Delighted to include this title in the May edition of Novel Encounters, my regular column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction for the Books section Zoomer magazine. (see article at link)

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for this ARC.
I gave this book 4 stars because Guy Gavriel Kay is clearly an astounding writer. His writing is like prose and is thoroughly enjoyable. I enjoyed the characters, the plot, and the setting, but as previously reviewed, felt a little lost while reading. I did not read the previous books where characters are first brought forward, and I likely would have enjoyed this book a lot more if I had read them.
This type of book isn't my favourite genre, but one cannot deny the talent of this author.
Beautiful book and well done!

I have just read All the Seas of the World by Guy Gavriel Kay

This is the first book that I have read by this popular Canadian Author.

Author Guy Gavriel Kay specializes in Fantasy/Historical Fiction.

This book is well written, but not really my favourite venue in a book, and I do believe that I would have enjoyed it more if I had read some of his previous books.

The story begins with an assignation after a merchant ship arrives on shore on a coastline.

There is a great deal of detail with the characters, and the story.

I would highly recommend this book to readers looking for a great Fantasy story.

Thank you to NetGalley, the Author and Penguin Random House Canada, for my advanced copy to read and review.

3.5 Stars

#AlltheSeasoftheWorld #NetGalley

As a long time Canadian SF/ Fantasy fan I'm almost ashamed to admit I've never read a GGK novel until this one. Who knew what I've been missing?
All the Seas of the World is a story about a "world" war sparked by a political assassination. It follows several characters from prior to the actual assassination through the aftermath of the war.
The scope is broad and sweeping, the setting late medieval, complete with swashbuckling privateers, a merchant establishment that would make the Medici blush, the characters are well developed, full blown and compelling.
This is a piece of epic historical fantasy - a battle fought in a world inflamed by ethnic and religious strife where a single life changes the path of countless others and the world itself.
It's an amazing read that kept me up reading more than one late night - every one of them worth the bleary eyes and fuzzy morning brain from lack of sleep.
I heartily recommend it to anyone looking for an action packed epic.

It's been a while since I've read a book by Guy Gavriel Kay, and that as the Fionavar Tapestry almost 15 years ago. I found it difficult to immerse myself into the world and did not like the characters very much. The viewpoints were changing pretty quickly, as many as four times in a single chapter. I thought this was a standalone book, but I've come to learn that there are references to two other books set in this world, and reading those may have helped my experience.

Amazing prose and world building, this one does a neat thing where it dips in to minor characters and follows along with what happens to their lives after the story. Also a lot of times when people die (and a lot of people do), we see a brief bit of their afterlife. Very well done with a few characters recurring from some of the early books, but the main characters are new. All very well developed (especially for a fantasy novel)...you can really feel for the characters. There is a tiny bit of magic (or possibly some kind of miracles) but otherwise it almost feels like alternate history, set in the analogue of the Mediterranean that was in the Sarantine Mosaic.

I knew I was an eager student, sitting at the feet of greatness…but when the splendiferous prose danced before my eyes…alas, I was too ‘green’ to comprehend it. I’ve delved deep into many technical textbooks during my education and I claim to have an open mind, but nothing prepared me for what I read here. I felt like I was treading water in the deep end. Sadly, I chose to paddle ashore and leave the book in more capable hands. I’m ill-equipped to provide an adequate review.

I might have enjoyed this thought-provoking, character-driven, historical fantasy book better had I previously read A Brightness Long Ago and Children of Earth and Sky, if this wasn’t my first introduction to this author, AND if I’d had a content awareness before selecting it.

I was gifted this advance copy by Guy Gavriel Kay, Penguin Random House Canada, Viking and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

I got 23% into this book.

It's decent, and I enjoy the writing style. GGK's prose is really good, and I'm interested in what's going on. But:

This is my first GGK, and it's marketed as a standalone. It's not; it's somewhat of a sequel to A Brightness Long Ago and Children of Earth and Sky and a friend told me that this book spoils a major character death in one of them, and then spoils plot points in both. I don't really want these other books to be spoiled so I'm going to stop now.

However, I'm still reviewing it so that other people don't make the same mistake. This is only a quasi-standalone. The writing is good, I can't speak for the plot yet, but if you like GGK books, this doesn't seem to be a misfire.But wait until you read the other two first.

Guy Gavriel Kay has always had a style of his own, but I believe this make be the 'folksiest' telling yet. That's not a bad thing, it's just a notable one. There's very much a sense of a storyteller behind the novel, a kindly figure who is relating the events the story. Once in a while he lifts his head from the story to tell us what *will* happen to a secondary character over the course of their long life, and more often he nods and winks, teasing us with the likes "if only." In many ways, this is a story about those secondary characters, about the chance encounters upon which the fates of nations can turn, and that's the second most fascinating part of it.

As always, this is a heavily character driven novel, focused primarily on Rafel and Lenia, partners in business and the business of killing. They're both deeply wounded souls, cut off from not just their families but their very cultures, making them deeply sympathetic. The story meanders from the main narrative in several key places to follow their pursuit of family, and it's those side stories that I felt were the most fascinating part of the story. Empires and tyrants may rise and fall, but it's families that break, hearts that heal, and passions that intersect that give this such life.

GGK continues his theme of highlighting slave/prostitute/concubine characters, something that I know grates on some readers, but I felt was handled better here than in previous books, and he takes some interesting steps forward with his LGBTQIA representation, giving us POV characters that don't immediately die because they're gay. In fact, there's a lesbian relationship flirted with in the first half, and it's quiet resolution is both the most beautiful and most sad paragraph in the book.

For those keeping track, there are several references to events in The Lions of Al-Rassan (a favorite of mine) and the two-part The Sarantine Mosaic (not a favorite of mine), in addition to this being a continuation of Children of Earth and Sky and A Brightness Long Ago. You don't need to have read them to enjoy it, but you will appreciate it far more for having done so.

I seem to often gravitate to books about belonging (or not belonging). This is a broad reaching story, but feels very personal as it follows mostly Rafel and (Nadia) Lenia. There are deep and meaningful comments on place, belonging, religion and acceptance.

From the first moment, it seemed both Rafel and Nadia had very questionable morals. They have been hired by two brothers to assassinate the Kalif of Abeneven. And those two brothers aren't very nice people. The question is why? Why would these two agree to take on such a task? Is it really about the money? That would be hard for me to accept.

But almost from the start, I could sense a connection to Nadia (Lenia), and that feeling of displacement she had. I could relate to Rafel for the same reason. So I'm supposed to care for these two. But at what cost? For me as a reader, I don't want to invest my time and sympathy on a character that doesn't deserve it.

And then the story unfolds with an amazing, hypnotic cadence and I couldn't help but care for these two, for the choices they made and why.

I couldn't believe my luck when I received an advanced copy of #AlltheSeasoftheWorld from #NetGalley! I have been a fan of Guy Gavriel Kay's work since I read The Fionavar Tapestry and have not once been disappointed.
All the Seas of the World is an absolutely magnificent book! As usual, the writing is pure eloquence, drawing you into the epic storyline and not once letting you go. The characters are complex, multi-faceted, and intriguing; especially the main characters of Rafel and his partner Nadia/Lenia.
The real power of the book lies in the manner in which the business partners, seemingly inconsequential on the surface when the book begins, come to affect so much that happens in their world. They are drawn into events beyond their standing in society or, sometimes, their abilities, and yet those events would have fallen out quite differently had they not been there. The same can be said for many of the other characters that are drawn into the pair's orbit, and the way they are all woven together is fascinating and beautiful.
There is an element of the political in the book, as there is of religion, which can also be political, making the book a complex read. Yet the genius of Kay's writing lies in its elegant simplicity; you never have to break into your reading flow to go search for a definition or clarification.
I found the list of characters to be useful and especially enjoyed looking back at it once I'd completed the book.
There is a reason Kay is considered one of the best writers in Canada, and this book illustrates his skills once again. Bravo!

All the Seas of the World is a lot of fun. I wouldn't say it's life-changing, though once in a while, it makes me start to think, and that makes the reading experience even more fun!

What I enjoy most about this book is definitely the characters and their relationships. I love it when the majority of the cast are intelligent people, with their conversations containing a lot of unspoken but mutually understood ideas. Rafel and Nadia are among these, of course, though my favorite character is probably Folco, with his maturity and charisma. I enjoy reading from his perspective very much.

I'm a fan of Guy Gavriel Kay's writing style, which works really well with the plot and mood of this book. He has a way of describing chaotic and cathartic scenes in a very neat, almost invisible way, allowing you to construct the picture of the scene from scratch on your own instead of describing every prop in it. As a result, there's a lot of pleasant tension of multiple scales scattering across the story. On the other hand, the writing in this book is as if someone was verbally telling the story - it's not concise, some details added almost as an afterthought. As this is a story about stories, it effectively makes the book feel immersive and sentimental.

I think there are other books by Guy Gavriel Kay that's set in this universe, though I have never read them. This works completely fine as a standalone. There's quite a lot of information about worldbuilding in the beginning that was a little overwhelming, but it all became clear in time without me having to invest too much effort. The worldbuilding is complex, combining politics, religions, cultures, and other aspects of civilization in a masterful way. Now, I would really like to go and read other books set in this universe, too.

I read A Brightness Long Ago with my book club and remember enjoying the writing, but not so much the story. The writing in this one did not disappoint, and the story was far better. I would definitely read more of his work.

All the Seas of the World is a gorgeous book. It's been a while since I've read a novel by Guy Gavriel Kay and I'd forgotten what a wonderful writer he is -- the prose is stunning and completely draws me into the world and his characters. I loved the opening and the meditations on how to tell a story and who to centre it on.

Unfortunately, I had some trouble reading this one on my Kobo since I couldn't increase the font size (because of the PDF's margins the font was too tiny to comfortably read). I decided to stop reading the ARC and wait to purchase a paper or epub copy when the book is release.

I received the eARC for All THe Sea's of the World in exchange for an honest review.

I want to preface this review with the knowledge that you should take it with a massive grain of salt. As I feel I missed a lot from not having read A Brightness Long Ago, and Children of Earth and Sky before reading this book. From reading the back of those books and the dramatis personae I already feel I missed a lot. Like if I read The Age of Madness trilogy before the other First Law works. I am not going to try and speculate what my score would be had I read those, I will only say this is a review of how enjoyment having read this after The Lions of Al-Rassan and The Sarantine Mosaic(which both boosted my enjoyment) but not Children of Earth and Sky and A Brightness Long Ago, which feel way more connected. Additionally I feel reading this first spoiled large scale and personal narratives from Children of Earth and Sky, and A Brightness Long Ago. Basically I would highly recommend learning from my mistakes and not reading this unless you have read The Lions of Al-Rassan, The Sarantine Mosaic, Children of Earth and Sky, and a Brightness Long Ago.



Ok, now the actual review. It was good, but disappointing. Maybe it won't be disappointing in the future when I reread it having read all the stuff before it.

Let's start with all the stuff it does well

GGK has said he strives to write thought provoking, character driven books that also keep you turning the pages. He did the first half well. This was character driven and thematically interesting.

This book tackles themes in a really interesting way, like GGK almost always does. To me my favorite was how it showed the impact on bystanders. He does a really good job at making us not forget the effect of the actions of the people we know about, on the people we neither know nor care about. He actually does something that is really cool, where as a character goes of stage from this story we will get narration about how their life continued, and we get to see how little things effect big things in their life, and how bigger events can effect the little people, who of course are the big people in their own story. It does another really cool thing for this, that I mention later but am not going to spoil. It covers other themes as well of course, but this was the stand out for me in this book. The other main one would be people who have had defining aspects of early parts of their life, trying to move on and escape that shadow.

More positives, I think the way this stories kicks off is legitimately fantastic. It was tense, it introduced the characters, it introduced the world, the writing was fantastic. I was extremely optimistic. It starts with an assassination, multiple people working together, adjustments on the fly, and various things going wrong, and right, in expected and unexpected ways.

Additionally I do really enjoy the main two characters of this book. Not among my favorite GGK characters, but they are compelling.

There are, as there always are, some fantastic quiet moments , especially in the first half. Some great emotional payoffs, and a part where we got a scene, and then that scene was reframed, and something that first seemed unimportant became shocking.

The prose is of course, very good compared to 99% of authors. In this case it did feel slightly less inspired to me. Some internal monologues felt repetitive. Still very good, but felt weaker than what I am used to. Also the banter and dialogue simply didn't feel as inspired as it was in some of his previous GGK works. Again, still good, but to me felt less good than the insane standard he has set.

So, plenty of good, enough that this still obviously and easily gets a positive rating. But there is going to be more stuff in the cons than usual for my GGK reviews.

The first main one is just....the lack of narrative thrust and conflict for a large section of this book. There is just not that much conflict except for mini subplots for quite a decent stretch of this book. Things at times just went too well to be compelling. It didn't have the bittersweet or even tragic personal narratives I have come to expect from GGK, and a lot of my favorite authors. It lacked emotional weight.

Continuing on that, the climax, again lacked emotional weight. It was kinda just like, Ok that was interesting I guess. Easily the weakest final act in my opinion of any GGK book I have read, including Fionavar. Probably even weaker than the climax of Sailing to Sarantium, which is barely a climax, as that book just kinda ends, since it is basically the first half of a book, that got split because The Sarantine Mosaic would be a super long stand alone

Last of all, and this one is almost certainly my fault, for not reading Brightness Long Ago, or CoEaS.(but also kinda GGK's fault for advertising this as a stand alone, and saying people can start his work anywhere) and that is that after every other historical GGK book I get the impression that every side character could have been the protagonist, and was the protagonist of there story, which just happens to not be the story of the one being told. I always feel I understand the entire cast of characters. I did not get that here. The side cast felt weak by comparison, and supporting characters blurred together. Definitely there were some compelling supporting characters, but this book felt like it had a shallower lineup once you get passed the main group.


So basically that's it. A book that was the weakness of the insanely high bar this man has set, and one I do need to reread after I read the books that now in hindsight feel like prerequisites. If you have not read GGK, and are thinking of starting here, I highly recommend you don't. It's still good though


This hurts me to say, but I have to be honest.

7.5/10

I loved this book; storytelling at its best. The story is character-driven but with enough action and political intrigue to keep me on the edge of my seat. I loved the way Guy Gavril Kay does foreshadowing. It is unlike anything else I’ve read. The characters are amazing, both the protagonists and the antagonists. There are a lot of characters but they are introduced at a good pace. I don’t like being overwhelmed by a large number of new characters at one time. I also liked the way some characters were introduced, then their stories put aside for a time, and then they make a reentry into the story. It all works so well. The banter between characters is excellent. There was a very small fantasy element that wasn’t really necessary for the story but it was good nonetheless. Although the story takes place in a world already created by Guy Gavril Kay, this book is definitely a stand-alone. This is the first Guy Gavril Kay book I’ve read. It will not be the last; definitely going to read his previous books. Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the advance reader copy.

Classic Guy Gavriel Kay. I was pleasantly surprised to note that *All the Seas of the World* took place in the familiar pseudo-Mediterranean world of *The Lions of Al-Rassan* and *A Brightness Long Ago*—in fact a few old faces even show up—so it was obvious from the start this was going to be a comfy read.

Kay does try to twist this tale with a bit more "literary" bent — employing a deft hand with narrative structures and commentary on the nature of story and story-telling, but I am not sure it was exactly necessary. It certainly doesn't hurt though, and adds a pleasant lyrical tone to the book. Still, it's hard to judge how the tale would have stood up without it.

The story itself is not exactly a dynamic action tale of love, loss, exile and revenge although it contains all those elements. Instead it's more of an "epic" overview of the lives of his characters: their pasts, presents and futures, and their struggle with inevitable forces of time and change. Kay does introduce a little mysticism/magic here and there to add flavour and help intertwine the various plot threads but the story rests gently on those tropes and relies more on the characters themselves (or plain old fate) to move the action along. I enjoyed the story telling and found I sympathized with the characters—even the "bad" ones. And that, I think, is really a mark of good story.

I liked it. As I said it was classic Kay, huge in scope, narrow in focus, yet well written and not prone to getting caught up overly in its own mechanics. Just enough reliance on stock characters to make the situations accessible but more than enough detail and novelty to make sure no one was a stale representation of type. *All the Seas of the World* is not a short, exciting romp, but more than satisfying as a long leisurely tale of the storyteller milieu. But most especially, I like a book that helpfully includes a map and cast of characters, but is well written enough that they are essentially redundant—how could you not?

Another stand-alone in Guy Gavriel Kay's Renaissance world. On a dark night, along a lonely stretch of coast, a small merchant ship sends two people ashore: their purpose is assassination. They have been hired by two of the most dangerous men alive to alter the balance of power in the world. The consequences of that act will affect the destinies of empires as well as lives both great and small. Lots of tie-ins and threads to his earlier works for those who love them. This is another thoughtful, sweeping epic book. The themes of family, fate, war, religion and love are very well-explored. The characters are interesting too. One of the most interesting and original book that I read. :)

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

An epic journey across lands. The stories of characters are interwoven as history is made. A young girl, who lost her homeland and freedom at a very young age, is on the precipice of being able to make her own way, one big job will get her further to her goal. But as events unfold, new stories are told and new paths uncovered.

Guy Gavriel Kay is one of my favorite authors, and this book was a wonderful foray into his worlds. Personally, I don't have a good enough memory to remember all of the threads he has woven throughout his books, but I give him high praise for being able to do so. Hoping at some point I will have time to reread them all and pick up all the easter eggs.

Told by the story teller, this is the story of Lenia, Rafel, religion, responsibility, war, family and love. In a near renaissance world which mimics the real world All the Seas of the World is a cross between fantasy and historical fiction, one of my favorite genres. The first of this author;s books for me, it will definitely not be my last. A thoroughly engaging read which draws you in, you won't want to put it down.
#AlltheSeasoftheWorld#NetGalley