Author: Guy Kay
Book Title: Celestial
Canadian author Guy Gavriel Kay created a special mystical world in his novel “Celestial Empire”. Kathai (China) lives according to ancient laws, where the hierarchy and age-old rules of communication determine each event, and influence the emotional impulses of the characters. For Shen Tai, the son of the legendary Katai general, the beginning of life promised the luxury of palace life, merry drinking with friends and a decent comfortable future. But after the death of his father, a period of mourning began, and the young man went to those places where the general gained his glory. The border between the two empires and the battlefield that ended 20 years ago, with tens of thousands of soldiers, whose souls demand repose, changed the young aristocrat. He took upon himself the backbreaking work – to bury the remains of the soldiers of both armies. Even the emperor of the hostile empire Tagur appreciated Ty’s feat and gifted him with a herd of 250 rare, enviable, fiery horses. But from the home side, a murderer girl was sent to the general’s son. The fate of a young man is closely intertwined with the fate of the family, and this is not surprising, but the hero involuntarily falls into the mysterious web of court events, where it is not immediately clear where is good and where is evil, what is the cause and what is the effect, who can be trusted and who is not … Internecine war threatens to destroy the unstable illusion of well-being. For Shen Tai, the time will come to figure out where are the friends and where the enemies are and who is playing with his life.
Complex political intrigues capable of upsetting the delicate balance of the world, the author spied on in the history of China. In the 8th century, the country survived a rebellion led by the military and barely recovered from the ingenious intrigues of the palace. All that China is famous for can be found in the book of a Canadian author: historical allusions, fights, brave warriors, beautiful and intelligent girls, philosophical reflections, poetic comparisons, as well as ceremonies, philosophy, music, calligraphy – each element of the narrative is formed into a mosaic with a perfect picture of the previously unknown universe of the sublunary empire.
The minor characters also arouse genuine interest: a younger sister, an older brother, a poet, officers of two armies, hired killers – their actions and destinies keep you in suspense and make you experience every minute of the story. The decisions made by the heroes always go along the fine line separating light and darkness, and affect the subsequent chain of exciting events.
Starting to read this novel you will find yourself in the atmosphere of a medieval eastern empire, where mysticism is very appropriately intertwined with a historical plot, and the eastern world attracts attention with a colorful description of Asian traditions. Guy Gavriel Kay generously spiced up the events with fantasy stories, where the souls of the dead decide the fate of the living, and some of the problems can be magically eliminated. But it must be said that “Celestial Empire” is not only an excellent copy of a book from a fantasy series, it is also a philosophical parable with a very subtle and a bit sad description of the events and thoughts of the hero at the time of their living. GG Kay’s literary style is unhurried, nevertheless, reading captivates and makes you forget about time. However, it is better to be convinced of this for yourself, the history of a Chinese aristocrat will capture the reader, everyone can find what is interesting to him: history, mysticism, love affair or philosophy.
China, by Guy Gavriel Kay, has won a number of awards, including the prestigious Canadian Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Award, and is on the American Library Association’s Recommended Reading List.
