If you enjoy fantasy books that recreate historical settings of the Middle Ages, you should take a look at the novels of Guy Gavriel Kay. This Canadian author published his first book The Summer Tree (Part 1 of the Fionavar Tapestry) in 1984 and his eleventh novel, Under Heaven , is set to come out in 2010.
His books are set in fantasy worlds that closely resemble real places in the medieval world, including Byzantium, Italy, southern France during the Albigensian Crusades, and Anglo-Saxon England.
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Kay’s fiction has sold over 3 million copies and been published in more than 25 languages around the world. He is the winner of the 2008 World Fantasy Award for Ysabel, which may be turned into a feature film.
In an interview, Kay says it is difficult to classify his writings: “The challenge is that over the years I have been something of a moving target. I have made it challenging for readers to classify what I do. My original trilogy “The Fionavar Tapestry” was very much anchored in high fantasy and established a worldwide readership. But that was my statement, if you will, in traditional fantasy. The books since then have been increasingly engaging with history and using elements of the fantastic.”
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His newest book, Under Heaven, is due to be published in April 2010. The novel ” takes place in a world inspired by the glory and power of Tang Dynasty China in the 8th century, a world in which history and the fantastic meld into something both memorable and emotionally compelling.”
If you enjoy fantasy books that recreate historical settings of the Middle Ages, you should take a look at the novels of Guy Gavriel Kay. This Canadian author published his first book The Summer Tree (Part 1 of the Fionavar Tapestry) in 1984 and his eleventh novel, Under Heaven , is set to come out in 2010.
His books are set in fantasy worlds that closely resemble real places in the medieval world, including Byzantium, Italy, southern France during the Albigensian Crusades, and Anglo-Saxon England.
Kay’s fiction has sold over 3 million copies and been published in more than 25 languages around the world. He is the winner of the 2008 World Fantasy Award for Ysabel, which may be turned into a feature film.
In an interview, Kay says it is difficult to classify his writings: “The challenge is that over the years I have been something of a moving target. I have made it challenging for readers to classify what I do. My original trilogy “The Fionavar Tapestry” was very much anchored in high fantasy and established a worldwide readership. But that was my statement, if you will, in traditional fantasy. The books since then have been increasingly engaging with history and using elements of the fantastic.”
His newest book, Under Heaven, is due to be published in April 2010. The novel ” takes place in a world inspired by the glory and power of Tang Dynasty China in the 8th century, a world in which history and the fantastic meld into something both memorable and emotionally compelling.”
Click here for our page about Under Heaven
Click here for our page about his previous novel, Ysabel
Videos
Interviews
Interview for Ysabel, on Medieval News
Historical Significance: An Interview with Guy Gavriel Kay, by Sandy Auden
A Question of Character: An Interview with Guy Gavriel Kay
Guy Gavriel Kay: Lord of Fantasy
See also
Bright Weavings – the official website for Guy Gavriel Kay
Guy Gavriel’s Facebook page
Guy Gavriel’s Twitter feed
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