River of Stars

By: Guy Gavriel Kay

Narrated by: Simon Vance

In his critically acclaimed novel Under Heaven, Guy Gavriel Kay told a vivid and powerful story inspired by China’s Tang Dynasty. Now, the international best-selling and multiple award-winning author revisits that invented setting four centuries later with an epic of prideful emperors, battling courtiers, bandits and soldiers, nomadic invasions, and a woman battling in her own way, to find a new place for women in the world - a world inspired this time by the glittering, decadent Song Dynasty.

Ren Daiyan was still just a boy when he took the lives of seven men while guarding an imperial magistrate of Kitai. That moment on a lonely road changed his life...in entirely unexpected ways, sending him into the forests of Kitai among the outlaws. From there he emerges years later - and his life changes again, dramatically, as he circles toward the court and emperor, while war approaches Kitai from the north.

Lin Shan is the daughter of a scholar, his beloved only child. Educated by him in ways young women never are, gifted as a songwriter and calligrapher, she finds herself living a life suspended between two worlds. Her intelligence captivates an emperor - and alienates women at the court. But when her father’s life is endangered by the savage politics of the day, Shan must act in ways no woman ever has.

In an empire divided by bitter factions circling an exquisitely cultured emperor who loves his gardens and his art far more than the burdens of governing, dramatic events on the northern steppe alter the balance of power in the world, leading to events no one could have foretold, under the river of stars.

©2013 Guy Gavriel Kay (P)2013 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Kay has the uncanny ability to depict the grand sweep of historical events through the eyes of those living through them...What’s even more amazing is how through his careful rendering of character and environments we are drawn into this history...River of Stars is an exceptional piece of work.” (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

“From whatever angle you approach it, River of Stars is a major accomplishment, the work of a master novelist in full command of his subject. It deserves the largest possible audience.” (The Washington Post)

River of Stars

River of Stars is beautifully written and profoundly lyrical. Guy Kay seamlessly weaves history and fantasy in this story which takes place in a long ago empire torn by war. Kay develops memorable characters that come vividly to life on the page. His prose is elegant, poetic, powerful. His plot twists and turns surprise always. Finally, through the beauty of his writing, the intriguing plot structure, he makes you question and think.

Familiarity does not breed contempt.

What did you love best about River of Stars?

Kay is one of those writers who is extremely deliberate. Call it meta-writing, but there is so much more to his novels than what is on the page. When he repeats himself, it's not because he's run out of words nor because he's not paying attention, it's for a purpose, whether one realizes it while reading or not.

What was one of the most memorable moments of River of Stars?

Every victory of a main character is unexpected, although not because of surprise, but rather that the reader knows that Kay has no problem keeping his characters from "winning." At least, not storybook success, anyway. Oft times it is a spiritual or historical success, not what one would find from a typical narrative. Most fantasy stories are comedies, either ending with a return to the green world or a wedding. Kay does tragedy the way tragedy should be done, wherein it is only when one thinks back upon the original goals of the characters does one realize that they have failed. Failed is the wrong word. Descended? Found a different goal amidst adversity? Anywho, Kay's tragedies are more Shakespearean than sad, and more immersive than escapist. You can get lost in his writing, but not so much in the world he has created but instead within the hearts and minds of his characters. It's not all touchy-feely, though, and there's plenty of blood and guts to remind the reader of the fragility of the human body as well as the timelessness of the human soul.

Have you listened to any of Simon Vance’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes. Comparable.

If you could take any character from River of Stars out to dinner, who would it be and why?

The Fox Woman, for obvious reasons.

Any additional comments?

Kay does royal court politics like nobody else. If there's one thing that's hard to believe, it's the idea that one extremely-intelligent character could be oblivious to the machinations of another extremely-intelligent character. Hard, but not impossible. Kay does a great job of explaining motivation from both the characters' point-of-view as well as from that of outside observers.

Such an amazing story!

I never cease to wonder at the richness of Guy Kay’s writing, his tales of court intrigue, the beauty of real lives. And the glory of my favourite narrator doing his books. Simon Vance is the best at bringing out the subtleties of Kay’s books. A take set in ancient alt-China, to allow him as always to have his take on the story, to let it go where he wants to take it. Along the way, you learn the culture and customs of the day, the morals and virtues, pleasures and vices. The history of the State and the Army, and the tensions between. You interact with the Spirit world, and its effect on the natural world. All with a natural grace and smoothness that seems effortless.

A master at his craft

What made the experience of listening to River of Stars the most enjoyable?

Simon Vance's unique take on characters.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ren Daiyan, obviously. Well-developed, three-dimensional, complex... everything for a thinking person to chew over when reading this novel.

What about Simon Vance’s performance did you like?

Virtually everything. He's absolutely on of the best narrators out there.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, my emotions never wavered too much from amusement and satisfaction with Kay's prose.

Any additional comments?

Guy Kay is a master of fantasy masquerading as historical fiction, and "River of Stars" does not seem him break his streak of wonderful books.

Beautiful epic

I loved this epic story of a tumultuous time in China's history. I couldn't wait to listen to how the story unfolded! As far as I can tell, most of the major events in the book are true to history, with some fantasy elements thrown in. The characters are interesting, and Simon Vance's narration is wonderful as always.

Guy Gavriel Kay + Simon Vance = 5 STARS [ALWAYS]

This 400 year sequel to UNDER HEAVEN is actually worthy of 6 STARS, as I found it the slightly more entertaining of two, likely due to it's superior military component which was a tad lax in the first iteration.

Great Listen

This was an interesting story and very enlightening, the author creates a portal into China's Southern Song Dynasty, making the book a must read for any history buffs interested in this time period.

Another marvel

Guy Gavriel Kay is my favorite historical fantasy author, and this beautiful novel only adds to my reverence of his talents. Beautiful worldbuilding, meticulous plotting, and stunning characterizations are the complement one comes to expect from his books.

In River of Stars, he has created a rich tapestry encompassing two very different empires at war. It’s a brutal tale in many ways, filled with the elegant and cruel machinations of an advanced Chinese court culture that is willing to do anything to support its imperial caste and a, one could say, more honest, northern tribal “barbarian” culture, bloodthirsty and without any respect for what they see as a decadent, effete enemy.

Kay has also given the reader two of my favorite heroes—one a female poet, the other a nonpareil warrior and poet—both Chinese, whose unlikely love story thrills the spirit and breaks the heart. But they are only the central pair in a huge cast of deeply human and deeply drawn characters.

Read this book and be in awe.

Poetic but disconnected

Kay is one of my favorite authors and his poetic style is good for audio. However, there were some odd things about this book. The hero is seen in a certain role and suddenly he appears in a different one with very little or no explanation and this happens several times. There's an incident in his youth that makes him what he is and that is never shown and only alluded to very generally. On the other hand some scenes and conversations are repeated several times, so that Character A & B converse, later Character A remembers it, then Character B remembers it in the same words, and so on. Simon Vance does a good job but it is hard to keep straight all the Chinese names and families without any list or family tree to refer to. I think this wouldn't be the best introduction to this author unless you really are interested in Chinese history. The amount of fantasy is very small and could be explained away, it's really more of an alternative history

yet another great Kay story

yet another great Kay story yet another great Kay story yet another great Kay storyyet another great Kay story.