River of Stars possesses a similar focus on character and drama (what Kay novel doesn’t?), but the weight of history emerges from the shadows into the light.
History was ever-present in the shadows of the prose, but by and large the characters and the drama of their stories were the heart driving the novel. With the latter days of the Tang Dynasty as its inspiration, Under Heaven portrayed a mid-rank military commander given an unspeakably powerful gift, two-hundred and fifty Arabian war horses, and the influence he (and they) had on events in the kingdom as they played out.
Though shifting the clock ahead a few dynasties, from the Tang to the Song, one wondered what new material he might bring to the table.
It was thus something of a surprise to learn that River of Stars (2013) was to likewise be set in ancient China, the same as his previous novel, Under Heaven. Guy Gavriel Kay is a writer who uses a lot of different locations, histories, and cultures for novel material.
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