The Sword and Laser discussion
This topic is about
Tigana
2012 Reads
>
TIG: Getting started
I've read two chapters so far and the style is giving me some difficulties. I look forward to some action in chapter 4.So far I'm just super confused about the political (and geographical) situation. I have no idea who that guy is that died (in chapter 1, so no spoiler) and why it's a big deal that he gets a proper funeral. Maybe i'm just an inattentive reader?
But so far, the story drags a lot. I was so glad to be introduced to Devin. Finally a person whose name I can remember and whose story I can follow. I quite like him, too.
Locke Lamora was awesome - the politics were well explained and I didn't ever feel as lost as I do here. Name of the Wind was meh. Easier to read, though.
I'll just shut up now and continue reading. :)
@Linguana, tell you what, by chapter 5, let us know if the first two chapters make sense to you ;-)
Yes, this takes a bit longer to "ramp up", but within a few chapters, as Nimrod says, it all settles into place. What I actually like about Kay is that he doesn't spend a lot of time with exposition setting up background, but there IS a chapter or so of disorientation. Not for long, though.
@Vance, yes, but while at first I felt I should go back and re-read the first two chapters (and I probably should) I haven't felt like I absolutely had to!I really like Kay's style, at least when it comes to Tigana!
I dropped Hyperion after the first chapter, and I was so worried the same was coming for this book. I'm glad to hear things pick up and get clarified, because right now (chapter 2) I'm more lost than found. That early scene in the Khav room? Totally lost. I have no idea what was going on there, other than somebody important died. But reading your comments has inspired me to stick with it, and since I have a long car trip coming up, I look forward to getting in some uninterrupted reading time that might help me figure out how the author's brain works.
The first two chapters set you up to get a few "AHA!" moments later on in the book... keeps you on your toes!I do have to admit though I had a bit of confusion as well until I met Devin and started being able to keep track.
That's encouraging. Now if only stupid work didn't always get in the way of my reading...
Heh, Stupid Work... ;-)
I read this book a while back and loved it, I am very tempted to re-read it so I can join the discussion ;-)
I skipped Hyperion (was only able to just get it this week) and went on to Tigana as well. I'm glad I did, because I'm a bit of a slower reader and this is taking me some time to get through. That being said, though it is slower moving and took time for things to really get going, I almost love the book even more for that.So far, this book has been a bit of a lesson in patience for me. At first I was annoyed at the pace, but once I relaxed and allowed myself to get into the story, I began to appreciate it more and stopped wanting to "rush ahead" to see what happens.
Aaah, I can't wait to start discussing what is one of my favourite books of all time. It'll have to wait a bit, since I haven't finished Hyperion yet and probably won't be able to for at least a week (I'm not allowed to read tiny letters or look at screens - I'm cheating a bit atm because I wanted to catch up with the group).Tigana is a very relaxed read, in that it isn't particularly fast paced. For me it strikes just the right balance between world building and action. Takes a while to get into, but I remember being taken in by the mystery when I first read it. Back when I was 13 and this was the first book with 'adult content' I'd ever read; made it a must read for my young hormonal self.
Agatha, I could just imagine how the "closet" scene would read to a 13 year old! :0)And the pacing is really about right for the writing style. The quality of the language can be appreciated more, and his character development and interactions between the characters can be more fully realized.
The audiobook helps me with the pacing, it just keeps rolling along!
Just got my DTE in the snail-mail today!
I've read everything by Guy Gavriel Kay (that was actually a little goal I'd set for myself last year). That includes Tigana, of course, but I did make a short run-down of all his books once I finished that particular project:http://onelastsketch.wordpress.com/20...
Tigana is my least favourite book by GGK. I'm looking forward to discussing some of the...issues I had with it on this forum.
Like why the riselkas act nothing like rusalkas. Also, SURPRISE BONDAGE.
I stopped with the Byzantine book because I had a hard time with that one, after having LOVED all the previous "historical fantasy" books: Tigana, Lions of Al-Rassan and Song for Arbonne. Of those three, I liked Lions the best, Tigana next, then Arbonne. I have been wanting to pick up his later stuff and re-reading this one should get me back in the mood.Michal, that is a really nice run-down of the books, thanks!
For those of you who are put off by Kay's rather...slow...style, please know that it's worth it! Tigana is fantastic, and the slow build-up goes a long way to creating a rich, textured world.
The style of narration in the first chapter after the prologue threw me a little. Had to slow down and re read. But I had no problem with the prologue or chapter 2???
Joaquin wrote: "Nimrod ,I know that this doesnt have anything to do with books or reading but I just wanted to say that your avatar it is the coolest one around here , South park fan here too (how can someone not..."HEHE! Why Thank You! :-)
Michal wrote: "I've read everything by Guy Gavriel Kay (that was actually a little goal I'd set for myself last year). That includes Tigana, of course, but I did make a short run-down of all his books once I fin..."Tigana was your least favorite out of all his books, but did you still enjoy it?
David Sven wrote: "The style of narration in the first chapter after the prologue threw me a little. Had to slow down and re read. But I had no problem with the prologue or chapter 2???"Yeah, There's a reason Chapter 1 is confusing, should clear up for you by chapter 5 :-)
Chapter 5 done and all is indeed a lot clearer. And I'm hooked
Good to hear that David! :-)
Tigana was your least favorite out of all his books, but did you still enjoy it?Well, I did finish it, so it wasn't all bad. There are some great moments in the latter half, but those were tempered somewhat by the ending.
I certainly don't regret reading it, and I appreciate the themes Kay was trying to tackle, I just found the execution a bit lacking.
And I can't say I didn't enjoy the surprise bondage scene. But more about that later.
Michal wrote: "Tigana was your least favorite out of all his books, but did you still enjoy it?Well, I did finish it, so it wasn't all bad. There are some great moments in the latter half, but those were tempe..."
Fair enough, I actually thought that scene was very weird, almost out of place... But I am a few chapters away from the ending so no comment yet :-)
You guys were right. I am hooked. Chapter 3 already pulled me in somewhat more and I'm not almost done with chapter 4 and don't want to stop reading. :)
This book came out quite a while back.I can see what later authors took their lead
from this book.
@Linguana, Very glad to hear that! I just finished it myself and can't wait to officially start the discussions! :-)
Follow-up: I'm halfway done now and really glad I stuck with it past the first confusion. I think it's worth a read, and I can't wait to discuss.
@Karen, that was my same response... Looks like I got some flames though for my lack of patience!
Nimrod wrote: "@Linguana, Very glad to hear that! I just finished it myself and can't wait to officially start the discussions! :-)"I'm nowhere near finished but I also look forward to discussing this with you. By now, I am really in love with this book (and have put aside any other books I was reading for it). Finally one of those books again that I just want to crawl into. *happydance*
@Linguana, I still find myself quoting parts again in my head... I really hope Kay's other books are this good, because I totally want more of Tigana!
Michal wrote: "Tigana is my least favourite book by GGK. I'm looking forward to discussing some of the...issues I had with it on this forum.Like why the riselkas act nothing like rusalkas. Also, SURPRISE BONDAGE. "
Great rundown of the books, Michal! I was intrigued by this statement from your Fionavar review: "So much for personal wish-fulfilment, since it seems Fionavar’s only open for “the normals” and not for a poor ol’ immigrant like me." I'll admit a big reason I loved Tigana was because all other epic fantasy at the time seemed stuck in the Tolkien-esque medieval Northern Europe setting. As the son of Italian immigrants, I was pleased to see my heritage referenced for once. Nowadays, of course, settings based on Renaissance Italy are pretty common in fantasy.
For what it's worth, I do consider Lions of Al-Rassan to be a better book (even got Kay to sign my copy), but sadly haven't gotten around to Kay's later work yet.
You guys, just for contrast, you should go into your local bookstore and read a few paragraphs of a Dragonlance book. Night and Day. :0)
I am really enjoying it so far. About half way through chapter eight. I am absolutely loving how everthing ends up tied together and interconnected.
Vance wrote: "You guys, just for contrast, you should go into your local bookstore and read a few paragraphs of a Dragonlance book. Night and Day. :0)"I love the Dragonlance books! I haven't read all of them, just Chronicles and Legends, as well as some of the first meetings books but I love them.
Serenity wrote: "I love the Dragonlance books!"Oh, for that type of book, they are entirely fine, I was just pointing out how the two styles contrast so greatly. The pacing, the language usage, the action levels, etc.
Oh yeah Chapter 1 is definitely a possible lem-point. I felt like I was reading Shakespeare. In fact I abandoned the book at that point a while ago. But then once Chapter 2 started I was liking Devin and everybody else...Lots of creative names. What's khav, beer?
I am fairly sure it is coffee. That Shakespeare reference is interesting, when going back to read him or even Jane Austen, it takes me a little while to get readjusted to the style. Then all is smooth sailing.
I would think khav is coffee, otherwise some of these people would wake up and drink beer... Lol
That's right, because you can have it 'laced' or not.
Also just guessing, but Khav sounds like Cafe so it may be based on some old Italian word for coffee...
Maybe its Kava. I got the impression that it was alchoholic or at least narcotic?
David Sven wrote: "Maybe its Kava. I got the impression that it was alchoholic or at least narcotic?"That's what came to my mind, too.
I still think it's amazing that my confusion in chapter 1 got completely resolved fairly quickly. I didn't think I'd remember all the names well enough to make sense of the explanations in chapter 4. But well done, Mr. Kay. I had a total light bulb moment.
@Linguana, told ya! :-)
I have a feeling so many people are going to lem this book. I am hooked myself, but in the earlier chapters I recalled a comment one of my grad school profs left in the margins of a student's paper: "Wordy is not a style."One last comment: I knew GGK was Canadian, as am I, and I could not help trying to connect Tigana to Quebec. I have since found out that he is from Saskatchewan, but Quebec nationalism was at a peak at the time he wrote this. Idle thoughts maybe… but I would be curious as to his inspiration.
Chad wrote: " but I would be curious as to his inspiration. There's an afterword at the back where he goes into it. But it's spoilery
I am encouraged by all the comments about a slow confusing start. Starting to think my brain was going.It was starting to get a little tedious with all the fine details in the first couple of chapters, but just staring chapter 5 and all the back story is now starting to make sense, and really getting into all the "treachery".
For anyone just starting and thinking about bailing out during the first chapter (like I was considering), stick with it, because it gets easier.
This is my first book since recently joining S&L, and already am loving the "community" aspect of a book club.
Chad wrote: "One last comment: I knew GGK was Canadian, as am I, and I could not help trying to connect Tigana to Quebec. I have since found out that he is from Saskatchewan, but Quebec nationalism was at a peak at the time he wrote this. Idle thoughts maybe… but I would be curious as to his inspiration...."
In that interview I posted, he was researching Tuscany, Italy when he started the book. But later he said many countries related to it.
Chad wrote: "One last comment: I knew GGK was Canadian, as am I, and I could not help trying to connect Tigana to Quebec. I have since found out that he is from Saskatchewan, but Quebec nationalism was at a peak at the time he wrote this. Idle thoughts maybe… but I would be curious as to his inspiration. "That would be very interesting to find out. I could definitely see some possible similarities and arguments.
The Name of the Wind seems to be the closest in style and pacing, but without the protagonists starting as children, and more of the politics of Lies of Locke Lamora.