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The Lions of Al-Rassan

Guy Gavriel Kay (Goodreads Author)

4.28 · Rating details · 18,896 ratings · 1,292 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

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Paperback, 528 pages

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

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Oct 28, 2017 Petrik rated it did not like it · review of another edition

I can’t believe this is happening but here I am, my first ever DNF.

I DNF’ed this book somewhere around 60% and because of that I will still give this book a rating, my second 1 star rating; the first one was for Uprooted by Naomi Novik.

This is an extremely unpopular opinion and I know a LOT of people loved this book, so please keep in mind that this is just my honest opinion. At the time of posting this review, there are less than 200 readers—including me—who gave it a 1 star rating, out of 15. I can’t believe this is happening but here I am, my first ever DNF.

I DNF’ed this book somewhere around 60% and because of that I will still give this book a rating, my second 1 star rating; the first one was for Uprooted by Naomi Novik.

This is an extremely unpopular opinion and I know a LOT of people loved this book, so please keep in mind that this is just my honest opinion. At the time of posting this review, there are less than 200 readers—including me—who gave it a 1 star rating, out of 15.7k ratings, don’t let this review alone be a sign for you to not try the book if you’re already interested in it.

GGK fans usually recommend either Tigana or The Lions of Al-Rassan when asked on which GGK’s book to start with, this is not the first time I read GGK’s work, I’ve read Tigana and I love that book, I gave it 4.5/5 stars, but this book for me is a far cry from that.

Where Tigana was more of a fantasy, The Lions of Al-Rassan is my first experience with GGK’s historical fiction books and after this, I have to remove tons of his books from my TBR. Throughout my time reading, I can’t help but feel that knowledge on Medieval Spain—which I knew next to nothing about—is crucial in order to love this book. GGK didn’t spare any moment in explaining the meaning behind each terminology or names, I also expected the religions to play a lot of part in the story but they didn’t. The analogy to Christian, Jews, and Muslim weren’t as important as I thought it would be, they were just there.

The worst part of the book for me, however, was the characters. Even by 60% mark, I still don’t care about any of the characters, literally none. I have no idea how this book ends, but considering how I feel about the characters, if at the end they all die I would still feel nothing; I would prefer to continue watching Stranger Things season 2 on Netflix <-- Genius product placement Petrik, bravo.

Sex scenes and romance are, as usual, cringeworthy. This seems to be GGK’s trademark, it happened in Tigana too but it’s just so much worse here. I really don’t like how GGK portrayed romance and sex scenes. Not only they’re pointless, the sex scenes are over the top and all the characters are written like a porn star with stunning sex prowess. Plus the matter of instalove and what seems to be a love triangle formed between the main characters, both are something that I highly dislike in the books I read.

GGK’s prose is beautiful and lyrical, no doubt about those as I loved reading his writing, especially in Tigana. Here though? His writing direction felt off. Prose changes to present tense for reasons I have no idea why, characters POV changed within the same or the next paragraphs repeatedly making my head hurt literally hurt and also, ended up making me feel so disconnected with the book.

These are all my interpretations from 60% of the book, all I know is, I can’t be bother to continue with this book unless I’m feeling masochist and willing to go into a reading slump. As you can see from my review, this book didn’t infuriate me as much as Uprooted did, it’s just extremely boring with no ambulance to save me from the reading slump emergency nearby. The Lions of Al-Rassan is definitely not for me and I can’t recommend this to anyone.

If you want a fantastic historical fiction, go with Bernard Cornwell; if you’re interested in giving GGK a try, I recommend you to read Tigana. I will MAYBE still give Sarantine Mosaic duology a try, but I doubt I’ll be reading any of his works other than that duology considering that all of them are mostly historical fictions as well. Once again, this is an extremely unpopular opinion, the majority of readers love this book; some even claimed this is GGK’s best work and I hope you will love it too.

You can find the rest of my Adult Epic/High Fantasy & Sci-Fi reviews at BookNest ...more

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Nov 30, 2012 mark monday rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy-modern, z-guy-gavriel-kay, into-the-past

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.

act 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? ...more

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Jun 29, 2009 Kemper rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: intrigue, 2014-reread, alt-history, fantasy

If I scored my nerd tendencies I’d fall much closer on the scale to comic books and Star Trek than to Lord of the Rings and other swords-n-sorcery kind of fantasy which is weird because I do enjoy the kind of world building and political intrigue that is often a big part of the genre.

My hesitation about reading more of this kind of stuff is due in no small part to how it seems like common practice for fantasy authors of turning those stories into multi-book epics, but then stalling out in the m ...more

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Mar 07, 2011 Terence rated it it was ok · 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

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May 27, 2017 Scott Hitchcock rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: epic-fantasy, historical-fiction

I feel like I should have loved this book. Parts of it were so good and it had that tortured world gritty feel to it that's right up my alley. Friends on GR who share common interests one and all loved it. But my god the middle 60% was a slog for me. I had to put it down and restart it so many times. The ending tragic and redeeming but I still can't give it more than 2.5*'s.

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May 31, 2014 Veronica Belmont rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: vaginal-fantasy

First of all, allow me to give Kiala her due for picking this book for Vaginal Fantasy. After last month's pick, we were sorely due for something of substance. I will also remind everyone that last month's pick was MY doing, so I'm duly chastened.

Anyhow. The Lions of Al-Rassan is an absolutely mesmerizing book. As I understand it (and please correct me in the comments if I am incorrect) it's a fantastical alt-history of the Iberian Peninsula. With one small exception, I would pause to call it f ...more

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May 20, 2017 Chris Berko rated it it was amazing

The things some people can do with words is breathtaking. I absolutely loved this book. I have ranted about it to everyone possible, including strangers in cars next to me on the street. I tell them to roll down their windows and then I tell them to read this book. My mom stopped taking my calls because instead of happy mother's day, I quoted lines from this book when I talked to her. There are a lot of reviews for this so I'm not breaking any new ground here, but sincerely, if you have not read ...more

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Apr 12, 2010 Sam rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, read-2017, favorites

I love this book. 5 Stars. All the Stars.

It’s a slow burn. I can easily acknowledge that, but the characters are intriguing from the start and Kay’s writing is just beautiful. The world can be a bit confusing as well if you don’t understand the background of medieval Spain as a lot of names and history are thrown at you from the start. There’s also three different religions and the strife between them is the center stage of the book; the Kindath are Jews, the Jaddites are Christians, and the Ash ...more

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Apr 06, 2008 Mario rated it it was amazing

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

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Oct 29, 2014 Alissa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-ebooks, favorites

I loved this book. The story is seductive and engaging, the characters are adult, well-rounded and sophisticated, the writing style is very versatile: it offers both lavish descriptions, witty dialogues, elegant poetry, emotion and brutal detachment to a great, immersive effect. Subtle, delicate, harrowing, the plot entertains and develops with depth of themes, drama, humour and evenly paced action. It is historical fantasy, with little or none fantastic elements.

The characters and the current g ...more

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May 19, 2009 Chris rated it it was amazing

Shelves: guy-gavriel-kay, read-owned-paperback, scifi-fan-group, favorites

I needed a couple of days to let this sink in before writing a review. That's how powerful the book was, and its incredible ending.

This is one of those books that it's very difficult to write a spoiler-free review for. I could mark it as such and go for it, but then people that haven't read the book will skip the review.

The Lions of Al-Rassan is a book I will push on friends. When asked for recommendations, it will float to the top of my list every time. I won't say it's my all-time favorite, bu I needed a couple of days to let this sink in before writing a review. That's how powerful the book was, and its incredible ending.

This is one of those books that it's very difficult to write a spoiler-free review for. I could mark it as such and go for it, but then people that haven't read the book will skip the review.

The Lions of Al-Rassan is a book I will push on friends. When asked for recommendations, it will float to the top of my list every time. I won't say it's my all-time favorite, but it's on the short list.

So, without spoilers, let's see what we can do.

This book is a great example of what epic fantasy should be. Key on the "epic". There really aren't that many traditional fantasy elements; no elves, dwarves, magic, dragons, or forgetful wizards. But it has the passion and scope of medieval society, and the brutality of its warfare. The clash of three religions that really should be compatible but for some reason cause hundreds of years of slaughter between the factions.

This could be a historical fiction, if not for the names being changed. It's an imaginary world, with a huge flavoring of our world's history, that of medieval Spain.

And while it has all of that, nothing will prepare the reader for the emotional pull this does on the heartstrings. Kay does not only make you like his characters, he makes you freakin' grieve for them. For their losses, for their ordeals, and sometimes for their deaths. When they're at risk, you feel your heartbeat skip and just as much you feel the relief if/when they survive the challenges. Sometimes, you even feel relief that Character A survived while Character B did not, and then you feel guilty for feeling that relief, because you loved Character B as well.

So, this is not a sword & sorcery Dungeons and Dragons campaign re-hash. It is not strictly a historical "real" fiction, though it is closer to that than the former. In fact, I hate to stick a genre label to this book at all, because it truly transcends labeling.

It's a damn good book, period.

...more

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Feb 23, 2014 Em Lost In Books rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2014, stand-alone-read, 1990-99, 4-star

4.5

Story revolve around people of three religion and their struggle to prevail over each other. These three religions are Ashar (worshipers of Stars), Jad(worshipers of Sun) and Kindath (worshipers of Moons). On a day that was known as “day of moat”, physician Jehane bet Ishak, a Kindath, met Ammar ibn Khairan, most famous Ashar warrior, and Ser Rodrigo Belmonte, a fierce Jad captain. This is the story of how these three become friends and what they choose when it come to make a decision between 4.5

Story revolve around people of three religion and their struggle to prevail over each other. These three religions are Ashar (worshipers of Stars), Jad(worshipers of Sun) and Kindath (worshipers of Moons). On a day that was known as “day of moat”, physician Jehane bet Ishak, a Kindath, met Ammar ibn Khairan, most famous Ashar warrior, and Ser Rodrigo Belmonte, a fierce Jad captain. This is the story of how these three become friends and what they choose when it come to make a decision between friendship, religion and love.

Story is set in the medieval Spain and GGk has created an extremely beautiful world. As always his writing is impeccable and lyrical. I loved this verse:

Who knows love?
Who says he knows love?
What is love, tell me.
"I know love,"
Says the littlest one.
"Love is like a tall oak tree."
"Why is love a tall oak tree? Little one tell me."
"Love is a tree
For the shelter it gives
In sunshine or in storm."
Who knows love?
Who says he knows love?
What is love, tell me.
"I know love," Says the littlest one. "Love is like a flower."
"Why is love a flower? Little one tell me."
"Love is a flower
For the sweetness it gives
Before it dies away."

He has created three exceptional characters in Jehane, Ammar and Rodrigo. Their journey till the end of the book is breathtakingly beautiful. Even the supporting characters were amazing.

And the theme of the book, war over religion evokes so many emotions. After finishing the book I was questioning myself did God really wants His children to slaughter each other over His name? Or why we can’t accept each other as Husari (Ashar) and Alvar (Jad) did in the book and how beautifully Husari described this union:

“I think,” Husari murmured, “such a person - if we could find one in Ragosa this week - might say we two represent the best the peninsula has to offer. Brave Alvar and my poor self, as we stand humbly before you, are proof that men of different worlds can blend and mingle those worlds. That we can take the very finest things from each, to make a new whole, shining and imperishable.”

The end of the book was bittersweet. Even if had ended the other way around I would have been equally sad as I’m now.

So if you like reading, read this beautiful tale of love, passion, betrayal, hatred, survival and hope. ...more

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Jun 20, 2020 Markus rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, fantasy

Ah, Guy Gavriel Kay. Did you make me fall victim to my own unreasonable expectations yet again.

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Jun 05, 2019 Anthony rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: time-traveler-challenge, fantasy, sf-group-2018, 7-kingdoms-challenge

This novel gained power and complexity as I made my way deeper into its pages, and in the end I came to greatly appreciate its rich subtleties, its many-layered characters, and its fascinating world. I was more emotionally captivated by, and more propelled to burn through, Kay’s incredible Tigana, but I’m very glad to have read more of Kay’s work, and I will certainly continue to do so.

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Jul 14, 2013 Molly Ison rated it it was ok

Shelves: westeros-sff-book-list

Reads like a movie novelization. A movie intended as pseudo-historical reenactment Oscar-bait with beautiful sweeping landscapes and beautiful actors and actresses who take it all so damn seriously. The women are spunky (I hate that word, so it's appropriate for Jehane) and inappropriately modern while remaining in the margins - props to the masculine deeds of the leading men. Every fight is a show of athleticism, perfectly choreographed. A light-hearted moment that isn't actually funny. Charact ...more

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Oct 31, 2019 Mike rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, historical-fiction, reviewed

I adored this book and would put it in the league of Under Heaven and River of Stars, all three fantastic (and slightly fantastical) quasi-historical fictions that took really world events and tweaked them just a bit. They were all gorgeously written and populated with subtle and nuanced characters, caught in the great events of their times and doing what little they could to protect themselves and their loved ones form those events.

In the case of The Lions of Al-Rassan Kay brings us to an alter ...more

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Mar 05, 2017 Angela rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, five-star-reads, historical-fantasy, a-z-reading-challenge

I'm don't tend to be a crier when I read. If a book can make me cry it deserves 5 stars. The story was woven together so well that the last chapter and epilogue sucker punched you. Yes there were tears. Yes the book by the end moved me that much. Readers of historical fantasy you might just find this book, inspired by medieval Spain, a story you will love.

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Nov 03, 2013 Lisa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: stand-alone, fantasy, 2014-ffchallenge, fantasyfaction

Full review: http://tenaciousreader.wordpress.com/...

Guy Gavriel Kay has been on my “must try” list for years. I have heard him recommended so many times and I have come across devoted fans that will praise his prose endlessly. And on top of that, he writes stand-alone novels, so there is no fear of commitment here. With all of that, I have no idea why I have not read one of his novels previously. But, I nominated The Lions of Al-Rassan for one of my book club reads and happily it won. No more e ...more

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May 23, 2007 Kelly rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Kay fans, historical fantasy fans, epic lovers

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

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Nov 23, 2016 Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: i-own, fantasy

August 2017 buddy read with Candace! Our BR only got delayed about a year...

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Feb 20, 2011 Becky rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, bad-shit-and-atrocities, ebook_nook, 2012, politicalish, reviewed, romance-y

This book has come highly recommended by almost all of my friends, and so naturally, I was very excited to read it. This was my first experience with Kay, and the consensus seems to be that this is his best work. Certainly the Goodreads average rating bears that up. Lions of Al-Rassan currently has a an average rating of 4.27 of 5. Pretty impressive, and the highest of all of his books.

It just didn't quite get there for me. Maybe it was the expectation of greatness that let me down, but I don't ...more

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Mar 04, 2020 Monica rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, kindle_scifi_fan, historical-fiction, puppy-squishers, pub_1990s, soc-sci-politics, audio, sf-challenge-2020, read-harder-2020

Hmm, a tough book to rate. On one hand, the writing is exceptional. This is definitely a literary novel. On the other hand it vacillates between interesting and been there done that to the nth degree. An epic tale of two roguish men w/ integrity and honor who respect each other, are the bestest fighters and generals for their "at war" tribes. Brutality, war, injustice, trauma, politics, blah blah blah, the love of a good woman. Intermixed w/ a variety of characters that have one special gift. Th ...more

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Sep 28, 2019 Matthew Quann rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Matthew by: Helen Robson

Shelves: historical-fiction, fantasy, big-books-500-pages-plus, oh-canada

It's been a long time since I've read something by Guy Gavriel Kay. His Fionavar Tapestry fantasy trilogy was one of the formative fantasy series of my youth, and aside from an attempt at Tigana and a vaguely remembered reading of A Song for Arbonne, I've not really gone back to his work.

Fortunately, my wife's aunt inspired my return to Kay's work by sending The Lions of Al-Rassan our way. I was expecting something that would scratch an itch for epic fantasy, and though the book has very li ...more

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Sep 03, 2012 Daniel Roy rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: taw-bookclub, sf, fantasy, abandoned

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 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. ...more

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Jun 30, 2010 Dawn rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, fantasy, read-in-2010

Wow. I don't even know what to say. I'm speechless! This was only my second Kay novel, the first being A Song for Arbonne, and I didn't really know what to expect. I have to admit, the blurb didn't really catch me... But I had found it in a used book store for cheap, so I decided to try it out. I am so glad I did!

I have to be very careful not to spoil it... It's hard not to gush though. The ending was so heart breaking, yet at the same time so beautiful and hopeful. The entire book was wonderful ...more

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Nov 08, 2012 Reggie Kray rated it it was amazing

Exquisite prose. Superb characterization. A tale that will incite emotions of love and hate. Historical fiction does not get better than this my friends! A novel I am unlikely to ever forget.

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May 25, 2016 Brad rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: canadian-lit, read-in-2016, fantasy, what-my-kids-are-reading, historical, faves

I have been known to argue against hope. To argue that hope is evervating. That it leads to apathy and inaction. That it is anathema to change. I have argued these things and probably will again, so it is particularly strange that one of my all time favourite books should be a book so filled with hope, so about hope.

In this age of fantasy books great and not so great getting their own shows on HBO or Netflix or MTV, my most fervent wish is to see The Lions of al-Rassan on screen. Not only do I I have been known to argue against hope. To argue that hope is evervating. That it leads to apathy and inaction. That it is anathema to change. I have argued these things and probably will again, so it is particularly strange that one of my all time favourite books should be a book so filled with hope, so about hope.

In this age of fantasy books great and not so great getting their own shows on HBO or Netflix or MTV, my most fervent wish is to see The Lions of al-Rassan on screen. Not only do I think it would make an insanely entertaining show, but I think it could be the most important show of its kind in our popular culture precisely because of its message of hope.

Guy Gavriel Kay's Lions of al-Rassan offers a slightly veiled take on the al-Andalusian period in medieval Spain, replacing the Catholic Spanish with the Jaddites, the Jewish diaspora with the Kindath, and the Muslims with the Asharites. Amongst these groups are individuals capable of almost any atrocity, but there are also individuals capable of almost any sacrifice or goodness too. It is from these benevolent moments, springing out of two cultures of fundamentalism, superstition and ever changing power, that Kay delivers us his message of hope. That there are men and women -- no matter what surrounds them -- who strive to make their world and their lives and the lives of those around them better, and that they can come from the same culture (and religious background) and ethical structure that creates the ugliest expressions of humanity.

Some of the criticism I have read of the Lions of al-Rassan, takes Kay to task for both the almost superhuman skills of his main players, and what is often seen as the black and white of their beliefs and actions. And while I can see that this is present (more in their talents than in their belief systems), I do think that these qualities are purposefully present so that Kay can make his greater case for hope. Jehane, the brilliant Kindath physician, and the two men she loves, the poet-assassin-swordsmen-general Ammar ibn Khairan and the swordsman-general-leader Rodrigo Belmonte, are great at all the things they do, and they each embody what could be best about their peoples. These archetypes are employed to point a way to greatness of spirit as much as greatness in the individual, to offer us inspiration in a trio of characters deserving of our love.

For all their archetypal greatness, however, I am and always have been most impressed by their complexity. Each of them contains beliefs that can't help but create internal conflict in a world of mixed loyalty, religious complexity, cultural inertia and extreme violence. So many of the feelings they have are in direct opposition to the things they are told they should feel, so many of the things they are contravene the standards of the day, and rarely are they faced with easy decisions, and when they are they don't always make what we may consider the best or right decisions. Yet through it all they -- and even many of the supporting characters -- remain self-aware, and that it is within that self-awareness that the good of all the characters, even the most blatantly villainous, can be found.

And that is the place from which the hope of The Lions of al-Rassan springs. It is a beautiful message, and we need it now more than ever. So long as it doesn't make us believe that it can be done by anyone other than ourselves. ...more

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Jan 24, 2011 Jayme rated it did not like it

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

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Feb 06, 2016 Tammy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

First GGK book, I eventually chose to read this before Tigana, i'm happy I did. I'm truly lost for words, this was simply a great experience. I can't find any fault with the world, characters or the story.
Rodrigo and Ammar were my favorites among st so many awesome characters.
I will definitely re-read this book later. I hope to read Tigana soon.

flag 15 likes · Like · see review

Nov 12, 2016 Katie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016

Book 9 of my 2016 Kay reading marathon, predictably I loved it!

flag 16 likes · Like · see review

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About Guy Gavriel Kay

Guy Gavriel Kay

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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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“The deeds of men, as footprints in the desert.
Nothing under the circling moons is fated to last.
Even the sun goes down.” — 73 likes

“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.” — 16 likes

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