Children of Earth and Sky in SpecFic Buddy Reads

Mar 22, 2016 Lyn rated it liked it

This is the first book I have read from Canadian writer Guy Gavriel Kay and reviews about the quality and originality of his work is earned.

Children of Earth and Sky, his 2016 novel, is set as so many of his works in a fantastic world but one not far removed from our own. This seems like an alternative history Europe, perhaps Middle Ages eastern Mediterranean. The fantasy is minimalistic and oblique, the real magic here is Kay’s inspired writing and his disciplined imagination.

Kay’s skilled worl ...more

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Sep 19, 2019 Bradley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2019-shelf, fantasy

I'm just going to have to place Guy Gavriel Kay's books into a shelf of their own. A genre of their own. I mean, sure, there are certain authors that have come close, such as some of Umberto Eco or Kim Stanley Robinson, but Kay's writing just plops us down into what, by all apparent aspects, seems to be our Rennaisance Europe or something very, very close.

All names and a lot of history is altered but to any normal comparison, we're dealing with the Ottoman Empire and Christians. Italy! A regular ...more

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Jun 01, 2016 Emma rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fantasy

This was going to be 3.5 stars but I liked the ending so it scrapes a 4. I like Guy Gavriel Kay, I do, but I find his books misleading. They are not really fantasy at all, just historical settings, admittedly well written, renamed. I always seem to expect something a little more than I actually get from them. That is not to say, of course, that that means there isn't more to get, just that I don't !
I really liked the multiple points of view of the same events.
I didn't really feel that invested i ...more

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May 15, 2016 Ctgt rated it it was amazing

Eternity is too long for us. It is not a scale for men and women. We live by different, smaller measures, but there are stories we tell....

Just so you know, I love the books of Guy Gavriel Kay. It's one of those things that is difficult to explain. His ability to evoke feelings in me is unequaled by any current author. His writing style seems to flow off the page and reach right down in to my soul. There are very few characters I have cared about with the same depth as those that are brought to ...more

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Jan 02, 2017 Suzanne rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, audio

Guy Gavriel Kay always feels so epic to me. I think it is his way of putting humans into the larger tapestry. This book jumps between characters and even between times - looking at big events from different angles and the effect of small actions. I listened, and Simon Vance is a great narrator for this - I think he gave it just the right feel.

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Jan 07, 2017 Jackie rated it really liked it

Shelves: e-books, 2017-read

First book finished of 2017 and first review of the year. Wahooo! Never mind that this beastie of a book is actually a carry over from 2016. The fact that I finished it feels like an accomplishment.

Let me start by saying, it’s been a while since I’ve read an epic (historical) fantasy. I’m not sure if it was my rustiness, but the first chapter was a bit rough for me. I felt completely overwhelmed by the map, the cast of characters, the names and the amount of information thrown at me. Every time First book finished of 2017 and first review of the year. Wahooo! Never mind that this beastie of a book is actually a carry over from 2016. The fact that I finished it feels like an accomplishment.

Let me start by saying, it’s been a while since I’ve read an epic (historical) fantasy. I’m not sure if it was my rustiness, but the first chapter was a bit rough for me. I felt completely overwhelmed by the map, the cast of characters, the names and the amount of information thrown at me. Every time a new land was mentioned I would flip back to the map. For someone without any sense of direction it became rather tedious. Finally, I mentally slapped myself and stopped worrying about where I was and who was who and just started reading and taking it in, until I finally hit a rhythm and started enjoying the story.

As mentioned in other reviews, there is a large cast of characters, which I think is just typical with Kay’s books. The only comparison I have is The Lions of Al-Rassan, which was epic in its own right. I absolutely adored Lions and I was hoping for the same amount of adoration, but unfortunately it’s not meant to be. Despite the large cast, I had no connection to any of the characters. I liked all the characters well enough, even the villains, but none of them stood out. The multiple point of views were interesting, particularly when there were multiple POVs of the same event, but even this writing technique became a bit repetitive after a while.

I highlighted this quote:
“Eternity is too long for us. It is not a scale for men and women. We live by different smaller measures, but there are stories we tell…”
I think this book is just that…a bunch of character stories strung together through happenstance. Some parts are thought provoking and Kay’s writing is beautiful, but overall it lacked connection for me.

As a side note, there are quite a bit of references to the fall of Sarantium. I was told that the only connection was a certain mosaic, however, I felt like I missed something by not reading The Sarantine Mosaic series. I almost feel like maybe I would’ve had a greater appreciation for this book had I read that series first. I’ll never know now, but I do hope to get to the series at some point. ...more

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Jul 31, 2016 Denise rated it really liked it

Richly drawn characters and dreamlike atmosphere, as well as interesting parallels to our world history. Story is slow, however, and I struggled to keep with the audiobook. It wasn't the narrator (he was brilliant) but each changing POV, while an interesting peak into the character's mind, was so repetitive. ...more

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Jan 26, 2018 Philip rated it it was ok

Shelves: historical-fiction, fantasy, 2016-releases, high-fantasy, author-man

2.25ish stars.

Mature, grown-up, historical epic fantasy-ish. If you're into that. I was in the middle of a reading slump when I read this, so my rating may reflect that, in part. I needed a popcorn read and this is far from that. I should give it another chance when I have the patience to savor and appreciate it. Honestly, I thought it was beautifully written, very classy, detailed, well researched, and sensitive as well as never-ending and extraordinarily boring. Feel free to disregard my ratin ...more

2 likes · Like · see review