The King’s Last Song by Canadian author Geoff Ryman is his exploration of Cambodian history. The book interweaves two stories about Cambodia but each is set in a very different time period. The first story is about the 12th century ruler Jayavarman VII and how he united the country and founded the great temples at Angkor. The second story is set in 2007 and uses the kidnapping of an archaeologist to describe the heritage of this neglected, exploited and war-torn country that has not yet recovered from it’s days under the yoke of the Khmer Rouge.

While I found both time lines to be fascinating, it was the modern story that I was most drawn to. I learned a lot about modern Cambodia and I believe the author knows this country well. However it was difficult to become too attached to any of the characters as there was simply too many to keep track of and eventually the similarity of many of the Cambodian names, particularly from the 12th Century, made it difficult to separate them into individuals. With so much history to cover it wasn’t surprising that the book bogged down in places and I would have liked to have had some maps included as it would have helped when the movement of armies and the various battles fought were described.

The King’s Last Song is an ambitious undertaking of epic proportions that paints a vivid picture of Cambodian culture both past and present. Unfortunately, I found it a little too dense and overlong for real reading enjoyment but the focus on Cambodian history was insightful and interesting. ( )

This was pretty amazing. Not at all the kind of thing I usually read but I loved his other books so I picked this one up despite the lack of sciencefictional elements.
Half of it takes place in modern-day Cambodia, and half is about 800 years ago. I really didn't know much about Cambodia before, so it was cool to learn a bit about it. Also, his writing as usual is evocative and compassionate. I definitely recommend! ( )

Ryman's novel, The King's Last Song has to be one of the best novels I've read in some time. Beautiful, spare language married to skilled character development and impeccable historical research all converge in a tragic, desperate telling of Cambodia's ancient and modern history. Here is an author, and a novel, worthy of awards, proof that small presses throughout the world are publishing jewels overlooked by the giants. And this novel certainly is a jewel. If you haven't read The King's Last Song, you should. ( )

This is a very interesting book: a look at Cambodia past and present, and the repetitive, recurring nature of its troubles. The discovery of King Jayavarman's gold leaf memoirs should be a great thing for Cambodia, but it is stolen and some of the recent conflicts come back to the surface. I especially enjoyed reading about Luc with the texts (some of which are shown in the book) and the historical scenes of Jayavarman's life. All the characters, Kings to moto-boys, are portrayed with a raw, real sympathy that makes understanding easy. Most importantly, Ryman is not a blundering white man writing about an exotic land; he is careful and considerate, and this book is a pleasure (though sometimes difficult, because of its subject) to read. I recommend this book to anyone interested in a part of the world that receives little coverage in Western media or literature. ( )

An interesting book mixing history and current day Cambodia. The different warring fractions in the 1100's and current times took some getting used to. The story alternated between the different time frames, with interesting stories and descriptions. The second half of the book was definitely better than the first as the story flowed more and became clearer. ( )