Under Heaven

Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I'm a long-time Guy Gavriel Kay fan because I enjoy his fantasy-historical worlds, which he bases on detailed historical research. Under Heaven takes place in the fictional Kitai, based on the Chinese Empire under the Tang Dynasty (8th Century).

The main character, Shen Tai, is caught up against his will in the conspiracies and treachery of the Emperor's court. There is lots of romance and random mayhem, along with ghosts and powerful shamans. It's a historical thriller, with some fantasy thrown in.

It's a fun read, although I almost didn't make it through. The first 100 or so pages were not very compelling, and I found it hard to care about what was happening to the main character. Still, I'm glad I kept going because I finally got swept up in the story and read until late into the night.

I do have one pet peeve about GG Kay. He likes to enhance the suspense by taking you to the climax of a scene, and then leaving you hanging. For example, a character could be reading a letter, and you are told that with this letter his life will never be the same. Yet you don't find out why for another 5 or 10 pages. Aargh!

It's annoying, but I'm willing to forgive him, because hit books are such fun.

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