River of Stars by Guy Gavriel Kay

River of Stars by Guy Gavriel Kay

River of Stars by Guy Gavriel Kay

From the bestselling author of Under Heaven comes an epic of prideful emperors, battling courtiers, nomadic invasions, and of a woman fighting to find her place in the world.

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 moves 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 the women at 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, under the river of stars, to events no one could have foretold.

7 thoughts on “River of Stars by Guy Gavriel Kay

  1. I read you whenever I want to be inspired. I enjoy the honor and integrity your heroes and heroines live by. Thank you. i look forward to reading River of Stars

  2. I have spent my whole life reading, avidly, anything I could get my hands on. My earliest infatuation was The Boxcar Children, then my father introduced me to Zane Grey via Betty Zane. Then came Trixie Belden and her sort but I will be forever gratefull to a teacher (I’m so sorry I can’t remember her name!) who noticed I was reading recreationally and asked if I had ever read Five Smooth Stones. And the race was on. Books became encapsalated ,beloved worlds for me. Much to my fellow students horror, I actually enjoyed The Martian Chronicals thus engaging my Lit teacher in long conversations which went on to include Animal Farm, Lord of the Flies and even Crime and Punishment (the last was self-inflicted) Anyway, I went on to discover and enjoy, even love many authors,genres but I always seemed to come back to history/ historical fiction and then science fiction with I, Robot and the Foundation Trilogy and so on. Then I read Lord of the Rings and my world shifted. I became a glutton for other worlds, other realities. When I was in the SF/F section of any bookstore or library, my heart pounded, my breath hitched with anticipation of even the possibility of finding a believable yet new dimension. (I must say here that I have been and always will be a “constant reader” of Stephen Kings’) In the mean time, many years had gone by – with to few meaningful books finding their way to me, when one evening, on one of those also to few parental-free hours in the book section of my local grocery store, I happened upon a big, thick book (my favorite kind!)
    titled “The Fionavar Tapestry”. Once again, my world shifted. For the rest of my life I will always wish I hadn’t read it yet; that I could read it again for the first time. The closest I have come to this is joyfully sharing it with everyone I love. As any fan will agree, laughter, tears , joy, sorrow, loss, redemption, understanding- and more- all are experienced . The next few months were probably some of the happiest of my life as I caught up with all the jewels already available. Anyway, at the risk of going on forever, I too am on the edge of my seat for River of Stars. And Mr. Kay – may the stars fall forever behind YOUR eyes.

  3. I also have been reading for as long as I can remember. I am a military man with several tours to combat, decorated for valor, and awarded the purple heart. I tell you this so you will understand I am not a man that falls prey to emotion. Your writing, all of it, speaks to something inside me. A part I keep buried safe so I can do my job. It is poetry, beautiful to read, and never fails to bring strong feelings out of me. No other author has moved me quite as much. Thank you. I look forward to the journey your next story will lead me on.

  4. I also have been reading for as long as I can remember. I am a military man with several tours to combat, decorated for valor, and awarded the purple heart. I tell you this so you will understand I am not a man that falls prey to emotion. Your writing, all of it, speaks to something inside me. A part I keep buried safe so I can do my job. It is poetry, beautiful to read, and never fails to bring strong feelings out of me. No other author has moved me quite as much. Thank you. I look forward to the journey your next story will lead me on.

  5. Pingback: Episode 135: Cecelia Holland on River of Stars | Notes from Coode Street

  6. I was hoping to find the words of the “River of Stars lullaby“ mentioned in passing at the bottom of the second to last page… G. G. Kay`s poetry is so often a highlight in his works… I was hoping he had written it… but perhaps had left it out in the editing process…

  7. I was hoping to find the words of the “River of Stars lullaby“ mentioned in passing at the bottom of the second to last page… G. G. Kay`s poetry is so often a highlight in his works… I was hoping he had written it… but perhaps had left it out in the editing process…

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