Ysabel

by Guy Gavriel Kay

Book Overview

The multiple award-winning fantasy author of The Fionavar Tapestry brings his extraordinary imagination to a tale of mythic figures in contemporary times... Ned Marriner is in France with his father, a celebrated photographer shooting the Saint-Sauveur Cathedral of Aix-en-Provence. While exploring the cathedral, Ned meets Kate, an American exchange student with a deep knowledge of the area's history. But even Kate is at a loss when she and Ned surprise...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451461908
• ISBN13: 9780451461902
• Release Date: February 2008
• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 0.98 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 8.9"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

loved it

Fantastic story. I've only read one other book by Kay and thought it was magnificent. He is a true artist when it comes to creating reality within a story and forming such well-rounded and unique characters. Each character is a different person unto themselves, how he is able to keep it all straight in his mind is beyond me. I had the hardest time just trying to figure out who the bad guy was and even if there was a bad guy. I simply loved it and could not read it fast enough. Near the end, when he phoned his dad...I got all teary eyed when he described his dad getting all teary eyed. How cute is that? The story is modern day and from what I understand, this is unusual for Kay. For those who may have the misconception (like I did) that the reader will be taken back in time, that is not the case. People from back in time are here in the present. Crazy people with crazy powers and it is up to our hero to figure out what is going on and how to save someone he cares deeply for. I did not read the book that comes before this one (I'm not even sure the name of it), but I can reasure anyone out there that I did not feel lost or confused in reading this one. It is definitely a stand alone.

Excellent

I think it was Robert A. Heinlein who said that the way to write a young adult book was to write an adult book and then to take the sex out. Heinlein's meant the comment as a compliment to young adult books, or rather to the idea of what a young adult book ought to be, just as serious, just as well written and just as complex as any other book. So, by Heinlein's definition, Ysabel is a young adult book, and the only one of Guy Gavriel Kay's books so far to have no sex, no overt sex, at least. Sex hovers in the background here, charging every element of the plot. Ned Marriner stumbles into a 2600 year old love triangle, which would be none of his business if his father's assistant had not been magically transformed into the woman at the apex of the triangle--Ysabel. Ned's family has latent psychic powers, and his begin to flare at just the right moment. What follows is a tense, suspenseful, even heart rending search, racing against a deadline to recover the lost Melanie, and the end is typical of Kay, triumphant but bitter-sweet. A terrific story.

Outstanding with delicious plot twists

A one sentence summary of Ysabel sounds unnervingly like the rote formula of some very, very bad pulp fantasy: a vacationing 15 year old in the South of France comes of age as he gains magic powers, works with his family, and becomes a hero. But Guy Gavriel Kay is at the height of his own powers here, and breaks out by weaving a powerful tale of love and revenge as he slowly reveals the truth - some of which will unexpectedly delight longtime fans. In general, this is his best since Song for Arbonne. A couple of minor nitpicks, but a solid 5 stars. First, the nitpicks. The beginning part of the boy-becoming-man plotline here isn't original and in fact makes the first part of the novel drag a bit, as Kay seems slightly out of his element in dealing with both the narrative of a fifteen year old and a modern setting. Maybe kids grow up quicker now, but protagonist Ned Marriner seems a bit too mature even before what Kay calls the last day of his childhood. Kay's attempts to integrate modern technology and society actually distract from plot advancement at times and in a few years will badly date this book, even if his ruminations on how technology has changed things can be interesting. And finally, there are some minor and a couple non minor characters that could have used more stage time. However, once Ned becomes fully engaged in the bigger picture, the book takes off. Kay settles comfortably into meticulously researched history as to why certain things are transpiring - in this case an age old struggle of barbarians versus civilization in which neither has a monopoly on good - but really hits his stride with the exploration of love and revenge and their effect on innocent bystanders. The ensemble cast supporting Ned is generally well developed and very believable. Better yet are the plot twists and denouement; you don't know where he's taking you, and the ride to find out is marvelous. He's done the love triangle story several times before, but this version is well executed and worth 5 stars on its own. For long time readers of Kay, the delicious bonus here is that the modern setting allows the reintroduction of several major elements from the Fionavar trilogy. I won't ruin the plot surprises by saying much more, but in some senses this is almost a sequel. Where this may be Kay's best writing (probably not his best novel, though, given some of the early miscues) is that he weaves this in so effortlessly that you might not initially notice, and unlike most similar efforts it's a not a requirement to have read the previous books to understand the plot or the characters and doesn't heavy-handedly ruin the main story. It just adds delicious levels of depth and occasionally inside humor to an already good tale. Five stars. Might be 4 1/2 stars in comparison to Kay's other work, but that's too much nitpicking.

A Poignant, Mythic Tale

It was with great anticipation that I sat down to read Guy Gavriel Kay's latest offering "Ysabel" just a few days ago. I have read all of his novels and I knew that he always brings a magical genius that imbues his stories with a deep sense of history- even when those histories are formed entirely within his own creative imagination. I was not disappointed. This book is astonishing. "Ysabel" is different in that it is set in our own contemporary world with characters that at first seem familiar and understandable. Only as the story unfolds, do we realize that all (including the reader) will be drawn into to a vastly deep mystery that the world, it's history and even time itself is something much more incomprehensible than anyone could have predicted or understood. The story is set within the history-steeped beauty that is Aix-en-Provence; a place where the past bleeds beyond the defined boundaries of our modern existence and deep natural powers seem to offer alternative theories to accepted history. It is a story in which Ned Marriner, an intelligent but seemily ordinary 15 year-old, not only comes of age, but also crosses a threshold that leads him to a surprising discovery that he is apparently much more than he thought he was. With typical Kay mastery, the author develops intriguing, intelligent and imminently likable characters that often emerge from their ordinary lives to become people who prove to do extraordinary things. This novel is a history lesson, a multifaceted love story, a fantastic spiritual exploration and an astonishingly poignant story of people outside of time, trapped by history but vastly courageous in their love and devotion to a poetic destiny. Like the historical event it chronicles, it is intensely deep and often sad. Like the story it tells, this book is a thing of beauty. It is highly recommended...