A book over 500 pages can be either a burden or a joy. This one was a joy to me, consumed over two days, but I will savour it for some time to come. It is set in the same world as Kay's previous novel, Children of Earth and Sky. Knowledge of that novel may enhance your appreciation for this work, but isn't necessary to enjoy it.
I've said it before and I will say it again—Guy Gavriel Kay writes female characters with tremendous skill. He writes women as fully realized as his male characters, recognizing the same desires and motivations behind behaviour, but knowing the threats that women face that most men don't. Lenia embodies this, having been taken as a slave as a very young woman. If she finds her family after all these years, will they be glad to see her or horrified because she is now “damaged goods"?
He also includes his version of the Jewish people (the Kindath), known for their business skills but generally distrusted. Nevertheless, Kay treats them with sympathy. Like any of the nationalities and religions included in the book, there are good and bad people in all the divisions. As it is in our world. And really, I wouldn't have thought that I would be cheering for the two assassins who I met in the initial pages. Yet here I am, sorry that this volume is finished and I won't be able to follow them further.
The use of alternative history enables Kay to examine issues without the need to accurately represent the historical record. He can invent his own powers and potentialities, his own battles and historical events. Plus, he can add little fantastical elements, white stags among them. If you have enjoyed Kay's earlier works, you can rest assured that you will feel the same about this one.
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