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A Song for Arbonne
A stunning historical fantasy of love, war and political intrigues, the author's favourite of his own books. Arbonne is a lush, fertile land near the sea, and its people revere music and the Goddess Rian. In Gorhaut, the God Corannos and war are the only considerations. These two countries are on a collision course, that will lead to a war in which son battles father - and life-long friendships end in death. Honouring a lineage from Homer to Tolkien and Le Guin, Guy Gavriel Kay has written a high fantasy where both style and substance reign supreme. His characters breathe life with every entrance, his settings are as real as the fields we know. As triumph and disaster appear on page after page, the reader will fight, love and cry with all the protagonists. A Song for Arbonne has echoes of medieval France and its famed Court of Love, yet lives in the classic fantasy world of a master's imagination.
608 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
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13241 people want to read
About the author
Guy Gavriel Kay
46 books9,367 followersGuy 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 1,047 reviews
January 23, 2016
I am in awe. This might be the best book I've read this year. It might be one of the best books I've ever read.
If you like epics, this is for you. Romance, intrigue, artistic expression, mystery, combat scenes, sex, violence, passion, compassion, bitter revenge, redemption. It's all here.
This book was what makes fantasy great. It is what makes historical fiction great. A perfect blend of the two, with very human elements there to give life to the characters. The reader is constantly on the edge of his/her seat, and the payoff is in spades.
I loved Tigana, my first experience with Kay, when I read it last year. This tops it.
I don't know what else to say without spoiling anything. I will say there was only one thing I didn't like about this book: that the experience had to end.......
If you like epics, this is for you. Romance, intrigue, artistic expression, mystery, combat scenes, sex, violence, passion, compassion, bitter revenge, redemption. It's all here.
This book was what makes fantasy great. It is what makes historical fiction great. A perfect blend of the two, with very human elements there to give life to the characters. The reader is constantly on the edge of his/her seat, and the payoff is in spades.
I loved Tigana, my first experience with Kay, when I read it last year. This tops it.
I don't know what else to say without spoiling anything. I will say there was only one thing I didn't like about this book: that the experience had to end.......
October 9, 2017
Artisans, it seems, are very important for Kay. Tigana had musicians, Sarantine duology a mosaicist as the main protagonist, in Arbonne, fashioned after the medieval Provence and Occitania, troubadours are in the middle of things (along with joglars and trobairitz, that is female performers). With them, the ideals of court love, gallantry, poetry, tournaments, knights and dames and all the associated drama constitutes a backbone of this novel.
To give you a proper context: Dante Alighieri saw the love of his life, a woman named Beatrice, 4 times altogether (this is what you'll find in his biographies, however hard it is to ascertain the truth). Once, when they were kids, and then three times more (including her wedding to Simon dei Bardi and one encounter on a street when she did not respond to his greeting). Beatrice wasn't Dante’s lover, not even his friend or merely an acquaintance and yet, against those odds she was the ultimate love of his life (as you know if you have read his poetry). At the same time, Dante was married, had children and numerous lovers. But his love, and devotion and art — all that was only for Beatrice (even after her death).
Another celebrated poet, Petrarca, was 3 years junior to his beloved Laura (he was 23 and she was 26 when they met in 1327 in Avignon). She was married and had 12 children, but Petrarca loved her ardently his whole life. She was the axis around which his art revolved (his poetry is divided into In vita di madonna Laura and In morte di madonna Laura).
Jaufré Rudel, one of the most famous medieval troubadours, didn't even see the love of his life in person - he has been shown a small picture of a lady from Tripoli. This was enough to infuse him with love and all knightly intentions. He joined a crusade but arrived in Tripoli already dying. When the lady in question learned about this, she came to his deathbed, offered him a ring and he died gazing at her. Soon after she became a nun.
All the above stories are true, and if you find them ridiculous, you will have problems reading this novel. In the Song for Arbonne Kay wishes to emulate this ambiance and state of mind, creating a country characterised by a soft, somewhat effeminate culture, ruled by a woman, worshipping a goddess and torn apart by a decades-long feud between two of the most powerful lords over another woman. You need to be open to the romantic notions and rules of medieval courtly love to accept the premises for this design.
This female-dominated Arbonne is the juxtaposed with Gorhaut espousing all things male, including masculine, military-driven culture and a warrior deity. Here you have the other element of the book design, a religious war somewhat mimicking the events of the Albigensian crusade. Conflict is imminent between the two states and the focal point of the brewing war is a young Gorhautian mercenary resisting in Arbonne, one Blaise.
I fond Blaise a likable hero, conflicted and marred by his past, but likable (also at times hilarious). It soon transpires that he is much more than an unassuming sword for hire and as the plot thickens and connections become apparent, Blaise is forced to pave his own way to save both countries from peril.
Sadly for me, Song of Arbonne, consists mainly of half measures and does not meet the standards I expected from Kay. He merely scratches the surface of so many different issues that should have been properly explored or uses shortcuts regarding plot-twists and character developments that after finishing the last chapter I was in a truly foul mood. Beautiful language and interesting scene here or there are saving graces, but overall the book is of average quality.
Feminine Arbonne and masculine Gorhaut were perhaps meant to show that taking things to the extreme is harmful in both ways, that male and female element must be balanced, but you will not find it in the book. The clash comes and goes without any reflection of what had caused it (and the religious element doesn't really fit or reverberate properly).
This is to some extent caused by the major weakness of the novel, i.e. the villains. Villains here are pathetic evil creatures. We have two of them, the king of Gorhaut is a monster of rare quality, while the High Elder, the religious leader, is just evil period. You will not find back stories, nuances or details that would invite the reader to understand (if not endure) their rationale. There is just everything you can imagine inserted into this character to ensure that the readers hate him without compunction. And Kay I know is able to write complex black characters to fall in love with!
Finally, I had some qualms with the main love story of the book lying at the foundation of the unfolding drama. And what? And nothing. The whole thing is shrugged over. Nothing is explored. As if the package of love is more important than the very thing. This is also a shortcut not worthy of the author I know and admire.
In the end, I found the book simplistic. Several shortcuts and yet the finale is not neat; too many flapping loose ends. I am not sure if Kay himself knew where the story would go because we didn't have his usual foreshadowing indicating mastery of every detail in the design.
Promising beginning, and pathetic ending. Some fun in between. No swoon though, so don't start your journey with Kay here. You might wish to try Tigana first or the Sarantine Mosaic duology set in Byzantium-like world: Sailing to Sarantium and Lord of Emperors.
----
This was a buddy read with the Kay Squad at FBR.
To give you a proper context: Dante Alighieri saw the love of his life, a woman named Beatrice, 4 times altogether (this is what you'll find in his biographies, however hard it is to ascertain the truth). Once, when they were kids, and then three times more (including her wedding to Simon dei Bardi and one encounter on a street when she did not respond to his greeting). Beatrice wasn't Dante’s lover, not even his friend or merely an acquaintance and yet, against those odds she was the ultimate love of his life (as you know if you have read his poetry). At the same time, Dante was married, had children and numerous lovers. But his love, and devotion and art — all that was only for Beatrice (even after her death).
Another celebrated poet, Petrarca, was 3 years junior to his beloved Laura (he was 23 and she was 26 when they met in 1327 in Avignon). She was married and had 12 children, but Petrarca loved her ardently his whole life. She was the axis around which his art revolved (his poetry is divided into In vita di madonna Laura and In morte di madonna Laura).
Jaufré Rudel, one of the most famous medieval troubadours, didn't even see the love of his life in person - he has been shown a small picture of a lady from Tripoli. This was enough to infuse him with love and all knightly intentions. He joined a crusade but arrived in Tripoli already dying. When the lady in question learned about this, she came to his deathbed, offered him a ring and he died gazing at her. Soon after she became a nun.
All the above stories are true, and if you find them ridiculous, you will have problems reading this novel. In the Song for Arbonne Kay wishes to emulate this ambiance and state of mind, creating a country characterised by a soft, somewhat effeminate culture, ruled by a woman, worshipping a goddess and torn apart by a decades-long feud between two of the most powerful lords over another woman. You need to be open to the romantic notions and rules of medieval courtly love to accept the premises for this design.
This female-dominated Arbonne is the juxtaposed with Gorhaut espousing all things male, including masculine, military-driven culture and a warrior deity. Here you have the other element of the book design, a religious war somewhat mimicking the events of the Albigensian crusade. Conflict is imminent between the two states and the focal point of the brewing war is a young Gorhautian mercenary resisting in Arbonne, one Blaise.
I fond Blaise a likable hero, conflicted and marred by his past, but likable (also at times hilarious). It soon transpires that he is much more than an unassuming sword for hire and as the plot thickens and connections become apparent, Blaise is forced to pave his own way to save both countries from peril.
Sadly for me, Song of Arbonne, consists mainly of half measures and does not meet the standards I expected from Kay. He merely scratches the surface of so many different issues that should have been properly explored or uses shortcuts regarding plot-twists and character developments that after finishing the last chapter I was in a truly foul mood. Beautiful language and interesting scene here or there are saving graces, but overall the book is of average quality.
Feminine Arbonne and masculine Gorhaut were perhaps meant to show that taking things to the extreme is harmful in both ways, that male and female element must be balanced, but you will not find it in the book. The clash comes and goes without any reflection of what had caused it (and the religious element doesn't really fit or reverberate properly).
This is to some extent caused by the major weakness of the novel, i.e. the villains. Villains here are pathetic evil creatures. We have two of them, the king of Gorhaut is a monster of rare quality, while the High Elder, the religious leader, is just evil period. You will not find back stories, nuances or details that would invite the reader to understand (if not endure) their rationale. There is just everything you can imagine inserted into this character to ensure that the readers hate him without compunction. And Kay I know is able to write complex black characters to fall in love with!
Finally, I had some qualms with the main love story of the book lying at the foundation of the unfolding drama. And what? And nothing. The whole thing is shrugged over. Nothing is explored. As if the package of love is more important than the very thing. This is also a shortcut not worthy of the author I know and admire.
In the end, I found the book simplistic. Several shortcuts and yet the finale is not neat; too many flapping loose ends. I am not sure if Kay himself knew where the story would go because we didn't have his usual foreshadowing indicating mastery of every detail in the design.
Promising beginning, and pathetic ending. Some fun in between. No swoon though, so don't start your journey with Kay here. You might wish to try Tigana first or the Sarantine Mosaic duology set in Byzantium-like world: Sailing to Sarantium and Lord of Emperors.
----
This was a buddy read with the Kay Squad at FBR.
February 26, 2026
There are three (or more) possible reactions on a reread: your original thoughts are confirmed, you feel the book wasn't as good as you originally thought, or the book's esteem grows in your mind. For me, this third read of A Song for Arbonne is firmly in the latter category. I recently reread this via audiobook, but this read was a traditional read, and I loved absolutely everything about the experience. Seeing the plot threads develop, the characters' lives changed, bits of foreshadowing not noticed before, all with a beautiful and lyrical prose style. This book screams quality and is one of my favorite books I've ever read.
======================================
This was a reread via audiobook of one of my favorite books I've ever read. The book remains in my high esteems, and the audiobook is fantastic! Euan Morton's performance was remarkable at times, and he even sang all of the songs in this book. I enjoyed this so much I plan on another traditional reread very soon. My original review is below.
==================
This is both one of the best books I've read this year, as well as one of the best fantasy stand alones I've read in my lifetime. The two things that stand out universally in the three books by Kay that I've read so far are his incredibly rich world-building and stupendous writing style. But everything else is fantastic as well - characters, themes, plotting, pacing - these can all be described as strengths as well. Kay writes books that make me remember how much I love to read.
I realize I've said nothing concrete about this book in this review, so just let me say: go read it.
======================================
This was a reread via audiobook of one of my favorite books I've ever read. The book remains in my high esteems, and the audiobook is fantastic! Euan Morton's performance was remarkable at times, and he even sang all of the songs in this book. I enjoyed this so much I plan on another traditional reread very soon. My original review is below.
==================
This is both one of the best books I've read this year, as well as one of the best fantasy stand alones I've read in my lifetime. The two things that stand out universally in the three books by Kay that I've read so far are his incredibly rich world-building and stupendous writing style. But everything else is fantastic as well - characters, themes, plotting, pacing - these can all be described as strengths as well. Kay writes books that make me remember how much I love to read.
I realize I've said nothing concrete about this book in this review, so just let me say: go read it.
February 25, 2024
Wow. I don't know what to say. I don't have the right words. Guy Gavriel Kay had them all though.
This may be the most beautiful single read of my life. In one standalone book I feel like I went on a journey the likes of which I usually can only experience over the course of a long series, and not even then. For the last 5 hours finishing this thing I was an emotional wreck, and I can very honestly say no work of art has done that to me since Harry Potter 7 came out the summer after I graduated from high school in 2007, a read that marked the end of my childhood.
A Song for Arbonne has put me in a wistful mood, a mixture of both happy and sad--leaving me sensitive to the poignance of the fragility and beauty of our lives. I feel like I want to be a better person. Like I want to break out my ukulele and sing love songs to my wife as I used to when we first met. Like I want to cry over unrequited and lost love from my youth.
I don't understand what fell magic GGK reached for to craft this masterpiece, but I know I was under its spell from start to finish. If I had to try to describe what kind of book it is, I'd say it's a character driven political epic with an unceasing heartfelt/elegiac tone created by the most elegant prose I've ever experienced. Kay does what most fantasy authors fail to do with political plots, which is truly getting the reader to care about the fate of the places at stake if war is to come or if they fall under evil hands. In most political stories, the stakes are felt mostly for the characters we've come to care about, but here Kay got me to fall in love with not only the people but the country of Arbonne. I always felt grounded in both the history and the present-day political situation, which was nuanced and multi-faceted enough to feel complex while not overly so to the point of being convoluted.
It took me a long time to read this, since I was in no rush and often felt satisfied just reading a chapter a day or every few days--each one felt like its own perfectly crafted short story with its own sense of closure, often leaving me with a feeling of wistfulness after having been left on a particularly poignant note or image. I was continually in awe of how beautiful I thought the writing was while at the same time being fully immersed in the characters' internal lives and the outward plot events, which always seemed to be moving forward with great import and momentum. I have an urge to discuss all of the characters and themes and plot events that captivated me, but it was basically everything, and I'll let you discover it all on your own if you haven't already.
I think I've found a new favorite author and maybe even a new favorite book. Bravo, GGK. Bravo.
This may be the most beautiful single read of my life. In one standalone book I feel like I went on a journey the likes of which I usually can only experience over the course of a long series, and not even then. For the last 5 hours finishing this thing I was an emotional wreck, and I can very honestly say no work of art has done that to me since Harry Potter 7 came out the summer after I graduated from high school in 2007, a read that marked the end of my childhood.
A Song for Arbonne has put me in a wistful mood, a mixture of both happy and sad--leaving me sensitive to the poignance of the fragility and beauty of our lives. I feel like I want to be a better person. Like I want to break out my ukulele and sing love songs to my wife as I used to when we first met. Like I want to cry over unrequited and lost love from my youth.
I don't understand what fell magic GGK reached for to craft this masterpiece, but I know I was under its spell from start to finish. If I had to try to describe what kind of book it is, I'd say it's a character driven political epic with an unceasing heartfelt/elegiac tone created by the most elegant prose I've ever experienced. Kay does what most fantasy authors fail to do with political plots, which is truly getting the reader to care about the fate of the places at stake if war is to come or if they fall under evil hands. In most political stories, the stakes are felt mostly for the characters we've come to care about, but here Kay got me to fall in love with not only the people but the country of Arbonne. I always felt grounded in both the history and the present-day political situation, which was nuanced and multi-faceted enough to feel complex while not overly so to the point of being convoluted.
It took me a long time to read this, since I was in no rush and often felt satisfied just reading a chapter a day or every few days--each one felt like its own perfectly crafted short story with its own sense of closure, often leaving me with a feeling of wistfulness after having been left on a particularly poignant note or image. I was continually in awe of how beautiful I thought the writing was while at the same time being fully immersed in the characters' internal lives and the outward plot events, which always seemed to be moving forward with great import and momentum. I have an urge to discuss all of the characters and themes and plot events that captivated me, but it was basically everything, and I'll let you discover it all on your own if you haven't already.
I think I've found a new favorite author and maybe even a new favorite book. Bravo, GGK. Bravo.
February 23, 2025
I am back to historical based GGK works, and this time a much less talked about book.
Despite it's lack of fame A Song For Arbonne was still brilliant.
This is a book set in a fantasy version medieval version of France. It is largely focused on an upcoming conflict between Gorhaut and Arbonne, which are both smaller nations in a setting that is basically France.
The setting of this book is based around the french court, and romance, and troubadours. Given that Guy Gavriel Kay is normally a author who uh....does not shy away from sex scenes, I was expecting this to be even more horny.
However shockingly this was probably the least horny GGK book I have read.
This also did not follow the pattern of one of my favorite starts to a story, a kinda weird middle section, and then and out of this world fantastic ending.
This did not hit the highs in my opinion of Tigana or Al-Rassan, but kept a steadily improving quality throughout.
Also worth noting that this is for lack of a better word less Malazan esque than Al-Rassan was. It has a clear protagonist, and a clear antagonist.
Anyway, the rest of this is just the normal GGK praise you will see for all his books.
His writing is absurd. He sets scenes like a sniper, using the smallest amount of words, but building just as vivid of a picture.
I normally write down page numbers with quotes I like, and I have maybe never noted as many pages as this. If I read this on kindle and highlighted stuff, I would have highlighted half the book.
His characters feel like they live in the setting, they develop naturally, and by the end you get the feeling 15 people could have been the protagonist due to how they are the heroes of their own story.
His plotting is so underrated. The scheming is fantastic, it is paced surprisingly well, the setup and payoff is on point, and he brings things together in a way that doesn't feel contrived.
Thematically he doesn't hit you over the head, but slips a stiletto through your ribs. This book is no exception, he trusts his readers, and weaves themes in a story like few authors can.
I just...I love this mans writing, I love this mans stories. It is annoying in this book that people don't have head trauma from the amount of casual knockouts, but whatever.
9.4/10 for the most consistently steady in quality GGK book I have read so far, but not hitting the highs of The Lions of Al-Rassan
Despite it's lack of fame A Song For Arbonne was still brilliant.
This is a book set in a fantasy version medieval version of France. It is largely focused on an upcoming conflict between Gorhaut and Arbonne, which are both smaller nations in a setting that is basically France.
The setting of this book is based around the french court, and romance, and troubadours. Given that Guy Gavriel Kay is normally a author who uh....does not shy away from sex scenes, I was expecting this to be even more horny.
However shockingly this was probably the least horny GGK book I have read.
This also did not follow the pattern of one of my favorite starts to a story, a kinda weird middle section, and then and out of this world fantastic ending.
This did not hit the highs in my opinion of Tigana or Al-Rassan, but kept a steadily improving quality throughout.
Also worth noting that this is for lack of a better word less Malazan esque than Al-Rassan was. It has a clear protagonist, and a clear antagonist.
Anyway, the rest of this is just the normal GGK praise you will see for all his books.
His writing is absurd. He sets scenes like a sniper, using the smallest amount of words, but building just as vivid of a picture.
I normally write down page numbers with quotes I like, and I have maybe never noted as many pages as this. If I read this on kindle and highlighted stuff, I would have highlighted half the book.
His characters feel like they live in the setting, they develop naturally, and by the end you get the feeling 15 people could have been the protagonist due to how they are the heroes of their own story.
His plotting is so underrated. The scheming is fantastic, it is paced surprisingly well, the setup and payoff is on point, and he brings things together in a way that doesn't feel contrived.
Thematically he doesn't hit you over the head, but slips a stiletto through your ribs. This book is no exception, he trusts his readers, and weaves themes in a story like few authors can.
I just...I love this mans writing, I love this mans stories. It is annoying in this book that people don't have head trauma from the amount of casual knockouts, but whatever.
9.4/10 for the most consistently steady in quality GGK book I have read so far, but not hitting the highs of The Lions of Al-Rassan
October 7, 2017
*** 4.75 ***
A Buddy Read with the Fantasy Buddy Reads Group, because we love G. G. Kay!
Have you ever read a book and felt completely inadequate to write a review for it? Not that the book was that overwhelming in scope or plot lines, nor because it tackled some deep philosophical issues whose gravity would be impossible to put in several paragraphs. The ineptitude I find myself in, is because this is the forth book written by Kay I have read in the last couple of months and with each volume I become more and more enamored with his way of balancing Historical Fiction, some Fantasy elements, Romance, and Artistic expression in a hybrid which could not be put into a box, but feels like each of its parent's genres most favorite child. Even his unique outlook on Historical Fantasy is not enough to explain the magic he has woven in his tales. It is the way he tells the story, with an obvious nod to the old Bards, but with an updated language, using a prose which is open for all levels of readers - from novices to sages, using finesse and complexity more in the plot-lines than in the way he conveys them, crafting characters whose personalities vary on the gray scale of attributes, none of them perfect, none of them completely villainous, and makes us care for them even when we don't particularly want to. His ability to use simple words and moments, in a sea of overwhelming action and intrigue, which are so devastatingly poignant and touching, that make you want to weep with their raw exposure of the humanity in everyone, big or small, significant or just one of the crowd... His biggest talent lays with the knowledge of how to employee the writing style of the old masters and amplify the effect with his ability to pull it back and punctuate it by stripping the prose down to bare bones in the most consequential of junctures.
"..."“He was still on his feet, and before him was a man who stood in the path of...what? Of a great many things, his own dream of Gorhaut not least of all. Of what his home should be, in the eyes of the world, in the sight of Corannos, in his own soul. He had said this two nights ago, words very like this, King Daufridi of Valensa. He's been asked if he loved his country.
He did. He loved it with a heart that ached like an old man's fingers in rain, hurting for the Gorhaut of his own vision, a land worthy of the god who had chosen it, and of the honor of men. Not a place of scheming wiles, of a degraded, sensuously corrupt king, of people dispossessed of their lands by a cowardly treaty, or of ugly designs under the false, perverted aegis of Corannos for nothing less than annihilation here south of the mountains.”..."
As with the previous books, this one takes place in a Fantasy world, whose England, Normandy and Provence are reflected in Valensa, Gorhaut and Arbonne around the 11-13th centuries. It is inspired by the culture of Provence at the time of the Troubadours and the age of gallantry, leading to the first cultural introduction of love as that of a young man pining for a married woman of status, as the ideal for true love, even if it is unrequited... It also speaks of the very heavily Pagan and matriarchal culture of the land, despite the introduction of the more male-oriented and homogeneous. Once again, by invoking the history of the Albigensian Crusade in spirit, and the influence of the never ending wars between the Anglo-Saxons and Normans, as well as the later political maneuvers in order to bring the South to France, we are given a microcosm of those events served with the nuances of the eternal battle between the Feminine and Masculine, be it in human culture or in celestial divinity. G. G. Kay always gives us a juxtaposition between the Male and Female, but he never gives us his answers as to which side he is on, or does he push us into choosing. In my opinion, he makes a beautiful argument for their complimentary strengths and weaknesses, advocating in his unobtrusive way for the need of their balance.
"..."“We must be what we are, or we become our enemies. ” ..."
Equal to his incredible ability of finding beauty even in the ugliest of situations, Kay views the world with a dose of irony and cynicism, which attributes the Male and Female sides with as many devious and uncompromising choices for achieving their goals as their counterparts. They do not shy from using every weapon in their arsenal, be it a weapon, poison, sex, flirtation, deception or political manipulation, disfigurement or murder, each with equal ruthlessness, that we see they only differ in the manner they are performed and the ultimate ideal they strive for, but not in the paths of obtaining them... Women and men are equally beautiful, desirable, smart, talented and strong, the author being able to show us positive qualities even in the most despicable of characters, that every loss, no matter on which side, becomes a wound in the reader's heart... If I only had one wish, it would be for more authors to be as thoughtful and purposeful in the way they structure a story, so I may never ever again read a book which might let me down:):):)
"..."“For all his frustrations and his chronic sense of being overburdened. He was proud of that; he’d always felt that it was worth doing a task properly if it was worth doing at all. That was part of his problem, of course; that was why he ended up with so much to do. It was also the source of his own particular pride: he knew--and he was certain they knew that there was no one else who could handle details such as these as well as he.” ..."
Now I wish you all Happy Reading and may you always find what you Need in the pages of a Good Book!!!
A Buddy Read with the Fantasy Buddy Reads Group, because we love G. G. Kay!
Have you ever read a book and felt completely inadequate to write a review for it? Not that the book was that overwhelming in scope or plot lines, nor because it tackled some deep philosophical issues whose gravity would be impossible to put in several paragraphs. The ineptitude I find myself in, is because this is the forth book written by Kay I have read in the last couple of months and with each volume I become more and more enamored with his way of balancing Historical Fiction, some Fantasy elements, Romance, and Artistic expression in a hybrid which could not be put into a box, but feels like each of its parent's genres most favorite child. Even his unique outlook on Historical Fantasy is not enough to explain the magic he has woven in his tales. It is the way he tells the story, with an obvious nod to the old Bards, but with an updated language, using a prose which is open for all levels of readers - from novices to sages, using finesse and complexity more in the plot-lines than in the way he conveys them, crafting characters whose personalities vary on the gray scale of attributes, none of them perfect, none of them completely villainous, and makes us care for them even when we don't particularly want to. His ability to use simple words and moments, in a sea of overwhelming action and intrigue, which are so devastatingly poignant and touching, that make you want to weep with their raw exposure of the humanity in everyone, big or small, significant or just one of the crowd... His biggest talent lays with the knowledge of how to employee the writing style of the old masters and amplify the effect with his ability to pull it back and punctuate it by stripping the prose down to bare bones in the most consequential of junctures.
"..."“He was still on his feet, and before him was a man who stood in the path of...what? Of a great many things, his own dream of Gorhaut not least of all. Of what his home should be, in the eyes of the world, in the sight of Corannos, in his own soul. He had said this two nights ago, words very like this, King Daufridi of Valensa. He's been asked if he loved his country.
He did. He loved it with a heart that ached like an old man's fingers in rain, hurting for the Gorhaut of his own vision, a land worthy of the god who had chosen it, and of the honor of men. Not a place of scheming wiles, of a degraded, sensuously corrupt king, of people dispossessed of their lands by a cowardly treaty, or of ugly designs under the false, perverted aegis of Corannos for nothing less than annihilation here south of the mountains.”..."
As with the previous books, this one takes place in a Fantasy world, whose England, Normandy and Provence are reflected in Valensa, Gorhaut and Arbonne around the 11-13th centuries. It is inspired by the culture of Provence at the time of the Troubadours and the age of gallantry, leading to the first cultural introduction of love as that of a young man pining for a married woman of status, as the ideal for true love, even if it is unrequited... It also speaks of the very heavily Pagan and matriarchal culture of the land, despite the introduction of the more male-oriented and homogeneous. Once again, by invoking the history of the Albigensian Crusade in spirit, and the influence of the never ending wars between the Anglo-Saxons and Normans, as well as the later political maneuvers in order to bring the South to France, we are given a microcosm of those events served with the nuances of the eternal battle between the Feminine and Masculine, be it in human culture or in celestial divinity. G. G. Kay always gives us a juxtaposition between the Male and Female, but he never gives us his answers as to which side he is on, or does he push us into choosing. In my opinion, he makes a beautiful argument for their complimentary strengths and weaknesses, advocating in his unobtrusive way for the need of their balance.
"..."“We must be what we are, or we become our enemies. ” ..."
Equal to his incredible ability of finding beauty even in the ugliest of situations, Kay views the world with a dose of irony and cynicism, which attributes the Male and Female sides with as many devious and uncompromising choices for achieving their goals as their counterparts. They do not shy from using every weapon in their arsenal, be it a weapon, poison, sex, flirtation, deception or political manipulation, disfigurement or murder, each with equal ruthlessness, that we see they only differ in the manner they are performed and the ultimate ideal they strive for, but not in the paths of obtaining them... Women and men are equally beautiful, desirable, smart, talented and strong, the author being able to show us positive qualities even in the most despicable of characters, that every loss, no matter on which side, becomes a wound in the reader's heart... If I only had one wish, it would be for more authors to be as thoughtful and purposeful in the way they structure a story, so I may never ever again read a book which might let me down:):):)
"..."“For all his frustrations and his chronic sense of being overburdened. He was proud of that; he’d always felt that it was worth doing a task properly if it was worth doing at all. That was part of his problem, of course; that was why he ended up with so much to do. It was also the source of his own particular pride: he knew--and he was certain they knew that there was no one else who could handle details such as these as well as he.” ..."
Now I wish you all Happy Reading and may you always find what you Need in the pages of a Good Book!!!
May 27, 2018
4.6 stars
This is as well written as any Kay's book. Reason it isn't getting full 5 stars is because I didn't like characters as much as I did in Sarantine mosaic or Tigana.
This is as well written as any Kay's book. Reason it isn't getting full 5 stars is because I didn't like characters as much as I did in Sarantine mosaic or Tigana.
February 16, 2010
Insert rant about the many reasons why I really like a lot of Kay's early work here.
March 17, 2019
Pure poetry. A tale of undiluted love on both an epic and a personal scale. A tale of pride, regret and music. Of courtly love and the hard game of nations. Of family, hatred, war and betrayal. Of ambition and endless longing. Of the timeless seasons of one’s own homeland. A tale of men and women.
Kay works his magic with emphatic brilliance and exquisite execution, regaling us with a thought-provoking story of beauty and suspense.
There were ripples to events, and they went a long way sometimes across the dark pools of time and the world.
Kay works his magic with emphatic brilliance and exquisite execution, regaling us with a thought-provoking story of beauty and suspense.
There were ripples to events, and they went a long way sometimes across the dark pools of time and the world.
July 19, 2019
I am so, so incredibly torn about this one. It's a Guy Gavriel Kay historical fantasy novel, so of course it's a beautiful masterpiece. But it's a Guy Gavriel Kay historical fantasy novel, so of course it will inevitably be compared to Tigana. It simply does not provide the sublimely perfect satisfaction of that other epic, and the ending here seemed actually rather uninspired. Neither does it quite measure up to the Sarantium duology in my mind.
It's obviously a fantastic work, but I need time to think to settle on just how fantastic.
It's obviously a fantastic work, but I need time to think to settle on just how fantastic.
October 14, 2016
My fourth book by GGK and once again I liked the the world, story and the characters created by him. This is a beautiful story of love, loyalty, honor, family, courage, sacrifice, betrayal and survival.
First I must confess I was not impressed in first five chapters but after that I was unable to put it down. It took me a little time to understand the plot. Arbonne a land famous for its troubadours which is ruled by a woman and worship a goddess. Their passion for their country is remarkable. It is a total contrast to the land of Gorhaut which has a patriarchal society. the high priest of Gorhaut, who hates women and despised the matriarchy in Arbonne, wants to destroy Arbonne and rule it. It is his hatred that bring these two nations on the cusp of the war and whole story revolve around this impending war.
Kay is famous for using historical places. He used southeastern France for this one. The world that he has portrayed in this book is beautiful, unforgettable and very resonant. Characters are very good and their narrative describe the different events of past for us. Kay’s writing is very gorgeous, the way he describe people’s emotions is simply breathtaking. His writing is a reader’s delight. And again I couldn’t stop myself marveling upon how much strength he gives to his female characters.
This was an enjoyable read for me but still it didn’t touched me like Tigana, didn’t made me cry like The Lions of Al-Rassan or kept me on the edge the whole time due its political drama like Under Heaven. A man whose hatred inspired him to end a country because they worship a Goddess and respect women did not settled well with me.
My most favorite character in this book was Rosala. She was an extremely intelligent and clever woman. Her courage when she faced the most feared man in country was truly awesome. & then taking the most difficult decision of her life, putting herself and a country in a dangerous situation was very brave decision.
Not GGK's best work but still an admirable read.
First I must confess I was not impressed in first five chapters but after that I was unable to put it down. It took me a little time to understand the plot. Arbonne a land famous for its troubadours which is ruled by a woman and worship a goddess. Their passion for their country is remarkable. It is a total contrast to the land of Gorhaut which has a patriarchal society. the high priest of Gorhaut, who hates women and despised the matriarchy in Arbonne, wants to destroy Arbonne and rule it. It is his hatred that bring these two nations on the cusp of the war and whole story revolve around this impending war.
Kay is famous for using historical places. He used southeastern France for this one. The world that he has portrayed in this book is beautiful, unforgettable and very resonant. Characters are very good and their narrative describe the different events of past for us. Kay’s writing is very gorgeous, the way he describe people’s emotions is simply breathtaking. His writing is a reader’s delight. And again I couldn’t stop myself marveling upon how much strength he gives to his female characters.
This was an enjoyable read for me but still it didn’t touched me like Tigana, didn’t made me cry like The Lions of Al-Rassan or kept me on the edge the whole time due its political drama like Under Heaven. A man whose hatred inspired him to end a country because they worship a Goddess and respect women did not settled well with me.
My most favorite character in this book was Rosala. She was an extremely intelligent and clever woman. Her courage when she faced the most feared man in country was truly awesome. & then taking the most difficult decision of her life, putting herself and a country in a dangerous situation was very brave decision.
Not GGK's best work but still an admirable read.
February 2, 2021
I first read this more than a decade ago in print and more recently revisited the story in its audiobook form. My experience of the book was skewed because the only time I typically listen to audiobooks is when cleaning the floors of our house, which meant I listened to a 20-hour audiobook over the course of about 12 weeks. This no doubt accounts for why I found it hard sometimes to follow the wide array of characters, especially the women who sometimes seemed near interchangeable in terms of their roles in the story. I suspect I wouldn't have felt that way reading the book either in print or ebook, however. Sometimes audiobooks – even with as terrific a narrator as the one for this edition – can compress down the way we envision the characters.
A Song for Arbonne is a lengthy tale set in a fantasy version of what I'm guessing would be 13th Century Langedoc. It's a place of troubadours and song beset by northern invaders. Amidst a wide cast of characters, questions of art, war, religion, gender roles, and a host of other facets of culture that conflict between and within these two societies gets explored. The depth with which Guy Gavriel Kay handles that range of subjects is itself reason enough to recommend the book.
For all the action and drama, however, the characters all feel at a bit of a distance from the reader. We're witnessing their travails rather than experiencing them ourselves. That's not a bad thing, but it does make it a somewhat different kind of book to most contemporary fantasy. A Song for Arbonne isn't slow-paced, but it's not roller coaster ride, either. I suppose if it were, a lot of the themes would lose their depth.
Kay is in a category of his own when it comes to historically-inspired fantasy settings. Arbonne feels as real and credible as any historical saga you might read. If you've never read one of his books, A Song for Arbonne is a fine place to begin.
A Song for Arbonne is a lengthy tale set in a fantasy version of what I'm guessing would be 13th Century Langedoc. It's a place of troubadours and song beset by northern invaders. Amidst a wide cast of characters, questions of art, war, religion, gender roles, and a host of other facets of culture that conflict between and within these two societies gets explored. The depth with which Guy Gavriel Kay handles that range of subjects is itself reason enough to recommend the book.
For all the action and drama, however, the characters all feel at a bit of a distance from the reader. We're witnessing their travails rather than experiencing them ourselves. That's not a bad thing, but it does make it a somewhat different kind of book to most contemporary fantasy. A Song for Arbonne isn't slow-paced, but it's not roller coaster ride, either. I suppose if it were, a lot of the themes would lose their depth.
Kay is in a category of his own when it comes to historically-inspired fantasy settings. Arbonne feels as real and credible as any historical saga you might read. If you've never read one of his books, A Song for Arbonne is a fine place to begin.
December 31, 2024
This man is a wizard and this book has less than 15k ratings and I don't understand why we, as GGK fans, are not throwing GGK books at everyone we know.
Anyways I have to admit about halfway through this one I was a little confused why so many people rank it as their favorite GGK but the climax of this book was incredibly exciting, emotional, riveting, shocking, tense, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
I think of all the GGK I've read, this one will boost the most on reread.
Every time I finish a Guy Gavriel Kay book, I am just a little awed. I have to take a few minutes to just sit and experience my own breath, my own consciousness, the act of being alive. I have to take a minute to appreciate that art exists and that humanity has been blessed with the ability to appreciate it. Somehow, Guy Gavriel Kay is some sort of wizard that can distill the human experience into a narrative that can make you feel every emotion. I can be hating someone with every particle of my being in one moment, and crying due to someone's realization about their life's meaning in the next.
"He was not a musician, not a very good singer at all; he knew that. But songs were not only for those who could form them with artistry. He knew that, too".
A Song for Arbonne is about fake France, and about war, and about politics. It's about a son who hates his tyrant father and a man who buries his grief in wine and women. It's about women ruling and men being upset that they dare. It's about troubadours and priestesses.
But it's really about life, about love, about music. It's about being human.
10/10
Anyways I have to admit about halfway through this one I was a little confused why so many people rank it as their favorite GGK but the climax of this book was incredibly exciting, emotional, riveting, shocking, tense, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
I think of all the GGK I've read, this one will boost the most on reread.
Every time I finish a Guy Gavriel Kay book, I am just a little awed. I have to take a few minutes to just sit and experience my own breath, my own consciousness, the act of being alive. I have to take a minute to appreciate that art exists and that humanity has been blessed with the ability to appreciate it. Somehow, Guy Gavriel Kay is some sort of wizard that can distill the human experience into a narrative that can make you feel every emotion. I can be hating someone with every particle of my being in one moment, and crying due to someone's realization about their life's meaning in the next.
"He was not a musician, not a very good singer at all; he knew that. But songs were not only for those who could form them with artistry. He knew that, too".
A Song for Arbonne is about fake France, and about war, and about politics. It's about a son who hates his tyrant father and a man who buries his grief in wine and women. It's about women ruling and men being upset that they dare. It's about troubadours and priestesses.
But it's really about life, about love, about music. It's about being human.
10/10
Want to read
July 11, 2018Well I hate to do this but listening to this audio book is just putting me to sleep. I’m really enjoying the book & this narrator is great (especially his singing voice) but it’s such a sweet voice that it lulls me right into a doze. I don’t want to keep reading if I’m only catching 50% of the story so I’ll definitely put this on my Physical TBR list & revisit it in the future! 💛
March 30, 2025
A new favourite has emerged.
July 8, 2025
Maybe I should let this marinate more, but I just finished this book and I feel like it is a masterpiece! I almost didn’t even pick this one up when I did, but I saw that it was being removed from the audible plus catalog in a few weeks, so since I’m such a GGK fan I decided to read it (listen to the audiobook) while it was still available. Why did no one tell me about this book? Why aren’t people talking about it all the time?
This was the 6th GGK book I’ve read, and he kind of has a bit of a formula. I hate to call it that because I don’t mean it in a negative way at all, but thematically this was another book about the power of a ripple. How a conversation, a slight, a grudge, or a choice can shape major future events. If you love a book with lots of threads that come together masterfully, you’re gonna like this.
This book had me sucked in from the beginning, but it did something that surprisingly few books actually do - it got better and better as it went. No lull, no boring middle, not clunky arcs. Started out strong and ended on a mountain top. I was completely hooked with all the storylines and characters, and the plot was surprisingly easy to follow despite actually being pretty complex with lots of threads to keep track of.
A Song for Arbonne has all of the elements that GGK does SO well, in my opinion. Court intrigue, masterful politicking, a festival/tourney/contest setting, duels, etc. Several intimate conversation scenes that were so beautiful written and subtly significant to the story, I imagined his keyboard smoking as he was writing. FIRE.
GGK does this thing where he can do more with 500 pages than most modern fantasy authors can do in 2500. He is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine. Every time I’m reading (listening) to a GGK book, the same question crosses my mind each time - why do I ever read anything else?? It’s so damn good!! This is in the running for book of the year, for me, and it maaaaaay have disrupted my rankings for favorite GGK book!
This was the 6th GGK book I’ve read, and he kind of has a bit of a formula. I hate to call it that because I don’t mean it in a negative way at all, but thematically this was another book about the power of a ripple. How a conversation, a slight, a grudge, or a choice can shape major future events. If you love a book with lots of threads that come together masterfully, you’re gonna like this.
This book had me sucked in from the beginning, but it did something that surprisingly few books actually do - it got better and better as it went. No lull, no boring middle, not clunky arcs. Started out strong and ended on a mountain top. I was completely hooked with all the storylines and characters, and the plot was surprisingly easy to follow despite actually being pretty complex with lots of threads to keep track of.
A Song for Arbonne has all of the elements that GGK does SO well, in my opinion. Court intrigue, masterful politicking, a festival/tourney/contest setting, duels, etc. Several intimate conversation scenes that were so beautiful written and subtly significant to the story, I imagined his keyboard smoking as he was writing. FIRE.
GGK does this thing where he can do more with 500 pages than most modern fantasy authors can do in 2500. He is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine. Every time I’m reading (listening) to a GGK book, the same question crosses my mind each time - why do I ever read anything else?? It’s so damn good!! This is in the running for book of the year, for me, and it maaaaaay have disrupted my rankings for favorite GGK book!
May 12, 2022
Born from the history of the troubadour culture evolving in large areas covering the south of France, (Aquitaine, Provence, Occitanie), the country of the langue d’oc, north of Italy (Occitan Valley, Piedmont) and north of Spain (V’al D’Aran), A Song for Arbonne is a pseudo-historical fantasy set in a fictional yet easily recognizable medieval Western Europe. There is also a Germanic substrate, with names like trovaritz singers (troubadours), Aulensburg and Götzland.
The novel is slow, but it flows in a lyric way that makes everything feel like an epic song, written a long time ago, brought again to live by a troubadour named Gavriel Kay, only to prove that a slow pace can provide an entertaining experience too. It is a multi-centered story, in which internal and external conflicts, religious and cultural differences move together toward an epic battle final. One third in the book, the path of Blaise de Garsenc, an enigmatic mercenary, becomes deceptively predictable, only to realize that everything goes along a road resembling a river with many meanders and a large delta at its mouth. You will know only in the last moment which path will carry you to the end.
Most characters are introspective and, seeing them from some place far above, makes a connection difficult, even with Blaise, but that, in a strange way, only strengthens the connection with the book itself. Some of them seem to be aimless, like the troubadour Lisseut, yet she resembles a reader who reads the novel from inside, a vehicle to provide more insight into that particular world. We have also the Duke of Talair, an enigma inside a riddle, sympathetic and uncaring in equal parts.
In the end, A Song for Arbonne, feels like Ramir’s song, which is the main theme of the novel, a mesmerizing piece of storytelling, lyrical and romantic, weaving adeptly through the fabric of human emotions.
The novel is slow, but it flows in a lyric way that makes everything feel like an epic song, written a long time ago, brought again to live by a troubadour named Gavriel Kay, only to prove that a slow pace can provide an entertaining experience too. It is a multi-centered story, in which internal and external conflicts, religious and cultural differences move together toward an epic battle final. One third in the book, the path of Blaise de Garsenc, an enigmatic mercenary, becomes deceptively predictable, only to realize that everything goes along a road resembling a river with many meanders and a large delta at its mouth. You will know only in the last moment which path will carry you to the end.
Most characters are introspective and, seeing them from some place far above, makes a connection difficult, even with Blaise, but that, in a strange way, only strengthens the connection with the book itself. Some of them seem to be aimless, like the troubadour Lisseut, yet she resembles a reader who reads the novel from inside, a vehicle to provide more insight into that particular world. We have also the Duke of Talair, an enigma inside a riddle, sympathetic and uncaring in equal parts.
In the end, A Song for Arbonne, feels like Ramir’s song, which is the main theme of the novel, a mesmerizing piece of storytelling, lyrical and romantic, weaving adeptly through the fabric of human emotions.
July 4, 2023
A historical fantasy that lyrically portrays the land of Provence with such vividness and beauty while de-romanising the Middle Ages, the Crusades, Arthurian legends, and more.
A Song for Arbonne is my first Guy Gavriel Kay novel and certainly won’t be my last. A friend of mine has been consistently recommending GGK for the past two years, and I always avoid it for no reason beyond "I didn’t feel like it". Well, now I feel like it, and what a wonderful book to start my journey. The general setting is that it takes place in a fictionalised France, more specifically inspired by the Albigensian Crusade. So, the religious discourse between Rian and Corannos is rooted in truth. The book is a must read for fans of historical fiction. The reason why this is fantasy is that this is a secondary world, it’s almost like Earth, but there are differences. He twists a lot of historical characters, events, etc. to make a compelling narrative and hit home with his themes.
When reading the book, you can’t help but comment on the lyrical prose, it’s so beautiful, enchanting, and meticulously crafted. This quote sums it up beautifully:
A less talented author could write "She saw how the arrow fell" and be done with it. Yet these modifiers add depth through foreshadowing, mystery, and horror. Firstly, it begins with mystery, then deliberately contrasts the arrow with the colour white, white we view as purity; however, it’s directly followed by "white as winter in midsummer." So, this is an unnatural white, white meaning winter, the reason why it states "death fell" is because it’s amidst midsummer, where life begins anew. So, life is gone; death has arisen. The quotes afterwards are the cherry on top, describing the vividness of the scene and an event that will never be forgotten. There’s more that can be said, but it’s a work of genius. This is one moment of half a dozen in the book.
So yes, GGK is a wonderful writer who achieves a lot with very little. The first chapter is a brilliant example. Firstly, we begin with a minor time-skip, it’s a sort of fish-out-of-water situation, but Blaise is decently acquainted with Arbonne. We are observing this culture from a biased perspective, and our views will slowly change as Blaise begins to mingle with this culture. Anyways, GGK tells us the core themes-ideas it will explore: music, love, leadership, politics, free will, fate, religion, culture, equality, providence, sin, and more. I love the infiltration to Rian Island, firstly, it tells us we will shift perspectives occasionally (and done seamlessly), but more importantly, it’s the atmosphere. Rian Island feels enchanting, beautiful, and otherworldly, and it’s so evocative, like stepping into a fantasy island. Especially in contrast to other places in the book, like Gorhaut. Plus, the given chapter states:
It symbolises a nation almost at its end. If something is not done, the magic of Rian will die.
Love and Sexuality are at the core of the novel, which is obvious from the relationship between Gorhaut and Arbonne. How it explores love is something you can discover on your own, but I very much enjoyed how GGK handled that subject throughout the whole book, from the prologue to the very end. GGK wanted to show the fundamental human desire for dominance through religion, politics, and sex and how they're interlinked. GGK doesn’t only show the beauty of the Middle-Ages as I said prior, it de-romanises it through its inherent misogyny. It’s all beautifully explored, this is partly attributed to GGK's brilliant use of dialogue and internal monologue. It felt so authentic for the time it was portraying, yet it doesn’t sacrifice readability. Another roundabout way of saying it in an unflattering light is that it’s not "old-timey," which never bothers me, but it should be noted. He makes those epic moments just brilliant to behold, he fuses that with intricate politics inspired by that era, and it just becomes a captivating read.
For a book fundamentally about Love, Religion and taking place in fictionalised Provence in the Middle Ages, depicting music is a must. GGK delivers in all spades, it genuinely gave me memories of Tolkien, which is a hell of a compliment. Middle-Earth was created by the Music of the Ainur, it was fundamental to Tolkien's secondary world and how everything ties back to it. GGK doesn’t go to such an extent, but music does play a vital role. From its obvious association with love, political propaganda, which reinforces some of its other themes, to religion and so forth and being a universal language. In one section of the novel, which is one of my favourite parts, he depicts the warmth of the tavern beautifully, cultures intermixing, and despite people's differences, music affects everyone profoundly the same. Which is true to life, those arts being universal regardless of ideologies being different.
The character work was brilliant. My favourites would have to be Blaise, Ariane, Rosala, Urté de Miraval, Beatritz, Lisseut, Bertran, and maybe even Ranald. That’s a lot of characters, and I almost listed out most of the main characters in the book, which is a testament to GGK's ability as a writer. Almost every character is three-dimensional and fun to read. The exception, I would say, is Ademar and the High Elder. However, it feels more like an intentional choice than a fatal flaw. The antagonist works from an Arthurian legend perspective. I have a feeling that was the intention, because of how it relates to the religious discourse that took place in France.
In Conclusion, A Song for Arbonne was able to compact all the positives of historical fantasy into one book. Stunning prose, historically and thematically rich, brilliant characters and conveying action, moments of reflection, and music all brilliantly. It’s a rich standalone historical fantasy book that’s absolutely worth reading, and highly recommend it! This certainly won't be my last GGK novel.
9/10
A Song for Arbonne is my first Guy Gavriel Kay novel and certainly won’t be my last. A friend of mine has been consistently recommending GGK for the past two years, and I always avoid it for no reason beyond "I didn’t feel like it". Well, now I feel like it, and what a wonderful book to start my journey. The general setting is that it takes place in a fictionalised France, more specifically inspired by the Albigensian Crusade. So, the religious discourse between Rian and Corannos is rooted in truth. The book is a must read for fans of historical fiction. The reason why this is fantasy is that this is a secondary world, it’s almost like Earth, but there are differences. He twists a lot of historical characters, events, etc. to make a compelling narrative and hit home with his themes.
When reading the book, you can’t help but comment on the lyrical prose, it’s so beautiful, enchanting, and meticulously crafted. This quote sums it up beautifully:
And so saw, by a trick, an angle, a flaring of torchlight far down the dark river, how the arrow-white-feathered, she would remember, white as innocence, as winter in midsummer, as death-fell from the summit of its long, high arc to take the coran in the shoulder, driving him, slack and helpless, from the rope into the river and laughter turned to screaming in the night.
A less talented author could write "She saw how the arrow fell" and be done with it. Yet these modifiers add depth through foreshadowing, mystery, and horror. Firstly, it begins with mystery, then deliberately contrasts the arrow with the colour white, white we view as purity; however, it’s directly followed by "white as winter in midsummer." So, this is an unnatural white, white meaning winter, the reason why it states "death fell" is because it’s amidst midsummer, where life begins anew. So, life is gone; death has arisen. The quotes afterwards are the cherry on top, describing the vividness of the scene and an event that will never be forgotten. There’s more that can be said, but it’s a work of genius. This is one moment of half a dozen in the book.
So yes, GGK is a wonderful writer who achieves a lot with very little. The first chapter is a brilliant example. Firstly, we begin with a minor time-skip, it’s a sort of fish-out-of-water situation, but Blaise is decently acquainted with Arbonne. We are observing this culture from a biased perspective, and our views will slowly change as Blaise begins to mingle with this culture. Anyways, GGK tells us the core themes-ideas it will explore: music, love, leadership, politics, free will, fate, religion, culture, equality, providence, sin, and more. I love the infiltration to Rian Island, firstly, it tells us we will shift perspectives occasionally (and done seamlessly), but more importantly, it’s the atmosphere. Rian Island feels enchanting, beautiful, and otherworldly, and it’s so evocative, like stepping into a fantasy island. Especially in contrast to other places in the book, like Gorhaut. Plus, the given chapter states:
“You are standing at the very heart of our strength here on this island. We grow weaker and weaker the further we are from here, or from the other isle in the lake inland. Rian has no limits, but her mortal servants do. I do. And the goddess cannot be compelled, ever.”
It symbolises a nation almost at its end. If something is not done, the magic of Rian will die.
Love and Sexuality are at the core of the novel, which is obvious from the relationship between Gorhaut and Arbonne. How it explores love is something you can discover on your own, but I very much enjoyed how GGK handled that subject throughout the whole book, from the prologue to the very end. GGK wanted to show the fundamental human desire for dominance through religion, politics, and sex and how they're interlinked. GGK doesn’t only show the beauty of the Middle-Ages as I said prior, it de-romanises it through its inherent misogyny. It’s all beautifully explored, this is partly attributed to GGK's brilliant use of dialogue and internal monologue. It felt so authentic for the time it was portraying, yet it doesn’t sacrifice readability. Another roundabout way of saying it in an unflattering light is that it’s not "old-timey," which never bothers me, but it should be noted. He makes those epic moments just brilliant to behold, he fuses that with intricate politics inspired by that era, and it just becomes a captivating read.
For a book fundamentally about Love, Religion and taking place in fictionalised Provence in the Middle Ages, depicting music is a must. GGK delivers in all spades, it genuinely gave me memories of Tolkien, which is a hell of a compliment. Middle-Earth was created by the Music of the Ainur, it was fundamental to Tolkien's secondary world and how everything ties back to it. GGK doesn’t go to such an extent, but music does play a vital role. From its obvious association with love, political propaganda, which reinforces some of its other themes, to religion and so forth and being a universal language. In one section of the novel, which is one of my favourite parts, he depicts the warmth of the tavern beautifully, cultures intermixing, and despite people's differences, music affects everyone profoundly the same. Which is true to life, those arts being universal regardless of ideologies being different.
The character work was brilliant. My favourites would have to be Blaise, Ariane, Rosala, Urté de Miraval, Beatritz, Lisseut, Bertran, and maybe even Ranald. That’s a lot of characters, and I almost listed out most of the main characters in the book, which is a testament to GGK's ability as a writer. Almost every character is three-dimensional and fun to read. The exception, I would say, is Ademar and the High Elder. However, it feels more like an intentional choice than a fatal flaw. The antagonist works from an Arthurian legend perspective. I have a feeling that was the intention, because of how it relates to the religious discourse that took place in France.
In Conclusion, A Song for Arbonne was able to compact all the positives of historical fantasy into one book. Stunning prose, historically and thematically rich, brilliant characters and conveying action, moments of reflection, and music all brilliantly. It’s a rich standalone historical fantasy book that’s absolutely worth reading, and highly recommend it! This certainly won't be my last GGK novel.
9/10
March 21, 2010
This book is like a nice painting splattered with mud. It's a great story - intrigue, war, love, mystery, politics, tension, regret, impending doom, death, surprises, clear good guys, clear bad guys, and some you aren't sure about. And the setting is nice if you like traditional fantasy of the medieval/Renaissance style - more swords and nobles than magic and monsters. I enjoyed it. But the author threw up a lot of unnecessary chaff between me and my enjoyment of the story. It wasn't enough to ruin it, but was enough to detract and annoy.
The most notable interference comes from regular injections of overly florid language. He tries so hard to say something grand or majestic sometimes and it just comes out so cheezy and overdone that it makes you groan. Luckily most of the writing is just fine, good even. But every twenty pages or so a real turkey of a sentence comes out of nowhere to smack you like a log of bologna. To wit: "Lisseut of Vezet realized, with a cold dawning of despair, that her heart was gone from her. It had left without her knowing, like a bird in winter, flying north to a hopelessly wrong destination where no haven or warmth or welcome could even be imagined." Booooooo! Here's another: "Signe reached for sleep that night as a woman reaching for the last gentle lover of her days." Whaaat? Nooooo! I'm glad he didn't describe her brushing her teeth. "She polished each tooth like the cherished memories of a stolen child."
Another distraction is the unnecessary use of the present tense to narrate action happening amongst the bad guy northerners while using the regular past tense everywhere else. So you get "Galbert scowls and walks out of the room" instead of "Galbert scowled and walked out of the room." It's strange to read the present tense in a story to start with, and the abrupt transition between tenses makes you stumble, un-immersing you temporarily each time.
One thing that bothered me that might not bother others is the songs. I don't know what I was thinking - the word "song" is right there in the title. I guess I thought it was a metaphor or something. Nope, it's songs. I've disliked songs in books ever since The Hobbit:"Tom Bom, jolly Tom, Tom Bombadillo!" Grrr, I choke you! Luckily there aren't more than a few songs in this book, but they're real stinkers, and we're supposed to get all wistful about them. One of them mentions "choice meats". Choice meats? Seriously?! Awful!
Anyway, hooray for battles, family rivalries, court intrigue, etc. Boo for peacocky flourishes and meat songs.
The most notable interference comes from regular injections of overly florid language. He tries so hard to say something grand or majestic sometimes and it just comes out so cheezy and overdone that it makes you groan. Luckily most of the writing is just fine, good even. But every twenty pages or so a real turkey of a sentence comes out of nowhere to smack you like a log of bologna. To wit: "Lisseut of Vezet realized, with a cold dawning of despair, that her heart was gone from her. It had left without her knowing, like a bird in winter, flying north to a hopelessly wrong destination where no haven or warmth or welcome could even be imagined." Booooooo! Here's another: "Signe reached for sleep that night as a woman reaching for the last gentle lover of her days." Whaaat? Nooooo! I'm glad he didn't describe her brushing her teeth. "She polished each tooth like the cherished memories of a stolen child."
Another distraction is the unnecessary use of the present tense to narrate action happening amongst the bad guy northerners while using the regular past tense everywhere else. So you get "Galbert scowls and walks out of the room" instead of "Galbert scowled and walked out of the room." It's strange to read the present tense in a story to start with, and the abrupt transition between tenses makes you stumble, un-immersing you temporarily each time.
One thing that bothered me that might not bother others is the songs. I don't know what I was thinking - the word "song" is right there in the title. I guess I thought it was a metaphor or something. Nope, it's songs. I've disliked songs in books ever since The Hobbit:"Tom Bom, jolly Tom, Tom Bombadillo!" Grrr, I choke you! Luckily there aren't more than a few songs in this book, but they're real stinkers, and we're supposed to get all wistful about them. One of them mentions "choice meats". Choice meats? Seriously?! Awful!
Anyway, hooray for battles, family rivalries, court intrigue, etc. Boo for peacocky flourishes and meat songs.
December 4, 2017
Two countries, two deities.How do you sum up a Guy Gavriel Kay novel?
Arbonne: Southerly, warm, goddess-worshipping, and filled with songs of love.
Gorhaut: Northern, harsh, god-worshipping, and ruled by a cruel and twisted king.
They couldn’t seem more different.
Blaise de Garsenc has a foot in both lands: A younger-son noble of Gorhaut, he has come to Arbonne to work as a mercenary coran. As the two countries come closer to war with one another, he begins to recognize a disturbing parallel between them. Each has internal rivalries that threaten their unity when they need it most.
This one features his usual mix of many POV’s (all clearly distinguished), many twists and complications, rich and detailed worldbuilding and mythology, beautiful writing, and thoughtful and insightful storytelling.
This was a combination of tough and comforting for me, as it has a heavy focus on loss and grief, and I am currently mourning for a friend who died six weeks ago. (This is partly why the few reviews I've managed to write lately are so short and unspirited: my heart just isn't in them right now.) I'd put the balance of this story more on "comforting" at this time; I'm glad this book called to me now.
So far GGK is three for three with me. I’m looking forward to when I can squeeze another of his books into my schedule!
November 8, 2014
I can understand people who don't like Guy Gavriel Kay's work. I think I've said it before, but there are definite quirks of style, ways he plots and deals with characters, that can drive even me mad in the wrong mood -- which is why I first picked this up to reread in April, and now it's November when I've finally finished. I do love most of Kay's work when I'm in the right mood, though, and A Song for Arbonne is additionally up my street because of the Court of Love, the troubadours, all the stuff that's part of the Arthurian legends as well once they hit France.
I don't think, though, that I fell for this book quite as much as I have for some of the others. I'm not as attached to Bertran as to Alessan or Diarmuid; not held in sympathy with his rival and enemy, Urté de Miraval, as I am with Brandin in Tigana, not until the very end of the book; not really caught up in Blaise's story, in his fight for a throne, as I am with Aileron's or Alessan's. There's some good stuff here, but some promising background characters didn't really come to full bloom for me -- Valery, Rudel, even Hirnan -- and despite the women-centric society, we didn't have female characters as striking as Catriana or as pivotal as Kim. Rosala was probably the female character I was most interested in, but she comes somewhat late into her own, and I felt as though I should be more aware of the other female characters. They shadowed the story, they were behind it, and yet they weren't the visible drivers. Not quite the story Kay was aiming to tell, I think.
Still, all of that sounds harsh, when I really do enjoy this book. When Kay gives you a scene, a character, a moment, he expects you to remember. He will use it. One character's chance word reveals another's secret, one introspective passage becomes suddenly important. It's a rich world he creates, and some parts of it dance with life -- and ache with sadness.
It's just, it does pale when held up against some of his other books. Even the flaws of The Summer Tree and the other two books of that trilogy are brilliant. I was a little surprised to like this book possibly less this time than last, which may be some combination of mood and timing; normally I like Kay's work better with each reread.
Regardless, there's always something to treasure in Kay's work.
I don't think, though, that I fell for this book quite as much as I have for some of the others. I'm not as attached to Bertran as to Alessan or Diarmuid; not held in sympathy with his rival and enemy, Urté de Miraval, as I am with Brandin in Tigana, not until the very end of the book; not really caught up in Blaise's story, in his fight for a throne, as I am with Aileron's or Alessan's. There's some good stuff here, but some promising background characters didn't really come to full bloom for me -- Valery, Rudel, even Hirnan -- and despite the women-centric society, we didn't have female characters as striking as Catriana or as pivotal as Kim. Rosala was probably the female character I was most interested in, but she comes somewhat late into her own, and I felt as though I should be more aware of the other female characters. They shadowed the story, they were behind it, and yet they weren't the visible drivers. Not quite the story Kay was aiming to tell, I think.
Still, all of that sounds harsh, when I really do enjoy this book. When Kay gives you a scene, a character, a moment, he expects you to remember. He will use it. One character's chance word reveals another's secret, one introspective passage becomes suddenly important. It's a rich world he creates, and some parts of it dance with life -- and ache with sadness.
It's just, it does pale when held up against some of his other books. Even the flaws of The Summer Tree and the other two books of that trilogy are brilliant. I was a little surprised to like this book possibly less this time than last, which may be some combination of mood and timing; normally I like Kay's work better with each reread.
Regardless, there's always something to treasure in Kay's work.
May 8, 2024
I am…. underwhelmed. Sorryyyyy 😔
There’s a mercenary who happens to be a potential heir to the threatening neighbour kingdom, there’s a scheming father, there are two lords at odds over a long-ago love affair but who need to work together to save the kingdom. There’s a missing heir, there are islands full of prophetic priestesses, there are too many people who have secrets.
The main protagonist of the book is Blaise, a mercenary coran (a soldier dedicated to the god Corannos). Blaise is a stranger to Arbonne which means he firstly views it as off, a very different to his homeland. However, Kay takes him – and the reader – on a journey to know and love the place and its people.
I admit the world and the writing are good, but the story itself felt too conventional and too distanced to keep its end up. I didn’t find myself falling in love with any of the characters, and the epic world building I had heard so much about didn’t read its heights for me.
Perhaps it’s because the prose, structure, conflicts, and political maneuverings reminded me of Kushiel’s Chosen and The Mists of Avalon.
I think I will still try more of Kay’s work, perhaps trying a physical format next time.
I used the audiobook for this one as the narrator sings the songs.
Bookstagram
There’s a mercenary who happens to be a potential heir to the threatening neighbour kingdom, there’s a scheming father, there are two lords at odds over a long-ago love affair but who need to work together to save the kingdom. There’s a missing heir, there are islands full of prophetic priestesses, there are too many people who have secrets.
The main protagonist of the book is Blaise, a mercenary coran (a soldier dedicated to the god Corannos). Blaise is a stranger to Arbonne which means he firstly views it as off, a very different to his homeland. However, Kay takes him – and the reader – on a journey to know and love the place and its people.
I admit the world and the writing are good, but the story itself felt too conventional and too distanced to keep its end up. I didn’t find myself falling in love with any of the characters, and the epic world building I had heard so much about didn’t read its heights for me.
Perhaps it’s because the prose, structure, conflicts, and political maneuverings reminded me of Kushiel’s Chosen and The Mists of Avalon.
I think I will still try more of Kay’s work, perhaps trying a physical format next time.
I used the audiobook for this one as the narrator sings the songs.
Bookstagram
July 22, 2025
Sometimes the orchestra focuses on a certain section, and then there are times all the different instruments play in unison, all separate parts together in
harmonious cohesion.
As can be the case with GGK's writing, the harmony can get lost for the prose. The lyrical quality of his writing is wonderful, but can get repetitive without an extra pull into the narrative. I felt this story was quite successful bringing the elements together, especially for those who prefer more character-driven fantasy.
Rhythm is very important in this book. One of the reasons this succeeds more so than lower rated books by this author, for me is that this book is about more than just prose. The rhythm is not simply the influx of lyricism. The orchestral elements of magic and feeling are also present
4.75*
I still have not read Sarantine!! This is going to be a busy summer.
As can be the case with GGK's writing, the harmony can get lost for the prose. The lyrical quality of his writing is wonderful, but can get repetitive without an extra pull into the narrative. I felt this story was quite successful bringing the elements together, especially for those who prefer more character-driven fantasy.
Rhythm is very important in this book. One of the reasons this succeeds more so than lower rated books by this author, for me is that this book is about more than just prose. The rhythm is not simply the influx of lyricism. The orchestral elements of magic and feeling are also present
4.75*
I still have not read Sarantine!! This is going to be a busy summer.
Read
February 17, 2026I just finished my reread, and I still adore this book!!!
May 22, 2023
Jos jedna odlicna knjiga iz pera Gaja Gavriela Keja. Naviknut na njegovo vanserijski kvalitetno pisanje zapoceo sam ovu knjigu sa samo jednim ciljem, da uzivam. Ljudskost kojom odisu njegovi likovi je po malo idealizovana, a to je po meni i najfantasticniji momenat ove knjige. Biti u takvom svetu pa makar i samo kroz ove stranice krepi duh. A i kada se Gajevi likovi svete, to rade sa puno stila. Sa druge strane moram da kazem da je sam zaplet poprilicno sladunjav i na pravi nacin oslikava svet u koji je smestena ova knjiga. Svet zamkova, trubadura, poezije, ljubavi, vina, hladne mrznje i osvete. Ali cak i u takvom serijskom ambijentu pisac uspeva da ozbiljnost dela drzi na jednom jako visokom nivou i da se ni ujednom trenutku ne oseti zadah patetike mlado verterovskih razmera. Citajte ovog pisca, citajte sve od njega!
July 7, 2021
I write this review as an aggrieved reader. What I thought this book would be like and what it actually is are so different that I begin to wonder if I am really reading the same author who wrote Tigana.
Many or most of you will perhaps disagree with me or my issues with the book, and might complain that a book should not be compared to another book and must be read for what it is, rather than what it should have been. Generally I would agree. However, seeing that GGK Sacrifices so many things in his book to focus on certain aspects, aspects which set him apart from other writers of the genre it is quite fair to point out that the sacrifice in this case was a bad trade.
Plot Wikipedia suggests that the book is based on the Albigensian Crusade. GGK as he is known to write his series based on an actual event from history has done this in all of his works. However unlike Lions of Al Rassan, the plot hardly touches upon the crusade itself and focuses on the lives of few characters and the general troubadour culture. The death of a person is the basis of the whole story and later on we realise that there is no story. Nothing really ever happens in this book. Of course characters muse and pretend to play an intriguing political game, but it is hardly intriguing and the characters them selves are poorly contrived. The passionate loss of a country in Tigana is reduced to an affair that is barely explained among other things. One would feel no pity for anyone here except perhaps for himself for grudgingly suffering through.
Characters As any GGK fan would know, his novels focus on characters and their emotions and they are what drives the story. In this case, there is not a single character I grew to like nor was there any emotion that the sacrifice of plot, action, humour and fast pace should have bought.
The characters if one sits down and begins to dwell upon are shades of the characters in Tigana. They seem to serve the same purpose the characters in Tigana served, albeit poorly.
Bertran is perhaps the most infuriating character of them all. A famous poet as well as master of war. This was something I criticized in Kvothe as well. He would have been a much better character if he was any one of the two but not both. For someone who claims to have loved so dearly that he cannot forget anything about the woman dead twenty years long, he certainly seems to be enamored by many. His love so passionate that he held a grudge twenty three years despite doing so undermined his own country (Which he later claims to love more than anything) A stark contract from Robert Baratheon, who tore the world asunder for the woman he loved, only to admit later than he has forgotten her face.
Blaise is another problem. He seems to be a very confused man for someone who has seen so much of the world. Some of his scenes and dialogues are cringeworthy at best. He has absolutely no reason to do so many things that he ends up doing that one wonders if he is reading the Wheel of Time. Emotional and Submissive men have often been the staple of GGK's books. That is not entirely true in this situation, however Blaise more than makes up for it.
No other character is particularly noteworthy. There is a strong old female countess, a faithful and worrisome Steward. A handsome master of all duke and a female joglar who does... nothing.
Women have been depicted as mysterious creatures fiercely beautiful forever surrounded by wide eyed meek men who wish nothing but to submit to them. This is as tiresome as the harpys Robert Jordan depicted them as. (Mind you, this is after claiming women are coinage, to be traded for political gains)
Lastly, the villains in GGK's books are often shades of grey. Driven by their own virtues or needs and not spawns of evil. He seems to have traded those for a text book villain who is a villain for the sake of being so.
Magic is not so prominent so as to require a separate paragraph. And looking at the author, the pace is self explanatory. Overall, a very surprising book for it carried no surprises, no charm and certainly no emotions. There are no redeeming features in this book. The only thing I enjoyed was the short reference to the triumphal arch. But a glass of water does not an oasis make.
A sad note from an otherwise lovely lute.
Many or most of you will perhaps disagree with me or my issues with the book, and might complain that a book should not be compared to another book and must be read for what it is, rather than what it should have been. Generally I would agree. However, seeing that GGK Sacrifices so many things in his book to focus on certain aspects, aspects which set him apart from other writers of the genre it is quite fair to point out that the sacrifice in this case was a bad trade.
Plot Wikipedia suggests that the book is based on the Albigensian Crusade. GGK as he is known to write his series based on an actual event from history has done this in all of his works. However unlike Lions of Al Rassan, the plot hardly touches upon the crusade itself and focuses on the lives of few characters and the general troubadour culture. The death of a person is the basis of the whole story and later on we realise that there is no story. Nothing really ever happens in this book. Of course characters muse and pretend to play an intriguing political game, but it is hardly intriguing and the characters them selves are poorly contrived. The passionate loss of a country in Tigana is reduced to an affair that is barely explained among other things. One would feel no pity for anyone here except perhaps for himself for grudgingly suffering through.
Characters As any GGK fan would know, his novels focus on characters and their emotions and they are what drives the story. In this case, there is not a single character I grew to like nor was there any emotion that the sacrifice of plot, action, humour and fast pace should have bought.
The characters if one sits down and begins to dwell upon are shades of the characters in Tigana. They seem to serve the same purpose the characters in Tigana served, albeit poorly.
Bertran is perhaps the most infuriating character of them all. A famous poet as well as master of war. This was something I criticized in Kvothe as well. He would have been a much better character if he was any one of the two but not both. For someone who claims to have loved so dearly that he cannot forget anything about the woman dead twenty years long, he certainly seems to be enamored by many. His love so passionate that he held a grudge twenty three years despite doing so undermined his own country (Which he later claims to love more than anything) A stark contract from Robert Baratheon, who tore the world asunder for the woman he loved, only to admit later than he has forgotten her face.
Blaise is another problem. He seems to be a very confused man for someone who has seen so much of the world. Some of his scenes and dialogues are cringeworthy at best. He has absolutely no reason to do so many things that he ends up doing that one wonders if he is reading the Wheel of Time. Emotional and Submissive men have often been the staple of GGK's books. That is not entirely true in this situation, however Blaise more than makes up for it.
No other character is particularly noteworthy. There is a strong old female countess, a faithful and worrisome Steward. A handsome master of all duke and a female joglar who does... nothing.
Women have been depicted as mysterious creatures fiercely beautiful forever surrounded by wide eyed meek men who wish nothing but to submit to them. This is as tiresome as the harpys Robert Jordan depicted them as. (Mind you, this is after claiming women are coinage, to be traded for political gains)
Lastly, the villains in GGK's books are often shades of grey. Driven by their own virtues or needs and not spawns of evil. He seems to have traded those for a text book villain who is a villain for the sake of being so.
Magic is not so prominent so as to require a separate paragraph. And looking at the author, the pace is self explanatory. Overall, a very surprising book for it carried no surprises, no charm and certainly no emotions. There are no redeeming features in this book. The only thing I enjoyed was the short reference to the triumphal arch. But a glass of water does not an oasis make.
A sad note from an otherwise lovely lute.
November 25, 2025
I get it now.
February 22, 2024
Perfect book. Now my favourite GGK book and one of my favourites of all time. What a masterpiece.
Full RTC on my channel.
Full RTC on my channel.
May 10, 2023
"A Song For Arbonne" is excellent. I've become a huge fan of Guy Gavriel Kay's superb fantasy books. His ability to base a world off of real world history makes for an entertaining read. In this book, Kay uses the real world setting of "Provence". Provence is located in South-Western France (roughly analogous to modern-day Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. It has always been a different environment than the rest of France.
This then is Kay's inspiration for Arbonne. A land ruled by a Countess, where they worship the female goddess Rian of the Moon, and troubadours are as highly esteemed as the brave knights who flock to the erstwhile "Court of Love". Then to the North there lies Gorhaut (France, if you will) and it has a powerful and greedy King, a High Patriarch of Corranos, a male Sun god, and a far more violent culture.
That being the background of the "history", we are introduced to Blaise, a Knight who has become a mercenary. His travels take him south to Arbonne and he falls into the service of the Duke of Talar, Bertran. From here we are shown a complex world of conflict between various families and the various nations.
The story is top notch, the prose is also excellent. It has a great feel to it, very similar to Tolkien's style. The troubadour's songs are also quite good. If you enjoy a fast paced, deep, well thought out , and superbly written fantasy based off of real world places-then I can not recommend Kay's books more than enough. This one, though, is one of his best.
This then is Kay's inspiration for Arbonne. A land ruled by a Countess, where they worship the female goddess Rian of the Moon, and troubadours are as highly esteemed as the brave knights who flock to the erstwhile "Court of Love". Then to the North there lies Gorhaut (France, if you will) and it has a powerful and greedy King, a High Patriarch of Corranos, a male Sun god, and a far more violent culture.
That being the background of the "history", we are introduced to Blaise, a Knight who has become a mercenary. His travels take him south to Arbonne and he falls into the service of the Duke of Talar, Bertran. From here we are shown a complex world of conflict between various families and the various nations.
The story is top notch, the prose is also excellent. It has a great feel to it, very similar to Tolkien's style. The troubadour's songs are also quite good. If you enjoy a fast paced, deep, well thought out , and superbly written fantasy based off of real world places-then I can not recommend Kay's books more than enough. This one, though, is one of his best.
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