River of Stars

River of Stars by Guy Gavriel Kay, Under Heaven #2

Ren Daiyan was still just a boy when he took the lives of seven men while guarding an imperial magistrate of Kitai. That moment on a lonely road changed his life—in entirely unexpected ways, sending him into the forests of Kitai among the outlaws. From there he emerges years later—and his life changes again, dramatically, as he circles towards the court and emperor, while war approaches Kitai from the north.

Lin Shan is the daughter of a scholar, his beloved only child. Educated by him in ways young women never are, gifted as a songwriter and calligrapher, she finds herself living a life suspended between two worlds. Her intelligence captivates an emperor—and alienates women at the court. But when her father’s life is endangered by the savage politics of the day, Shan must act in ways no woman ever has.

In an empire divided by bitter factions circling an exquisitely cultured emperor who loves his gardens and his art far more than the burdens of governing, dramatic events on the northern steppe alter the balance of power in the world, leading to events no one could have foretold, under the river of stars.

The first book I read from Guy Gavriel Kay was Tigana. After finishing this book I was quite stunned with what was put down in Tigana. Guy Gavriel Kay’s writing is just amazingly rich with everything he involves. I have always wanted to rad more of his works and with River of Stars I was once again utterly engrossed by his writing and what was told.

River of Stars takes place in the same universe as Under Heaven a few hundred years after the events of Under Heaven. With the same Kitai empire but this time in the Song Dynasty instead of the Tang Dynasty. It was great to see a link between the books where Under Heaven showed a rebellion and leading up to those events, River of Stars shows how the empire is now dealing with the consequences, courtly and political intrigue and economical problems.

The first thing that I really have to give praise to in River of Stars is the way in which Guy Gavriel Kay writes. His usage of words and language alone creates this certain rich and engrossing feeling to the book. From the beginning of the book I felt swept away in the current of the book itself often finding out that I spend hours reading it forgetting some of the other things I was meant to do. The book is quite a tome to get through with 632pages and it isn’t a book a rush through, you really have to take your time and let it take you in. The story of River of Stars is quite heavy as there are many characters and places involved but with his beautiful writing Guy Gavriel Kay let is all come to you naturally and in reigned in amounts. It kept me involved in the story and interested in where the story would go to.

Another great thing that Guy Gavriel Kay excels in is the way he describes the world and all that is happening in it. I did read about this in Tigana as well, but in River of Stars it again leaps of the pages. In his descriptions of the characters Guy Gavriel Kay doesn’t only look at the current situation but he enriches the whole world and characters by looking at the past events and future events as well, telling about how those events were brought on and guiding you in a direction of how it is viewed upon in the future and how certain actions will lead to bigger events. But he doesn’t leave it at that just yet, he even intermingled certain events, and tells them at one point via the point-of-view of one character and later on in the book telling it by another who was involved in it. This just kept on amazing me with how strongly and engrossing a story Guy Gavriel Kay can put down.

Just the writing alone really makes River of Stars a must read and it is even further supported by the story that is written by it.

In River of Stars you follow a lot different characters that each have whole chapters and large parts dedicated to themselves and the events surrounding them. But there are two characters that really have a narrower focus. Ren Daiyan and Lin Shan. Both of these characters were as detailed as the storyline itself. Firstly you are introduced to Ren and I found his introduction really something. As you see him training, with his bamboo sword and bow and arrow to become a warrior to fight for the empire of Kitai. I immediately grasped his confidence and that he only had one goal. However his route to become a warrior isn’t without twists and turns and soon you will find out that his future is quite different as he goes outlaw first. Later on he is by an unexpected turn of events finally where he wanted to be. His storyline was part discovery of himself and growing more into the politics of the world itself. Secondly there is Lin Shan who only wants to go her own way, and pursue a career as a poet and calligrapher, which is normally not done by females. This breaking of the normalcy, does come with its own consequences, it was great to read about such a strong character personalities that are only given that much more depth by how Guy Gavriel Kay uses the surroundings of the world. What is even more magnificent to read is the romantic relation that is introduced between Ren and Lin, which comes to you step by step. It’s is again by how Guy Gavriel Kay writes that it feels so natural and very compelling at times.

River of Star is definitely a gem of a book. Just how the story is brought to you, in such a neat, clean and engrossing way forces you to just give in and being led and swept away in the current that runs through this book. Guy Gavriel Kay shows that he has a forte with his beautiful writing style and with this he manages to create and strong portray of the China that was. And furthermore his clear writing creates marvellous characters that in combination with the world really make this story come to life. If you are looking for a story to get lost in, this one is for you. It’s beautiful, elegant and absolutely engrossing.