The Last Light of the Sun - Part of a series?

[thesoothsayer]

Just wondering if this book by Guy Gavriel Kay is a stand-alone book or is it part of a series?

The site where I usually buy from over here in Korea lists it as "The Last Light of the Sun: Book One of the Northland Series".

However, it's been 5 years since the book was published and I haven't seen a sequel. If it's part of a series, I'll probably wait until the it is done before buying.

 

[Werthead]

No. It's set in the same world as his Lions of Al-Rassan and Sarantine Mosaic duology (earlier than either of them), but that's about it. It's otherwise a stand-alone novel.

 

[Jen526]

Heh! I asked that same question over at GGK's website a few months ago. (I was rooting for a series. I enjoyed that book a lot, but I wanted it to be longer.)

Anyway, GGK confirmed in his forum and FAQ that it's a standalone. Someone screwed something up in a press release somewhere along the line.

 

[Werthead]

GGK also confirmed he has a new book coming out next year called Under Heaven which will be based on 8th Century Tang China, and may be set in the same world as the books mentioned above.

 

[Clansman]

That is excellent news. Judging from the estimated time of release, he must have just finished the manuscript, or is in the last stages of the final revision before pre-production.

Good example from Kay. Never says anything about progress on the next book until the thing is actually written.

Under Heaven looks intriguing, and is a real departure from the European models that Kay has used in his other historical fantasies.

 

[thesoothsayer]

GGK also confirmed he has a new book coming out next year called Under Heaven which will be based on 8th Century Tang China, and may be set in the same world as the books mentioned above.

Would be interesting to see how he depicts the country in his story. The Tang Dynasty was a period of liberalism and openness quite unlike any other in China's history, I think. There were many high-ranking officials not of Han Chinese birth during that time and it was quite cosmopolitan in outlook. People of Chinese descent outside China with ancestry from the southern Chinese provinces still refer to ourselves as "People of Tang Dynasty".

 

[nj1]

I'm just shy of a third of the way through this book and so far it's really enjoyable, my only gripe is that it's obviously based on Alfred the Great with a change of names. I'm still waiting to see what part the Faeries will take in the plot.
It is very wel written tho and if GGK's other work is written as well as this is, then i'll definately be getting more to read.

 

[williamjm]

It is very wel written tho and if GGK's other work is written as well as this is, then i'll definately be getting more to read.

I'd say Last Light of the Sun was reasonably good, but I thought it wasn't as good as some of Kay's earlier books like Tigana, The Lions of Al-Rassan, The Sarantine Mosaic, A Song For Arbonne. Al-Rassan and Sarantine also have plenty of historical characters with different names as well.

 

[thesoothsayer]

Just finished this and I thought it was great.