can overthrow their ruler and reclaim their land. Nothing new in that part. How it differs is their land was not only overrun but...more I'm finding it really hard to say how I felt about this book. I did enjoy it and found it engaging throughout. But now, a couple hours later, I don't feel anything about it. I didn't take anything of value away from my reading, it has left no impression upon me.

It is yet another story of the survivors of an occupation by a foreign tyrant biding their time before they can overthrow their ruler and reclaim their land. Nothing new in that part. How it differs is their land was not only overrun but, due to the fact they killed their enemy's son, the world was put under a spell making all forget their land had ever existed under its true name. Its cities destroyed, its books burnt. Though what was to happen to books written in other lands? It was never mentioned.

One of the main things I liked about the character was they weren't as cliche as they could have been. Devin d'Asoli was only a very young child when his father escaped their homeland with him and his older brothers. Most other books would have had him be the son of the Prince, or some other important figure. Same with Catriana. They came from unknown, unimportant, regular people. Neither could do magic. Neither was an unexpected, amazing warrior. They were talented at singing but otherwise quite realistic. It was refreshing in fantasy to have such plain (though still great) characters. The son of the Prince is still a major character but he's always known who he was and what he was fighting for.

The other great characters were the two tyrants. One a true, bloodthirsty, cruel, vicious killer, the other intelligent, calculating but ultimately a capable ruler who has come to love those he rules. If it wasn't for his sons' death in time he would have been fully accepted by those he had conquered. A rare type of ruler.

The magic in the book was very subtle, no massive demonstrations apart from the spell on Tigana. Just deft touches when it needed to be used, otherwise this could have just been an alternate-history novel.

A character that should have been explored further was the Fool. The revelation of who he truly has had far less impact then it should have. It changed nothing, except for Dianora who didn't live long enough afterwards for it to matter.

Overall it was a good book and I'm glad I finally read it. I'd been planning on picking it up for some time. But it's fairly forgettable and for all the twists and exploration of identity and revenge and more nothing was spectacular enough to stick in my mind for long.(less)

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May 02, 2009 Ron rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Ron by: Jon

Shelves: fantasy, maps

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 characters. All the backgr...more

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Oct 23, 2011 Traci rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, favorites

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 genre. Be...more

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Jan 16, 2013 Tamara added it · review of another edition

Shelves: male-protagonist, female-protagonist, a-bunch-of-lonesome-heroes, you-can-choose-your-friends, ideologically-annoying, fantasy, secondary-world, politics, travel, unfinished, flung-with-great-force, author-male

This is a review with pictures in it. I see people doing this, and I want to as well. I can haz cats also, yes?

Yes, I am jealous. I want to be one of the cool kids.

Anyway, this ye old secondary world fantasy, with maps and kingdoms princes and things and everything.

I want to go on a quest too!

No, not like that, silly. It is Deep and Melancholy and Meaningful. Like this:
Swoon with Horse

Do you SEE? It is FUZZY and PASTEL COLORED and there is BOOBS. That means it is PROFOUND.

Women in this book are not marginalized onto these pedestals replete with bizzaro stupid sexualization for no discern...more

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Aug 17, 2009 Nikki rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

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. It's an am...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. It's an amazing, amazing book.

One of the things I noticed most this time round is the backstory, the creation of a mythology that hangs around the edges of the story -- provides sanctuary, or is important to one subplot or another, without taking centre stage. Backstory that both enriches the world, the worldbuilding, and serves a purpose, without being pointless or entirely utilitarian.

I also noticed the moral ambiguity that he builds up. Especially in the figure of Brandin, of course, who has done such cruel, terrible things, but has reasons and a kind of nobility of his own and can actually be liked, in some ways. But not just him. Alessan himself isn't amazing either -- although one difference between him and the tyrants is, of course, that though he does use his special power to bind someone to his cause, he does release them to their own free will and does feel a lot of remorse.

The last line of all means that Guy Gavriel Kay probably deserves to go and live in his own special circle of hell. It's an amazing, beautiful ending, and it's so, so cruel.

August 2008.

The very last paragraph makes me want to kill Guy Gavriel Kay. The impact was somewhat spoilt by my mum spoilering me beforehand, but... on the other hand, knowing it was coming hurt more, too.

One thing I definitely have to say is that Guy Gavriel Kay's romance was much better in this book. I never really saw Catriana and Alessan coming, but at the same time, it was understandable and it didn't make me come over all "...no" like Paul and Jaelle in Fionavar did. Dianora and Brandin were delightfully star-crossed.

I loved the little references to Fionavar, too.

The characters I got to love very, very much. Maybe not quite as much as I grew to love the characters in Fionavar. He wasn't quite as ruthless with his characters in Tigana, though, so I didn't test my love of the characters in tears!

Guy Gavriel Kay is one of my favourite authors right now. Really. I don't see that changing any time soon, either.(less)

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Mar 31, 2013 Jonathan rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, gritty-reads

Personally it just wasn't my style of fantasy writing. Honestly it just wasn't. It wasn't too dark. I've read similar novels before. The entire novel just wasn't my taste.

I also felt Tigana was too much for a single book, the ideas and plot dragged. I didn't hate it it was just average which was rather frustrating because it seemed that Kay was such a wonderful writer only the plot he used didn't appeal with me.

Still I'd be interested in reading other Kay novels simply to see what his other wor...more

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Mar 03, 2013 sologdin rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ruling-class-protagonist, speculative

Nutshell: adherents to eponymous province sous rature stage unlikely coups d'etat.

Inadequate perspective discipline produces a narrative told from the points of view of conquering war criminals, revanchist aristocrats, peasant conspirators, and so on.

Elric-style interlude in chapter 11 (328-66), wherein sidekick protagonist, apparently engaged in some sort of nocturnal (e)mission, gets involved with some random heretics to ward off a threat to the world. This has nothing whatsoever to do with t...more Nutshell: adherents to eponymous province sous rature stage unlikely coups d'etat.

Inadequate perspective discipline produces a narrative told from the points of view of conquering war criminals, revanchist aristocrats, peasant conspirators, and so on.

Elric-style interlude in chapter 11 (328-66), wherein sidekick protagonist, apparently engaged in some sort of nocturnal (e)mission, gets involved with some random heretics to ward off a threat to the world. This has nothing whatsoever to do with the coups d'etat plot, until the catastrophe, when the heretics show up and do something nondescript yet dispositive. It's emblematic of the whole, which is something of a mess. The interlude does get sidekick laid.

None of this is to say that the novel's not smart, or not well written at the sentence level. Kay is nothing if not deliberate, introspective, precise. The central conceit--liberation of a conquered region and redress for a state subject to writing sous rature--is well conceived. That said, deliberate at times becomes ponderous, introspective develops into obsessive, precise transforms into picayune. The erasure is limited to amnesia and aphasia. Probably much more could've been done with it.

The liberation is presented more or less as a fait accompli; ruling class protagonist with sidekick has, it seems, worked for several decades to set up the coups d'etat of the catastrophe. None of the setup is really shown, except for some carousing with politicized tavern-goers. Mostly it's travelling, chatting, some of the old in-and-out on occasion. The coups are accomplished through manuevering the two conquerors into a confrontation that bleeds them both, so that two coups de grace may be delivered at the price of one. As noted, it's all very unlikely--and requires the intervention of a third state as the condition of possibility, also presented as a given, without any work-up as to why or how or whatever.

This edition of the text is not aided by the author's afterword, which equates the erasure sorcery to Soviet memory hole politics (674) and suggests that one of the conquerors is "a crude, efficient Politburo survivor," whereas the other is Borgia (675-76). It's a confusion of anachronisms, with some arriere garde sensibilities. The communist connection is not borne out, as the property forms are thoroughly feudal. It is telling that feudal "freedom" is juxtaposed against communism.

Sorcery is a mixed bag. It's strong enough to erase the memory of a province from all persons other than natives of the province, but is otherwise shown as either brutally visceral ("he moved his right hand, in exactly the same casual gesture he would use to dismiss a servant or a petitioner. [Her] head exploded like an overripe fruit" (223)) or Tolkienesque abstraction (the "spell began to leak through...kept coming and coming, monotonous as rain or surf...[they] began to feel as though they were fighting uphill, even on a level plain, as if the sun actually was fiercer above their heads than the men they fought, as if their confidence and courage were seeping away" (630)). Ultimately, none of it matters, and it boils down to sticking people with the pointy end.

Some reviewers have suggested that there may be some fascist ideology bouncing around in here. There is certainly irredentism, nationalism, revanchism, militarism, parallel public & private organs, blood & soil, authenticity of emotional response, arbitrary penal dispositions, despotism regarding property, and so on. We might consider the erasure of a country and its replacement by another to be the essence of Lemkin's definition of genocide. This is presented as the central crime of the novel, though. But: the criminal is presented as also a sympathetic figure at times, through the eyes of one of his harem slaves, who adores him. (Yeah, it gets that kind of ugly.) I'd suggest that, though there's fascist bits, the text appears nostalgic for medievalism proper, rather than ubernostalgia for the nostalgia for medievalism present in fascism.

That we should be made to sympathize with an aristocrat who enslaves people (287) in order to reclaim the Land should blip our radar. That we should be made to like another aristocrat who fakes his own death and lets his own homosexual son die pointlessly for his cause (i.e., his property and reputation), and then dons blackface, should likewise raise our antennae. Several manipultaive fake protagonist deaths serve no purpose other than to build ersatz suspense and allow the other characters to engage in passionate laments. In Herf's terms, we might note some means-ends miscalculations in the protagnists' plan, a marker of proto-fascism, but that's no good overall because the plan works, against all sense. The denouement implies, first, that aristocrat protagonist will unite the whole under a new monarchy, in order to effectively defend against the other geopolitical power blocs. The point of the story, to liberate the occupied provinces and return them to their feudal "freedom," seems to cut against that grain. It's national unity, solidarity of classes working against foreign menaces, and so on. Not my thing, to be honest.

Second, though, the ending suggests something beyond the boundary of the narrative, through the bizarre overlay of slavic mythology--the rusalka reiterates throughout the novel, with some sort of shruggable prophetics. Dunno about that, except that it portents change, death, and so on (245-46). It's enigmatic and coy and annoying.

Considered a classic, so likely should be read by speculative fiction people.(less)

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Jun 23, 2012 Meghan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Audiobook version ;)

This was an unfortunate choice for an audiobook. The characters were intricate, and there were several I really cared about. The settings were well done. . But on audio it did not work for me for a couple of reasons: it was difficult to follow with family interruptions, and the names were so odd that I had trouble keeping people clear.

Other reviewers mentioned the complexity of characters (the reason I bought this) but I was underwhelmed. It is true the 'good' weren't flawle...more Audiobook version ;)

This was an unfortunate choice for an audiobook. The characters were intricate, and there were several I really cared about. The settings were well done. . But on audio it did not work for me for a couple of reasons: it was difficult to follow with family interruptions, and the names were so odd that I had trouble keeping people clear.

Other reviewers mentioned the complexity of characters (the reason I bought this) but I was underwhelmed. It is true the 'good' weren't flawless, and the 'bad' had some positive virtues, but ultimately I've read it done better. Character depth was told in backstory with only a couple of exceptions, a few character decisions didn't make sense to me, and we find out, surprise!, the bad guy really is bad. One female character was fantastically done, though.

I was tempted to give it 4 stars, but in hindsight, I have zero desire to listen to this again, can't really give a good synopsis, and probably wouldn't buy a sequel if there was one. Ultimately, if this is the best this author has to offer (according to other reviews), I won't be quick to seek him out again. It is possible I would have had a different rating for the print version. (I can't fault the narrator, he was pleasant to listen to and did an excellent job)

As a note (although this didn't affect my rating): I hated the author's discussion at the end of this. HATED it. He came across as arrogant about this work, and I was left scratching my head at the morals he ascribes to his story. HE might feel they were laced in well, but I did not. There was only one interesting point made in the story, and it was so quick and so short that it could hardly be descrbed as a 'moral' or 'theme' at all. As a story, it works. As a true exploration of what the author feels it is about, it does not.

Another note: The sex scenes in this book are weird. Not.. badly written. Just weird, and despite the number, they aren't about love or even enjoyment. Be forewarned.(less)

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Dec 12, 2012 Tom rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I’m going 4.5 on this high fantasy with that 5th star flickering but I don’t think it made it. If this book was 100 pages shorter and wasn’t as in depth in some of the lands it would have been a flat out 5 for me.

The story of Tigana is a world where a very strong sorcerer had removed the memories of a country from everyone’s mind except from the people who lived there. Only the people that lived there can even understand when someone says the word Tigana. The sole remaining prince of Tigana sets...more I’m going 4.5 on this high fantasy with that 5th star flickering but I don’t think it made it. If this book was 100 pages shorter and wasn’t as in depth in some of the lands it would have been a flat out 5 for me.

The story of Tigana is a world where a very strong sorcerer had removed the memories of a country from everyone’s mind except from the people who lived there. Only the people that lived there can even understand when someone says the word Tigana. The sole remaining prince of Tigana sets out on a quest to topple the powerful sorcerer and to let the name of Tigana come back into the world.

The good. I don’t think I have ever read a book where good and evil were so blurred. It sets out with very clear boundaries of who is evil and why things must get put into motion. As we learn about one of the villians it becomes a little less clear on “the world would be better without him view.” Don’t get me wrong, if you look at him on paper he was a bad man. But we get a glimpse at what set things in motion and we see his character change as he ages. Part of that is because a section of the story is from a character who initially hated him but as the story moves along she starts to fall for him and her feelings are conflicted. When the feeling of a character start to affect your own judgment of right and wrong that is making of an awesome story. When the writer was into character and story development it was hard to put down and was written masterfully. I was all in on all the characters and the story built in such a way that at 96% I had no idea on how it was going to end and I had no idea how I wanted it to end.

The bad. When I say this is High Fantasy I mean that this is very descriptive in nature. Every little nook and cranny of town is described and usually a little history to go along with it. It was almost like reading two books for me. I have read very descriptive writers and I generally love a good descriptive writer. This was just a little excessive for my taste. Not that it wasn’t written beautifully or professionally. It was just that the story was so intricate that it was unnecessary in my opinion and took away a little for me at times during the story.

This is a book that I might throw the 5th star at if it bugs me a day or 2 down the road. But for now I’ll say 4 stars for overall enjoyment but would go 5 stars for quality of book and if you love a high fantasy.
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Jun 10, 2012 Dan rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: didnt-finish, signal

I got halfway into this and then just... didn't want to read it any more. I'm not sure what went wrong.

Well, I mean, I guess part of what went wrong was that the characters seemed to be sort of blundering into things. I had just finished the scene where the dude gets seduced by whatsername, and then there's this whole scene where Baerd goes for a walk and runs into a secret cult of magic-warriors who have been coincidentally waiting for years for him to come along and lead them to glory, so he d...more

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Jan 14, 2013 Nedda rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, historical-fiction, favorites

* Tigana - Book Review ..

Tigana is a masterpiece.

Some books... simply just can not be reviewed, some books must be experienced; you simply just have to beg people to read them... that's how much I have fallen in love with Guy Gavriel Kay.

I wanted to start this review off with text along the lines of “this may be the best book I’ve read this year,” except it just wouldn’t sound quite as impressive since Tigana is the first book I finished in 2013. At any rate, it has definitely set a high bar...more

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Feb 06, 2013 Darcy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: i-own, favorites, la

Wow—Tigana is the most underrated fantasy novel ever.

The power of emotions is what really carries this story. The characters are painstakingly formed with every characteristic traceable to a specific moment in time, and the emotional rawness of each character enables the reader to get really close to the characters and truly understand their thoughts and motivations. They are also all wonderfully complex and flawed. For the first time, I found myself rooting for the villain to win; ten pages la...more

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Jan 05, 2012 Andrea rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, 2012

Usually you can give me a set of likable, oppressed rebels, and you can pretty much automatically sign me up for the revolution. The kinds of heroes who fight for freedom in these stories were always celebrated in my home, in the kinds of media my family was excited about. I liked the characters in Tigana well enough, but some of the actions that they took in their fight for freedom made me question whether I would be that resolved. So I was surprised to survey myself, and then realize that I ha...more

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Sep 05, 2008 Siria rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 20th-century, canadian-fiction, fantasy

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

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Jan 23, 2009 Justin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, shelf-of-fame

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) from the thrall of a pair...more

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Mar 20, 2011 Melody rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 of loyalty and honor an...more

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Feb 21, 2009 Stephen Winkler rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition 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.

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Watson, who picke...: This style of writing is rough.	10	11	Mar 18, 2013 07:07pm
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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

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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)

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“There are no wrong turnings. Only paths we had not known we were meant to walk.” — 136 people liked it

“In this world, where we find ourselves, we need compassion more than anything, I think, or we are all alone.” — 66 people liked it

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