The Last Light of the Sun

by Guy Gavriel Kay Narrated by Holter Graham

Overview

A powerful, moving saga evoking the Celtic, Anglo-Saxon and Norse cultures of a thousand years ago from the acclaimed author of The Fionavar Tapestry.

Bern Thorkellson, punished for his father's sins, denied his heritage and home, commits an act of vengeance and desperation that brings him face-to-face with a past he's been trying to leave behind ...

In the Anglcyn lands of King Aeldred, the shrewd king, battling inner demons all the while, shores up his defenses with alliances and diplomacy-and with swords and arrows. Meanwhile his exceptional, unpredictable sons and daughters give shape to their own desires when battle comes and darkness falls
in the spirit wood ...

And in the valleys and shrouded hills of the Cyngael, whose voices carry music even as they feud and raid amongst each other, violence and love become deeply interwoven when the dragon ships come and Alun ab Owyn, pursuing an enemy in the night, glimpses strange lights gleaming above forest pools ...

Making brilliant use of motifs from saga and song and chronicle, Guy Gavriel Kay conjures a work of subtle, intricate richness, bringing to life an unforgettable world balanced on the knife-edge of change.

“A historical fantasy of the highest order, the work of a man who may well be the reigning master of the form.”-Washington Post Book World

Editorial Reviews

bn.com

The Barnes & Noble Review
Guy Gavriel Kay's The Last Light of the Sun is a compelling historical fantasy in which fate throws together three warring societies -- Anglcyn (Anglo-Saxon), Cyngael (Welsh), and Erling (Viking) -- in a brutal conflict that brings both heartrending sorrow and unexpected joy.

In a world where Erling marauders regularly raid Anglcyn and Cyngael villages and bloodshed is a part of everyday life, only the strong survive. Bern Thorkellson is a survivor, although his life can't exactly be described as fortunate; the son of an ill-tempered Erling named Red Thorkell, Bern recklessly seeks vengeance against the man who stole his father's prize horse. Aeldred, legendary king of the Anglcyn, struggles to protect -- and enlighten -- his countrymen against all odds. After witnessing the murder of his brother, the Cyngael prince Alun tries to save his soul from supernatural forces. Then the destinies of all three intertwine.

Adeptly researched with ingeniously intricate tangential plotlines ("…actions ripple, in so many ways, and for so long…"), this offering is sure to please and surprise fans of Kay's previous historical fantasies (Tigana, A Song for Arbonne, et al.). Gloriously complex and riveting, The Last Light of the Sun is archetypal Kay. Fans of first-rate historical fantasies like Marion Zimmer Bradley's Avalon sequence and Stephen R. Lawhead's Celtic Crusades trilogy who have yet to experience Kay's storytelling prowess should make it a point to pick up one of his novels immediately. Paul Goat Allen

The Washington Post

Kay's latest, The Last Light of the Sun, is a historical fantasy of the highest order, the work of a man who may well be the reigning master of the form … Kay's novel is an ambitious entertainment that transcends the historical record, offering cogent observations on fathers and sons, on the power of grief, on faith, courage, loyalty and the inevitability of change. — Bill Sheehan

Publishers Weekly

In this wonderfully imaginative historical fantasy from Kay (A Song for Arbonne), seemingly random deeds connect Erling (Viking) raiders and Anglcyn (English) and Cyngael (Welsh) princes: If only Bern Thorkellson hadn't stolen that horse in a desperate act of vengeance against his sorry fate; if only Dai ab Owyn hadn't stepped outside the safety of Brynfell right at the moment when the Erlings attacked; if only Ivarr Ragnarson hadn't been born ill-formed and downright cruel; if only Aeldred hadn't been king of the Anglcyn; if only Thorkell Einarson had murdered only one man and not the second; if only Alun ab Owyn hadn't stepped into that pool on a moonless night and seen the Queen of the Elves in procession. At first glance, each individual's act appears to be a normal human response. It's only later, as the characters' paths cross, that the pieces come together to weave a dazzling tapestry of conjoined fates. Solid research, filtered through vibrant prose, serves to convey a sense of how people really lived and died in Viking and Anglo-Saxon times and how they might have interacted with the realm of magic on a daily basis. Readers of lighter fantasy should be forewarned-the novel contains a lot of gruesome killing and the fairy world plays a relatively minor role, as do women. (Mar. 2) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Driven from his northern home for crimes committed by his father, Bern Thorkellson finds his destiny across the sea, in the lands of the Angles and the Gaels, traditional enemies of his people. Set during the time of the Viking raids, the latest historical fantasy by the author of Tigana and A Song for Arbonne brings depth and texture to the ancient tales of the Norse lands. Kay's consummate storytelling and fidelity to the spirit of his subject matter make this novel a solid addition to most fantasy collections and a good selection for fans of historical fiction and Celtic or Norse legends. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

From the Publisher

Praise for The Last Light of the Sun

“An ambitious entertainment that transcends the historical record, offering cogent observations on fathers and sons, on the power of grief, on faith, courage, loyalty and the inevitability of change.”—The Washington Post Book World

“Kay has written a modern saga, a story of song and hero's and of the end of days.”—The Toronto Star
 
“[A] wonderfully imaginative historical fantasy...the pieces come together to weave a dazzling tapestry.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“If you take Stephen King’s attention to detail, Stephen Lawhead’s Byzantium, a near Shakespearean plot, and the best narration and storytelling in a while, you have The Last Light of the Sun.”—SF Revu
 
“The Last Light of the Sun steadfastly confront[s] us with the significant acts of insignificant people, the ironies of history, and both hero'sm and the fantastic stripped of accumulated myths and legends.”—Locus

More Praise for the Novels of Guy Gavriel Kay
 
“[Read] anything by Guy Gavriel Kay...His strengths are strong characters and fantastic set pieces.”—The New Yorker 
 
“History and fantasy rarely come together as gracefully or readably as they do in the novels of Guy Gavriel Kay.”—The Washington Post Book World

“Kay shows why he’s the heir to Tolkien’s tradition.”—Booklist
 
“Kay is a genius. I've read him all my life and am always inspired by his work.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson 
 
“A storyteller on the grandest scale.”—Time Magazine, Canada

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172966200
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	05/19/2020
Edition description:	Unabridged

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