Waiting on Wednesday 07/22/15

“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that lets us feature upcoming releases that we can’t wait to get our hands on!

Mogsy’s Pick:

Children of Earth and Sky by Guy Gavriel KayMay 16, 2015 (NAL)

I have a feeling we will see this book featured on many epic fantasy readers’ WoWs today as well as in future weeks. Guy Gavriel Kay is one of the most preeminent voices in Canadian speculative literature, and I was so excited when the cover and description was revealed last week for his upcoming new book, his thirteenth novel Children of Earth and Sky. I am really looking forward to this. I’m a big fan of GGK’s work, which usually uses fantasy elements to explore themes in history, as well as his gorgeous, sweeping prose.  If you haven’t read him yet, you absolutely must!

Children of Earth and SkyThe bestselling author of the groundbreaking novels Under Heaven and River of Stars, Guy Gavriel Kay is back with a new novel, Children of Earth and Sky, set in a world inspired by the conflicts and dramas of Renaissance Europe. Against this tumultuous backdrop the lives of men and women unfold on the borderlands—where empires and faiths collide. 

 From the small coastal town of Senjan, notorious for its pirates, a young woman sets out to find vengeance for her lost family. That same spring, from the wealthy city-state of Seressa, famous for its canals and lagoon, come two very different people: a young artist traveling to the dangerous east to paint the grand khalif at his request—and possibly to do more—and a fiercely intelligent, angry woman, posing as a doctor’s wife, but sent by Seressa as a spy.

 The trading ship that carries them is commanded by the accomplished younger son of a merchant family, ambivalent about the life he’s been born to live. And farther east a boy trains to become a soldier in the elite infantry of the khalif—to win glory in the war everyone knows is coming.

 As these lives entwine, their fates—and those of many others—will hang in the balance, when the khalif sends out his massive army to take the great fortress that is the gateway to the western world…”

11 Comments on “Waiting on Wednesday 07/22/15”

    • Glad you asked! Of the 4 or so books I’ve read by him (Under Heaven, River of Stars, Tigana, Lions of Al-Rassan) I think I liked Tigana least. River of Stars is like a follow-up-but-non-sequel to Under Heaven and the themes are inspired by the Chinese Tang Dynasty. Lions was my first Kay novel and it was AMAZING, and that one was inspired by the history of the Iberian Peninsula during the Reconquista. Another series of his that gets a lot of love is The Fionavar Tapestry but I haven’t read that one. Pretty much all his books are great though and his writing is gorgeous. So really, I guess it just depends on what historical period fascinates you the most!

      Liked by 1 person

      • “So really, I guess it just depends on what historical period fascinates you the most!”

        Um, ALL OF THEM. *lol* It’s not that I have a preference. I just appreciate history and find it fascinating in general. Foreign languages and social studies (history / geography) were my next favorite school subjects after English / writing.

        I checked out a few of the books you mentioned on Goodreads, and added The Liones of Al-Rassan and Under Heaven to my TBR list. 😉 Thanks!

        Liked by 1 person

  1. I was not even aware of this, and my book radar is usually pretty good. I love that so many bloggers I follow have this book for their WoW this week, LOL!

    Like

    • When the cover was revealed last week, I was pretty sure that it would be the WoW for myself and at least two other bloggers because I knew they were huge GGK fans as well 😀

      Like

    • He has a very rich style, and his books are usually shelved as historical fantasy. Highly recommended if that’s your thing, a real treat 🙂

      Like

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.