R.F. Kuang's The Poppy War is "a big, messy mashup with inspirations ranging from World War II to Ender’s Game to Avatar: the Last Airbender."
Tag: China
“In the Ruins of Shambhala”
My flash fiction story "In the Ruins of Shambhala" has appeared on 600 Second Saga.
Machiavelli and the Problem of Memory in Tigana
"Tigana, let my memory of you be like a blade in my soul." -Guy Gavriel Kay, Tigana . Alessan's mantra for his beleaguered nation, erased from history by the tyrant sorcerer Brandin of Ygrath, forms a central node in the theme of exile and memory in Guy Gavriel Kay's Tigana. A novel set in the …
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River of Stars by Guy Gavriel Kay
My hardcover of River of Stars by Guy Gavriel Kay We first see Ren Daiyan, the heroic protagonist of Kay's newest novel, as an angst-ridden adolescent in a grove, wielding a bamboo sword to channel his anger. Living in a time of famine, and of war against the barbarian Kislik tribe, he is deeply aware …
History as Fantasy: My Honours Thesis on Guy Gavriel Kay Summarized
The Build-Up to my Honours Thesis I was in my second year at McGill University, struggling to find a mentor for my Honours thesis in English literature. I'm in an advanced program, and I needed it to graduate and to develop my own critical voice. Oh, the ambition! My mission was to write on fantasy …
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Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay: Blending Fantasy and History
On the cover of my Penguin edition of Guy Gavriel Kay's novel Under Heaven is a little circular stamp that reveals that it made the Globe and Mail's top 100 books. It must be understood that these books do NOT just include fantasy literature! This book has proven a better read in the eyes of …
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Matthew Rettino 