Tigana

I don't know what exactly what about this book moves me so deeply, but I love it. Classic fantasy grounded in historical analogue and colored in with deep, rich emotions of loss and love and revenge and redemption.

4.5*

A total masterpiece! The story is bittersweet, the writing is smooth, and the villain is so memorable and easy to sympathize with. I low-key wish it was a series, but even as a standalone, it packed such a punch. I'm emotionally drained, in the best way possible. Definitely going on my list of all-time favorites!

I also really appreciate how the author left certain things open and vague, making the book thought-provoking. The epilogue will definitely haunt me.

beauitful prose, good story, but unfortunately laden with problematic elements that would stop me from recommending this to anyone

Overall a good read. If you like high fantasy, you should give it a try. It is a slow paced book but the word building and prose are excellent.

I know that people love this book, but I did not. At too many points in the book, I was confused about what was happening. There are too many characters, most of whom have no depth. As for the plot, things just kinda happen, especially with the gratuitous sex scenes. The reviews that I've read praise the book's exploration of “identity” and “memory”. As far as I can tell, the characters only cared about the name of their destroyed kingdom and the fact that magic prevents them from uttering it. Is that identity? Memory? There is nothing contentful in the book about the kingdom's culture or people—the things that one might want to save or preserve. I had to force myself to finish it.

This book lives and breathes with the quality of the writing and with Dianora. Devin's a wet blanket.

More thoughts to come.

Review incoming because this is such a dense book I need extra time to crystallize my thoughts.

This is the first book of Kay's that I didn't enjoy. I finished it more out of a sense of duty than anything else, but it didn't satisfy me. I never felt I connected to the characters or understood why I should care deeply about them. I rarely feel Kay's (usually relatively explicit) sex scenes are gratuitous, but I felt the ones in this book were. The most gratuitous was an unexpected and totally unnecessary scene of inexplicable incest between Baerd and his sister Dianora. I guess it was meant to underline the brutality and trauma of the war and occupation of Tigana, but that could have been - and was! - communicated by other means.

While I'm all for complicated and morally ambiguous characters, I just plain didn't like many of Tigana's. I felt a lot of the character development was told rather than shown, and I didn't feel invested in the characters' personal growth.

I've read nine other Kay novels, and read A Brightness Long Ago immediately prior to this. If there's anything that Tigana underscored for me, it was how much Kay has grown as a writer, especially where nuanced and, well, humanist depiction of female characters is concerned. Kay in 1990 was a very different writer than Kay in 2020 - and it's almost shocking how much he has improved in his writing (and inclusion) of female characters. This is both a compliment to his more recent work, and an indictment of it in the case of Tigana.

Edit [12/27/2020]: Also, there was bizarre and unnecessary ~Magical Blackface~. This wouldn't have been ok back in 1990, but it's especially galling to see it in 2020. There was absolutely no need for it. There were characters who could have been black to begin with, including the guy who ended up being in magical blackface, and there are innumerable other ways for the character in question to have disguised himself. My guess is this was an attempt to provide a better, richer sense of the diversity of the world of the book (i.e., it is multiracial/the people of this world have diverse appearances), but it failed utterly, because putting someone in the costume of another culture does not count as representation of that culture. It didn't succeed in its goal, and it's an incredibly bad look in 2020. The depiction of multiculturalism in general was uneven, and like its treatment of gender and female characters, the book failed on this front.

One hour in and I can't tell, but most importantly, really don't care what's happening. Didn't care for the writing or the (lack of) story.

Too bad as I love Simon Vance as a narrator.

Read 01:36/24:49 6%

4.25 out of 5 stars

Two sorcerous lords battle for control of the territory they occupy, while the original inhabitants of the land attempt to win back control from their occupiers and reclaim Tigana, their (literally) forgotten homeland. Tigana explores imperialism, occupation, and memory through a fantasy lens and does so in an effective and thoughtful way.

This is a wonderful book — an engaging, beautifully told tale, with well-drawn characters and clever storytelling. The first 100 pages were superb, then it spins its wheels for a few hundred pages, before finishing with a flourish. It all felt worthwhile in the end and I am grateful for the reading experience.

See this review and others at The Speculative Shelf.

I don't think epic/high fantasy is for me, I thought, shortly after starting Tigana. I was so confused. There were so many characters and multiple locations and timelines. I kept at it, though, and what I realised is that reading this book was like making a new friend. In the beginning, a lot of their life experiences make no sense because I have no context. Over time, I'm able to fit all the little bits ‘n' bobs into a whole that gives me a better understanding of and closer relationship to that person.

A lifetime of experience was squashed into this dense, emotional novel. It is beautifully written and most of the story is told very well. I couldn't get into the sections about Alberico; they were boring. The ending wasn't entirely satisfying. I like things wrapped up neatly at the end, and it bothered me greatly that Scelto defied Dianora and didn't tell the prince the truth about his father. It bothered me also that after half a lifetime of yearning, brother and sister were not only not united, but that Baerd missed Dianora by mere moments and never discovered the truth of the choices she made and all that she sacrificed.

This is the first book I have read by the author and he has come highly recommended. I found this to be a solid read with interesting characters, well developed plot and sub-plots and detailed world building. In spite of the positives, I did find this chunky book (my paperback version is just over 800 pages) slow at times and wishing that the story would move along more quickly. Recommended for fantasy lovers who don't mind putting in the effort to read a long, satisfying book. I look forward to reading more of his books.

"Un hombre ve a la riselka: su vida ha de cambiar.”

Imprescindible para los amantes de la fantasía o una buena lectura. La historia la vemos principalmente a través de Devin y un grupo de músicos, que tienen un plan al que Devin se une y nos enteramos con él del fin que persiguen y el destino que corrió 20 años atrás el pueblo al que pertenecen. Durante estos últimos años gracias a una maldición, la provincia a la que pertenecen ha quedado borrada de la historia y solo los nativos pueden recordar.

En varias partes de la historia he sentido un nudo en la garganta, se siente esa nostalgia por lo que se ha perdido, que normalmente se siente cuando matan a un personaje que te gusta; cuando algunos amantes no pueden estar juntos; cuando has terminado con el último libro de una serie y te das cuenta que George R. R. Martin tardará quien sabe cuántos años en sacar el siguiente.

No es un libro lleno de acción, es mas sobre personajes y sus acciones. Son personajes bastante apasionados, los buenos no siempre son tan buenos y los malos tienen también su lado humano. Personajes que luchan por un fin, por algo mayor que ellos, en lo que creen profundamente y los lleva a hacer actos para conseguir lo que buscan; pero estos tienen consecuencias. No es matar, cortar cabezas y nos vamos a tomar unas cervezas después. Hay consecuencias y los afectan, asi como a las personas alrededor.

Me gusta como se ve el desarrollo y evolución de las relaciones, se conocen, se respetan y se llegan a querer al final.

“Quiero que el tiempo se detenga –estaba pensando Dianora mientras trataba en vano de enjugarse las lágrimas que le impedían ver a Brandin–. No quiero abandonar jamás esta habitación. Quiero oír una y otra vez esas palabras, siempre, hasta que muera.”“... Elegí con entera libertad en el bosque de los Sandreni, el pasado otoño. No te sientas responsable por mí.-En cierto modo lo soy.-No en el aspecto que ahora importa. Fui yo quien eligió.-¿Acaso la amistad no importa?”“¡Ojalá la Triada permita que algún día cabalgues toda una noche sin otra causa que tu propia voluntad!”“Siempre decimos con un gesto, con una mirada, lo que no nos atrevemos a decir con palabras.”

“–Te pido humildemente perdón –dijo con exagerado tono de burla–. No dejes de hacerme saber cuándo estarás de humor para discusiones. Admite que para mí es una cuestión de vital importancia.”

Es un libro que creo apreciaré más con el tiempo, y que seguro releeré.

“Yo siempre he necesitado tener la certeza de que lo que hago tiene importancia, aqui y ahora.”

Executive Summary: An enjoyable stand-alone fantasy book that is a little uneven in places but really brings shades of gray to the characters and the story.Audio book: Simon Vance seems like the perfect reader for this book. I first encountered him as part of the great ensemble readers for [b:Dune 234225 Dune (Dune Chronicles, #1) Frank Herbert https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1349105964s/234225.jpg 3634639]. I don't recall any particular voices of note, however. He does do Scottish accents for folks from “The Highlands”. Overall I think he does an excellent job that is a good fit for the tone of the story.Full ReviewThis book is a case study in shades of grey. It came out in 1990, 6 years before [b:A Game of Thrones 13496 A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1) George R.R. Martin https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1369520317s/13496.jpg 1466917] and 9 years before [b:Gardens of the Moon 55399 Gardens of the Moon (The Malazan Book of the Fallen, #1) Steven Erikson https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1355144064s/55399.jpg 2646042] which are the oldest fantasy fiction that I've read that do an excellent job of this. There are probably others I'm just not aware of, but both of those titles are what came to mind for me.Perspective is everything. Good and Bad are subjective. The guy who looks bad in chapter 1 may look less so when you see things from him point of view, or of that of someone near him.While this book doesn't go quite to the extremes of the previously mentioned novels it does add a lot of depth and complexity to its characters simply by letting you see them from different perspectives. Is revenge justified for horrible acts? Is achieving that revenge for your family and your home worth any cost? What's in a name? How important is it for history to remember the names and people who came before? These are just some of the questions posed in this book.There is a lot of depth here that made this an enjoyable read for me. The language is very flowery though, and that may be a turn off to some readers. It's also a little slow in places. Part two was a struggle for me, and pretty much ruined any shot this book had at 5 stars which all but like 1 or 2 of my friends seemed to have given this book. That's a lot of hype to live up to.While I don't seem to share their same sense of love for this book, it has one thing that is hard to find these days. It's a stand alone novel. In a world overrun with sequels and long fantasy series, over 20 years later and this book still stands alone.Now the ending is open enough to allow for a sequel, but I still found it satisfying and I'm not about to start/join a petition for the author to write another book. Some things are best left alone.Overall, this was an enjoyable read and one that I think is well suited to group reads as there is much worth discussing.

Tremendous. The author combines very real themes of conflict, morality, and struggle with “escapist fantasy”. A new favorite of the genre.

Wow! A heartbreaking work that could have been twice as long, if I had a say in it. Sure, the style may not be for everyone but if you enjoy Robin Hobb, you'll probably like this as well. The idea is unique, the characters engaging and the ending gets to a whole new level. I am stunned and in love and can't wait to get my hands on more Guy Gavriel Kay!
Full review at: http://sffbookreview.wordpress.com/2012/06/30/guy-gavriel-kay-tigana/

Tigana starts awkwardly by introducing characters, then abruptly changing the scene to introduce more people before the reader has time to form an attachment to the original characters. This happens several times. Throughout the book there are abrupt changes in the story thread. With no warning, a paragraph will completely change to a different thread of the story, with no indication that the reader is now standing in another part of the world, and surrounded by different people. Many times, I would reach the middle of a paragraph - and suddenly realize that the pronouns were referring to different people than were in the previous paragraph.

Characters were sometimes lovable, sometime despicable - no real heroes or villains. The story had many twists and left many unresolved questions. While I enjoyed the story, and can even appreciate that some story lines aren't finished, I'm glad that there isn't a second book. I just don't love the world of Tigana enough to follow any further.

Whoo, finally finished. I promise a full review later.

I'll be honest I didn't think I was going to like this book much when I first started reading it. The descriptions of Devin and his singing group left me uninspired. I felt like I was looking at yet another fantasy world of magic and towers and bards and despots without much new.

Then the hunting lodge. And it all turned.

The themes of identity and country and suppression played on many things I've studied or thought about and I loved the depth in which Kay treated them within his otherwise familiar fantasy world. Yes, his prose can tend towards the flowery, but I have no issue with that. To my ear it's good flowery prose. If your tastes don't run that way, it may bug you, but it's not overdone in my opinion.

And the characters are bright and believable and rich. Score one for the Sword side of genre fiction.

A fantastic fantasy novel.

I have to admit, I'm not sure I saw much ground broken here, and it used many typical fantasy tropes, but on the other hand, it was very well written, and seemed to have an interesting history, without being overwhelming. Many fantasy novels tend to have long history sections that nearly put me to sleep, but this story did not do that.

The characters were fun and felt like they had many layers to them. It seemed like they agonized over every difficult decision in a way that did not seem forced, but felt very real.

My only complaint has nothing to do with the story itself, but the fact that I had to go out and buy a physical copy of the novel :). There is no US Kindle version, and my local library did not have a copy. I hope to donate my copy to them, so others can find this wonderful book.

I loved this book so very very very much until the epilogue. I thought it was a fantastic character exploration and was pleasantly surprised to not be able to find a true hero or villain in the piece. Every character is masterfully well-rounded and motivated by many opposing factors. The theme on the power of pride and how people let it shape them for good or evil resonated very deeply within me. After slogging through “A Song of Ice and Fire,” this was refreshing fantasy. It has a fast pace and remains real without getting as graphic as ASoIaF.


Then I got to the very last sentence and about threw the book across the room. My book club specifically picked this because it was a stand alone novel without a sequel after the last two books caused frustrating time sinks for people without much reading time. That means that unless Mr. Kay has a change of heart (and he wrote this book over 20 years ago), we the audience are left with this awful pit in our stomachs. My advice, read the book, stop at the epilogue.

Not a bad book for a classic ‘Fantasy' type but I found it a bit wordy in places and I was not emotionally invested in the characters. The ending was a bit unsatisfying.

Interesting concept, but really slow moving. Spent most of the book bored. Ending was decent ... but still not worth it.

This was a tough one for me because there are parts of this book that I really, really liked. There were moments that were beauitful, characters I liked and a plot line that was facinating. BUT. I don't even know how to explain how frustrated I am with this book. Part 1 got me, I was hooked, so excited to really get to know the characters understand them, move on with them and then part 2 comes and it is someone else, retelling parts of the story I already know adding details that frankly I didn't care to know (and it wasn't just because it was incest more to the fact that it was random and as far as I could tell from reading the whole book pointless). Yet, I could understand Dianora's pain, her frustration with herself, her magnetic draw to a person she was supposed to hate. But part 3,4,5. Nothing grabbed me. I got to the end and I was SUPER angry about the twist (or at least one of the twists) I didn't like a lot of what happened in the end. I will say no more because I don't want to hide for spoilers. Anyway, there are many who love this book. I am just not one of them.