The Last Light of the Sun

The Last Light of the Sun is a change of venue for Guy Gavriel Kay, away from the sun-dappled world of the Mediterranean he explored in The Lions of Al-Rassan and The Sarantine Mosaic and into Northern Europe in the Early Middle Ages. The world Kay builds here is the greatest strength of the book. It is bleak, harsh, and violent, and the reader is drawn into the struggle to bring civilization and a sense of order to the roughly Anglo-Saxon and Welsh lands harassed by constant 'Jormsviking' invasions. The omnipresence of powerful religious beliefs and the very real existence of the supernatural further flesh out Kay's lands and peoples.

However, the plot is not as strong as the worldbuilding. We are asked to follow a large number of main characters in sometimes disorienting fashion. (A map would have been very helpful; I had a hard time keeping straight the various locations and the long journeys undertaken.) Among them is one character with a considerable number of pages devoted to him who did not have a story arc interesting enough for me to really care about his fate. The most compelling and likeable character in my eyes was a Cyngael (Welsh) cleric who could have easily had the story build entirely around him instead of split between half a dozen viewpoints. In addition, the bleakness of the setting at times threatened to overwhelm the narrative and could diminish the appeal for some readers. Thankfully Kay never fell into over-indulgence in that regard, as George R.R. Martin has often been accused of in his A Song of Ice and Fire series.

Kay sometimes stops the narrative for a few pages in order to describe the lives of peripheral characters whom the central plot touches on only in passing. While some may find this literary device distracting, I found it one of the strengths of the book. The life of a man or woman is masterfully described in brief, often to the very end, and the desperation and cruelty of their circumstances, alleviated by humanity and kindness, further imbue the reader with a sense of the world that has been created.

The Last Light of the Sun's faults subtract only marginally from its overall appeal. Kay is one of the finest authors in the entire fantasy genre, and the 'flaws' are only relevant in the context of his own high standards. Fans of Kay and those new to his work are still very likely to be engrossed by this book. In particular, if you are of the same mind as me regarding the book's strengths, its weaknesses will not be a problem.

The Last Light of the Sun is a change of venue for Guy Gavriel Kay, away from the sun-dappled world of the Mediterranean he explored in The Lions of Al-Rassan and The Sarantine Mosaic and into Northern Europe in the Early Middle Ages. The world Kay builds here is the greatest strength of the book. It is bleak, harsh, and violent, and the reader is drawn into the struggle to bring civilization and a sense of order to the roughly Anglo-Saxon and Welsh lands harassed by constant 'Jormsviking' invasions. The omnipresence of powerful religious beliefs and the very real existence of the supernatural further flesh out Kay's lands and peoples.

However, the plot is not as strong as the worldbuilding. We are asked to follow a large number of main characters in sometimes disorienting fashion. (A map would have been very helpful; I had a hard time keeping straight the various locations and the long journeys undertaken.) Among them is one character with a considerable number of pages devoted to him who did not have a story arc interesting enough for me to really care about his fate. The most compelling and likeable character in my eyes was a Cyngael (Welsh) cleric who could have easily had the story build entirely around him instead of split between half a dozen viewpoints. In addition, the bleakness of the setting at times threatened to overwhelm the narrative and could diminish the appeal for some readers. Thankfully Kay never fell into over-indulgence in that regard, as George R.R. Martin has often been accused of in his A Song of Ice and Fire series.

Kay sometimes stops the narrative for a few pages in order to describe the lives of peripheral characters whom the central plot touches on only in passing. While some may find this literary device distracting, I found it one of the strengths of the book. The life of a man or woman is masterfully described in brief, often to the very end, and the desperation and cruelty of their circumstances, alleviated by humanity and kindness, further imbue the reader with a sense of the world that has been created.

The Last Light of the Sun's faults subtract only marginally from its overall appeal. Kay is one of the finest authors in the entire fantasy genre, and the 'flaws' are only relevant in the context of his own high standards. Fans of Kay and those new to his work are still very likely to be engrossed by this book. In particular, if you are of the same mind as me regarding the book's strengths, its weaknesses will not be a problem.

This book is... interesting. I've never read anything quite like it before. The story is set in an alternate 9th century Earth and ties together the English, Welsh, and Vikings. After finishing it a week or two ago, I'm still not sure what to think, so I'll just list my impressions:

The Good:

1. Historical setting feels very authentic and well-researched. Sure, medieval England and the Vikings have been done to death, but Kay gives them new life here. There's no sugar-coating (fans of GRR Martin will feel right at home). And settings are excellently drawn.
2. Excellent prose. Kay has a style all his own. If the character development was better, I'd be calling this literary fiction.
3. Unpredictable plot. Others have said they saw major events coming, but not so for me. And Kay is intelligent and subtle; he gives you something to think about rather than just a quick bit of entertainment.

The Bad:

1. Character development so-so. Some of the main characters are quite good, Aeldred especially. But Ceinion is the stereotypical wise-and-practical cleric, Alun the stereotypical boy-avenging-family, etc. Bern, who gets the largest chunk of page time, was the worst, a distant stranger to me for the entire book. My conclusion is that there are simply too many main characters for a work of this length (my copy just under 500 pages) to sustain.
2. Dialogue not what I'd have expected from such a renowed author. Long "lighthearted" scenes where characters tease each other or fight about silly things feel amateurish.
3. Random "romances" springing from nowhere at the end... neither believable nor romantic.

The Weird:

1. I've never read a fantasy book (even historical fantasy, which rarely uses the "save the world" plot) with quite so little at stake. As we're told many times, life is difficult in the northlands... but by the time identifiable villains appear, they're so unambitious and so lacking in passion for their goal that there's little threat to the main characters, beyond the constant danger inherent in living in a violent time period. Aeldred's backstory would have made a far more exciting story, but it's interesting to wonder what Kay's point may have been in writing this story instead.
2. Random asides of several pages giving the life stories of side characters who briefly intersect with the plot... or, in some cases, don't. For instance, we get the life of Jarmina, a girl living in a village near a battlefield; she neither witnesses nor affects the battle in any way. Embedding loosely related short stories into a novel is an odd way to add depth to the setting, if that's what they were meant to do.
3. Random philosophical lectures by the author. To give a brief example: "Time does not pause, for men or beasts, though it might seem to us to have stopped at some moments, or we might wish it to do so at others, to suspend a shining, call back a gesture or a blow, or someone lost." These can go on for paragraphs and to me seemed rather trite.

This is the first of Kay's books that I've read, and since I understand that it's not his best, I'm still looking forward to reading more. It's far from a bad book, and would have been truly great had the character development only been been better. Three stars is a little low for this one, but despite its strengths, for me it was something of a disappointment.

Historical fantasy is enjoying quite a bit more respectability than "mainstream" fantasy-at least by the critical press if not by the box office. This is probably because historical fantasy requires a great bit of research from the author-something that lazier and less skilled author are unable or unwilling to do. From the ranks of Stephen Pressfield (The Last of the Amazons), Hans Bergstrom (The Long Ships), and Mary Renault (Fire from Heaven and The King Must Die) Guy Gavriel Kay takes his place among them with this book. In a bid to create literature that resonates with educated and sophisticated readers, these authors are combining fantastical elements with non-fiction and creating truly remarkable works. In many ways, taking these myths and merging them with history makes a kind of artistic sense where more straightforward historical fiction seems more at odds in walking the conflict between fact and imagination. In any event, having works by Kay on the fantasy shelves at the bookstore goes a long ways towards repairing the damage done by Goodkind and Jordan in bring respectability to this downtrodden section.

WHO SHOULD READ

Obviously, readers who enjoy the aforementioned Pressfield, Bergstrom, and Renault will be exceptionally delighted with this book. Readers enamored with Scandinavian and Celitc tales in general will also enjoy this book very much. Much more accessible than traditional sagas such as Njal's Saga and The Nibelungenlied, Last Light translates these people in to modern language without seemingly losing any of the savor of that people or age. It probably shares the greatest similarity with Byzantium by Stephen R. Lawhead in brining a people to light in such a way. Readers who enjoy historical fiction along the lines of James Michener will also enjoy this book a great deal finding the flights of fancy diverting and engaging. For readers mired in endless works of fantasies spanning tens of volumes, Last Light will be breath of fresh air for its brevity and its beauty (and in that it ends at all). If you're trying to show some die-hard Wheel of Time fan that there is better work out there, this is the book in which to do it.

WHO SHOULD PASS

If readers have no interest whatsoever in either the Scandinavian, Celtic, or Anglo/Saxon peoples then there probably isn't much reason to read this book. There is a certain segment of the literate population that regards this sort of work as "boys' literature." For them, battle and heroism mean very, very little and delving in to these kinds of works is an exercise in indulgence rather than edifying. These people would also similarly classify Beowulf as "boys' literature" so Kay need not feel slighted. While women figure in these stories, they are relegated to decidedly supporting roles; readers sensitive to this kind of thing might be a bit annoyed by the work as well.

READ THE ENTIRE REVIEW AT INCHOATUS.COM

Read this on holiday in St Davids; go to watch the sun set from Trefin Mill or St Justinians and the mood will hit you. This isnt the grim, celtic twilight of Arthur or the bloody shambles of the extinction of Gwynedd in 1282. But its the begining of the end. The celtic Cyngael arent going to last; great fighters as individuals and proud and ready for a scrap but their more organised neighbours are poised to roll back the woods, the frontier, all the way back to the sunset.

Loved it this book, one of Mr Kay's best. And according to this, where did the Welsh language really come from? Lovely touch that. Da iawn, Guy, diolch yn fawr iawn.

PS our Scandinavian cousins should feel the same way about the portrayal of the Norse and I prefer this "not Alfred" to Bernard Cornwell's version.

This was a good book and an enjoyable read. That being said, it is not Kay's best work. For that, look to Tigana, Lord of Emperors, and the Lions of Al-Rassan. In Last Light, the characters simply are not as fully realized as those in Kay's earlier works, with maybe the exception of Aeldred. Still, this is a Kay novel, and as such, the reader is treated to absolutely wonderful prose and an engaging plot. Still, if you want gorgeous prose, plots to make you weep, and characters you take to your heart, try the abovementioned Kay titles also.

Being a Kay fan, I started this book several years ago. After 30 pages or so I gave up with the sense that this one didn't quite do it. A month ago I started the book anew. I forged through the thirty pages, slowly this time attempting to keep track of all the characters. By books end I was reading as slowly as possible for I didn't want it to end! What a book! Highly recommend to readers who will follow the complex development of the story.

It's a funny thing, unlike many reviewers, I enjoyed this book much more than Kay's other work. Aside from 'Lions' and 'Sailing' I honestly havent been able to finish his novels and I've tried them all. So I was quite surprised by this one; it's one of my recent favorites right up there with Barnitz's 'Deepest Sea' and some others you can see on my List.

Guy Gavriel Kay seems to have found himself a niche writing stories which take place in a slightly altered time and location in earths history and twisting them by the introduction of a minor fantasy/magical element. In the case of Last Light of the Sun, the setting for Kays tale is Britain in the time of Alfred the Great and includes protagonists from the Anglo Saxon, Celtic and Viking cultures which were dominate and interacting at this time. This tale revolves around the tale of a celtic prince mourning the death of his brother, a Viking father and son who are left homeless following an act of rashness who both must seek their fortune raiding and the Saxon royal family who are seeking to reestablish security and civilization within their borders. Although not obvious at the start the fate of all of these characters are ultimately linked, culminating in a confrontation both in the real world and the fairy realms.

Again Kay's greatest attribute as a fantasy writer is not his imagination in creating worlds or plots but in his characterization which allows him to create a large cast of characters who are well drawn and ultimately human.

I'm a big sci-fi and fantasy fan, and have never read what I have to call historical fantasy, until this book. Kay takes a world that closely matches early medieval northern Europe and populates with peoples resembling the Anglo-Saxons, the Celts, and the Vikings. He adds a touch of fantasy though, just to give it all a twist. The faintest touch of fantasy that leaves you yearning for more.

His characters are earnest, people you identify with. His gentle pace weaves the plots and characters together in a comfortable fashion. I highly recommend this novel to those who enjoy fantasy as well as those who appreciate medieval European history.