Tigana in The Alternative Worlds

Nov 23, 2011 mark monday rated it it was amazing

Shelves: z-guy-gavriel-kay, alpha-team, fantasy-modern

oh Tigana! 20 years ago, the warring lands of the peninsula known as The Palm were invaded and 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, ...more

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Mar 25, 2008 Brad rated it really liked it · 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 07, 2011 Tamara added it

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

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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Jan 06, 2012 Brad rated it it was amazing · 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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Nov 02, 2012 Nicky rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, favourites

I found Tigana annoying me so much this time around. Kay's overly ornate way of writing, the way he makes even the simplest of events sound So Deeply Important by the formal way he's writing... But it all came together for me again when I sat down and just read. I fell in awkward, torn love with Alessan, with Brandin, with Catriana, with Dianora, with Baerd. I loved the way people came together, willingly and unwillingly, against the other halves of their hearts. I love how people became whole a ...more

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Jul 23, 2008 Nicky rated it it was amazing · 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 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. ...more

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Jan 15, 2009 The Crimson Fucker rated it liked it

I’ve been trying to read this book for like a month now… but every time I get to B&N I realize that I left the post it on another jacket… or that i left the freaking note in the table, in the kitchen, in the bathroom… look I got problems remembering where I leave stuff! So I decided to tattoo it to my left arm and just show it to Mr. Greg or The Paper when I get there and get over with it… but when I got there I had to deliver some scones to a Briton… and since she (the Briton) used to work ther ...more

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Mar 03, 2018 Jaimie rated it really liked it

It’s not you, it’s me. It took me almost two months to finish you, for goodness sake! You came to me at a bad time. I like everything about you. I like the characters, the setting, the Three Musketeers-like intrigue. There’s nothing about you I didn’t like, except for the weird BDSM part that had nothing to do with the story and wasn’t very well written—and I’ve read a lot of erotica. Many others have enjoyed you and many more will enjoy you in the future.

Edit: The thought of you is growing on m ...more

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Dec 30, 2011 Suz rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, audiobook

I love this book like kittens. I think, as it's my second GGK book and I really liked both, I might turn into a fangirl.

The characters are complex and gray. Even the evil oppressor isn't as simple as an evil guy being evil. The main characters (two of whom were women!) were complex and interesting (if a little Mary Sue/Marty Stuish at some points). The world building is fully fleshed, with fascinating and complex religions, interesting socioeconomic construction, and just a solid geography.

I lov ...more

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