When the past and the present collide, the yielding of mayhem and calamitous circumstances is evident. Ysabel is a tale of such lethal events, in which Ned Marriner, the 15-year-old ignorant teenager, is unwillingly tossed. Guy Gavriel Kay excellently composes a plot, which effectively fits in the genres: fantasy, science fiction and with a trace of historical-fiction. Kay also unravels the plot through the use of perplexing and repeating themes and topics.
You have blundered into a corner of a very old story. The line above, simply summarizes all of the novel. Ned is unfortunate enough to thrash into a “very very very, old story”. His adventure is told through the use of certain themes as well as topics which persist in the novel. The destructive clash of the present, and the past can be considered the main theme. The story takes place in Aix, France. This city consists of ancient architecture built by Romans and ancient relics left behind, by the mysterious ancient tribe of the Celts. The presence of the tremendous amount of history creates an abstruse phenomenon—the repeating of events, every year, on the night of Beltaine. An arduous chase for sanity begins, when the living humans of the present interfere in the business of the returning dead of the past.
Another detailed and interesting topic is the representation of the four seasons throughout the novel. Nature plays a significant role in the story, which Kay intricately tells. He cleverly epitomizes spring with birth and life as summer. He relates the process of ageing with fall, and death with winter. This epic life cycle signifies the chain of events in the characters lives, and the progression of the plot. Kay seems to have an ingenious way of tying up his writing to complicated ideas. This characteristic makes Ysabel an amazing construction.
If you go look you’ll see carvings on it, Gauls in chains, dying. This whole area was in the balance, then after Caesar it’s Roman. History exists everywhere. Relics and monuments built by ancestors provide proof of its existence and relevance. Kay uses a lot of historical allusions, and concepts to shape the plot of Ysabel. Readers are forced to research the connections which makes reading far more worthwhile. Ysabel's plot incorporates a foundation of Roman, Greek, and Celtic history. The indirect references make the storyline more fruitful, and ensure that it has a strong backbone.
The sun, west over the city, sent a long, slanting light. It fell on the cypresses, the house, the water in the pool, and the four people sitting outside, making them look golden, like gods. Imagery plays a crucial role in a piece of writing, especially a novel. Ysabel, very similarly depends on this phenomenon. The storyline of this novel is very unique thus, an exclusive method of defining aspects is used by Kay. This involves imagery and inclusion of details. The magnificent scenes of Aix, the gruesome details of action-packed moments, must all be told in the perfect manner, to appeal to the reader's senses. Kay's writing style simply captivates an individual's mind through the various tactics he uses, to allure readers.
Ysabel is an amazing novel, based on the adroit writing of Guy Gavriel Kay. It is very well-written, in my opinion. There is a lot of depth to this exemplar text as well. The various details and allusions have definitely expanded my knowledge. Its conclusion is a subject of my criticism alone. As mentioned above, the overall novel is explained through the use of many details. The conclusion is simply, too fast-paced. It is a kind of ending that leaves the reader hanging—wanting more words to appear on the last page.
My impressions of Ysabel can be placed on the positive side of a spectrum. I chose this novel due its classification as fantasy-fiction. The front cover also played a key role as well. This was my “first scoop” at Kay's writing, and it is certain that I will read other titles written by him, in the near future. I will grant Ysabel 4 out of five stars, and place it on my “list of great novels”.
You have blundered into a corner of a very old story.
The line above, simply summarizes all of the novel. Ned is unfortunate enough to thrash into a “very very very, old story”. His adventure is told through the use of certain themes as well as topics which persist in the novel. The destructive clash of the present, and the past can be considered the main theme. The story takes place in Aix, France. This city consists of ancient architecture built by Romans and ancient relics left behind, by the mysterious ancient tribe of the Celts. The presence of the tremendous amount of history creates an abstruse phenomenon—the repeating of events, every year, on the night of Beltaine. An arduous chase for sanity begins, when the living humans of the present interfere in the business of the returning dead of the past.
Another detailed and interesting topic is the representation of the four seasons throughout the novel. Nature plays a significant role in the story, which Kay intricately tells. He cleverly epitomizes spring with birth and life as summer. He relates the process of ageing with fall, and death with winter. This epic life cycle signifies the chain of events in the characters lives, and the progression of the plot. Kay seems to have an ingenious way of tying up his writing to complicated ideas. This characteristic makes Ysabel an amazing construction.
If you go look you’ll see carvings on it, Gauls in chains, dying. This whole area was in the balance, then after Caesar it’s Roman.
History exists everywhere. Relics and monuments built by ancestors provide proof of its existence and relevance. Kay uses a lot of historical allusions, and concepts to shape the plot of Ysabel. Readers are forced to research the connections which makes reading far more worthwhile. Ysabel's plot incorporates a foundation of Roman, Greek, and Celtic history. The indirect references make the storyline more fruitful, and ensure that it has a strong backbone.
The sun, west over the city, sent a long, slanting light. It fell on the cypresses, the house, the water in the pool, and the four people sitting outside, making them look golden, like gods.
Imagery plays a crucial role in a piece of writing, especially a novel. Ysabel, very similarly depends on this phenomenon. The storyline of this novel is very unique thus, an exclusive method of defining aspects is used by Kay. This involves imagery and inclusion of details. The magnificent scenes of Aix, the gruesome details of action-packed moments, must all be told in the perfect manner, to appeal to the reader's senses. Kay's writing style simply captivates an individual's mind through the various tactics he uses, to allure readers.
Ysabel is an amazing novel, based on the adroit writing of Guy Gavriel Kay. It is very well-written, in my opinion. There is a lot of depth to this exemplar text as well. The various details and allusions have definitely expanded my knowledge. Its conclusion is a subject of my criticism alone. As mentioned above, the overall novel is explained through the use of many details. The conclusion is simply, too fast-paced. It is a kind of ending that leaves the reader hanging—wanting more words to appear on the last page.
My impressions of Ysabel can be placed on the positive side of a spectrum. I chose this novel due its classification as fantasy-fiction. The front cover also played a key role as well. This was my “first scoop” at Kay's writing, and it is certain that I will read other titles written by him, in the near future. I will grant Ysabel 4 out of five stars, and place it on my “list of great novels”.