[ 
Mood: Happy ]
Guy Gavriel Kay is one of the best fantasy authors Canada has . He has won the World Fantasy Award and has twice won the Aurora Award. His works have been translated into dozens of langauges and he has legions of fans. Yet he would not call himself a fantasy author. He instead is one of those (like Margaret Atwood – interesting enough, also Canadian) that doesn’t like to have their work classified.
His latest novel, Under Heaven (which I mentioned in the 2010 Book Podcast – plug), is a rich story that Kay has built after years of reading about Tang Dynasty China. It tells the story of Shen Tai, the second son of a late, great general who decides he is going to spend the two and a half year morning period burying the bones of the dead from his father’s greatest battle. Unable, and unwilling, to distinguish between the bones of the Taguran enemy and those of his own people, the Kitan, Shen Tai buries them all during the day. The night belongs to the ghosts of those yet unburied.
This act of mourning and respect brings Shen Tai to the attention of both nations, so much so that the Kitan princess who was given in marriage to the Taguran emperor to seal the peace treaty gives him the gift of 250 Sardian horses. Ten of these horses would make you a very wealthy man. Two hundred and fifty make you a threat to anyone in power.
On the heels of this gift comes another shock. Someone has sent an assassin to kill him. Is it because of the horses, or is something else going on? Shen Tai must figure out who is trying to kill him and why while he figures out what to do with the horses.
Now, dear reader, don’t panic that this sounds too much like a Tom Cruise or Bruce Willis action vehicle. <melodramatic voiceover>Can Shen Tai make to the Emperor before he too joins the dead? </melodramatic voiceover>. As mentioned before, Kay is already one of Canada’s most respected fantasy authors. In his hands this becomes an engrossing read that you want to savour. Kay’s storytelling and character creation are second to none, further proving why he is so beloved. Based on actual events that occurred during the Tang Dynasty in China, Kay has added just enough fantastical elements as well as tweaking the world building so that he creates a world that is like ours, but not ours.
This is so worth getting. Do yourself a favour and enjoy.