As I was writing my Guy Gavriel Kay Author review I found out about a couple of his books that I haven't read yet, so naturally I went to the library to find them. I found his latest novel, Under Heaven (2010), and began reading it right away. I had previously promised myself to try and read it slowly, but this proved impossible, the plot and characters were too gripping. I will keep this review spoiler free.
Under Heaven begins with a young man, Shen Tai, who is living alone in a haunted valley between two empires. Everyone else thinks he's insane to go there, or must be insane now that he's spent so much time there, and the soldiers manning the border fortresses on both sides of the valley watch him and periodically go down (in daylight) to send him food and see if he's still alive.
At this point in time he's not someone very important, although his father Shen Gao was a respected General in the army. As we learn more about what Tai is doing in this valley, and what his old life was like before he set out on this self-imposed mission, we discover that Tai's is doing this to honor his father's memory. His work in the valley, however, does not remain a simple personal matter. Near the end of his time there he receives messages that bring him jarringly back into the intrigues of the empire, and this time, because of these messages and his work in the valley, he is someone important.
As with all of Guy Gavriel Kay's novels the story doesn't stick with one character. We see events from various intriguing perspectives. If you've read any of his other works you will find yourself wondering if the character into whose mind you have been effortlessly thrown will become an important character or if this will be their only, brief, appearance. No matter how long it lasts, you will find yourself sympathizing with the character, wanting to know what happens to them and how they affect the plot of the tale that is unfolding.
The story is set in a fictional world, but like all of Kay's other works, this world has a historical basis. It is based on China, in the Tang Dynasty. While reading it I knew immediately that it was loosely based in China, but beyond that I just allowed Kay's amazing world-building to transport me to this fictional universe. The customs and traditions of the empire infuse themselves naturally into the mind of the reader and the locations and events are described so well that you can see them in your mind's eye easily. The best aspect of Kay's world-building is, as always, the characters. He uses their varying perspectives to paint a fuller picture of this empire and how the events in it affect a wide variety of people from aristocracy to soldiers to women to beggars.
Because I mentioned the overly graphic descriptions in my previous Author Review I will mention them again. I think this will be the novel I will be able to go back and read again, and trust me when I tell you I want to. There is one terrifying scene near the beginning of the story, told as a memory from Tai's point of view, but it's nothing as stomach-churning as the scenes I mentioned from his other novels. Also, the treatment of women who work in "pleasure houses" is offensive, but sadly it was probably a very accurate of the time period and he handles it well in the story, again providing multiple perspectives.
World-Building Rating:
This novel receives a rating of Awesome for its world-building. It not only painted a very vivid picture of the surroundings, ghosts and spirits included, it also made me want to research the Tang Dynasty to compare real events, characters, customs and beliefs to those presented in the story. Worth a read and maybe a couple of re-reads in future, and one of Kay's best novels!
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