Under Heaven

Starred review from March 29, 2010
Historical fantasist Kay (Ysabel
) delivers an exquisitely detailed vision of Kitan, a land much like Tang Dynasty China. Shen Tai's father died leading troops in battle, so he spends his mourning year burying the bones of soldiers on both sides, laying their ghosts to rest. He attracts the attention of Cheng-wan, a princess of his people sent to wed one of the enemy. As her gifts make Shen Tai wealthy, an assassin kills his best friend. Shen Tai hires a bodyguard, Wei Song, to keep him alive while he figures out what to do with his riches and who wants him dead. Kay writes deftly of women who are sexually suborned by their societies, neither minimizing their constraints nor denying their agency, and the complex intrigues of poets, prostitutes, ministers, and soldiers evolve into a fascinating, sometimes bloody, and entirely believable tale.

Starred review from April 15, 2010
To honor the death of his father, an Imperial general, Shen Tai spends two years burying the dead at a battle site on the empire's border. When he receives a gift of 250 coveted Sardian horses from former enemies, he travels homeward to seek an audience with the emperor, knowing that the gift has not only conferred great power upon him but terrible danger as well. Just as he re-created an alternate Renaissance Italy in "Tigana", the author of "The Fionavar Tapestry" series evokes the subtle politics and careful social intercourse of eighth-century Tang dynasty China. VERDICT Meticulously researched yet seamlessly envisioned, the characters and culture present a timeless tale of filial piety and personal integrity. Highly recommended for all collections and particularly for fans of the author's distinctive approach to fantasy.

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from May 15, 2010
In a prefatory note to his magnificent new history-based fantasy, inspired by Tang Dynasty China, Kay explains why he prefers to mix history and fantasy rather than write straight historical fiction. Should the justification bring him more readers, they and he will both profit. In the mountains of Kitai a young soldier, Shen Tai, has spent two years alone, burying the dead of both sides at a battle site. He does this to honor his late father, the commanding general in the last imperial war. At night he can hear ghosts crying. When a voice falls silent, he knows that a spirit has been granted rest. One morning he is quite surprised to learn that the court of Kitais recent enemy has chosen to honor him by granting him 250 coveted western horses. This is a gift fit for the emperor and can bring Tai great poweror get him killed in short order. Kay says he wants his readers to keep turning pages until two a.m. Under Heaven should certainly help him achieve that goal. The plot is intricate, including fascinating by-ways and characters as real as they are numerous. Yet the main threadTais journey to court and the resolution of who gets the horsesis never lost.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)