# Does anyone write fantasy better than Guy Gavriel Kay?



## Steerpike (Nov 27, 2012)

I've always loved Kay's work. He writes beautifully and his stories mean something to me long after I'm done with them.

I've recently started re-reading his Fionavar Tapestry. I don't re-read often, but I had it on my Kindle so I started it again. This was his first work, and there are a few times I can tell (in comparison to his newer stuff). Still, his first work is something that would be considered a tremendous final work for any other author. The writing is beautiful; the depths of emotion he manages to infuse into the characters and story is tremendous.

He gets my vote for best fantasy writer currently living. What about the rest of you?


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## amadhava (Nov 27, 2012)

I haven't read Kay so far - but based on this recommendation, I will try and find a book of his. Any recommendations as to which one to start with?

My all-time favourite author used to be Mercedes Lackey alone. Now, many more make it to the list. I adore Jim Butcher and Lisa Shearin. The top books that I have re-read include Lackey's Last Herald Mage trilogy (which I feel like re-reading again now that I think about it), Heralds of Valdemar trilogy, her Elemental Masters series, her Seven Hundred kingdoms series, Butcher's Dresden and Codex Alera series, Shearin's Raine Benares, Diana Pharoah Francis' Kodu Riik, LE Modesitt's Recluse series, and Tamora Pierce and Patricia Wrede's kids books


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## Philip Overby (Nov 28, 2012)

How did you get Fionvar Tapestry for Kindle?  I have been unable to find it (recently I change my Amazon account to the US store, since so many books aren't available in the Pacific region).  I haven't read enough of Kay to judge if he's the greatest, but I have heard a lot of good things about him.

I've heard about Mercedes Lackey for a long time, but haven't read any of her either.  

I can't say for sure which writer affects me emotionally the most, but George R.R. Martin is one of the few authors I've read where I've said, "Oh, wow..."  His way of making characters important and attach to the reader is really fantastic.  I'll have to read some of these others mentioned before I make a final judgment though.


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## PaulineMRoss (Nov 28, 2012)

Phil the Drill said:


> How did you get Fionvar Tapestry for Kindle?  I have been unable to find it.



It's up there on my get-when-on-Kindle list too, but I haven't seen any sign of it yet.

I've only read three of his others - Tigana, A Song For Arbonne and The Lions of al-Rassan - but they're all brilliantly written books. Not everyone likes Kay's slightly overwrought style, and everyone in them is strikingly beautiful, accomplished, extraordinary, and the world-building is lifted straight from real-world settings, but you can't beat them for emotional depth. [Translation: they make me cry, a lot.]


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## Zireael (Nov 28, 2012)

I also read the three books mentioned above. I'd guess Guy Gavriel Kay and G.R.R. Martin are the best fantasy writers nowadays...


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## wordwalker (Nov 28, 2012)

Kay is absolutely up there, for combining Tolkienian weight with real emotion; I've had my "Dear GOD keep reading!" moments with him too. And Martin, certainly.

But if we're really looking for best: Patrick Rothfuss, no question at all. No writer is for everyone and I've seen people turned off by everything from his slow pace to his approach to magic, but if you want to tearful moments, see what he does with a chapter named "Hope" or a musician's first concert or...


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## Steerpike (Nov 28, 2012)

I like Rothfuss and Martin as well, but I still haven't bought Rothfuss' second book and Martin's latest has been half finished for months. I think that in terms of sheer writing ability, Kay exceeds them both by quite a margin. I'd put Rothfuss ahead of Martin. Your mileage may vary


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## Benjamin Clayborne (Nov 30, 2012)

Best *living* fantasy writer, I'd have to go with either Martin or Sanderson. (Haven't read any Kay yet.) To be fair, my fantasy reading is not that broad; I actually tend to read a lot more SF than fantasy.


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## Steerpike (Nov 30, 2012)

Benjamin Clayborne said:


> (Haven't read any Kay yet.)



You should give him a try. I like both Sanderson and Martin, but I think Kay is well ahead of either of them. Reasonable minds may differ, of course.


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## BWFoster78 (Nov 30, 2012)

> But if we're really looking for best: Patrick Rothfuss,



I'd echo this sentiment but with an *.  He's only got the two books.  I'd like to see more from him before I elevate him to such lofty heights.

I'm made my general displeasure with Martin clear.

Not a huge Lackey or Butcher fan.

That Clayborne guy is growing on me.  Queen of Mages stayed with me longer than most books.  It's kinda like you have an initial reaction to a book that's, "It was pretty decent," but, the more you think about it, the more it grows on you.

Despite his flaws, I still go with Jordan as my favorite.  It will be hard for anyone to surpass WoT for me.

EDIT: Crap, forgot about the living part.  Definitely wouldn't be Sanderson.  Guess I'd have to vote Rothfuss despite the limited body of work.

Steerpike,

Do you think I'd like Kay?


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## Steerpike (Nov 30, 2012)

BWFoster78 said:


> Steerpike,
> 
> Do you think I'd like Kay?



You might really like his later works. The Fionavar Tapestry is a great and relatively short trilogy. He writes very poetically, and it is much in the style of Tolkien (though frankly Kay is many times the author Tolkien was in terms of actually writing fiction). It is a beautifully-written work, though as I said above you can see it was his first when you compare it to others. He adopts a poetic/mythical style of writing but it is still very much a modern novel, and he keeps the pace moving and in terms of bringing emotion to the reader he does a tremendous job (in my view). Fantasies that came after, like Tigana and A Song for Arbonne are also great.

Now he writes stuff that is more like alternate-history with some fantasy or supernatural elements sometimes in them. The Lions of Al-Rassan is very good. The Last Light of the Sun is very good. I thought the urban fantasy Ysabel was excellent. Under Heaven is a great book. The later works are less poetic in their approach. 

Here is a bibliography with brief descriptions. I have a hard time predicting what people will like, because even when you think someone will only like one kind of thing, they'll end up liking something totally different as well:


The Fionavar Tapestry, concerning five people from our Earth in a parallel world, "the first of all worlds," in three parts: The Summer Tree (1984); The Wandering Fire (1986), winner of the 1987 Aurora Award; The Darkest Road (1986)

Tigana (1990), winner of the 1991 Aurora Award.[4] Relating to a sorcerer-oppressed realm in a medieval Italy analogue.

A Song for Arbonne (1992). A modification of the Albigensian Crusade in a medieval Provence analogue.

The Lions of Al-Rassan, (1995). The story of two military strategists (one an El Cid analogue) in a medieval Spain analogue.

The Sarantine Mosaic, a mosaicist under emperor Valerius II (a Justinian I analogue) in Sarantium (a Constantinople analogue), in two parts: Sailing to Sarantium (1998); Lord of Emperors (2000)


The Last Light of the Sun (2004). A story based on the Erling (Viking analogue culture) invasions of Anglcyn (which is an analogue of Saxon-England) and Cyngael (a medieval Wales analogue) during the rule of Aeldred (an analogue of Alfred the Great).

Ysabel (2007). A modern urban fantasy set in Provence, centering around a teenage boy and his encounters with characters from the distant past. Explicitly if lightly linked to The Fionavar Tapestry, featuring two of its main characters as supporting roles.

Under Heaven (April 27, 2010). A story based on the 8th century Tang Dynasty and the events leading up to the An Shi Rebellion.

River of Stars (expected 2013). Set approximately 350-400 years after Under Heaven in the same timeline.


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## Telcontar (Nov 30, 2012)

I picked up Last Light of the Sun awhile back, but haven't been able to read more than a few pages. I'm hoping to be able to devour it over Christmas time.


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## BWFoster78 (Nov 30, 2012)

Steerpike,

I'll pick out one of them and add to my too read list.

Thanks!


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## Steerpike (Nov 30, 2012)

BWFoster78 said:


> Steerpike,
> 
> I'll pick out one of them and add to my too read list.
> 
> Thanks!



No problem. I'd say in general it is worth starting with the Fionavar Tapestry, because it is a great trilogy. I'm not sure you'll like the style as much as some later work, but by the same token it's not like the writing is real dense or hard to get through; it's difficult to explain.


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## Ghost (Nov 30, 2012)

Is the Fionavar Tapestry better than _Tigana_? I tried reading _Tigana_ but couldn't get into it. I quit in the first or second chapter. People rave about him, which makes me feel like I'm missing something. I ought to try one more book before I chalk it up to disliking Kay.


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## Steerpike (Nov 30, 2012)

Ghost said:


> Is the Fionavar Tapestry better than _Tigana_? I tried reading _Tigana_ but couldn't get into it. I quit in the first or second chapter. People rave about him, which makes me feel like I'm missing something. I ought to try one more book before I chalk it up to disliking Kay.



I liked Tigana a lot, so you have to take that into consideration when reading the rest of this post. The Fionavar Tapestry is better in the sense of a more traditional, Tolkien-like (in terms of style of story, not writing) fantasy. So if you like that sort of thing, you might like The Fionavar Tapestry even if you didn't like Tigana. The writing in The Fionavar Tapestry is stylistically different as well, as I recall (I haven't read Tigana in years).


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## Ghost (Nov 30, 2012)

Steerpike said:


> The writing in The Fionavar Tapestry is stylistically different as well



That's reason enough to give it a try since the style of _Tigana_ left me cold. Thanks for the recommendation!


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## wordwalker (Nov 30, 2012)

Ghost said:


> Is the Fionavar Tapestry better than _Tigana_? I tried reading _Tigana_ but couldn't get into it. I quit in the first or second chapter.



You're the second person I've heard have that reaction to just that book, and I quit on it myself. I hear it's an awkward setup that gets better.


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## saellys (Dec 2, 2012)

Best _living_ fantasy writer? Lordy... Since relative newcomers are fair game, I have to go with Scott Lynch. _The Lies of Locke Lamora_ was the highlight of my decade. 



Steerpike said:


> ... Martin's latest has been half finished for months.



I love the ambiguity of this statement--you could be talking about _The Winds of Winter_, or you could be talking about the latest book Martin released, _A Dance with Dragons_, which certainly felt half finished to me.


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## Benjamin Clayborne (Dec 3, 2012)

BWFoster78 said:


> That Clayborne guy is growing on me.  Queen of Mages stayed with me longer than most books.  It's kinda like you have an initial reaction to a book that's, "It was pretty decent," but, the more you think about it, the more it grows on you.



Aw, shucks.


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## Steerpike (Dec 3, 2012)

I liked _The Lies of Locke Lamora _as well, but I can't put Lynch on par with Kay in terms of writing ability. He's good, though, no doubt about it.


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