Written on the Dark by Guy Gavriel Kay
Reading this book felt like watching a stand-up comic that used to be edgy and cool now on stage telling dad-jokes and “these crazy kids today” bits.
Guy Gavriel Kay is a master writer. He is the person that was tapped by the Tolkien Estate to complete The Simarillion. He wrote Tigana and Lions of Al-Rassan, two amazing stand-alone fantasy books I would recommend to anyone. They are great books.
This one is not. Kay’s novels are always set in a reinterpreted historical culture, then given a slight tweak of fantasy. This time he chose France, in the latter parts of The Hundred Years War: France/Burgundy assassination plots, Joan D’Arc mysticism, the looming clash of Agincourt all reinvented and spun into a single tale.
While Tigana delivers a sharp ache of cultural annihilation and Al-Rassan builds to a staggering conclusion, this book chooses to be maudlin, performative and sickenly sweet. It swaps in wordplay for witness; glibness for grace.
Love as dumbshow, grief as pastiche, duty as a stage-prop. 100% good guys vs 100% bad guys. Every thread wrapped up at the end in a cutesy bow or a Hallmark movie level of "sad".
His dialog is still solid. His internal monologues are poignant when not trying to perform. He touches on themes of memory, loyalty, aging, family, and art.
If viewed in a vacuum, its not an AWFUL story. When viewed against Kay’s other works it is a pale shadow. For experienced Kay readers, its still worth picking up and seeing through.
To anyone new to this author, please don’t start here. Read Lions of Al-Rassan for Spanish tragedy, Under Heaven for the glory of the Tang Dynasty, or Last Light of the Sun for Viking drama. Leave this one on the sidelines for now.