Although the calquedontohistory method is similar in tigana and a song for arbonne, they take place in different worlds. The main characters of this fantasy, historical story are ammar ibn khairan, rodrigo belmonte. Character motivations in the lions of al rassan spoilers. It unfolds so perfectly, at precisely the right time and in precisely the right way, revealing and concealing all at once. Understanding the story of alrassan is a bit like, if i may indulge in what i thought was a rather clever bit of imagery, watching reverse origami. Instead of using history for background detail, he has thrown out everything except the most dramatic and sellable events and features, masticating them together with historical platitudes, cliches, and stereotypes in order to papfeed his readers. The lions of alrassan is based on the reconquest of the iberian peninsula, with all the clashes between religions youd expect. In kays story the evil that must be fought is not a sauronlike figure of evil, as in tolkien. The lions of alrassan kindle edition by kay, guy gavriel. The assassination attempt on rodrigo during the carnival. The three hundred year golden age of the caliphates rule is ending, and three characters a jaddite commander named rodrigo belmonte, a kindath doctornamed jehane, and an asharite poet and soldier named ammar ibn khairanare caught in the middle. Peace among the jaddites, asharites, and kindath is a precarious, elusive thing, made so by the everpresent shadow that divides the inhabitants but draws extraordinary individuals together. Main characters jehane is a young kindath physician, the daughter of the famous ishak ben yonannon. The lions of alrassan by guy gavriel kay about a book.
Lions is ostensibly a historical fiction based on the civil wars, and eventual unification, of spain. When he first arrived on the fantasy scene, with the fionavar tapestry, kay was in some respects not a lot different from many other writers in the genre. The lions of alrassan by guy gavriel kay 4 stars the reconquest of alrassan is at hand. This is a grand novel with the scope of lawrence of arabia and the immediacy of todays mideastern headlines. The audio version of the lions of alrassan, recently produced by audible frontiers, is outstanding. The lions of alrassan by guy gavriel kay she reads novels.
The lions of al rassan is one of my favorite fantasy novels period. Kay provides insightful glimpses into the goals and motives of his many characters, including king almalik of cartada, his advisor ammar ibn khairan, a young. Guy gavriel kay is fond of, even dedicated to, taking elements, times and situations from medieval europe and transposing them into a fantasy world. In the lions of alrassan, the relationships between ammar ibn khairan, rodrigo belmonte, and jehanne bet ishakwhich includes both romantic love and friendshipare between three legendary individuals. The novel concentrates on the relationships between the three peoples. Military leaders rodrigo belmonte and ammar ibn khairan, both exiled from their countries, form a bond that is tested by opposing political forces and the female physician, jehane, who loves them both. The lions of alrassan takes a while to get going but you will be amply rewarded for your patience.
Character motivations in the lions of alrassan spoilers. In the dangerous lands of alrassan, these two men from different worlds meet and serve for a time the same master. Sharing the interwoven fate of these two men from different worlds and increasingly torn in her feelings is jehane, the beautiful, accomplished court physician, whose own skills play an increasing role as alrassan is swept to the brink of holy war, and beyond. One of the patterns that the author has shown in his alternate universe is the way that he looks at hinges in history, where characters have to deal with the consequences of golden ages that turn sour, and where people are caught in the middle of historical trends that they have little chance to overturn even as they struggle to. The kindath physician, jehane bet ishak, inadvertedly keeps one of her patients from the execution. The lions of alrassan is the second book ive read by guy gavriel kay, the first being tigana. Kay has researched the historical period he reflects in this alternate universe, and gives an accurate and sensible picture of it.
Character motivations in the lions of al rassan spoilers spoiler. The lions of alrassan guy gavriel kay the captive reader. It deals with the fall of islamic spain, or alandalus al rassan and asks us to lament, with its characters, the. Kay provides insightful glimpses into the goals and motives of his many characters, including king almalik of. The lions of alrassan audiobook by guy gavriel kay. The lions of alrassan is a 1995 fantasy novel by guy gavriel kay. His characters are bold and full of life, and they live and love in a tumultuous world. The lions of alrassan is kays first book in the jaddite sarantine parallel world. Free download or read online the lions of alrassan pdf epub book. Hauntingly evocative of medieval spain, the lions of alrassan, a bestselling classic of canadian literature, is the exhilarating story of love, divided loyalties, and what happens to men and women when passionate beliefs conspire to remakeor destroya world. The lions of alrassan by guy gavriel kay librarything. The lions of alrassan is a masterpiece that everyone should read and just barely loses out to sailing to sarantium as my favorite kay book of all time. I will say that i am pretty ignorant of spanish history, and.
In the lions of alrassan kay manages to achieve the worst of both worlds. The lions of alrassan by guy gavriel kay nook book. One thing in particular that ive enjoyed about both books is that they each managed to satisfy my epic fantasy cravings within a single, standalone novel. The interplay between rodrigo belmonte, jehane bet ishak, and ammar ibn khairan is masterful. I would highly recommend starting with lions of alrassan or if you are feeling a little more daring, tigana. The first edition of the novel was published in 1995, and was written by guy gavriel kay. I finished this book last night, and while i loved it overall, i was wondering about some of the motivations behind some of the decisions made. Each of those three is not only a character unto themselves, but a secularized representation of the three religions that play a part throughout the story. The lions of alrassan 1995 is an historical fantasy, or what guy gavriel kay calls history with a quarter turn to the fantastic. It isnt difficult to make connections to real life conflicts and prejudices which adds another layer to this rich and complex book. King almalik of cartada, the largest of the three asharite kingdoms in alrassan, has a number of his enemies slain in one afternoon. Other than all the invented peoples, cities and religions, the main clue that youre reading a fantasy novel and not one taking place on earth is the two moons in the sky baitandswitch. Both a simile, with fantasy treatment, of european history in the era of the crusades. King almalik of cartada, the largest of the three asharite kingdoms in al rassan, has a number of his enemies slain in one afternoon.
Read download the lions of al rassan pdf pdf download. Guy gavriel kay literature a forum of ice and fire a. The lions of alrassan contains examples of the owl also appears as a symbol of all healers, and by extension of jehane. I dont really know how to categorize the lions of alrassan, either its not fantasy in the traditional sense, so dont expect elves, orcs, dwarves and the like but its not straight historical fantasy either, for while the realm of alrassan might bear a resemblance to medieval spain, its not quite an exact parallel either. Lions of al rassan is vying with the sarantium books as my favourite. The lions of alrassan is a wonderful book, with a huge variety of characters, cultures, and points of view.
References to fionavar, which is the base of all parallel worlds including our own do get into every book. Kays the lions of alrassan falls into the category of books to read when i want to read but cant handle anything serious. Literature frenzy the lions of alrassan by guy gavriel kay. Euan morton, who also read a song for arbonne, has the required strong masculine voice, yet reads the female roles well, too. Sure, theyre all competent and possess good morals.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Home to three very different cultures, alrassan is a land of seductive beauty and violent history where peace among the. In the lions of alrassan the characters shine brightly, capturing and holding your attention. Its a classic fantasy story, with more swords than sorcery, with a strong female protagonist and believable characters. Pdf the lions of alrassan book by guy gavriel kay free. Lions of alrassan centers on the spanish reconquista, while the tyranny of the night has a wider scope. A fantasy novel that sets the stage for an epic journey, the lions of alrassan is the story of a land with a violent past and the individuals whose paths and destiny intersect during a vital time.
The jaddites are pretty plainly christians, the kindath are jewish, and the asharites are muslims more or less. The lions of alrassan is a work of historical fantasy by guy gavriel kay. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the lions of alrassan. The lions of alrassan is well worth the investment. It is set in a peninsula of the same world in which the sarantine mosaic and the last light of the sun are set, and is based on moorish spain. Asharite merchants from alrassan, and references to the khalifate of alrassan in the description of firaz ibn bakir, put this book chronologically either before or during the events of the lions of alrassan. The lions of alrassan home to three very different cultures, alrassan is a land of seductive beauty and violent history.
The language was beautiful, the characterization adept, and the because of this the plot, which did not consist of 00 troop armies blasting each other with magic, as is the norm nowadays in epic fantasy, was all the mor powerful. Guy gavriel kay deserves a much wider readership and i hope you end up becoming a fan. I wish you all the best on your journey into the wonderful world of ggk and hope to see you on the other side. The erling culture is analogous to that of the vikings. The lions of alrassan is a work of historical fantasy novel by canadian writer guy gavriel kay. King almalik of cartada, the largest of the three asharite kingdoms in al rassan, arranges for a large number of his enemies slain in one afternoon. The lions of al rassan 1995 is an historical fantasy, or what guy gavriel kay calls history with a quarter turn to the fantastic. It deals with the fall of islamic spain, or al andalus al rassan and asks us to lament, with its characters, the passing of an enlightened age. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 528 pages and is available in paperback format. Sharing their interwoven fate and increasingly torn by her feelings is jehane, the accomplished court physician, whose own skills play an increasing role as alrassan is swept to the brink of holy war, and beyond. I loved the lions of alrassan by guy gavriel kay i loved it even more than i loved a song for arbonne admittedly, if anyone had seen me while i was reading the last hundred or so pages, crying my way through them, they might have questioned if it was really love but, for me, it is only the really good stories, the ones that pull me in so completely, the ones with characters. The lions of alrassan is what is usually defined, as a fantasy book.
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