I'm not sure how to review this book. When I started the book I knew nothing about it except that TadAD had put it on his top ten all time fantasy list. I didn't even know the significance of the title. Everything was fresh and new to me and I relished every moment I was able to spend reading it--even during a very busy stressful time it became a refuge for me. I was frustrated when I had to put it aside and couldn't wait to get back to it; now I feel a sense of loss because it's done. I don't want to give too much information in a review because I think I had the perfect way to enjoy this story--letting it unfold on its own with no prior knowledge of anything. Kay created a world that is not only believable but fascinating, including maps. The characters are believable, well rounded and show development as the tale progresses. There are many threads to the plot but they are handled adeptly and even when I had to wait days between chances to read the book I never lost the train of the story. In my admittedly limited experience in fantasy reading this is one of the very few books that I would put on the level of Lord of the Rings, and yet, except in its quality, it bears no resemblance to that classic. I'm already planning my reread for next summer, which I think will be just as rewarding in a different way--I will notice things I may have missed the first time because now I do know the story and can enjoy its richness on another level. I also plan to read it without interruption either by other books or by RL! ( )

For some inexplicable reason - possibly due to my fantasy-genre adherence - I felt I should have enjoyed this book more. While Tigana contains interesting concepts, some attractive characters and an underlying theme around the classic conundrum of duty vying with desire, I was left, basically, unconvinced.

The eponymous tale centres on the subjugated countries comprising the peninsula called The Palm; invaded and conquered, and bisected by two vastly powerful sorcerers – for their own ends. But with especial focus on Tigana, whose name has been permanently wiped from the thoughts of all, bar the once-inhabitants of this fair country, in revenge for the killing, in battle, of the northern invader Brandin's much-loved, first-born son. The surviving descendants are scattered across the numerous countries of the cape, but as momentous events unfold, a growing band forms with enough resources, strength and cunning to attempt to remove both tyrants and reclaim their home along with the name of their beloved country. In this sweeping epic full of magic, myth and mayhem Guy Gavriel Kay has gone to great lengths to underscore that paths can veer quite markedly in opposite directions to first walked; and the consequences to these choices are never as expected, but often preordained.

Though quite thick, and notwithstanding considerable indifference, on my part, to the main protagonists– I just didn’t care what happened to them unless associated with the interwoven mystical portents – this book was a smooth, effortless read. All the same, in spite of the author’s emphasis on the complexities coalescing behind many of the players, I found them tedious and too predictable; often superfluous to the intrigue – the most dynamic, interestingly, were those devolving from the usual archetype, even though their actions continued in that vein. In contradiction to this were passages of well-considered world-building, reasonably adroit, even unexpected, twists to the plot and, if at times overlong, some quite beautiful descriptive scenes and scenery - which rescued many parts of the book for me.

Regrettably it was not enough to persuade me to merit this book as highly as I expected; without the insertion of the mythology of the riselka into the story, in addition to an astonishing end-line development I would have been left feeling distinctly underwhelmed.

(June 11, 2009) ( )

This has to be one of my top 10 books read this year. Even though it has the usual plot of good triumphing over evil, vengeance for wrongs done to the innocent, there was also, as an aside, a look into a tyrant's humanization. While the Prince of Tigana and his band seek to kill Brandin for destroying the name and memory of their province, there was an underlying reason for this travesty - that of Brandin's grief over the death of his son there during one of the wars. Certainly his reaction was extreme, but in it, we also see the depth of a father's love, grief and need for vengeance.

Despite seeking to infiltrate his domain and kill him, a woman falls in love with the man she has sworn to kill.

Magic, wizards, warriors, conspiracies, rivalry, evil and good - this book has all the components of a captivating read. ( )

I’m not sure why I bought this book. Certainly I’m no fan of fantasy in general: for a genre that supposedly frees the imagination to create alternative realities in whatever form, I find that most fantasy is repetitive, predictable and, the ultimate crime, downright boring. The genre seems overburdened with dumb adolescents of either gender going through predictable rites of passage, dragons, elves (can’t have fantasy post-Tolkien without an elf or two), boring magic, cut-out characters who don’t make it even to one-dimensional, the required massive battle scene with any number of “races” (unimaginatively portrayed) taking part, the whole nine yards. These elements are usually put together in a way guaranteed to get the book to market fast without disturbing anyone’s mental capacities or lunch breaks. The single exception I have found has been George R.R.Martin’s Song of Fire and Ice series which has been such a beautifully crafted tale--an ongoing soap opera, if you will--that it is now the standard by which I judge all fantasy. Martin is an excellent writer and a superb storyteller--with a story worth telling. Yes, he’s obviously used European, most probably English, history as a loose sort of guide, but when choosing a model, use the best, I always say--and he has. So, it was a step out of character for me to buy this book, curious about all the hype over Kay in general and this book in particular. I bought it used, convinced I was probably wasting my money.

I was wrong. Tiganais wonderful.

Kay is not the world’s best writer although he is very, very good. There are scenes in the book that would have been better either edited out or rewritten. He doesn’t do his romantic pairings well. Some of his characterizations are clumsy. As usual, I could have been spared the philosophizing which, fortunately, is kept to a minimum.

But oh, can Kay tell a story! This is a fantastic tale, full of adventure, beautifully created and sustained tension, with surprises and real suspense as to the resolution. He’s done a remarkable job of creating situations in which there are no winners, just what can be the best that can come of real life--where tragedy is the rule and where even the best of choices have grim outcomes. There’s predictable magic in the story, but it doesn’t intrude and doesn’t overwhelm the suspenseful plot. He has even plucked the Central European mythic element of the rusalka (various spellings) and used it sparingly but with great effect.

In fact, that is one of the hallmarks of the writing in this book. it is anything but heavy-handed. At times it’s subtle, sometimes it’s gentle, always appropriate to the story. There are scenes of remarkably handled insight, other scenes beautifully crafted; the last quarter of the book is filled with them.

In the end, what I ask above all of genres such as fantasy is good entertainment. It can serve other purposes, but that, in my opinion, is the underlying goal and what I look for. Tigana serves that purpose very well in an incredibly satisfying way.

Highly recommended. ( )

Eight of the Provinces of The Peninsula of the Palm have been conquered and divided by two Tyrant/Sorcerers. The son of the Tyrant Brandin was killed in battle in the province of Tigana, and in revenge, Brandin destroys much of the land, cruelly subjugates it's people, and magically takes away even the memory of Tigana from all those not born there, thereby robbing the people of their homeland in a most devastating way. The result is a story that explores the blurred bounderies between good and evil, love and hate, loyalty and betrayal. This book is beautifully written and thought provoking, a book so engrossing that thoughts of it linger long after the last page has been turned. ( )