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Award-winning author Guy Gavriel Kay evokes the dazzling Tang Dynasty of 8th-century China in an masterful story of honor and power.It begins simply. Shen Tai, son of an illustrious general serving the Emperor of Kitai, has spent two years honoring the memory of his late father by burying the bones of the dead from both armies at the site of one of his father's last great battles. In recognition of his labors and his filial piety, an unlikely source has sent him a dangerous gift: 250 Sardian show more horses.
You give a man one of the famed Sardian horses to reward him greatly. You give him four or five to exalt him above his fellows, propel him towards rank, and earn him jealousy, possibly mortal jealousy. Two hundred and fifty is an unthinkable gift, a gift to overwhelm an emperor.
Wisely, the gift comes with the stipulation that Tai must claim the horses in person. Otherwise he would probably be dead already... show less
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Cecrow A historical fiction novel of the Tang Dynasty, ably relating the same events upon which 'Under Heaven' is based but in their actual Chinese setting.
by ajwseven
by anonymous user
Cecrow A more playful fantasy take on ancient China.
Also recommended by MyriadBooks
32
lottpoet I think these books have in common a person caught up in the machinations of a highly formal society.
02
In Love with the Way: Chinese Poems of the Tang Dynasty (The Calligrapher's Notebooks) by François Cheng
aulsmith A historical novel about a Tang poet and the poetry of the period. If you like one, you should try the other
Member Reviews
When I began reading Guy Gavriel Kay's books a few years ago, a key part of the appeal was that his books were often stand-alone novels in a genre where the epic storylines are usually unpacked over multiple volumes. This appealed as the reader got closure on the story within the same book, and did not have to commit to a three- or four-volume series that might not, by the end, have proven worthy of your time. With this in mind, I recognize the irony that my main criticism of Under Heaven is that it is not longer, that it is only one volume.
In books like Tigana – Kay's best book I have read, and this seems to be the popular consensus too – the story is complete, and though you want more, this comes from how much you have loved the show more story and the characters and your unwillingness to accept that it is over. But in Under Heaven, by about 300 pages in (about half the book) you still get a sense of something building, building, building, and I started to think: when are things going to start 'going down'? Surely, there's not enough room left in the next 300 pages for things to crescendo and fulfil our anticipation, and then to wind down again?
And, to be honest, there's not. After all the slow and patient (and beautiful) build-up, we go straight into prose that has a tone that seems to suggest the book is winding down. Once the political events start in Xinan, it reads like an extended epilogue, a summary of events rather than an experience of them. The crucial thing is that Under Heaven felt like it was missing a middle act, and I did wonder if perhaps it would not have been better to add another 100 pages worth of material to flesh out the Roshan and Wen Zhou stuff, or even make the story a multi-volume one. And after this extended-epilogue vibe, we get the actual winding-down of the plot, which is very short too. Some of the romantic couplings at the end seemed rushed, like dangling threads hastily sewn up. Even here, key points are left unresolved and, indeed, ignored completely (such as why the princess in Tagura made this gift to Shen Tai).
What saves Under Heaven from any opprobrium for this flaw is Kay's beautiful writing. It is rather presumptuous of me to criticize his storytelling structure above when he is so impressive at so many things. At imagination, character and pace. He delivers many beautiful lines of both dialogue and description, and many scenes are well-staged. It is intoxicating to read at times, and in truth this quality does indeed overwhelm any criticism I have made. But the fact remains that the story didn't have the 'balance' that the Kitan poets of his story crave. I wanted more, as I do with all of Kay's stories that I have read, but for the first time I felt it needed more. It needed that middle act, that centre around which the heavens and the earth could revolve. show less
In books like Tigana – Kay's best book I have read, and this seems to be the popular consensus too – the story is complete, and though you want more, this comes from how much you have loved the show more story and the characters and your unwillingness to accept that it is over. But in Under Heaven, by about 300 pages in (about half the book) you still get a sense of something building, building, building, and I started to think: when are things going to start 'going down'? Surely, there's not enough room left in the next 300 pages for things to crescendo and fulfil our anticipation, and then to wind down again?
And, to be honest, there's not. After all the slow and patient (and beautiful) build-up, we go straight into prose that has a tone that seems to suggest the book is winding down. Once the political events start in Xinan, it reads like an extended epilogue, a summary of events rather than an experience of them. The crucial thing is that Under Heaven felt like it was missing a middle act, and I did wonder if perhaps it would not have been better to add another 100 pages worth of material to flesh out the Roshan and Wen Zhou stuff, or even make the story a multi-volume one. And after this extended-epilogue vibe, we get the actual winding-down of the plot, which is very short too. Some of the romantic couplings at the end seemed rushed, like dangling threads hastily sewn up. Even here, key points are left unresolved and, indeed, ignored completely (such as why the princess in Tagura made this gift to Shen Tai).
What saves Under Heaven from any opprobrium for this flaw is Kay's beautiful writing. It is rather presumptuous of me to criticize his storytelling structure above when he is so impressive at so many things. At imagination, character and pace. He delivers many beautiful lines of both dialogue and description, and many scenes are well-staged. It is intoxicating to read at times, and in truth this quality does indeed overwhelm any criticism I have made. But the fact remains that the story didn't have the 'balance' that the Kitan poets of his story crave. I wanted more, as I do with all of Kay's stories that I have read, but for the first time I felt it needed more. It needed that middle act, that centre around which the heavens and the earth could revolve. show less
Under Heaven – Guy Gavriel Kay
5 stars
“The world could bring you poison in a jeweled cup, or surprising gifts. Sometimes you didn’t know which of them it was.”
Here is a truly epic adventure set in 8th century China of the Tang Dynasty. The story concerns Shen Tai, second son of a famous general. As the story begins Tai is coming to the end of the two year mourning period for his father. Contrary to custom, Tai has honored his father by taking on the great and impossible labor of burying the thousands of bones left from a catastrophic battle. This great labor has attracted attention in the Empire and beyond. Tai is about to receive a gift that will change the course of his life; 250 Sardian horses, from the hands of the enemy.
“ show more It was never wise, Bystan had decided on his way here from the fort, to underestimate the influence of women at a court”
There are some mild elements of fantasy or magical realism in two of the plot lines of this book, but overall the story reads like detailed, evocative, historical fiction. The characters are well developed and their relationships are complicated. Tai becomes a pawn within the convoluted and dangerous machinations of court politics. The story builds around the actions of four very different women. There are shattering consequences for Tai and the Dynasty.
This was definitely a work of historical fiction, but I was reminded of Frank Herbert’s Dune. Tai comes from the stark environment of the Steppes to be thrown into the opulence and deviance of court politics. There are battle scenes and hand to hand combat, betrayals and executions. There are those in power who are despicably evil and those with true honor and bravery. It was a wonderful story. There are parallels in the characters and the situations, but I think it reminded me of Dune mostly because of Kay’s amazing ability to build the civilization. I feel as if I've been there.
I had both the printed copy and the audio version. Simon Vance read beautifully as usual. show less
5 stars
“The world could bring you poison in a jeweled cup, or surprising gifts. Sometimes you didn’t know which of them it was.”
Here is a truly epic adventure set in 8th century China of the Tang Dynasty. The story concerns Shen Tai, second son of a famous general. As the story begins Tai is coming to the end of the two year mourning period for his father. Contrary to custom, Tai has honored his father by taking on the great and impossible labor of burying the thousands of bones left from a catastrophic battle. This great labor has attracted attention in the Empire and beyond. Tai is about to receive a gift that will change the course of his life; 250 Sardian horses, from the hands of the enemy.
“ show more It was never wise, Bystan had decided on his way here from the fort, to underestimate the influence of women at a court”
There are some mild elements of fantasy or magical realism in two of the plot lines of this book, but overall the story reads like detailed, evocative, historical fiction. The characters are well developed and their relationships are complicated. Tai becomes a pawn within the convoluted and dangerous machinations of court politics. The story builds around the actions of four very different women. There are shattering consequences for Tai and the Dynasty.
This was definitely a work of historical fiction, but I was reminded of Frank Herbert’s Dune. Tai comes from the stark environment of the Steppes to be thrown into the opulence and deviance of court politics. There are battle scenes and hand to hand combat, betrayals and executions. There are those in power who are despicably evil and those with true honor and bravery. It was a wonderful story. There are parallels in the characters and the situations, but I think it reminded me of Dune mostly because of Kay’s amazing ability to build the civilization. I feel as if I've been there.
I had both the printed copy and the audio version. Simon Vance read beautifully as usual. show less
In a departure from Kay's normal European venues, Under Heaven takes place in an alternate version of Tang Dynasty China. In a non-departure, Kay uses this scenery to paint pictures of deeply human characters buffeted by "interesting times" and succeeds in building an original, unique and moving story.
As always, Kay's strength is in the humanity underlying all the history that informs the story. The events of Under Heaven result in the deaths of tens of millions of people, but instead of focusing on the war and the famine, Kay focuses on individuals and how they navigate a world that seems to be crumbling around them.
It is moving, of course, and exciting, and filled with characters that olive and breathe and jump into the mind show more full-blown.
Kay is a master of this kind of story, thin on battle, and heavy on spirit, and this is certainly a wonderful example. show less
As always, Kay's strength is in the humanity underlying all the history that informs the story. The events of Under Heaven result in the deaths of tens of millions of people, but instead of focusing on the war and the famine, Kay focuses on individuals and how they navigate a world that seems to be crumbling around them.
It is moving, of course, and exciting, and filled with characters that olive and breathe and jump into the mind show more full-blown.
Kay is a master of this kind of story, thin on battle, and heavy on spirit, and this is certainly a wonderful example. show less
I liked Under Heaven, Guy Gavriel Kay’s take on 8th Century China, but it might be the first historical fantasy I’ve read that felt too realistic.
The magic in Under Heaven (shamans, ghosts, etc.) only exists on the margins, yet that isn’t what threw me off. And I respect how much research Kay clearly did on the Tang Dynasty, even though he occasionally delivers his version of the details as bald info-dumps. Mostly, I just wish the protagonist’s decisions and actions mattered more.
Initially, it seems like they will. The book begins with Shen Tai—the second son of a dead general—nearing the end of his mourning period, an interval he spent burying bodies left over from a battle his father directed many years ago. Tai doesn’t show more discriminate as he works, laying his own peoples’ warriors to rest alongside those of the rival army. To honor this labor, a princess from the opposing nation gives him two hundred and fifty Sardian horses, a gift that will make him a wealthy man … if he can avoid an onrush of assassins long enough to claim it.
So far, so good! But the next chunk of the book is mainly Tai meeting with increasingly powerful people who want his (still-unclaimed) horses. Eventually, he reaches the capital and finds it swirling with more intrigue he’s incapable of influencing. And when a power struggle breaks into the open—a clash based on a historical conflict—Kay’s focus wanders so far from Tai that he’s not even in several key scenes. Ultimately, his horses don’t matter much either.
I wish they had. A less-accurate rendering might have had the Sardians tipping the scale one way or another, perhaps because Tai used them to try and pick a winner. Instead, he’s caught up in events he has little control over. So is his sister, the other primary point-of-view character. These are real-world outcomes … but not necessarily the most satisfying for a fictionalization already altering history in ways large and small.
As I said, though, I still liked Under Heaven. Kay is a skilled writer who made me care about his characters—even when they’re just along for the ride—and the setting is vivid. The history might have hijacked the story a bit, but it remained enough to make me curious about River of Stars, a sequel of sorts set four hundred years later. I’ll be back in this world soon.
(For more reviews like this one, see www.nickwisseman.com) show less
The magic in Under Heaven (shamans, ghosts, etc.) only exists on the margins, yet that isn’t what threw me off. And I respect how much research Kay clearly did on the Tang Dynasty, even though he occasionally delivers his version of the details as bald info-dumps. Mostly, I just wish the protagonist’s decisions and actions mattered more.
Initially, it seems like they will. The book begins with Shen Tai—the second son of a dead general—nearing the end of his mourning period, an interval he spent burying bodies left over from a battle his father directed many years ago. Tai doesn’t show more discriminate as he works, laying his own peoples’ warriors to rest alongside those of the rival army. To honor this labor, a princess from the opposing nation gives him two hundred and fifty Sardian horses, a gift that will make him a wealthy man … if he can avoid an onrush of assassins long enough to claim it.
So far, so good! But the next chunk of the book is mainly Tai meeting with increasingly powerful people who want his (still-unclaimed) horses. Eventually, he reaches the capital and finds it swirling with more intrigue he’s incapable of influencing. And when a power struggle breaks into the open—a clash based on a historical conflict—Kay’s focus wanders so far from Tai that he’s not even in several key scenes. Ultimately, his horses don’t matter much either.
I wish they had. A less-accurate rendering might have had the Sardians tipping the scale one way or another, perhaps because Tai used them to try and pick a winner. Instead, he’s caught up in events he has little control over. So is his sister, the other primary point-of-view character. These are real-world outcomes … but not necessarily the most satisfying for a fictionalization already altering history in ways large and small.
As I said, though, I still liked Under Heaven. Kay is a skilled writer who made me care about his characters—even when they’re just along for the ride—and the setting is vivid. The history might have hijacked the story a bit, but it remained enough to make me curious about River of Stars, a sequel of sorts set four hundred years later. I’ll be back in this world soon.
(For more reviews like this one, see www.nickwisseman.com) show less
Plot: After his father died, Shen Tai spent two years in an old battlefield burying the restless dead of both his people and their enemies. He means only to pay his respects to his father, to right one of the greatest regrets of the general’s life. But in return for his selfless deed, the White Jade Princess, daughter of his emperor and wife of the enemy king has offered him a grand gift: 250 of the Sardian horses, mounts so prized by his people that they are called heavenly. This gift is priceless and a death sentence. Tai must now maneuver his way through the imperial court, save his sister, sacrificed to his brother’s ambitions, and somehow survive his gift.
Kay is one of the grand masters of fantasy in Canada. I own every one of show more his books. And this one doesn’t disappoint. This time he places his fantasy in an imagined ancient China. Having studied East Asia, including China, for much of my university career, I often wince while reading so called Asian-themed fantasy stories which often turn out to be Asian stereotype fantasies. But Kay doesn’t fall into this trap. He has done his research and has captured a Tang era China with its poetry, bureaucracy, hierarchy and family honour. He draws from Chinese history to create a rich and complex political world.
It is a huge tome but at no point does it seem too long; I would have happily read another few hundred pages. His characters have depth and interact in interesting ways. Kay can even make a minor character who appears in one or two scenes and is never mentioned again memorable and interesting (some favorites include a courtesan who cannot stand poetry and a steward maintaining order within one mansion during an occupation). That is a gift. If you doubt that fantasy can be literature, read Kay. show less
Kay is one of the grand masters of fantasy in Canada. I own every one of show more his books. And this one doesn’t disappoint. This time he places his fantasy in an imagined ancient China. Having studied East Asia, including China, for much of my university career, I often wince while reading so called Asian-themed fantasy stories which often turn out to be Asian stereotype fantasies. But Kay doesn’t fall into this trap. He has done his research and has captured a Tang era China with its poetry, bureaucracy, hierarchy and family honour. He draws from Chinese history to create a rich and complex political world.
It is a huge tome but at no point does it seem too long; I would have happily read another few hundred pages. His characters have depth and interact in interesting ways. Kay can even make a minor character who appears in one or two scenes and is never mentioned again memorable and interesting (some favorites include a courtesan who cannot stand poetry and a steward maintaining order within one mansion during an occupation). That is a gift. If you doubt that fantasy can be literature, read Kay. show less
As Kay says in his Afterword, he isn't sure why he writes history as fantasy -- but to me it seems obvious that he has a freedom to explore beyond facts, to find the emotional truth of the rise and fall of a culture, in this case the Tang dynasty in China. The main characters are vivid and there are plenty of minor characters too, all in a dance of a kind and most of them pivotal in what transpires. Kay leads us from moment to moment to the 'choice' or 'turning' points. Demonstrating how some events are random/accidental, some are the result of an independent and free decision, and some are taken entirely out of the hands of those that experience them. Every aspect of the novel is pitch perfect. It is a work, entirely, of the show more imagination but has weight and is grounded in the realities of human nature. Lovely. ***** show less
Whenever I read a modern Kay novel, I always struggle trying to classify them.
In all normal respects, they read like classic historical novels set in culturally lush times, peppered with rich characterizations, and steeped in really classy, nearly (or fully) poetical language.
But this ISN'T a novel of the Chinese Tang Dynasty. It may feel like it, read like it, and have a truly heartbreaking setup that seems rather unique to the period, but it ISN'T historical fiction.
It is fantasy. Plain and simple. Made up era, made up world, (even tho it has a moon quite like ours), and enough references to make it FEEL like its a history we ought to KNOW.
And that isn't a problem, per se, but it's only fantasy in the worldbuilding. No magic. Just a show more fully realized world.
And this is very much a beautiful world. Saying anything more would still do it not enough justice.
I personally prefer a bit more magic in my fantasies, but that's only MY preference. I really loved the characters and the rambling progression of plot. Who knew that getting a gift of 250 horses for performing an act of charity for the dead could bring one SO MUCH TROUBLE? show less
In all normal respects, they read like classic historical novels set in culturally lush times, peppered with rich characterizations, and steeped in really classy, nearly (or fully) poetical language.
But this ISN'T a novel of the Chinese Tang Dynasty. It may feel like it, read like it, and have a truly heartbreaking setup that seems rather unique to the period, but it ISN'T historical fiction.
It is fantasy. Plain and simple. Made up era, made up world, (even tho it has a moon quite like ours), and enough references to make it FEEL like its a history we ought to KNOW.
And that isn't a problem, per se, but it's only fantasy in the worldbuilding. No magic. Just a show more fully realized world.
And this is very much a beautiful world. Saying anything more would still do it not enough justice.
I personally prefer a bit more magic in my fantasies, but that's only MY preference. I really loved the characters and the rambling progression of plot. Who knew that getting a gift of 250 horses for performing an act of charity for the dead could bring one SO MUCH TROUBLE? show less
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Author Information
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Guy Gavriel Kay was born on November 7, 1954 in Weyburn, Saskatchewan, Canada. He became interested in fantasy fiction while working as an assistant to Christopher Tolkien. He assisted him with the editing of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion. After receiving a law degree from the University of Toronto, he became principal writer and associate show more producer for the CBC radio series, The Scales of Justice. He also wrote several episodes when the series moved to television. He has written social and political commentary for several publications including the National Post, The Globe and Mail, and The Guardian. His first fantasy novels were The Summer Tree, The Wandering Fire, and The Darkest Road, which make up the Fionavar Tapestry Trilogy. His other works include A Song for Arbonne, The Lions of Al-Rassan, Beyond This Dark House, The Last Light of the Sun, and Under Heaven. He has received numerous awards including and the Aurora Award for Tigana and The Wandering Fire, the 2008 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel for Ysabel, and the International Goliardos Award for his work in the fantasy field. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Some Editions
Awards and Honors
Series
Work Relationships
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Under Heaven
- Original title
- Under Heaven
- Original publication date
- 2010-05
- People/Characters
- Shen Tai; Sima Zian; Spring Rain; Li Mei; Wei Song
- Important places
- Xinan, Kitai
- Epigraph
- With bronze as a mirror one can correct one's appearance; with history as a mirror, one can understand the rise and fall of a state; with good men as a mirror, one can distinguish right from wrong.
—LI SHIMIN, TANK EM... (show all)PEROR TAIZONG - Dedication
- to Sybil,
with love - First words
- Amid the ten thousand noises and the jade-and-gold and the whirling dust of Xinan, he had often stayed awake all night among friends, drinking spiced wine in the North District with the courtesans.
- Quotations
- And it isn't worth hating. It really isn't. . . . You did need to decide what mattered, and concentrate on that. Otherwise your life force would be scattered to the five directions, and wasted.
He would be among them today. And he couldn't learn that rhythm, not in the time he had. So he wouldn't even try. He'd go another way, like a holy wanderer of the Sacred Path choosing at a fork in the road, following his ... (show all)own truth, a hermit laughing in the mountains.
Sometimes fear is proper. It is what we do that matters. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)It drifted into that night, within the ring of mountains, above the lake, rising there, and gone.
- Blurbers
- Sanderson, Brandon
- Original language
- English
Classifications
- Genres
- Fantasy, Fiction and Literature, General Fiction, Historical Fiction
- DDC/MDS
- 813.54 — Literature & rhetoric American literature in English American fiction in English 1900-1999 1945-1999
- LCC
- PR9199.3 .K39 .U53 — Language and Literature English English Literature English literature: Provincial, local, etc.
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