And in Book Related News...

In 2009, one of my earliest reviews here was Jess Walters' The Financial Lives of Poets, a fun yet sad look at a down and out writer that gets caught up in a "business" (drug) far from his ideal (financial advice provided with the back drop of poetry and prose). It has been announced that Walters has penned the screen play for the film adaptation and will star Jack Black. This is an interesting casting choice, considering I pictured the main character to be a tall, lanky man...but I'm sure the filmmakers aren't concerned with my inner vision of the character. Read the Hollywood Reporter for more details.

Review: Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay

Hardcover: 592 pages
Publisher: Viking Canada (Mar 30 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0670068098
ISBN-13: 978-0670068098

Synopsis:

Shen Tai is the son of a general who led the forces of imperial Kitai in that empire's last war against their western enemies from Tagur, twenty years before. Forty thousand men on both sides were slain beside a remote mountain lake. General Shen Gao himself has died recently. To honour his father's memory, Tai has spent two years of official mourning alone at the battle site among the ghosts of the dead, laying to rest their unburied bones. (Click here to continue reading. There is also a link to download the first chapter.)

I've been a fan of Guy Gavriel Kay since picking up his Fionavar Trilogy many years ago...and then all of his other books. And while I may come off as a bit gushy here or that I'm pandering, if you've read any of his work, you'll know what I'm talking about; if you haven't, you really should.

The main character, Tai, thinks nothing of his role in the world and is doing his self-appointed task without any thought of additional rewards, only to honour the memory of his father. But in his past, Tai has touched other lives, again without much thought to outcome, and has gained respect and loyalty from all of those he has encountered. This plays a very large part in the unfolding of this tale, much to Tai's chagrin.

Like a master chess player, controlling both sides, Kay sets the players in motion with move/counter-move reactions. He displays that one or two men can affect an empire through selfless acts or selfish impulses; that political intrigues can be for the greater good of all people or can be for personal exaltation only.

There is an intricacy to Kay's writing; his sense of time, place, societal rules are stunningly portrayed. From the description of painted screens and silken robes, to the in-depth character-building of Emperors, Generals or just Second Sons, we're able to readily glean the images and people he's depicting in this story. By the time I reached the last hundred pages, I became a puddle of emotional goo. Partly because of what was happening in the story but also because I didn't want these people to leave my life! I was enthralled and enamored, completely.

And then GGK steps outside the story, to show it from the (ficticiously) historical point of view; of what had been written by scholars about that time versus what only we, living in the moment through the story, can determine to be "fact". I haven't really done any research on historical Chinese societies, but on learning the basis for Under Heaven was the Tang Dynasty, I Wiki'd it. I found many similarities but enough differences to make this book unique, also.

Until now, my favourite GGK work has always been Tigana, but on reading Under Heaven it may have just been deposed! This is a wonderful, fictional, history-based fantasy that I just can't say enough good things about. The only downfall for me was that it ended. Period.

For a peek inside the mind of Guy Gavriel Kay, check out his Bright Weavings, where he journals and shares info with his readers/fans. He is a widely published author that has also got his finger on the pulse of the book blogging community, which I'm sure is of personal interest to those of you that share my love of books.

Press release: Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay

This was a press release I received from Barbara at Penguin Group Canada and I thought it would be great to share it here. I only wish I could have participated in the online auction! This is a fantastic author, along with his phenomenal publisher, doing something for a wonderful cause.

For Immediate Release

Online charity auction of new Guy Gavriel Kay novel amasses final bid of over $500; matching bids donated to Indigo’s Love of Reading fund

Toronto – March 26, 2010 To celebrate the launch of Under Heaven, Guy Gavriel Kay’s much anticipated new novel, Penguin Group (Canada) announced earlier this month that the first book off the press, autographed by the author, was up for bids on Ebay.com. Signed and verified by the publisher, it included a product identification slip and letter from the printing press identifying the book as the first copy printed in Canada. The auction wrapped up with a bid of CDN $535 submitted by Neil Negandhi of Toronto.

Negandhi, a long time fan, has also won an auction of the first copy/first edition of Kay’s Lord of Emperors in 2000, and another for the first copy of Ysabel in 2007. “I’m really looking forward to diving into another one of Kay’s beautifully constructed stories, this time half a world away in ancient China. Supported by fascinating characters and settings, Kay’s thoughtful writing always elevates his work into memorable explorations of ideas,” he raved.

Kay will match the winning bid and Penguin Group (Canada) will contribute $500 for a final sum of CDN $1570 to be donated to Indigo Books & Music, Inc.’s Love of Reading Fund. The fund directly supports high-needs elementary school literacy programs across Canada.

Earlier this month, Penguin Group (Canada) launched GuyGavrielKay.ca, a website dedicated entirely to Kay’s oeuvre, and featuring an array of music files, artwork, and downloadable wallpaper and posters, plus a first chapter excerpt of Under Heaven, a journal by the author, Twitter and Facebook links, book synopsis, and Canadian tour information.

Under Heaven is on-sale in Canada this week. Inspired by the glory of Tang Dynasty China in the eighth century, Guy Gavriel Kay melds history and the fantastic into something both powerful and emotionally compelling. Under Heaven is a novel on the grandest narrative scale, encompassing the intimate details of individual lives in an unforgettable time and place.

Guy Gavriel Kay is the author of ten previous novels and an acclaimed collection of poetry, Beyond This Dark House. His work has been translated into twenty-two languages and has sold over two million copies worldwide. Kay has twice won the Aurora Award, is a three-time World Fantasy Award nominee, and is the recipient of the International Goliardos Award for his contributions to the literature of the fantastic. He is currently writing the screenplay for the second of his novels in development for film. Last Light of the Sun has been optioned by Chartoff Productions and Ravinett Productions.

Celebrating its 75th birthday in 2010, Penguin Group (Penguin.com) is one of the world’s largest English-language trade book publishers, has established divisions and key market positions in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, India, China, South Africa, New Zealand and Ireland. The Penguin Group is part of Pearson plc, the international media company.

Penguin Group Canada, founded in 1974, is one of Canada’s leading trade publishers, publishing and distributing a wide range of imprints including Allen Lane, Berkley Books, Dutton, Frederick Warne, G.P. Putnam's Sons, Grosset & Dunlap, Hamish Hamilton Canada, New American Library, Penguin Books, The Penguin Press, Philomel, Plume, Puffin, Riverhead Books and Viking, among others. Penguin Group Canada proudly distributes Bloomsbury, Faber & Faber UK, Hippocrene, Prometheus and WW Norton & Sons in Canada.