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A Brightness Long Ago
From the internationally bestselling author of
Tigana
and
The Lions of Al-Rassan
comes a masterful new novel set in a vivid world evoking early Renaissance Italy and offering an extraordinary cast of characters whose lives come together through destiny, love, and ambition.
In a chamber overlooking the nighttime waterways of a maritime city, a man recalls his youth and the people who shaped his life. Danio Cerra's intelligence won him entry to a renowned school even though he was only the son of a tailor. He took service at the court of a count--and soon learned why that man was known as the Beast.
Danio's fate changed the moment he recognized Adria Ripoli as she entered the Beast's chambers one autumn night, intending to kill. Born to power, Adria had chosen, instead of a life of comfort, one of danger--and freedom. Which is how she encounters Danio in a perilous time and place.
Unforgettable figures share the unfolding story. Among them: a healer determined to defy her expected lot; a charming, frivolous son of immense wealth; a powerful religious leader more decadent than devout; and, affecting all these lives and many more, two larger-than-life mercenary commanders, lifelong adversaries, whose rivalry puts a world in the balance.
A Brightness Long Ago offers both compelling drama and deeply moving reflections on the nature of memory, the choices we make in life, and the role played by the turning of Fortune's wheel.
In a chamber overlooking the nighttime waterways of a maritime city, a man recalls his youth and the people who shaped his life. Danio Cerra's intelligence won him entry to a renowned school even though he was only the son of a tailor. He took service at the court of a count--and soon learned why that man was known as the Beast.
Danio's fate changed the moment he recognized Adria Ripoli as she entered the Beast's chambers one autumn night, intending to kill. Born to power, Adria had chosen, instead of a life of comfort, one of danger--and freedom. Which is how she encounters Danio in a perilous time and place.
Unforgettable figures share the unfolding story. Among them: a healer determined to defy her expected lot; a charming, frivolous son of immense wealth; a powerful religious leader more decadent than devout; and, affecting all these lives and many more, two larger-than-life mercenary commanders, lifelong adversaries, whose rivalry puts a world in the balance.
A Brightness Long Ago offers both compelling drama and deeply moving reflections on the nature of memory, the choices we make in life, and the role played by the turning of Fortune's wheel.
448 pages, Hardcover
First published May 14, 2019
692 people are currently reading
20280 people want to read
About the author
Guy Gavriel Kay
40books8,914followersGuy Gavriel Kay is a Canadian author of fantasy fiction. Many of his novels are set in fictional realms that resemble real places during real historical periods, such as Constantinople during the reign of Justinian I or Spain during the time of El Cid. Those works are published and marketed as historical fantasy, though the author himself has expressed a preference to shy away from genre categorization when possible.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,152 reviews
April 9, 2019
This will be longer than my usual review because I have a lot to say. And I will attempt not to do spoilers.
First of all, this book comes out in May. I received a free advance copy. I don't think that affects my review. I virtually know Guy Gavriel Kay and hope to someday play cribbage with him.
So, to start with, in the intro in the ARC, Kay observes that our brightest and most lasting memories are usually from our late teens and early twenties. Which sent me to research that right away. If you know my books, you know I have a fascination with memory, and with information stored in our brains and yes, in our blood. So the articles on memory that I read supported what Kay said, and I plunged enthusiastically into the story.
Fantasy is a genre that is a huge umbrella. In my opinion, fantasy is the umbrella that covers all fiction. In this case, this fantasy is set in a world somewhat like Italy, with characters somewhat like historical persons in a time rather like the Renaissance. If you love those times, it will add to your enjoyment of the book. If you knowledge of that place and time is limited or non-existent, don't worry. It doesn't matter.
This is a book about people. The fantasy element is a subtle flavoring, as in a delightful cake where you can't quite identify what you are tasting, but you enjoy it. Some of the people you will meet may seem trivial to the plot. "Why are you telling us about this shoemaker?"
Because Kay knows that, at heart, we are all little people in the greater story we live in. Even the most puffed up and important of us will be a tiny note in history, a few hundred years from now. Yet each of us (as my Fool would remind us all) changes the world every day. So it is with these characters. Painted vividly, these characters are each the main characters in their own stories. Each of them diverts the sequence of events into a slightly different track. Chance encounters become fate.
Of these characters, Guidanio is arguably the most important. He is our guide to that brightness long ago, although he is not always the speaker in the tale. Like the bits of glass in a kaleidoscope, each character shakes the tube, and we see the brightness shine through their opinion of what really happened. Events turn and spin as we regard them from multiple angles.
And finally, my favorite pages in the ARC are 240-243. I don't know if the pages will have the same numbering in the final hardback, but I suspect most of you will know what I loved when you encounter it.
If you've been reading Guy Gavriel Kay for years, then this book will bring an added richness to that experience. IF this if your first book by Kay, don't hesitate to dive into the tale at this point. You will not feel confused nor excluded from the larger story lines that others will see.
First of all, this book comes out in May. I received a free advance copy. I don't think that affects my review. I virtually know Guy Gavriel Kay and hope to someday play cribbage with him.
So, to start with, in the intro in the ARC, Kay observes that our brightest and most lasting memories are usually from our late teens and early twenties. Which sent me to research that right away. If you know my books, you know I have a fascination with memory, and with information stored in our brains and yes, in our blood. So the articles on memory that I read supported what Kay said, and I plunged enthusiastically into the story.
Fantasy is a genre that is a huge umbrella. In my opinion, fantasy is the umbrella that covers all fiction. In this case, this fantasy is set in a world somewhat like Italy, with characters somewhat like historical persons in a time rather like the Renaissance. If you love those times, it will add to your enjoyment of the book. If you knowledge of that place and time is limited or non-existent, don't worry. It doesn't matter.
This is a book about people. The fantasy element is a subtle flavoring, as in a delightful cake where you can't quite identify what you are tasting, but you enjoy it. Some of the people you will meet may seem trivial to the plot. "Why are you telling us about this shoemaker?"
Because Kay knows that, at heart, we are all little people in the greater story we live in. Even the most puffed up and important of us will be a tiny note in history, a few hundred years from now. Yet each of us (as my Fool would remind us all) changes the world every day. So it is with these characters. Painted vividly, these characters are each the main characters in their own stories. Each of them diverts the sequence of events into a slightly different track. Chance encounters become fate.
Of these characters, Guidanio is arguably the most important. He is our guide to that brightness long ago, although he is not always the speaker in the tale. Like the bits of glass in a kaleidoscope, each character shakes the tube, and we see the brightness shine through their opinion of what really happened. Events turn and spin as we regard them from multiple angles.
And finally, my favorite pages in the ARC are 240-243. I don't know if the pages will have the same numbering in the final hardback, but I suspect most of you will know what I loved when you encounter it.
If you've been reading Guy Gavriel Kay for years, then this book will bring an added richness to that experience. IF this if your first book by Kay, don't hesitate to dive into the tale at this point. You will not feel confused nor excluded from the larger story lines that others will see.
August 23, 2022
A Brightness Long Ago is hard to classify. It's not entirely fantasy, nor is it exactly historical fiction. Guy Gavriel Kay has crafted something simultaneously both and other than, something utterly audacious. In this novel, Gay tells small, delicate, fervent human stories about people whose significance in any other book would have been minimal. He calls these stories from the margins and gives them a center in which they can breathe. And I absolutely loved it.
**
A Brightness Long Ago breezes by at a leisurely pace, the novel taking its sweet time to get to the good stuff. The unhurried pacing might be frustrating for readers who prefer propulsive plots, but where the novel lags, the writing more than makes up for it. Gay's prose is exquisite, yet never extravagant; the kind of potent poetic writing that you hardly notice for how effortlessly it flows across the page. Kay is also very skilled at conveying place and people, and while the reader is only privy to the small corners, distant and blurred, that the author introduces us to through his characters, the sheer amount of history, the sheer sense of scope—is deeply felt. Kay's depiction of Batiara, his analogue of Renaissance-era Italy, is beautiful, and the way he embroils his characters within its sweeping, staggering, and brutal political realities kept me on the edge of my seat. It also left me very excited to read more of Kay's books just to catch more glimpses of his world.
A Brightness Long Ago is, in many senses, a statement about how heroes don't always fit our definition, nor should they, and that's what sung to me the most. The characters of A Brightness Long Ago will not be arrayed in glory, their images will not be painted on the walls of great houses, and their names will not be enshrined in history. They will not be extoled for what they’ve done, nor will they be cursed either, because no one will remember their courage or their tenacity or their humility and the last vestiges of their lives will simply be swept from the floor with the dust and the lint. But their stories, the novel insists, are just as worthy of being told.
All in all, A Brightness Long Ago is a very rewarding read; I was not only riveted by the novel's genre-bending structure, but as well by its boldness in telling the necessary stories of those who, even when they are brave, their experiences important, are often relegated to the sidelines and the shadowlands.
**
A Brightness Long Ago breezes by at a leisurely pace, the novel taking its sweet time to get to the good stuff. The unhurried pacing might be frustrating for readers who prefer propulsive plots, but where the novel lags, the writing more than makes up for it. Gay's prose is exquisite, yet never extravagant; the kind of potent poetic writing that you hardly notice for how effortlessly it flows across the page. Kay is also very skilled at conveying place and people, and while the reader is only privy to the small corners, distant and blurred, that the author introduces us to through his characters, the sheer amount of history, the sheer sense of scope—is deeply felt. Kay's depiction of Batiara, his analogue of Renaissance-era Italy, is beautiful, and the way he embroils his characters within its sweeping, staggering, and brutal political realities kept me on the edge of my seat. It also left me very excited to read more of Kay's books just to catch more glimpses of his world.
A Brightness Long Ago is, in many senses, a statement about how heroes don't always fit our definition, nor should they, and that's what sung to me the most. The characters of A Brightness Long Ago will not be arrayed in glory, their images will not be painted on the walls of great houses, and their names will not be enshrined in history. They will not be extoled for what they’ve done, nor will they be cursed either, because no one will remember their courage or their tenacity or their humility and the last vestiges of their lives will simply be swept from the floor with the dust and the lint. But their stories, the novel insists, are just as worthy of being told.
All in all, A Brightness Long Ago is a very rewarding read; I was not only riveted by the novel's genre-bending structure, but as well by its boldness in telling the necessary stories of those who, even when they are brave, their experiences important, are often relegated to the sidelines and the shadowlands.
April 15, 2019
Extraordinarily profound, complex, lyrical and moving storytelling that deserves far more than the five stars I am able to award it. I have never read Guy Gavriel Kay before, so this was my first read, a historical fantasy, where the term fantasy is misleading because it is deployed to throw the most brightest and insightful of spotlights on the complexity of history and the chaotic reality of the contemporary world we live in. It mulls over the nature of power and memory, of how the future is shaped and turned by choices and decisions by repercussions that are unforseen, where the tiniest and the most apparently insignificant and minor person, and their interactions, play their part. The author gives us a multilayered story of what at first appear to be a disparate set of characters and their lives that emerge to give us shifting perspectives with an interlinked and overlapping web of connections, in this story of love, ambition, the rise and fall of influential characters, human impulses and fate.
This is set in Batiara, a version of Italy in the early Renaissance, evoked through a richly textured, subtle and delicate world building. The novel opens on a explosive note, Danio Cerra is now an old man, reflecting on his memories of his earlier youth in the most turbulent of times. Danio was a tailor's son whose intelligence secured him entry to a school of privilege and mixing in circles that would ordinarily be out of reach for those of his social status, and which is to place him in a powerfully dangerous milieu. This leads him to the court of the Count, the beast, and his fateful encounter with the feisty and noble Adria Ripoli, on the verge of assassinating the beast. Adria challenges her role and expectations of her to live and do what she wants to do. He comes to find himself in close contact with Teobaldo Monticola and Folco Cino, intense rivals and mercenary commanders. Vibrant pictures of minor and fringe characters, such as that of Jelena, the healer, have their own unexpected importance.
Gabriel Gavriel Kay's epic and expert storytelling makes the kind of impact that left me admiring his considerable talents as a writer. He is astute and remarkable, compassionate in his humanity in capturing an era and a place, with insights that can be applied to our world today. He spins a thought provoking tale that is more than the sum of its parts, creating an enthralling, compelling and charismatic set of characters, the important, yes, but the greater focus on the more marginal people, that cannot fail to capture the reader's interest. This made for an indelible, exhilarating and memorable reading experience which I recommend highly to those looking for something different with depth. Many thanks to Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC.
This is set in Batiara, a version of Italy in the early Renaissance, evoked through a richly textured, subtle and delicate world building. The novel opens on a explosive note, Danio Cerra is now an old man, reflecting on his memories of his earlier youth in the most turbulent of times. Danio was a tailor's son whose intelligence secured him entry to a school of privilege and mixing in circles that would ordinarily be out of reach for those of his social status, and which is to place him in a powerfully dangerous milieu. This leads him to the court of the Count, the beast, and his fateful encounter with the feisty and noble Adria Ripoli, on the verge of assassinating the beast. Adria challenges her role and expectations of her to live and do what she wants to do. He comes to find himself in close contact with Teobaldo Monticola and Folco Cino, intense rivals and mercenary commanders. Vibrant pictures of minor and fringe characters, such as that of Jelena, the healer, have their own unexpected importance.
Gabriel Gavriel Kay's epic and expert storytelling makes the kind of impact that left me admiring his considerable talents as a writer. He is astute and remarkable, compassionate in his humanity in capturing an era and a place, with insights that can be applied to our world today. He spins a thought provoking tale that is more than the sum of its parts, creating an enthralling, compelling and charismatic set of characters, the important, yes, but the greater focus on the more marginal people, that cannot fail to capture the reader's interest. This made for an indelible, exhilarating and memorable reading experience which I recommend highly to those looking for something different with depth. Many thanks to Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC.
July 15, 2022
Update: July 2022 reread for my IRL book club. I'm in charge of leading the discussion in a few hours. Wish me luck! Oh yeah, still a 5-star book.
Original review: Amazing book! This is really an excellent historical novel, with just a trace of fantasy. If you haven't read one of GGK's recent novels, you owe it to yourself to give him a try. Review first posted on :
Guy Gavriel Kay writes magical books. Not magic in the sense of mighty wizards and spellcasting with unicorn-hair wands and cauldrons bubbling with potions best not tasted. The magic in Kay’s novels is a more elusive thing. He takes a plot and cast of characters, ones that would be interesting enough even in the hands of lesser authors, and turns them into something extraordinary through his lyrical and profoundly thoughtful storytelling, his insights into human character and motivations, and his musings on life and its meaning.
Danio, who narrates most of the tale as the reminiscing of an older man, is chosen to receive an education with the children of nobility because of his intelligence and quickness, raising him far above his humble beginnings. After finishing his schooling he obtains a position in the palace of Count Uberto, known as “the Beast� for his violent and even murderous sexual proclivities.
A Brightness Long Ago follows Danio and Adria, Folco and Teobaldo, and others through the next year or two, as their lives touch and separate and then interweave again. Adria is a particularly bright spark, a spirited and courageous young woman who is doing her best to live a life outside of the normal restrictions on noblewomen, though she knows the freedom she’s found can only be for a limited time. Doors of opportunity open and then close. Her participation in a particularly unusual horse race in Bischio is a high point in the story, where multi-layered plans and schemes of various characters collide in a truly spectacular way.
In his narration, Danio frequently comments on “the random spinning of fortune’s wheel� and how chance occurrences can affect the entire direction of our lives. Our lives aren’t always in our control. But he realizes that personal choices have an equal impact on the path of our lives.
I received a free copy of this novel for review from the publisher through NetGalley. Thank you so much!
Content notes: A few scattered F-bombs; a mildly explicit sex scene; attempted sexual assault.
Original review: Amazing book! This is really an excellent historical novel, with just a trace of fantasy. If you haven't read one of GGK's recent novels, you owe it to yourself to give him a try. Review first posted on :
Guy Gavriel Kay writes magical books. Not magic in the sense of mighty wizards and spellcasting with unicorn-hair wands and cauldrons bubbling with potions best not tasted. The magic in Kay’s novels is a more elusive thing. He takes a plot and cast of characters, ones that would be interesting enough even in the hands of lesser authors, and turns them into something extraordinary through his lyrical and profoundly thoughtful storytelling, his insights into human character and motivations, and his musings on life and its meaning.
We like to believe, or pretend, we know what we are doing in our lives. It can be a lie. Winds blow, waves carry us, rain drenches a man caught in the open at night, lightning shatters the sky and sometimes his heart, thunder crashes into him bringing the awareness he will die.A Brightness Long Ago, like most of his recent novels, is what Kay aptly describes as “history with a quarter turn to the fantastic.� It’s a prequel of sorts (though a stand-alone read) to his equally excellent 2016 novel , set some twenty-five years before the events of that novel, in a slightly fantastical version of Renaissance Italy, here called Batiara. (I spent more time than I should have, researching to figure out the real-life counterparts of all the cities and historical characters that play a role in this story. Seressa is Venice, Rome is Rhodias, Sarantium is Constantinople, and so forth.) Inspired by the feud between historical figures and , two great military leaders, Kay tells of the clashes � both military and personal � between Folco Cino, lord of Acorsi, and Teobaldo Monticola, lord of Remigio. Their lives, and that of Folco’s niece Adria, a rebellious duke’s daughter, are seen through the eyes of Guidanio (Danio) Cerra, the son of a tailor.
We stand up, as best we can under that. We move forward as best we can, hoping for light, kindness, mercy, for ourselves and those we love.
Danio, who narrates most of the tale as the reminiscing of an older man, is chosen to receive an education with the children of nobility because of his intelligence and quickness, raising him far above his humble beginnings. After finishing his schooling he obtains a position in the palace of Count Uberto, known as “the Beast� for his violent and even murderous sexual proclivities.
There were stories of youthful bodies carried out through the smaller palace gates in the dark, dead and marred. And good men still served him � making their peace with our god as best they could.But Falco (admittedly for his own self-serving reasons) and his niece Adria have concocted a scheme to bring Uberto down. They set Adria up in a farmhouse outside of the city and eventually, almost inevitably, word of the attractive farm girl comes to Uberto and she is summoned to his palace. When Danio sees Adria being brought to Uberto’s suite of rooms and recognizes her as the duke’s daughter who once visited his school, that recognition could be deadly to either Danio or Adria. Or it might prove of immeasurable benefit to both of them.
Balancing acts of the soul. Acquiescence happens more than its opposite � a rising up in anger and rejection. There are wolves in the world, inside elegant palaces as well as in the dark woods and the wild.
A Brightness Long Ago follows Danio and Adria, Folco and Teobaldo, and others through the next year or two, as their lives touch and separate and then interweave again. Adria is a particularly bright spark, a spirited and courageous young woman who is doing her best to live a life outside of the normal restrictions on noblewomen, though she knows the freedom she’s found can only be for a limited time. Doors of opportunity open and then close. Her participation in a particularly unusual horse race in Bischio is a high point in the story, where multi-layered plans and schemes of various characters collide in a truly spectacular way.
In his narration, Danio frequently comments on “the random spinning of fortune’s wheel� and how chance occurrences can affect the entire direction of our lives. Our lives aren’t always in our control. But he realizes that personal choices have an equal impact on the path of our lives.
Fortune’s wheel might spin, but you could also choose to spin it, see how it turned, where it took you, and she was still young, and this was the life she wanted.Kay weaves a pleasurably complex tale with a large cast of characters, but these characters are so vividly drawn and memorable that I never got confused. Kay’s storytelling evinces understanding and sympathy for even deeply flawed characters, even those who served the Beast and were aware of the terrible things he did to innocent youths.
I think, it is the best thought I have, that he was devoted to the idea of being loyal, in a world with little of that. That a man needed to drop an anchor somewhere, declare a truth, find a harbour� Perhaps in the darkest times all we can do is refuse to be part of the darkness.In his later years, Danio recalls the unforgettable characters from this time in his youth, who still shine as bright torches in his memory. Their brightness will linger in mine as well.
I received a free copy of this novel for review from the publisher through NetGalley. Thank you so much!
Content notes: A few scattered F-bombs; a mildly explicit sex scene; attempted sexual assault.
June 3, 2019
This is my first time reading Guy Gavriel Kay. I learned a little about GGK, when I was in Canada. The employees at Pages book store in Calgary all raved about his books. Kay was speaking at the new Public Library in Calgary- a night I missed due to being sick - ( which I later learned was a sold out event anyway).... but I purchased this book - taking a chance - basically not knowing what the heck I was about to read other than the inspiring encouragement from Mike �- ( smiling face Mike), and reviews from Paromjit and Tadiana.
I honestly have NEVER read a book like this...and I’ll never do justice in this review - NEVER...but wow....this book - (hard to pigeonhole and contextualize all that it is)....
grabbed me by my shirt - excited and horrified me at the same time. I was so ‘not� confident of what I was reading - I had to read parts of the beginning twice to make sure I wasn’t making shit up myself. I wasn’t. But shit was happening fast!
Not a moment wasted....
I lost hours of sleep - transported in this fantasy world ( Batiara/ Renaissance Italy), with ongoing turbulence uproar.
My friend Angela says.....”sometimes books are all about the writing�.....
Well....the writing of this epic fantasy historical fiction is gorgeous!!!! Much to reflect on - and be in ‘aw�.
This book is adventurous- emotional on every human level - reflective - powerful - tragic - political - violent- romantic- with many characters- but a few of the key characters really stand out.
Right away I felt ‘attached-at-the-hip� - with Adria ( daughter of Duke Ripoli in Macera)....so much so I missed her when she wasn’t in scenes.
The other female I loved was a healer named Jelena.
The main character Guidano Cerra is well educated - a tailors son - we follow his life through his distinguished school - to a job he takes in the court of a duke - known as The Beast.
We also meet Danio Cerra.....evil and holy....he is looking back on his youth.
The storytelling is non-stop and complex - so beautiful with much admiration for the author’s accomplishments.
Filled with boundless imaginative energy!!!
I honestly have NEVER read a book like this...and I’ll never do justice in this review - NEVER...but wow....this book - (hard to pigeonhole and contextualize all that it is)....
grabbed me by my shirt - excited and horrified me at the same time. I was so ‘not� confident of what I was reading - I had to read parts of the beginning twice to make sure I wasn’t making shit up myself. I wasn’t. But shit was happening fast!
Not a moment wasted....
I lost hours of sleep - transported in this fantasy world ( Batiara/ Renaissance Italy), with ongoing turbulence uproar.
My friend Angela says.....”sometimes books are all about the writing�.....
Well....the writing of this epic fantasy historical fiction is gorgeous!!!! Much to reflect on - and be in ‘aw�.
This book is adventurous- emotional on every human level - reflective - powerful - tragic - political - violent- romantic- with many characters- but a few of the key characters really stand out.
Right away I felt ‘attached-at-the-hip� - with Adria ( daughter of Duke Ripoli in Macera)....so much so I missed her when she wasn’t in scenes.
The other female I loved was a healer named Jelena.
The main character Guidano Cerra is well educated - a tailors son - we follow his life through his distinguished school - to a job he takes in the court of a duke - known as The Beast.
We also meet Danio Cerra.....evil and holy....he is looking back on his youth.
The storytelling is non-stop and complex - so beautiful with much admiration for the author’s accomplishments.
Filled with boundless imaginative energy!!!
June 30, 2019
To be honest, I had a lot of trouble slipping away into the world of this one. It took far far longer for the usual Kay incantation to take effect, mostly because it took far, far longer for him to start chanting it. As he’s grown older, Kay has developed an insistence on showing the teller’s hand that I don’t particularly care for or agree with. He wants us to be aware of him there, all the time, and gets more insistent on it as time goes by-he’s gone beyond insisting on the importance of the individual humanity and everyday reality of the great heroes and legends he’s retelling. Now, while that is still there, it isn’t enough for him. He seems to be desperately intent on focusing our attention on the chanciness of fate and the choices of storytelling.That was always an element of his books- and a powerful one when well deployed in some of them (Arbonne and Tigana both come to mind)- but he’s obsessed with it now, and frankly it’s getting in the way. It’s boring, repetitive and unimpressive. This sort of thing made the latter part of Under Heaven and most of River of Stars pretty unreadable for me. He pulled way back in the last one, but now we’re back on this horse again and I nearly threw up my hands and gave up when I figured that out. I don’t know why he’s doing this: whether he’s too tired to make magic with the faith or energy he once did or feels like he needs to be the one to give us this message he’s learned and feels it urgently enough to push other concerns aside- I don’t know. I don’t know how to be clearer about this but he is not good at direct lecturing (those italicized bits, ugh) and should stop doing it.
But. But. He’s too good for there not to be a but. When he stopped being concerned about structure and being too good to do what he’s good at doing- he still had it. His Carnival sequence, when we finally got there, was wonderful- as they always are. Kay loves Carnival, the delicious interruption to the wheel and rules of the year, the possibilities of it- there’s always a Carnival in his best ones. And he let himself write one and it was fantastic (he undercut it right after with the worst of those dreadful italic interludes though but c’est la vie). He also still writes some of the only action sequences I care to read, as well. I skip through battle scenes in almost every book but his because they’re about character choices and suspense and really do turn on a knife’s edge when he gets going. Again- he let himself do something he’s good at and it sang again. Shocking! But there’s more here than the best of his old tricks. He made a surprising choice with a the fate of the major female character- something he hasn’t done in awhile for me- and I was quite moved by it. He wrote a successful Catriana- a better one. A more measured one. I respected that. I liked that the book focused on a minor character who stayed that relatively that way- not a hero to be discovered to save us all. This is at most a medium-stakes story told by a low level functionary and bystander. I don’t see a lot of those written in the high octane genre of high fantasy and I thought it was a strong choice that made some of his points better than any direct lecture would. I wish he had trusted that. I also liked that although sometimes he took it to almost an absurdist extreme here that affected the pacing, he was still concerned, as he has always been, with etching out the 3D humanity of other minor characters as well. And telling it in the voice of a secondary character gave us a real reason for him to remember to do that, to a fault. He also did a good job with bringing the story full circle by the end back to the tone of where he started. The final unspooling of the thread was realistic, quietly compelling, and sounded like exactly what it was meant to be- a man lost in powerful memories- older, but not old enough that he can’t still feel what it was like to be inside them. And we get good, interesting reasons why he won’t want to let any part of it go.
I will say this, also. I currently do not like how he is trying to make his structural points, as I said. I still think he’s better at adding depth to the magic than he is at deconstructing it. But...this was a better attempt at it than either of the China books or Ysabel. And it’s clearly what he’s interested in writing on. So if this is where he’s going regardless, I’d certainly encourage him in this direction- in the direction of that last chapter, in the direction of choosing this smaller story, in the direction of recollections and memory and trying to live in spite of it. I think there’s a way to remix these ingredients, take some out and make it work. And I do admire evolving. This is closer to where it needs to be. But it’s not there yet. I’d like to vanish inside one of his worlds completely one more time, though. I miss it. So I hope he gets there.
But. But. He’s too good for there not to be a but. When he stopped being concerned about structure and being too good to do what he’s good at doing- he still had it. His Carnival sequence, when we finally got there, was wonderful- as they always are. Kay loves Carnival, the delicious interruption to the wheel and rules of the year, the possibilities of it- there’s always a Carnival in his best ones. And he let himself write one and it was fantastic (he undercut it right after with the worst of those dreadful italic interludes though but c’est la vie). He also still writes some of the only action sequences I care to read, as well. I skip through battle scenes in almost every book but his because they’re about character choices and suspense and really do turn on a knife’s edge when he gets going. Again- he let himself do something he’s good at and it sang again. Shocking! But there’s more here than the best of his old tricks. He made a surprising choice with a the fate of the major female character- something he hasn’t done in awhile for me- and I was quite moved by it. He wrote a successful Catriana- a better one. A more measured one. I respected that. I liked that the book focused on a minor character who stayed that relatively that way- not a hero to be discovered to save us all. This is at most a medium-stakes story told by a low level functionary and bystander. I don’t see a lot of those written in the high octane genre of high fantasy and I thought it was a strong choice that made some of his points better than any direct lecture would. I wish he had trusted that. I also liked that although sometimes he took it to almost an absurdist extreme here that affected the pacing, he was still concerned, as he has always been, with etching out the 3D humanity of other minor characters as well. And telling it in the voice of a secondary character gave us a real reason for him to remember to do that, to a fault. He also did a good job with bringing the story full circle by the end back to the tone of where he started. The final unspooling of the thread was realistic, quietly compelling, and sounded like exactly what it was meant to be- a man lost in powerful memories- older, but not old enough that he can’t still feel what it was like to be inside them. And we get good, interesting reasons why he won’t want to let any part of it go.
I will say this, also. I currently do not like how he is trying to make his structural points, as I said. I still think he’s better at adding depth to the magic than he is at deconstructing it. But...this was a better attempt at it than either of the China books or Ysabel. And it’s clearly what he’s interested in writing on. So if this is where he’s going regardless, I’d certainly encourage him in this direction- in the direction of that last chapter, in the direction of choosing this smaller story, in the direction of recollections and memory and trying to live in spite of it. I think there’s a way to remix these ingredients, take some out and make it work. And I do admire evolving. This is closer to where it needs to be. But it’s not there yet. I’d like to vanish inside one of his worlds completely one more time, though. I miss it. So I hope he gets there.
May 24, 2020
This is only my second Guy Gavriel Kay book, and apparently I haven't read the excellent ones yet. This one seems to intentionally be more about the intricate impact of minor characters on the Italian Renaissance-ish setting rather than a standard story. It's a mixed bag! Some scenes are real page turners, while some stretches get a bit repetitive. I did really like the city-states and their seasonal wars for territory and taxes, using mercenaries and superstar commanders. And the little slices of life we saw, especially around horses and horse racing, were lovely.
Please let me know what your favorite one of his books is, so I know which one to try next time.
Please let me know what your favorite one of his books is, so I know which one to try next time.
May 15, 2019
I received this book electronically via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
You can find review and more at .
This is only the second book I’ve read from Guy Gavriel Kay, but I feel secure in stating that I’ve never come across another author who has his way with words. There’s something about his prose that is both breathtakingly lovely and oddly jarring. In A Brightness Long Ago, Kay paints with his words, writing something that is lush and poignant and real enough to touch. This novel is somewhere between historical fiction and low fantasy, and Kay straddles that divide with great finesse.
Danio is one of the lucky youths who, despite low birth, are chosen to attend a school with noble children. Because of this education and a compelling personality, Danio finds himself in the midst of history in the making throughout his life, whether in the form of being present during an assassination or witnessing a horse race that will live on in legend or standing on the sidelines as mighty men made war or truces. His was an oddly calming, graceful presence among larger-than-life personalities. There was this graceful poise and sense of honor to his character that I found incredibly compelling.
While Danio was the only first person perspective character, we did have other perspective characters. A pagan healer, a wealthy second son with no head for politics, an important daughter who wants nothing more than to escape the life that is expected of her and live life to the very fullest, a mistress yearning for legitimacy. There are others, as well, but these are the lives that most often intertwine themselves with Danio and the two powerful men who seem to dominate this part of the world. All of the characters were multifaceted and interesting, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching them grow and change over the course of the novel. The one thing each character seemed to have in common was a preoccupation with sex, but from what I gather that is a common theme in Kay’s work.
The setting for this book is very heavily inspired by Italy, as is apparent by the names of people and places given. The land is made up of city-states who often find themselves at war with one another. So often, in fact, that springtime has become synonymous with war. I’ve read very little set in Italy outside of Romeo and Juliet, so I found the setting very thought-provoking. There was a horse race, briefly mentioned above, that was one of the most amazing sequences I’ve read. I could see and hear and smell absolutely everything, as if I had fallen into the pages and landed in the scene itself. I believe this race with stay with me for some time, which was unexpected.
There are two reasons that this book didn’t receive a perfect rating from me, and they’re both incredibly subjective. First, the central themes of the story were war, romance, and politics. Two out of these three themes are topics that I often find myself lost in, unable to focus on the intricate political movements and patterns of war. While these are areas I can read past, I have a difficult time enjoying a story that is made up in such large part by these components. Second, I believe that I would have enjoyed this story even more and connected with it on a deeper level if I had read Kay’s Sarantine Mosiac. I won’t explain why, but I’m positive that there are plot points that would have brought me to tears if I had already developed a bond with Sarantium.
Once again, Kay crafted something incredibly beautiful with this story. While it might not be an immediate favorite, it definitely enticed me into trying more of Kay’s work, and soon. Tigana remains my favorite book my Kay, and among my favorite fantasy novels period, but I now believe that Tigana won’t be the only of his works that I will come to love and cherish. If you want to be transported, and see how the world can be impacted by one life, this is a beautiful novel to try.
You can find review and more at .
“I knew, once, a woman diamond bright and two men I will not forget. I played a part in a story in a fierce, wild, windblown time. I do have that. I always will. I am here and it is mine, for as near to always as we are allowed.�
This is only the second book I’ve read from Guy Gavriel Kay, but I feel secure in stating that I’ve never come across another author who has his way with words. There’s something about his prose that is both breathtakingly lovely and oddly jarring. In A Brightness Long Ago, Kay paints with his words, writing something that is lush and poignant and real enough to touch. This novel is somewhere between historical fiction and low fantasy, and Kay straddles that divide with great finesse.
“Perhaps it is true of every life, that times from our youth remain with us, even when the people are gone, even if many, many events have played out between where we are and what we are remembering.�
Danio is one of the lucky youths who, despite low birth, are chosen to attend a school with noble children. Because of this education and a compelling personality, Danio finds himself in the midst of history in the making throughout his life, whether in the form of being present during an assassination or witnessing a horse race that will live on in legend or standing on the sidelines as mighty men made war or truces. His was an oddly calming, graceful presence among larger-than-life personalities. There was this graceful poise and sense of honor to his character that I found incredibly compelling.
“Life, the way events actually unfold, is not as precise or as elegantly devised as a storyteller can make it seem. There are moments that find us, like some stray dog on a country road, and they may not carry significance, only truth: that they happened, and we remember them.�
While Danio was the only first person perspective character, we did have other perspective characters. A pagan healer, a wealthy second son with no head for politics, an important daughter who wants nothing more than to escape the life that is expected of her and live life to the very fullest, a mistress yearning for legitimacy. There are others, as well, but these are the lives that most often intertwine themselves with Danio and the two powerful men who seem to dominate this part of the world. All of the characters were multifaceted and interesting, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching them grow and change over the course of the novel. The one thing each character seemed to have in common was a preoccupation with sex, but from what I gather that is a common theme in Kay’s work.
“Shelter can be hard to find. A place can become our home for reasons we do not understand. We build memories that turn into what we are, then what we were, as we look back. We live in the light that comes to us.�
The setting for this book is very heavily inspired by Italy, as is apparent by the names of people and places given. The land is made up of city-states who often find themselves at war with one another. So often, in fact, that springtime has become synonymous with war. I’ve read very little set in Italy outside of Romeo and Juliet, so I found the setting very thought-provoking. There was a horse race, briefly mentioned above, that was one of the most amazing sequences I’ve read. I could see and hear and smell absolutely everything, as if I had fallen into the pages and landed in the scene itself. I believe this race with stay with me for some time, which was unexpected.
“We live, it might be said, in unstable times. Dramatic, interesting, magnificent in ways. But not stable. You would never say that.�
There are two reasons that this book didn’t receive a perfect rating from me, and they’re both incredibly subjective. First, the central themes of the story were war, romance, and politics. Two out of these three themes are topics that I often find myself lost in, unable to focus on the intricate political movements and patterns of war. While these are areas I can read past, I have a difficult time enjoying a story that is made up in such large part by these components. Second, I believe that I would have enjoyed this story even more and connected with it on a deeper level if I had read Kay’s Sarantine Mosiac. I won’t explain why, but I’m positive that there are plot points that would have brought me to tears if I had already developed a bond with Sarantium.
“Perhaps in the darkest times all we can do is refuse to be part of the darkness.�
Once again, Kay crafted something incredibly beautiful with this story. While it might not be an immediate favorite, it definitely enticed me into trying more of Kay’s work, and soon. Tigana remains my favorite book my Kay, and among my favorite fantasy novels period, but I now believe that Tigana won’t be the only of his works that I will come to love and cherish. If you want to be transported, and see how the world can be impacted by one life, this is a beautiful novel to try.
August 12, 2019
To be perfectly candid, I wasn't a huge fan of Kay's earlier work and I left off reading anything else by him, thinking I already got his measure. Two books in an early trilogy. They were pretty good but it left a not-so-pleasant taste in my mouth.
So why did I come back? Give him another try?
I can't really say. I don't know. I just remembered how lyrical his prose was in places and thought, perhaps, he had grown into an even better writer since then. That maybe I judged him a bit too harshly. Maybe I just didn't like the rape scenes in his early work. Something like that.
So what happened? How did my second chance go?
Amazingly, so it seems. :) I loved this book. From start to finish, the characters came to life, always interested me, and the place so reminiscent of Renaissance Italy simply shone and shone and shone through these pages.
The fantasy elements were totally understated. The world and the characters were not. I was enraptured by one of the most gorgeous, lush tales of youth, discovery, and independence. Of how he grew to admire and respect two men who were old, bitter enemies, of how he sidestepped and played his own role between their conflict. Of a non-traditional love with a woman who would always, by any means possible, remain independent.
If I sidestep some of the most beautiful scenes, it's not because they were not memorable. Indeed, a certain assassination and a certain race will be scenes I will never forget.
Far from having to push myself through this book, I found that I never wanted it to end.
This is one of the highest praises I can ever bestow. :)
So why did I come back? Give him another try?
I can't really say. I don't know. I just remembered how lyrical his prose was in places and thought, perhaps, he had grown into an even better writer since then. That maybe I judged him a bit too harshly. Maybe I just didn't like the rape scenes in his early work. Something like that.
So what happened? How did my second chance go?
Amazingly, so it seems. :) I loved this book. From start to finish, the characters came to life, always interested me, and the place so reminiscent of Renaissance Italy simply shone and shone and shone through these pages.
The fantasy elements were totally understated. The world and the characters were not. I was enraptured by one of the most gorgeous, lush tales of youth, discovery, and independence. Of how he grew to admire and respect two men who were old, bitter enemies, of how he sidestepped and played his own role between their conflict. Of a non-traditional love with a woman who would always, by any means possible, remain independent.
If I sidestep some of the most beautiful scenes, it's not because they were not memorable. Indeed, a certain assassination and a certain race will be scenes I will never forget.
Far from having to push myself through this book, I found that I never wanted it to end.
This is one of the highest praises I can ever bestow. :)
February 13, 2019
A BRIGHTNESS LONG AGO is, like all of Kay’s work, exquisitely crafted and deeply moving. By turns beautiful and bittersweet, it tells the story of small people caught in the current of world-shattering events, and of the ripples they make that are sometimes—but not always—lost in the flow of history. His most compelling characters are those found lingering near the frame of a famous portrait, or rendered, almost as an afterthought, in glass and stone. Guy Gavriel Kay has written a masterpiece, yet again.
May 27, 2021
This book has so much restraint and quiet dignity and yet also, somehow, fucking SLAPS?? I loved it holy moly 😭😭😭
July 4, 2019
My first experience of fantasy historical fiction. (Though arguably you could say all historical fiction is fantasy.) The author states this book was inspired by his reading about the feud between the Montefeltro and Malatesta families in fifteenth century Italy. And this is the world he recreates which he achieves in an authentic though superficial way. Thus Rimini becomes Remigio, Florence becomes Firenta, Venice Seressa and so on.
There's a very good depiction of Siena's Palio.
This novel has a slick accomplished surface and is a fun read but one of my criteria for rating books is the level of anticipation I feel during the day for snuggling up with the books I'm reading and I can't say I was ever impatient to rejoin the adventures of Danio Cerra. Probably because it's a book bereft of those underlying layers of meaning that makes a novel a truly edifying experience. But I did enjoy its escapist exuberance and palpable love of Italy. 3+ stars.
There's a very good depiction of Siena's Palio.
This novel has a slick accomplished surface and is a fun read but one of my criteria for rating books is the level of anticipation I feel during the day for snuggling up with the books I'm reading and I can't say I was ever impatient to rejoin the adventures of Danio Cerra. Probably because it's a book bereft of those underlying layers of meaning that makes a novel a truly edifying experience. But I did enjoy its escapist exuberance and palpable love of Italy. 3+ stars.
February 8, 2025
4.5 �
„Отдавн� отминала светлина� е много хубаво историческо фентъзи! Според мен, книгата не успява да достигне нивото на великолепната „Сарантийска мозайка�, но все пак е стойностна история с въздействаща атмосфера, та четенето ми достави голямо удоволствие. Тя със сигурност ще допадне на почитателите на Кай... а ако още не сте се докосвали до неговото творчество, силно препоръчвам да започнете от „Пътуван� към Сарантион� и „Бо� на императори�.
Действието в романа се развива в Батиара, която представлява алтернативен вариант на средновековна Италия с нейните забележителни градове-държави. Както се очаква от творба на този автор, читателите проследяваме съдбите на различни майсторски изградени персонажи, както и неусетно се потапяме във вълнуващите политически интриги на достоверно пресъздадена във фентъзи свят историческа епоха...
„Животъ�, истинските разгръщащи се събития не са точно или изящно стъкмени, какъвто вид би могъл да им придаде някой автор. Има мигове, които ни намират като бездомно куче на селски път и може да не са значими, а само истински: случили са се и ние ги помним.�
„Отдавн� отминала светлина� е много хубаво историческо фентъзи! Според мен, книгата не успява да достигне нивото на великолепната „Сарантийска мозайка�, но все пак е стойностна история с въздействаща атмосфера, та четенето ми достави голямо удоволствие. Тя със сигурност ще допадне на почитателите на Кай... а ако още не сте се докосвали до неговото творчество, силно препоръчвам да започнете от „Пътуван� към Сарантион� и „Бо� на императори�.
Действието в романа се развива в Батиара, която представлява алтернативен вариант на средновековна Италия с нейните забележителни градове-държави. Както се очаква от творба на този автор, читателите проследяваме съдбите на различни майсторски изградени персонажи, както и неусетно се потапяме във вълнуващите политически интриги на достоверно пресъздадена във фентъзи свят историческа епоха...
„Животъ�, истинските разгръщащи се събития не са точно или изящно стъкмени, какъвто вид би могъл да им придаде някой автор. Има мигове, които ни намират като бездомно куче на селски път и може да не са значими, а само истински: случили са се и ние ги помним.�
November 12, 2022
5 star all the way.
I was not sure I was ready for another novel about palace intrigue after the Mirror and The Light but this fantasy novel was full of such thoughtful beautiful writing I found myself wanting to copy phrases on almost every page and the story so good I refused to stop reading to find a pen.
The tale begins with an old man in front of the fire, deep in memories of his youth. His thoughts fill the pages.
"The sailors say the rain misses the cloud even as it falls through light or dark into the sea. I miss her like that as I fall through my life, through time, through the chaos of our time."
The old man's memory begins with himself as a young man assisting a woman out of a difficult situation and finding her someone he refuses to forget. It is from that first moment their lives are intertwined and this reader hooked. Yes it is a fantasy type story with lands whose names are not in this world but the atmosphere is of medieval Italy with small warring factions.
The story in summary: family intrigue in high places, a young common man who finds himself suddenly in the center of the action, two Noble men leading large mercenary forces looking along the way to settle a feud against the other, a beautiful young woman doing amazing things under cover, a healer who skills are always in need.
This is a novel with both a wonderful story and characters but the world building is left to your imagination. Few descriptions are given. Water, hills and forests that sound like the 14 century maybe Venice or Milan. It is easy to picture and geography seldom plays any part in the action. It is soldiers on horseback with arrows or swords. Women expected to marry well if possible and healers who treat life and limb as needed. I loved it more than Game of Thrones and that is high praise for me.
The writing is very thoughtful, almost philosophical at times. Amazing phrases abound. Balanced Characters so well written that my allegiance was often divided, changing and then returning to my initial reaction. Just so much to love. I want to think about this book but I can't help wanting to read another of Kay's novels right now
I was not sure I was ready for another novel about palace intrigue after the Mirror and The Light but this fantasy novel was full of such thoughtful beautiful writing I found myself wanting to copy phrases on almost every page and the story so good I refused to stop reading to find a pen.
The tale begins with an old man in front of the fire, deep in memories of his youth. His thoughts fill the pages.
"The sailors say the rain misses the cloud even as it falls through light or dark into the sea. I miss her like that as I fall through my life, through time, through the chaos of our time."
The old man's memory begins with himself as a young man assisting a woman out of a difficult situation and finding her someone he refuses to forget. It is from that first moment their lives are intertwined and this reader hooked. Yes it is a fantasy type story with lands whose names are not in this world but the atmosphere is of medieval Italy with small warring factions.
The story in summary: family intrigue in high places, a young common man who finds himself suddenly in the center of the action, two Noble men leading large mercenary forces looking along the way to settle a feud against the other, a beautiful young woman doing amazing things under cover, a healer who skills are always in need.
This is a novel with both a wonderful story and characters but the world building is left to your imagination. Few descriptions are given. Water, hills and forests that sound like the 14 century maybe Venice or Milan. It is easy to picture and geography seldom plays any part in the action. It is soldiers on horseback with arrows or swords. Women expected to marry well if possible and healers who treat life and limb as needed. I loved it more than Game of Thrones and that is high praise for me.
The writing is very thoughtful, almost philosophical at times. Amazing phrases abound. Balanced Characters so well written that my allegiance was often divided, changing and then returning to my initial reaction. Just so much to love. I want to think about this book but I can't help wanting to read another of Kay's novels right now
October 2, 2019
Say hello to my new fantasy obsession.
August 10, 2024
3.5 stars 🌟🌟🌟💫!
Guy Gavriel Kay’s “A Brightness Long Ago� is a historical fantasy set in the same world (this time Italian Renaissance-inspired) where some of his other books also live, only many centuries after the events in the Sarantine mosaic duology. This is also the same world as Al Rassan. The novel follows the intertwined lives of Danio Cerra, a tailor’s son who rises to prominence, and Adria Ripoli, a rebellious noblewoman. Through their eyes, Kay explores themes of memory, fate, and the impact of individual choices on the broader tapestry of history.
I found Kay repeating themes here that he seems to have lifted largely en masse from his previous books and therefore his recurring narrative felt tedious and predictable, albeit meticulously crafted. Although Kay’s reflective narrative style allows him to delve deeply into the characters� inner lives, exploring their motivations, regrets, and the lasting impact of their actions, I felt it was somewhat rehashed from the already existing ingredients in Lions of Al Rassan and Sarantine Mosaic.
Flagrant repetition from his other works:
“A Brightness Long Ago� shares several thematic and stylistic similarities with Kay’s “Sarantine Mosaic� duology, which includes “Sailing to Sarantium� and “Lord of Emperors.� It also shares thematic similarities with “Lions of Al Rassan�. All three of these works are set in richly detailed, historically inspired worlds and explore the lives of individuals caught in the currents of great historical change.
1. The theme of an ordinary individual influencing the course of history. In “The Sarantine Mosaic,� the protagonist Crispin, a master mosaicist, is summoned to the grand city of Sarantium to create a masterpiece for the emperor. Like Danio, Crispin is an artist whose life is profoundly affected by the political and social upheavals of his time. Both characters navigate complex political landscapes and form relationships with powerful figures.
2. Horse Race and Chariot Race. This is probably the more egregious of repetitions. In “A Brightness Long Ago,� a dramatic horse race plays a crucial role in the story, showcasing the characters� bravery and the high stakes of their world. Similarly, “The Sarantine Mosaic� features an intense chariot race that captivates the populace and reflects the political and social tensions of the time. These races not only add excitement to the plot but also symbolize the broader conflicts and ambitions of the characters. BTW I felt that the chariot race in Sarantine Duology and the story/characters/plot were superior to A Brightness Long Ago in all respects.
3. Powerful Men and a Female Physician- another unmistakable and dazzling duplication: A notable similarity between “A Brightness Long Ago� and “The Lions of Al-Rassan� is the presence of two powerful men who share a complex relationship of hate and respect, and a female physician caught between their machinations. In “The Lions of Al-Rassan,� Rodrigo Belmonte and Ammar ibn Khairan are formidable leaders from opposing sides who develop a grudging respect for each other, despite their enmity. Jehane bet Ishak, a skilled physician, finds herself entangled in their political and personal conflicts. In “A Brightness Long Ago,� the character Jelena, a physician, finds herself in the midst of the rivalry between Folco Cino d’Acorsi and Teobaldo Monticola di Remigio whose relationship is marked by both animosity and mutual respect. Both women are highly skilled in their medical professions and find themselves caught in the midst of political and personal conflicts. Jelena, like Jehane, is a figure of compassion and intellect, providing care and wisdom amidst the chaos. Their roles highlight the importance of healing and humanity in times of turmoil, and their interactions with the powerful men around them underscore the complexities of loyalty and moral choices.
Reprised Inspiration and Influence:
Kay’s ability to weave historical inspiration into his fantasy worlds is evident in all three works. “A Brightness Long Ago� draws on the rich history of the Italian Renaissance, much like “The Sarantine Mosaic� draws on the Byzantine Empire and “The Lions of Al-Rassan� on Moorish Spain. This blending of history and fantasy to explore universal themes in an attempt to make it feel timeless and personal is all good and dandy but for someone trying to devour all his books, the replication of themes, narratives being repeated as plot devices xeroxed from one book to the next felt dispiriting and dull.
Overall it’s a great book if you have not read Al Rassan or Sarantine Mosaic.
Guy Gavriel Kay’s “A Brightness Long Ago� is a historical fantasy set in the same world (this time Italian Renaissance-inspired) where some of his other books also live, only many centuries after the events in the Sarantine mosaic duology. This is also the same world as Al Rassan. The novel follows the intertwined lives of Danio Cerra, a tailor’s son who rises to prominence, and Adria Ripoli, a rebellious noblewoman. Through their eyes, Kay explores themes of memory, fate, and the impact of individual choices on the broader tapestry of history.
I found Kay repeating themes here that he seems to have lifted largely en masse from his previous books and therefore his recurring narrative felt tedious and predictable, albeit meticulously crafted. Although Kay’s reflective narrative style allows him to delve deeply into the characters� inner lives, exploring their motivations, regrets, and the lasting impact of their actions, I felt it was somewhat rehashed from the already existing ingredients in Lions of Al Rassan and Sarantine Mosaic.
Flagrant repetition from his other works:
“A Brightness Long Ago� shares several thematic and stylistic similarities with Kay’s “Sarantine Mosaic� duology, which includes “Sailing to Sarantium� and “Lord of Emperors.� It also shares thematic similarities with “Lions of Al Rassan�. All three of these works are set in richly detailed, historically inspired worlds and explore the lives of individuals caught in the currents of great historical change.
1. The theme of an ordinary individual influencing the course of history. In “The Sarantine Mosaic,� the protagonist Crispin, a master mosaicist, is summoned to the grand city of Sarantium to create a masterpiece for the emperor. Like Danio, Crispin is an artist whose life is profoundly affected by the political and social upheavals of his time. Both characters navigate complex political landscapes and form relationships with powerful figures.
2. Horse Race and Chariot Race. This is probably the more egregious of repetitions. In “A Brightness Long Ago,� a dramatic horse race plays a crucial role in the story, showcasing the characters� bravery and the high stakes of their world. Similarly, “The Sarantine Mosaic� features an intense chariot race that captivates the populace and reflects the political and social tensions of the time. These races not only add excitement to the plot but also symbolize the broader conflicts and ambitions of the characters. BTW I felt that the chariot race in Sarantine Duology and the story/characters/plot were superior to A Brightness Long Ago in all respects.
3. Powerful Men and a Female Physician- another unmistakable and dazzling duplication: A notable similarity between “A Brightness Long Ago� and “The Lions of Al-Rassan� is the presence of two powerful men who share a complex relationship of hate and respect, and a female physician caught between their machinations. In “The Lions of Al-Rassan,� Rodrigo Belmonte and Ammar ibn Khairan are formidable leaders from opposing sides who develop a grudging respect for each other, despite their enmity. Jehane bet Ishak, a skilled physician, finds herself entangled in their political and personal conflicts. In “A Brightness Long Ago,� the character Jelena, a physician, finds herself in the midst of the rivalry between Folco Cino d’Acorsi and Teobaldo Monticola di Remigio whose relationship is marked by both animosity and mutual respect. Both women are highly skilled in their medical professions and find themselves caught in the midst of political and personal conflicts. Jelena, like Jehane, is a figure of compassion and intellect, providing care and wisdom amidst the chaos. Their roles highlight the importance of healing and humanity in times of turmoil, and their interactions with the powerful men around them underscore the complexities of loyalty and moral choices.
Reprised Inspiration and Influence:
Kay’s ability to weave historical inspiration into his fantasy worlds is evident in all three works. “A Brightness Long Ago� draws on the rich history of the Italian Renaissance, much like “The Sarantine Mosaic� draws on the Byzantine Empire and “The Lions of Al-Rassan� on Moorish Spain. This blending of history and fantasy to explore universal themes in an attempt to make it feel timeless and personal is all good and dandy but for someone trying to devour all his books, the replication of themes, narratives being repeated as plot devices xeroxed from one book to the next felt dispiriting and dull.
Overall it’s a great book if you have not read Al Rassan or Sarantine Mosaic.
September 29, 2022
I’ve never been so impatient to be done with a book, and not in a good way. (I have a unwritten rule saying that I have to finish every book I start) Well I just couldn’t get into it, ever, as a matter of fact. I stayed lost between the different characters and the story about 80% of the times.
Im giving it 2.5 stars because it was beautifully written. I didnt like it but its probably mostly because the type is not exactly my cup of tea.
Im giving it 2.5 stars because it was beautifully written. I didnt like it but its probably mostly because the type is not exactly my cup of tea.
September 23, 2024
От любимите си автори очаквам и изисквам много! Кай отдавна е наредил сред тях и много се зарадвах, когато видях нова негова книга на български.
Но, идва това едно но - когато с предишните си истории си вдигнал нивото толкова високо, че после ти е трудно да го достигнеш отново.
В тази книга се навлиза тегаво, героите ѝ са тромаво изградени и предадени, доста информация се изсипва накуп в началото, а яснотата за читателя започва едва след средата на текста, ако успее да я достигне.
Писателят се е вдъхновил от средновековна Италия, от градовете-държави борещи се непрекъснато и жестоко за надмощие - с пари, наемници, религия, отрова и услуги.
Атмосферата и географията на този фантастичен свят са ни познати от "Лъвовете на Ал Расан" и "Пътуване към Сарантион", но интригата в този роман е слабовата и няма да остави голяма следа.
Моята оценка - 3,5*.
Цитати:
"Моряците казват, че дъждът тъгува за облака, докато пада в светлин�� или мрак към морето."
"Мълчаливото примирение се среща по-често от своята противоположност � съпротивата от гняв и нетърпимост."
Но, идва това едно но - когато с предишните си истории си вдигнал нивото толкова високо, че после ти е трудно да го достигнеш отново.
В тази книга се навлиза тегаво, героите ѝ са тромаво изградени и предадени, доста информация се изсипва накуп в началото, а яснотата за читателя започва едва след средата на текста, ако успее да я достигне.
Писателят се е вдъхновил от средновековна Италия, от градовете-държави борещи се непрекъснато и жестоко за надмощие - с пари, наемници, религия, отрова и услуги.
Атмосферата и географията на този фантастичен свят са ни познати от "Лъвовете на Ал Расан" и "Пътуване към Сарантион", но интригата в този роман е слабовата и няма да остави голяма следа.
Моята оценка - 3,5*.
Цитати:
"Моряците казват, че дъждът тъгува за облака, докато пада в светлин�� или мрак към морето."
"Мълчаливото примирение се среща по-често от своята противоположност � съпротивата от гняв и нетърпимост."
November 7, 2023
This was really really really, fantastically good.
Also I am mad that I had already read All The Sea's of the World. It is not a stand alone, it spoils major things in this book. Also though, i'm sure I will enjoy that book more on reread having read this.
Anyway. This was as good as Kay gets. He went hard from the start, and kept it up. Has both my favorite start to any of his novels, and I think the chapter that has emotionally impacted me the most.
Lord of Emperors will be getting a higher rating because the chariot race was ever so slightly cooler than the horse race.
You could probably start with this, although I think it would be help to read The Sarantine Mosaic first, but a lot of the connections could work in reverse.
9.7
Also I am mad that I had already read All The Sea's of the World. It is not a stand alone, it spoils major things in this book. Also though, i'm sure I will enjoy that book more on reread having read this.
Anyway. This was as good as Kay gets. He went hard from the start, and kept it up. Has both my favorite start to any of his novels, and I think the chapter that has emotionally impacted me the most.
Lord of Emperors will be getting a higher rating because the chariot race was ever so slightly cooler than the horse race.
You could probably start with this, although I think it would be help to read The Sarantine Mosaic first, but a lot of the connections could work in reverse.
9.7
January 29, 2025
My first GGK book!
Some amazing moments but also has a lot I didn't care for.
Some amazing moments but also has a lot I didn't care for.
Read
May 8, 2019Guy Gavriel Kay’s new book is set twenty-five years before his previous. Instead of a sprawling epic, the story paints three interrelated setpieces, each with a leisurely beginning, building to white-knuckled tension.
At the center is the hatred of two formidable mercenary captains, Folco Cino d'Acorsi and Teobaldo Monticola, based on two colorful Renaissance figures. Running tangentially is the story of Adria Ripoli, whose tale intersects with the occasional first-person reminiscence of Guidanio Cerra, a young man venturing into the fraught world after years of first-rate education.
Guidanio’s tone is elegiac, and many are his reflections on the merciless flow of time, of the violence of his time, contrasting with the universal appreciation—worship, even—of art.
It’s a deeply engaging story, sharply painful at moments, filled with beauty and violence (as is much writing about the Renaissance). The three set-pieces are all set against the incipient fall of Sarantium/Constantinople. There’s little magic. When the supernatural enters the story, it’s quite effective, imbuing those scenes with the shimmer of the numinous—a contrast to the many scenes of deliberate violence.
At first I thought this book was a frame tale, especially as it becomes clear that Guidanio is writing his memories of those brief years much later, when he’s older and wiser. The interspersion of third-person chunks from others� POV I thought at first were inserted by Guidanio, though they never quite fit together, jinking back and forth in time, overlapping events and sometimes repetitions of ideas, but when we got to the POV of a ghost, I was thrown out of the story. How could Guidanio obtain that?
As I read, I was always aware of these narrative pieces not quite fitting together (especially when we got chunks from various POVs sitting alone in a room thinking exposition at the reader) and began to long for an omniscient narrator to fit it all together either right up front a la Thackeray, or subtly, as Jane Austen’s narrator does in her later novels especially. Even the shifts in tense were not as jarring as the patchwork of third person scenes interspersed with first person—these matched the intensity of the scenes they were employed in. An omni narrator could have woven all this into one narrative, shifting tenses when necessary, and (at least for me) lifting the whole to another level.
But we all read differently. Most readers won’t notice, and most of those who do won’t care because the story will draw them into the lives (some tragically brief) of these memorable characters, and the thoughts offered about big questions as well as small. But for me it’s the difference between a really good book and what might have been a great one.
Copy provided by NetGalley
At the center is the hatred of two formidable mercenary captains, Folco Cino d'Acorsi and Teobaldo Monticola, based on two colorful Renaissance figures. Running tangentially is the story of Adria Ripoli, whose tale intersects with the occasional first-person reminiscence of Guidanio Cerra, a young man venturing into the fraught world after years of first-rate education.
Guidanio’s tone is elegiac, and many are his reflections on the merciless flow of time, of the violence of his time, contrasting with the universal appreciation—worship, even—of art.
It’s a deeply engaging story, sharply painful at moments, filled with beauty and violence (as is much writing about the Renaissance). The three set-pieces are all set against the incipient fall of Sarantium/Constantinople. There’s little magic. When the supernatural enters the story, it’s quite effective, imbuing those scenes with the shimmer of the numinous—a contrast to the many scenes of deliberate violence.
At first I thought this book was a frame tale, especially as it becomes clear that Guidanio is writing his memories of those brief years much later, when he’s older and wiser. The interspersion of third-person chunks from others� POV I thought at first were inserted by Guidanio, though they never quite fit together, jinking back and forth in time, overlapping events and sometimes repetitions of ideas, but when we got to the POV of a ghost, I was thrown out of the story. How could Guidanio obtain that?
As I read, I was always aware of these narrative pieces not quite fitting together (especially when we got chunks from various POVs sitting alone in a room thinking exposition at the reader) and began to long for an omniscient narrator to fit it all together either right up front a la Thackeray, or subtly, as Jane Austen’s narrator does in her later novels especially. Even the shifts in tense were not as jarring as the patchwork of third person scenes interspersed with first person—these matched the intensity of the scenes they were employed in. An omni narrator could have woven all this into one narrative, shifting tenses when necessary, and (at least for me) lifting the whole to another level.
But we all read differently. Most readers won’t notice, and most of those who do won’t care because the story will draw them into the lives (some tragically brief) of these memorable characters, and the thoughts offered about big questions as well as small. But for me it’s the difference between a really good book and what might have been a great one.
Copy provided by NetGalley
Read
May 24, 2020
Many thanks to Berkely for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review
DNF at page 38. This book just isn't for me. It's another one of those fantasy novels that is very high fantasy and I just don't mesh well with those books. Fantasy lovers will definitely enjoy this one! It just wasn't for me
Happy reading!
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Now available!
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March 1, 2019
“We like to believe, or pretend, we know what we are doing in our lives. It can be a lie. Winds blow, waves carry us, rain drenches a man caught in the open at night, lightning shatters the sky and sometimes his heart, thunder crashes into him bringing the awareness he will die. We stand up, as best we can under that. We move forward as best we can, hoping for light, kindness, mercy, for ourselves and those we love. Sometimes these things come, sometimes they do not.�
Guy Gavriel Kay’s A Brightness Long Ago is a masterpiece; perhaps the finest work of one of the world’s best living storytellers.
Set in the fictional nation of Batiara (serving as a near-proxy for 15th century Italy), Kay effortlessly drifts through a complex narrative while developing a wide cast of fully-realized characters. The reader experiences some of the same events through several different viewpoints, gaining multiple insights that helps to enrichen the story’s depth. The plot is reminiscent of The Lions of Al-Rassan as most major events swirl around two charismatic adversaries, mercenary captains Folco d’Acorsi and Teobaldo Monticola di Remigio, neither of whom can be easily defined as good or bad men. They have both made a career out of being hired by powerful city-states to wage war and expand their employers� territories, and have been finding themselves on opposite sides of the battlefield for decades. Their history of hate runs deep.
But the story isn’t always centered d’Acorsi and di Remigio. Although their presence casts heavy shadows throughout the book, Kay chooses to spend most of the narrative through the eyes of characters who dance along the outskirts of these historic events. Most of these characters will not find their way into history books, but their influence on the world are just as powerful. These lesser-known players on the periphery are catalysts for change, and their impulses inadvertently help shape the world.
“An encounter on a springtime road. The random spinning of fortune’s wheel. It can sway us, change us, shape or end our days.�
Guidanio Cerra is the leading first-person POV in the story; we start and end with Cerra’s narrative, as his sections of the book are shared memories told from the later years of his life. Adira Ripoli is a noble’s daughter who defies her station through adrenaline-fueled assassination missions and high-stakes horse races. Jelena is a pagan healer with a supernatural sense of the spirit world and keeps finding herself amidst powerful players on the cusp of death. We spend time with dukes, High Patriarchs, scholars, soldiers, and many others as their lives drift in and out of some of the most important moments in the nation’s history. Some grow. Others die.
Throughout the story, Kay keeps exploring the consequences of impulsive decisions and the chaos that spawns from them. Decisions such as hanging around a hallway for an extra minute, or turning your horse north instead of south � all are actions that one thinks nothing of at the time, but their repercussions can last beyond your lifetime. Interestingly, Kay challenges this theme by offering the possibility of divine intervention. Depending on your level of faith, this is one of the very few times the book veers into ‘low fantasy� territory. It asks the reader to contemplate the existence of God, and if God plays a role in impulsive decision-making and its oft-fatal outcomes.
Around the halfway point to the novel, there is an interlude that feels deeply personal. Kay outs himself by breaking the fourth wall and commenting on the nature of stories, how they are told, how they spread, and the reader’s role in experiencing it all. It feels like Kay is sharing his wisdom gained from a lifetime of crafting his stories for a worldwide audience.
This story is shocking, devastating, and beautiful. Kay’s language is elegant in its simplicity, yet painstakingly profound as it cuts to the core of what makes us think, and act, and remember. Time and again you may guess where the story’s heading, only to be wrong over, and over again. Passages were read and re-read, and tears were shed more times than I care to admit. I believe that A Brightness Long Ago is a book I will revisit throughout my lifetime, with hope that I will gain new perspectives as my memories change or linger, and my feelings grow or fade.
“Shelter can be hard to find. A place can become our home for reasons we do not understand. We build the memories that turn into what we are, then what we were, as we look back. We live in the light that comes to us.�
10 / 10
Guy Gavriel Kay’s A Brightness Long Ago is a masterpiece; perhaps the finest work of one of the world’s best living storytellers.
Set in the fictional nation of Batiara (serving as a near-proxy for 15th century Italy), Kay effortlessly drifts through a complex narrative while developing a wide cast of fully-realized characters. The reader experiences some of the same events through several different viewpoints, gaining multiple insights that helps to enrichen the story’s depth. The plot is reminiscent of The Lions of Al-Rassan as most major events swirl around two charismatic adversaries, mercenary captains Folco d’Acorsi and Teobaldo Monticola di Remigio, neither of whom can be easily defined as good or bad men. They have both made a career out of being hired by powerful city-states to wage war and expand their employers� territories, and have been finding themselves on opposite sides of the battlefield for decades. Their history of hate runs deep.
But the story isn’t always centered d’Acorsi and di Remigio. Although their presence casts heavy shadows throughout the book, Kay chooses to spend most of the narrative through the eyes of characters who dance along the outskirts of these historic events. Most of these characters will not find their way into history books, but their influence on the world are just as powerful. These lesser-known players on the periphery are catalysts for change, and their impulses inadvertently help shape the world.
“An encounter on a springtime road. The random spinning of fortune’s wheel. It can sway us, change us, shape or end our days.�
Guidanio Cerra is the leading first-person POV in the story; we start and end with Cerra’s narrative, as his sections of the book are shared memories told from the later years of his life. Adira Ripoli is a noble’s daughter who defies her station through adrenaline-fueled assassination missions and high-stakes horse races. Jelena is a pagan healer with a supernatural sense of the spirit world and keeps finding herself amidst powerful players on the cusp of death. We spend time with dukes, High Patriarchs, scholars, soldiers, and many others as their lives drift in and out of some of the most important moments in the nation’s history. Some grow. Others die.
Throughout the story, Kay keeps exploring the consequences of impulsive decisions and the chaos that spawns from them. Decisions such as hanging around a hallway for an extra minute, or turning your horse north instead of south � all are actions that one thinks nothing of at the time, but their repercussions can last beyond your lifetime. Interestingly, Kay challenges this theme by offering the possibility of divine intervention. Depending on your level of faith, this is one of the very few times the book veers into ‘low fantasy� territory. It asks the reader to contemplate the existence of God, and if God plays a role in impulsive decision-making and its oft-fatal outcomes.
Around the halfway point to the novel, there is an interlude that feels deeply personal. Kay outs himself by breaking the fourth wall and commenting on the nature of stories, how they are told, how they spread, and the reader’s role in experiencing it all. It feels like Kay is sharing his wisdom gained from a lifetime of crafting his stories for a worldwide audience.
This story is shocking, devastating, and beautiful. Kay’s language is elegant in its simplicity, yet painstakingly profound as it cuts to the core of what makes us think, and act, and remember. Time and again you may guess where the story’s heading, only to be wrong over, and over again. Passages were read and re-read, and tears were shed more times than I care to admit. I believe that A Brightness Long Ago is a book I will revisit throughout my lifetime, with hope that I will gain new perspectives as my memories change or linger, and my feelings grow or fade.
“Shelter can be hard to find. A place can become our home for reasons we do not understand. We build the memories that turn into what we are, then what we were, as we look back. We live in the light that comes to us.�
10 / 10
June 7, 2023
A Brightness Long Ago is a captivating, brilliantly crafted historical fantasy tale set in a fictionalised 15th century Italy, as the mercenary cities of Batiara engage in constant conflict. It is my personal favourite work by Guy Gavriel Kay thus far, alongside the Sarantine Mosaic duology, and the best standalone book I have ever read.
Kay’s prose is effortless to read, flowing and evocative in its elegance. He employs a variety of narrative styles in this book to great effect. The story is framed and partially narrated in first person retrospective by Guidanio Cerra, as he recounts his experiences and various roles in major events of the past. It then switches to third person for multiple other perspectives as he tells his story. There are also a few instances of an omniscient narrator commenting on the nature of stories being shaped and legends being born, almost like a stand-in for Kay himself, directly addressing and informing the reader about the book he’s written.
The story describes and partially centres around the personal enmity and political and military encounters between two rival mercenary city lords, Folco Cino d’Acorsi and Teobaldo Monticola di Remigio. Looming over everything still, is the Asharite besiegement and imminent fall of Sarantium, the City of Cities, jewel of the Jaddite world. However, the focus is less on a linear plot and more an exploration of the political situation in Batiara in which these two companies are essential players, as well as various character journeys as they weave in and out of major events and the narrative as a whole. This has been true with all of Kay’s historical novels, where the story is about the shaping of history and the intertwining stories of characters of varied statures and importance, not about getting plotwise from the start to any sort of conclusive destination.
All the characters are incredibly well-written. One of my absolute favourites was Adria Ripoli, a member of the politically powerful Ripoli family, employed for various dangerous tasks by her uncle Folco. Characters like her and Jelena, a wandering, fiercely independent, pagan healer were extremely compelling in their unique and powerful stories. Kay also wonderfully sketches out seemingly inconsequential characters that interact briefly with the narrative and gives a glimpse of their lives and futures. Nardo, for example, a random cleric who has a minor encounter with Teobaldo and Guidanio, and how that event shaped his decisions and convictions in his life, how it affected the direction his life took and his legacy. There are many more: Antemandi Sardi, who changes in ways even he is surprised by, and Scarsone Sardi, the hedonistic High Patriarch of Jad who gained his post through family connections and bribes.
The book expertly explores how the directions of lives are changed by impulses, minor encounters, inexplicable decisions. The randomness of chance that guides people along certain paths, the twists and turns that are impossible to predict and prepare for, the warp and weft of the multitude of threads that make up the tapestry that is history. Legacy continues to be a major theme of Kay’s books as he presents how people and events are remembered and made immortal or forgotten centuries later, and how those remembrances affect the perception and assumptions of motivations and actions of people in the past. Death is dealt with uniquely in this book � characters that die linger briefly, witnessing the immediate scenes after, thinking about what they left behind, their regrets and contentment with how their lives played out. The shock and waste of it, the suddenness of certain deaths brought about by simultaneously pointless and important events, adds to the tragedy and emotional crux of this woven tale.
The climactic encounter between Folco and Teobaldo played out perfectly, a culmination of all that had been built up over the book, tense in its unpredictability but also the inevitability of what would happen with hindsight. There was never a boring moment in the story � exciting, adrenaline-filled scenes such as the eventful horse race, scenes dripping with tension and intrigue changed by the impulsive actions of characters deemed inconsequential, charged, anticipated scenes as characters encountered, conversed, interacted with each other, giving depth to both involved through their dialogue. It never managed to feel unfocused even as it shifted between locations, characters, and events. The tale ended as it began, with Guidanio closing his recounting of his involvement with characters and witnessing of historic events in the past, his reminiscences of a brightness long ago.
Kay’s prose is effortless to read, flowing and evocative in its elegance. He employs a variety of narrative styles in this book to great effect. The story is framed and partially narrated in first person retrospective by Guidanio Cerra, as he recounts his experiences and various roles in major events of the past. It then switches to third person for multiple other perspectives as he tells his story. There are also a few instances of an omniscient narrator commenting on the nature of stories being shaped and legends being born, almost like a stand-in for Kay himself, directly addressing and informing the reader about the book he’s written.
The story describes and partially centres around the personal enmity and political and military encounters between two rival mercenary city lords, Folco Cino d’Acorsi and Teobaldo Monticola di Remigio. Looming over everything still, is the Asharite besiegement and imminent fall of Sarantium, the City of Cities, jewel of the Jaddite world. However, the focus is less on a linear plot and more an exploration of the political situation in Batiara in which these two companies are essential players, as well as various character journeys as they weave in and out of major events and the narrative as a whole. This has been true with all of Kay’s historical novels, where the story is about the shaping of history and the intertwining stories of characters of varied statures and importance, not about getting plotwise from the start to any sort of conclusive destination.
All the characters are incredibly well-written. One of my absolute favourites was Adria Ripoli, a member of the politically powerful Ripoli family, employed for various dangerous tasks by her uncle Folco. Characters like her and Jelena, a wandering, fiercely independent, pagan healer were extremely compelling in their unique and powerful stories. Kay also wonderfully sketches out seemingly inconsequential characters that interact briefly with the narrative and gives a glimpse of their lives and futures. Nardo, for example, a random cleric who has a minor encounter with Teobaldo and Guidanio, and how that event shaped his decisions and convictions in his life, how it affected the direction his life took and his legacy. There are many more: Antemandi Sardi, who changes in ways even he is surprised by, and Scarsone Sardi, the hedonistic High Patriarch of Jad who gained his post through family connections and bribes.
The book expertly explores how the directions of lives are changed by impulses, minor encounters, inexplicable decisions. The randomness of chance that guides people along certain paths, the twists and turns that are impossible to predict and prepare for, the warp and weft of the multitude of threads that make up the tapestry that is history. Legacy continues to be a major theme of Kay’s books as he presents how people and events are remembered and made immortal or forgotten centuries later, and how those remembrances affect the perception and assumptions of motivations and actions of people in the past. Death is dealt with uniquely in this book � characters that die linger briefly, witnessing the immediate scenes after, thinking about what they left behind, their regrets and contentment with how their lives played out. The shock and waste of it, the suddenness of certain deaths brought about by simultaneously pointless and important events, adds to the tragedy and emotional crux of this woven tale.
The climactic encounter between Folco and Teobaldo played out perfectly, a culmination of all that had been built up over the book, tense in its unpredictability but also the inevitability of what would happen with hindsight. There was never a boring moment in the story � exciting, adrenaline-filled scenes such as the eventful horse race, scenes dripping with tension and intrigue changed by the impulsive actions of characters deemed inconsequential, charged, anticipated scenes as characters encountered, conversed, interacted with each other, giving depth to both involved through their dialogue. It never managed to feel unfocused even as it shifted between locations, characters, and events. The tale ended as it began, with Guidanio closing his recounting of his involvement with characters and witnessing of historic events in the past, his reminiscences of a brightness long ago.
October 28, 2021
Edit: His next book in this world has been announced! I'm so excited. How does this masterpiece only have 4,000 ratings? There is truly no justice. What is wrong with this world? Talent clearly doesn't equal popularity at all times, sadly.
Original review:
I must start off by saying that this is the first book I have ever read by Guy Gavriel Kay. I need to ask this right now of his truest fans: is this his finest work? I mean that he has ever written. Because, if not; if this is actually NOT as good as some of his other novels, then I may have just found my new favourite living author. I may just die from excitement if this book isn't his magnum opus.
This novel, simply put, is one of the best I've read in a long, long while. It might just be perfect. I love many fantasy works, but I can find flaws, if asked, in pretty much all of them. If you put a gun to my head, I still might not be able to make up a problem with this book. It was pure, historical, emotional, riveting, and at times terrifyingly brilliant.
The fact I don't hear more people falling over themselves over this masterpiece is deeply disturbing to me. I can't possibly praise it enough.
I mean it. If the man has written better, I'm about to dive down a huge rabbit hole. I'm going to have to read all of his work, and soon. I don't care how long it takes. This is why I'm here. This is why I'm on this site, to stumble into something that lets me know my time perusing was worth it. To find an author who makes me happily throw all the others on my shelf over my shoulder to prepare for the upcoming, inevitable binge. Other fantasy books will come and go and I will shrug and laugh as they pass. This. More of this, please.
Hey, other books, be this instead. He's embarrassing you.
Original review:
I must start off by saying that this is the first book I have ever read by Guy Gavriel Kay. I need to ask this right now of his truest fans: is this his finest work? I mean that he has ever written. Because, if not; if this is actually NOT as good as some of his other novels, then I may have just found my new favourite living author. I may just die from excitement if this book isn't his magnum opus.
This novel, simply put, is one of the best I've read in a long, long while. It might just be perfect. I love many fantasy works, but I can find flaws, if asked, in pretty much all of them. If you put a gun to my head, I still might not be able to make up a problem with this book. It was pure, historical, emotional, riveting, and at times terrifyingly brilliant.
The fact I don't hear more people falling over themselves over this masterpiece is deeply disturbing to me. I can't possibly praise it enough.
I mean it. If the man has written better, I'm about to dive down a huge rabbit hole. I'm going to have to read all of his work, and soon. I don't care how long it takes. This is why I'm here. This is why I'm on this site, to stumble into something that lets me know my time perusing was worth it. To find an author who makes me happily throw all the others on my shelf over my shoulder to prepare for the upcoming, inevitable binge. Other fantasy books will come and go and I will shrug and laugh as they pass. This. More of this, please.
Hey, other books, be this instead. He's embarrassing you.
February 8, 2019
A beautiful meditation on how seemingly small choices can have such great consequences, and on how people who come into our lives, even briefly, can change them. As Danio Cerra reflects on his life, on the great upheaval he witnessed in his youth, we see how small, impulsive decisions made by him and others brought dukes to their knees, ruined or saved whole cities, and changed the course of history.
This book also made me think about how much I love Guy's style. Not just the achingly poetic way he describes his world, but also how Guy will take a character, a face in the crowd, and show how their lives were affected by the larger events they witnessed, even if they had no part in them. A shoemaker in debt risks his last coins on a horserace, and we see how that changes his life, his children's lives, and those around them. A humble cleric on the side of the road takes on offhand remark by a passing soldier to heart, and goes on pilgrimage, and so on and on. Each life is important in its sphere, and some spheres just happen to be much larger.
And in the spirit of true confession: Yes, I do tear up every time he mentions mosaics. Damn him. If you don't know why, go read what I consider his best books: Sailing to Sarantium and Lord of Emperors. Go. Do it.
This book also made me think about how much I love Guy's style. Not just the achingly poetic way he describes his world, but also how Guy will take a character, a face in the crowd, and show how their lives were affected by the larger events they witnessed, even if they had no part in them. A shoemaker in debt risks his last coins on a horserace, and we see how that changes his life, his children's lives, and those around them. A humble cleric on the side of the road takes on offhand remark by a passing soldier to heart, and goes on pilgrimage, and so on and on. Each life is important in its sphere, and some spheres just happen to be much larger.
And in the spirit of true confession: Yes, I do tear up every time he mentions mosaics. Damn him. If you don't know why, go read what I consider his best books: Sailing to Sarantium and Lord of Emperors. Go. Do it.
November 11, 2024
Simply beautiful. Kay's strong narrative voice shines in this one. His works of historical fiction set in a secondary world (my description) just connect with me keenly. The manner in which he gives such perspective to the stories he tells for me elevates his works above all his contemporaries in this genre. A Brightness Long Ago tells of two rivals of different city-states (inspired by Renaissance era Italy), with a narrator enmeshed but not central to the bigger story. This features some of Kay's best characters, and as always he shows a highly vivid setting. A Brightness Long Ago is remarkable in its scope but also in how the story is told in a very personal manner, without all the large trappings you expect in this genre.
November 13, 2023
Beautiful. Stunning. Thought provoking. Moving.
GGK is the man.
10/10
GGK is the man.
10/10
May 25, 2025
4.5
i literally couldn't read fast enough during the horse race scene and i was getting overstimulated in the best possible way. and the way chapter 3 (yes, chapter THREE already, and chapter 1 was also insanely good for no reason. like one of the best hooks into a book i've read in a while) had me giggling and grinning like a fool at work. the dialogue in this book was so good like the tension between folco and monticola?? so uncalled for!
"Anger again, sudden, vivid. 'He was a soldier on guard at a gate in the dark. He drew his sword on me. I have said it three times. Was he your lover? Is that it?'"
"What fear. I can beat you on a battlefield. I can beat you in combat. I have two eyes and a city on the coast for trade at sea, and my body doesn’t pain me when I ride a horse too long. No wonder you hate me, d’Acorsi."
"Of course he is. Let us go and see dear Folco. My life has been lacking that pleasure for too long!"
they're legitimately so funny together
i only have a few main complaints, but two of them really irked me since they were also majorly present in another of ggk's books that i had just read. the mentions of "fortune" have gotta be cut like it was getting ridiculous. ggk's writing is plenty good enough where i was making the connections on my own easily, and i was getting excited too, i'd be like "oh, what a nice coincidence!" and then the next sentence i would read would be "The random spinning of fortune’s wheel. It can sway us, change us, shape or end our days" for the 102982nd time this book. also, i so appreciate ggk's ability to write strong and unique fmcs, and ggk pretty much places them on an equal level of the mmcs which is so nice, especially in epic fantasy. the only thing i don't like about how ggk writes fmcs is how they literally sleep around so much and will sleep with the first man they make a connection with. then, as they actually develop a romantic connection, it makes it feel rushed and a bit false in a way since they slept together basically as soon as they met. last complaint is that ggk's prose is so lovely, but it's also so repetitive and makes the book a drag to read sometimes.
i literally couldn't read fast enough during the horse race scene and i was getting overstimulated in the best possible way. and the way chapter 3 (yes, chapter THREE already, and chapter 1 was also insanely good for no reason. like one of the best hooks into a book i've read in a while) had me giggling and grinning like a fool at work. the dialogue in this book was so good like the tension between folco and monticola?? so uncalled for!
"Anger again, sudden, vivid. 'He was a soldier on guard at a gate in the dark. He drew his sword on me. I have said it three times. Was he your lover? Is that it?'"
"What fear. I can beat you on a battlefield. I can beat you in combat. I have two eyes and a city on the coast for trade at sea, and my body doesn’t pain me when I ride a horse too long. No wonder you hate me, d’Acorsi."
"Of course he is. Let us go and see dear Folco. My life has been lacking that pleasure for too long!"
they're legitimately so funny together
i only have a few main complaints, but two of them really irked me since they were also majorly present in another of ggk's books that i had just read. the mentions of "fortune" have gotta be cut like it was getting ridiculous. ggk's writing is plenty good enough where i was making the connections on my own easily, and i was getting excited too, i'd be like "oh, what a nice coincidence!" and then the next sentence i would read would be "The random spinning of fortune’s wheel. It can sway us, change us, shape or end our days" for the 102982nd time this book. also, i so appreciate ggk's ability to write strong and unique fmcs, and ggk pretty much places them on an equal level of the mmcs which is so nice, especially in epic fantasy. the only thing i don't like about how ggk writes fmcs is how they literally sleep around so much and will sleep with the first man they make a connection with. then, as they actually develop a romantic connection, it makes it feel rushed and a bit false in a way since they slept together basically as soon as they met. last complaint is that ggk's prose is so lovely, but it's also so repetitive and makes the book a drag to read sometimes.
May 14, 2019
Master wordsmith Guy Gavriel Kay returns with an epic historical fantasy that is rich in detail with beautifully crafted characters and immense, immersive and intricate world-building. Undeniably readable with lyrical prose, which draws you into the story, this is a stunning, highly ambitious novel set in the Renaissance period in what is an alternative version of Italy named Batiara. Kay paints vivid pictures of time and place so much so that I felt like I had been transported back in time. It's no wonder this has been long-awaited as it is incredible in its complexity and I'm sure it was a real labour of love for Mr Kay. Crafted exceptionally well with every last detail placed perfectly within the story, this is a must-read for those who appreciate unique fiction.
Although this is described as fantasy the only aspect that differs from reality is the setting, and this hybrid works better than one would initially expect. He broaches some profound and thought-provoking topics throughout the course of the narrative, including our extremely chaotic contemporary existence, history, karma, fate as the fickle mistress she is and philosophical principles of power, perception, memory, the illusion of choice, responsibility, how individual decisions can make both an impact on said individual and the collective/society as a whole and the question of whether a person's path in life is predetermined and whether the individual really is in as much control of his life as he believes.
It is an often moving but always enthralling read which has left an indelible imprint on both my heart and my mind. Once again Kay asserts his dominance and rightly takes his place as the king of the historical fantasy genre. This is a masterclass in impeccable story craft. Many thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for an ARC.
Although this is described as fantasy the only aspect that differs from reality is the setting, and this hybrid works better than one would initially expect. He broaches some profound and thought-provoking topics throughout the course of the narrative, including our extremely chaotic contemporary existence, history, karma, fate as the fickle mistress she is and philosophical principles of power, perception, memory, the illusion of choice, responsibility, how individual decisions can make both an impact on said individual and the collective/society as a whole and the question of whether a person's path in life is predetermined and whether the individual really is in as much control of his life as he believes.
It is an often moving but always enthralling read which has left an indelible imprint on both my heart and my mind. Once again Kay asserts his dominance and rightly takes his place as the king of the historical fantasy genre. This is a masterclass in impeccable story craft. Many thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for an ARC.
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