All the Seas of the World
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- Create Date：2022-05-22 10:51:36
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Guy Gavriel Kay
- ISBN：0735244715
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Summary
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。
One of those arriving on that stony strand is a young woman who had been abducted by corsairs as a child and sold into years of servitude far from her home。 Having escaped， she is trying to chart her own course — and is bent upon revenge。 The man who will bring the others out from the city on his ship — if they survive their mission — still remembers being exiled as a boy with his family， for their faith; it is a moment that never leaves him。 In what follows， through a story both intimate and epic， unforgettable characters are immersed in the fierce and deadly struggles that define their time。
While it shares a vivid setting， timeless themes， and signature "quarter-turn to the fantastic" with his most recent novels， A Brightness Long Ago and Children of Earth and Sky， Guy Gavriel Kay's All the Seas of the World is a stand-alone page-turning drama that also offers moving reflections on memory， fate， and the random events that can shape our lives — in the past， and today。
One of those arriving on that stony strand is a young woman who had been abducted by corsairs as a child and sold into years of servitude far from her home。 Having escaped， she is trying to chart her own course — and is bent upon revenge。 The man who will bring the others out from the city on his ship — if they survive their mission — still remembers being exiled as a boy with his family， for their faith; it is a moment that never leaves him。 In what follows， through a story both intimate and epic， unforgettable characters are immersed in the fierce and deadly struggles that define their time。
While it shares a vivid setting， timeless themes， and signature "quarter-turn to the fantastic" with his most recent novels， A Brightness Long Ago and Children of Earth and Sky， Guy Gavriel Kay's All the Seas of the World is a stand-alone page-turning drama that also offers moving reflections on memory， fate， and the random events that can shape our lives — in the past， and today。
Reviews
Terry
，
I've been a huge fan since the first novels written by Mr。 Kay。 I purchased the audio version performed by Simon Vance， a favorite narrator。 I persevered but quit after investing six hours。 The moment that did it was our heroine （I guess） in distraught tears over her fear that her baby brother would reject her because she had been dishonored after their father was murdered by pirates who seized her and sold her and she was raped and abused by her owner and then she murdered him and became a pira I've been a huge fan since the first novels written by Mr。 Kay。 I purchased the audio version performed by Simon Vance， a favorite narrator。 I persevered but quit after investing six hours。 The moment that did it was our heroine （I guess） in distraught tears over her fear that her baby brother would reject her because she had been dishonored after their father was murdered by pirates who seized her and sold her and she was raped and abused by her owner and then she murdered him and became a pirate/corsair/assassin herself as an independent woman in a male-dominated society but she has to flee her home country because， again， she assumes her brother who is all grown up now will reject her because of what happened to her over the years since he escaped with her mother and she didn't。 Gah。 Couldn't face another twelve hours of this。 。。。more
Dima
，
First of all， I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of the book in return for an honest review。The book tells the story of a set of characters caught up in seemingly endless conflicts between city states， with religious tensions fuelling the flames。 The story seems to be heavilty inspired by various political and commercial happenings around the mediterranean， drawn from various historical periods。 There are clear references to the persecution of t First of all， I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of the book in return for an honest review。The book tells the story of a set of characters caught up in seemingly endless conflicts between city states， with religious tensions fuelling the flames。 The story seems to be heavilty inspired by various political and commercial happenings around the mediterranean， drawn from various historical periods。 There are clear references to the persecution of the jewish people， the crusades， the split between the Catholic and Orthodox churches， the Muslim conquests， infighting between Itailan states， etc。 Other than a minor event in the book， there is no element of fantasy or the supernatural in the novel。 It's basically a sort of speculative fiction version of a historical novel， not unlike other works by the author。My overall verdict is positive。 The writing is well paced， and ineresting。 There is sufficient tension in the plot's evolution。 The dialogues and relationship between the characters are credible and realistic。 I particularly liked the protagonists， who were easy to like and empathise with。 They also evolved and learned over time， and there was even a nice romantic subplot， which was quite nicely done， without being overly dramatised。 It was also refreshing to find kind characters， both main and secondary， unusually for books of this genre。There are some things I liked less。 First， and perhaps most importantly， I wasn't sure what the book is about， and why I should care。 It ends up being a character driven novel， as you care deeply about the protagonists， but the events they are involved in are just not exciting or interesting， and it's not clear why I should lose sleep over them。 It's clearly a choice the author made， but it's something that was missing， personally for me。 I also struggled with some of the writing style - there were constant expositions （that also repeated the same facts a few times）， the interjections that followed a side path of a particular character into its own future fate were tedious， and the patchy and non linear introduction of secondary characters was sometimes unnecessarily long and complex。Overall - would recommend to anyone interested in history but uninterested in historical novels， and to anyone who likes the author already （from his non-fantasy books）。 。。。more
Adah Udechukwu
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All the Seas of the World is a must-read masterpiece。 The novel is awesome in every aspect。 It is my best read so far this year。
Don Dunham
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Historical-ish fiction with a fantasy kink written by a generational talent Author。
Riddhi Maniyar
，
I really liked this book。 It took me an unusual amount of time to finish this one because there was so much information dumping that i had to take a break now and then。I think if you have not read the first two books， then you should read those first to prevent yourself from getting overwhelmed。 My favorite part of the book was characters and their depth。 Rafel and Nadia are characters which are clearly well written and well developed。 If you like heists and well laid down stories then you shoul I really liked this book。 It took me an unusual amount of time to finish this one because there was so much information dumping that i had to take a break now and then。I think if you have not read the first two books， then you should read those first to prevent yourself from getting overwhelmed。 My favorite part of the book was characters and their depth。 Rafel and Nadia are characters which are clearly well written and well developed。 If you like heists and well laid down stories then you should definitely read this one。 。。。more
John Johnston
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Classic GGK but with the added fun of updating many of the characters from A Brightness Long Ago。 Some that we got to know in Children of Earth and Sky are here as well。 Really good book by an exceptional author。
Barb
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"A story can travel in this way， to this place—to the point where thousands of men （and one woman） and well over a hundred ships and war galleys are crossing the sea … It is also true that the balancing of people's lives， however trivial they might be within a grander tapestry， can matter just as much in a certain kind of history。"Set after the fall of Sarantium， this story is that kind of history but also travels among the large political divides and tensions of the peoples surrounding Kay’s Mi "A story can travel in this way， to this place—to the point where thousands of men （and one woman） and well over a hundred ships and war galleys are crossing the sea … It is also true that the balancing of people's lives， however trivial they might be within a grander tapestry， can matter just as much in a certain kind of history。"Set after the fall of Sarantium， this story is that kind of history but also travels among the large political divides and tensions of the peoples surrounding Kay’s Middle Sea on his two-mooned earth。 The divisions are created by religion: people are defined by what they worship: the sun， the two moons， or the stars， and their loyalties most often follow – but not always。It starts with an unplanned but successful theft and a planned but failed assassination – or so it seems。 The instigators are unlikely business partners: a merchant who operates as a corsair and a woman slowly fighting her way free of the burden of shame under which her previous life as a slave submerged her。 Together they encounter a number of the powerful and heroic people of their age， who involve them in intrigue and eventually war。 Allegiances shift as individuals engage， first for a price and later for a cause。Altogether， a very enjoyable adventurous visit through time and the borders of fantasy to Kay’s immersive world， salted with his often moving observations about the nature of life and， in particular， loss。 。。。more
Ed Morland
，
It remains a delight to return to Guy Gavriel Kay's world and his prose。 Melancholic， reflective， insightful historical fantasy as always if perhaps， in this case， relying a bit much on echoes of previous books rather than relying on the power of the current narrative。 It remains a delight to return to Guy Gavriel Kay's world and his prose。 Melancholic， reflective， insightful historical fantasy as always if perhaps， in this case， relying a bit much on echoes of previous books rather than relying on the power of the current narrative。 。。。more
Kate Kulig
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Stunning in its detail， insight， and flowing prose。 Kay is one of the few authors I pre-order in hardcover and I've never regretted it。 It was a delight to see some characters from A Brightness Long Ago again， like meeting up with old friends。Highly recommended。 Kay does some of the best worldbuilding in any genre。 This book is a pure delight。 Stunning in its detail， insight， and flowing prose。 Kay is one of the few authors I pre-order in hardcover and I've never regretted it。 It was a delight to see some characters from A Brightness Long Ago again， like meeting up with old friends。Highly recommended。 Kay does some of the best worldbuilding in any genre。 This book is a pure delight。 。。。more
Susan
，
When I pick up a Guy Gavriel Kay novel I know I'm in for an intense， emotional story yet somehow I am constantly amazed at just how quickly I become immersed in his worlds and attached to the characters。 This is quite a hefty tome but it only took a few pages for me to be invested。 In this case the story involves several characters we've seen before and familiar places from the previous books so it was easy to get hooked in again。 I think it would still be amazing without having read the two pre When I pick up a Guy Gavriel Kay novel I know I'm in for an intense， emotional story yet somehow I am constantly amazed at just how quickly I become immersed in his worlds and attached to the characters。 This is quite a hefty tome but it only took a few pages for me to be invested。 In this case the story involves several characters we've seen before and familiar places from the previous books so it was easy to get hooked in again。 I think it would still be amazing without having read the two previous books but it definitely adds some richness to have all the background stories。The world building is so detailed and rich that it feels like these cities are real and exist somewhere in world history。 I was truly thrilled to get lost in these warring kingdoms and elated to see some familiar characters。 Kay's storytelling is mind-mindbogglingly beautiful and the language is somewhere between poetry and song。 The whole tale reads like it is being told by a master storyteller in a busy exotic market， who needs to grab listeners attention-and their coins-which is exactly a scene early in this book。 There are wars， battles on land and at sea， sex， love， daring feats， crafty diplomacy， family， religion and just about every element important to humanity and fascinating to readers。 This is an action packed， exciting story that takes the time to build the characters so when the story gives a little peek at how their life ends which， as a reader， I really appreciate。 I want to know how it all turns out and I was very satisfied with the ending in this novel。 I wouldn't say no to more stories set in this world but If they happen it will be a bonus; and I will be first in line！Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada， Viking for providing an Electronic Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley for review。 。。。more
Rebecca
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ARC from Netgalley; DNF at 50%I tried really hard to enjoy this book， even taking my time to read it slow and understand （when I can normally finish a book this size in 3-4 days） I want to preface that I haven’t read the first two books set in this world and if I had， my reading journey may have gone smoother。 There was just so much information given all the time， I felt as if I could never catch a break and just enjoy the characters for who they were。 The chapters were insanely long for my shor ARC from Netgalley; DNF at 50%I tried really hard to enjoy this book， even taking my time to read it slow and understand （when I can normally finish a book this size in 3-4 days） I want to preface that I haven’t read the first two books set in this world and if I had， my reading journey may have gone smoother。 There was just so much information given all the time， I felt as if I could never catch a break and just enjoy the characters for who they were。 The chapters were insanely long for my short attention span and at times there could be up to 5 or 6 points of view per chapter。 At one point in the story the narration switched from third person to first person for one character and then switched back which really confused me。 I loved Nadia/Lenia’s and Rafel’s characters a lot and probably latched onto them because they were the main ones from the start and every time I saw their names I was happy that I could at least understand and follow along for that stretch without being overly confused。 I think the writing of this story was beautiful but there were too many characters， too many povs， and too much world building for me to appreciate the actual plot （which is pirates and assassins and all the stuff I normally love to read about） 。。。more
Donald Jessop
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I received an ARC from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。Guy Gavriel Kay is an icon in the Canadian fantasy genre and this book demonstrates why this is so。 Written well， it presents the user with a glimpse into a fantastical world filled with wonder and delight。 The characters are unique and easily differentiated from each other。 Too often writers spend so much time on the main characters that everyone else seems to be a clone of each other。 Guy Gavriel Kay imbues all I received an ARC from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。Guy Gavriel Kay is an icon in the Canadian fantasy genre and this book demonstrates why this is so。 Written well， it presents the user with a glimpse into a fantastical world filled with wonder and delight。 The characters are unique and easily differentiated from each other。 Too often writers spend so much time on the main characters that everyone else seems to be a clone of each other。 Guy Gavriel Kay imbues all of his characters with their own life and purpose and this comes out in his writing。That being said， some parts of the book seemed to be lacking in drama。 When everything goes well there is no compelling reason to be engaged and as a result， during parts of the book， it was harder to continue。 An engaging novel should make the user want to read the next sentence， the next page， and make them look at the clock and say "Holy cow， is it that late？" Those are the books that you remember next month or year。 This book， at times， lacked that drive and that passion。 It was still a good book and a good read， just not an effortless read。The story has some excellent payoffs for the reader in the twist and turns of the story。 Viewing the same event from different angles and perspectives， with additional context， can change a story。 There were a few moments like this in the novel where additional context， provided as a natural flow of the story， provided key information that reframed how the event could be perceived。Perhaps it is the high bar that Guy Gavriel Kay has set for himself （or that we have set for him？） that caused my reaction。 Not as engaging as other novels， but still an engaging story。This book is recommended for any fan of Guy Gavriel Kay as they won't be disappointed。 For new readers， my recommendation would be to start with A Brightness Long Ago or even use River of Stars as your introduction to an excellent writer。 。。。more
Vanathi Santhuru
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Ready to be transported to another world told by a great storyteller？ All the Seas of the World by Guy Gavriel Kay is exactly what you need！The unforgettable characters take you on an adventure through a fictional fantasy world that resembles real life in many ways。 The drama unfolds as we wait to see if the two hired assassins can complete the job and how their lives will change based on the outcome of their success or failure。I absolutely enjoyed reading this book。 It captivated me with the st Ready to be transported to another world told by a great storyteller？ All the Seas of the World by Guy Gavriel Kay is exactly what you need！The unforgettable characters take you on an adventure through a fictional fantasy world that resembles real life in many ways。 The drama unfolds as we wait to see if the two hired assassins can complete the job and how their lives will change based on the outcome of their success or failure。I absolutely enjoyed reading this book。 It captivated me with the story， writing， characters， and setting， pretty much making this my most favourite read of the year so far！ I couldn’t stop reading this book。 I found I was waking up earlier and going to sleep later just to read this。 My overall rating is 5/5。 Click the link in bio to read the full review on my blog。 Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Jasmine
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If you have not read Children of Earth and Sky or A Brightness Long Ago， I’d recommend reading at least one of those before starting All the Seas of the World。 I read A Brightness Long Ago a few years ago but forgot most of it， so I was a bit lost at the beginning of this book。 This latest publication focuses on some characters and events from those previous books。It is three years after the events of A Brightness Long Ago， and two powerful brothers have hired Nadia and Rafel to assassinate a kh If you have not read Children of Earth and Sky or A Brightness Long Ago， I’d recommend reading at least one of those before starting All the Seas of the World。 I read A Brightness Long Ago a few years ago but forgot most of it， so I was a bit lost at the beginning of this book。 This latest publication focuses on some characters and events from those previous books。It is three years after the events of A Brightness Long Ago， and two powerful brothers have hired Nadia and Rafel to assassinate a khalif in a bid for power。 Though Nadia and Rafel’s mission is successful， an unexpected turn of events completely changes these two merchants’ lives in ways they never dreamed。 The rest of the narrative follows these characters and several others in this richly detailed historical fantasy。 There are many religious and geo-political factors that these characters must navigate。 It takes place in something close to Renaissance Italy。 But it leans more toward historical fiction than it does as fantasy。 The fantasy element is more of a whisper than anything else。This book held my attention in stops and starts。 There is a ton of info-dumping at the beginning that outlines the different religious groups and why they are at odds with each other。 I found the pages in between the beginning and the end were the most compelling。 The last 100 pages dragged quite a bit。 There are themes of exile， religion， identity， and memories。 The writing style is beautiful and elegant， but it is quite dense and requires a lot of focus。 The POVs change abruptly， almost exclusively in the middle of a chapter。 I would absolutely recommend reading a Guy Gavriel Kay book， but maybe not this one until you’ve read the ones mentioned above。 Thank you to Viking for providing me with an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 https://booksandwheels。com 。。。more
Annarella
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Guy Gavriel Kay is a master storyteller and a master of fantasy。 This new book， set in a fictional simil Renaissance， it's brilliant novel that you cannot put down。Great storytelling and world building， excellent character development。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine Guy Gavriel Kay is a master storyteller and a master of fantasy。 This new book， set in a fictional simil Renaissance， it's brilliant novel that you cannot put down。Great storytelling and world building， excellent character development。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine 。。。more
L
，
Geopolitical fantasyHow to describe Guy Gavriel Kay's books？ He is a genre of his own。 His novels live somewhere between fantasy and historical fiction。 He has borrowed the words "a quarter turn to the fantastic" from a reviewer to describe it。 The events and many of the characters are borrowed from real and carefully researched history。 They are， nevertheless， Kay's creations。 Here is some of what he has to say about his unique approach （and by the way， I am using "unique" in its strict sense - Geopolitical fantasyHow to describe Guy Gavriel Kay's books？ He is a genre of his own。 His novels live somewhere between fantasy and historical fiction。 He has borrowed the words "a quarter turn to the fantastic" from a reviewer to describe it。 The events and many of the characters are borrowed from real and carefully researched history。 They are， nevertheless， Kay's creations。 Here is some of what he has to say about his unique approach （and by the way， I am using "unique" in its strict sense -- to the best of my knowledge， no one else writes fiction like Kay）。Why isn’t the book set in a ‘real’ place， in our own Europe？ Why do I have Seressa instead of Venice and Batiara for Italy？ Why a rebel leader named Skandir， instead of Albania’s great Skanderbeg， who inspired my character？。。。I found that I liked what all this allowed me to do。 I could work with history but tighten focus on themes。 I could have my characters do and think and be what I wanted them to， because they were not the real people。 Readers who knew the history would see the riffing involved， those who didn’t would either not miss it or – a bonus， for me – might be moved to do some non-fiction reading of their own， after。--From On the Strengths of Fiction Done as Near-History The main characters of All the Seas are the Kindath （Jewish） merchant/corsair Rafel ben Natan and the Jaddite （Christian） assassin Nadia。 As the story opens， they are on the Sea near the Ashar （Muslim） city of Abeneven （Algiers， perhaps？） preparing an assassination。 （That's in the publisher's blurb for the book， so I'm not counting it as a spoiler。） Rafel and Nadia are small players， but they become caught up in the affairs of the powerful。 Thus we get a tale of political intrigue and war。 I found all the characters believable and interesting。 All the Seas takes place on and around the Middle Sea （the Mediterranean） of an Earthlike world that has two moons。 Thus， it is fantasy。 However， it is very close to the Mediterranean region of our world。 It is， in fact， the same world in which many of Kay's other novels are set， from The Lions of Al-Rassan through A Brightness Long Ago。 If you are familiar with European history， you will recognize many of the places and people here described under aliases， e。g。 Seressa and Skandir as named in the quote above。 If you have also read other books by Kay， some of the characters and events alluded to will also be familiar。 For instance， although Jehane， the physician of The Lions of Al-Rassan， is long dead at the time of All the Seas， some of the characters spot a worn statue of her in a public square。 This raises the question of whether you should read Kay's other books before reading All the Seas。 The first answer is easy: Yes！， you should definitely read Kay's other books， because they are VERY good。 But you don't need to read them in order。 They are written to stand alone， and they do。 If you have time on your hands and plan to read all the books， I would advise reading them in publication order， so that you can appreciate Kay's gradual world-building。 In fact， I plan to go back and re-read some of them now。I said that All the Seas is fantasy， and indeed， that is how the Library of Congress classifies most of Kay's work。 However， All the Seas will not feel like an typical fantasy novel to you。 There is almost no magic （and the smidgeon there is plays only a minor role in the plot）。 The military technology is realistic for the time in history portrayed。 （This can be fixed fairly accurately because the events take place five years after the fall of Sarantium （Constantinpole） to the Osmanlis （Ottomans）。 In our world Constantinople fell in 1453， so the era of All the Seas corresponds roughly to mid-fifteenth century。）I received an advance copy of the paperback edition of All the Seas of the World in a Goodreads giveaway。 This gift came with no obligation on my part -- what I have written is what I really think。 。。。more
Patrick St-Denis
，
I've been foaming at the mouth ever since Guy Gavriel Kay announced the release of his upcoming novel， All the Seas of the World。 Every two or three years， this Canadian speculative fiction author comes up with a new book that never fails to enthrall me。 With such memorable titles as Tigana， The Lions of al-Rassan， Under Heaven， River of Stars， Sailing to Sarantium， and Lord of Emperors， Kay has set the bar rather high throughout his career。 And if Children of Earth and Sky and A Brightness Long I've been foaming at the mouth ever since Guy Gavriel Kay announced the release of his upcoming novel， All the Seas of the World。 Every two or three years， this Canadian speculative fiction author comes up with a new book that never fails to enthrall me。 With such memorable titles as Tigana， The Lions of al-Rassan， Under Heaven， River of Stars， Sailing to Sarantium， and Lord of Emperors， Kay has set the bar rather high throughout his career。 And if Children of Earth and Sky and A Brightness Long Ago are any indication， it appears that like a fine wine， Kay only gets better with time。Simply put， All the Seas of the World showcases a master of the craft writing at the top of his game。 This is one of those novels you wish just never ended。 Alas， it does and now we have to wait a while for whatever comes next。Some reviews claim that Kay's latest can be read and enjoyed as a stand-alone work。 While technically true， I would tend to disagree。 Reading both Children of Earth and Sky and A Brightness Long Ago are somewhat essential for getting the most out of reading All the Seas of the World。 The three works form a thematic trilogy of sorts and I feel that they should all be read in their order of publication。 Moreover， I would say that The Lions of Al-Rassan and the Sarantine Mosaic duology should also be read prior to tackling Kay's newest。 To jump into this book as a complete newbie would make you miss too many nuances and your overall reading experience wouldn't be the same。 That shouldn't deter you， though。 Believe you me: More Guy Gavriel Kay novels to read just means more hours of captivating reading that will fill your mind with wonders！Here's the blurb:Returning triumphantly to the brilliantly evoked near-Renaissance world of A Brightness Long Ago and Children of Earth and Sky， international bestselling author Guy Gavriel Kay deploys his signature ‘quarter turn to the fantastic’ to tell a story of vengeance， power， and love。On a dark night along a lonely stretch of coast a small 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。 If they succeed， the consequences will affect the destinies of empires， and lives both great and small。One of those arriving at that beach is a woman abducted by corsairs as a child and sold into years of servitude。 Having escaped， she is trying to chart her own course—and is bent upon revenge。 Another is a seafaring merchant who still remembers being exiled as a child with his family from their home， for their faith， a moment that never leaves him。 In what follows， through a story both intimate and epic， unforgettable characters are immersed in the fierce and deadly struggles that define their time。All the Seas of the World is a page-turning drama that also offers moving reflections on memory， fate， and the random events that can shape our lives—in the past， and today。All the Seas of the World is set a number of years following A Brightness Long Ago and around two decades or so prior to Children of Earth and Sky。 Richly detailed as only a Kay book can be， his latest work will engross you from the very beginning。 Guy Gavriel Kay has a knack for coming up with an amazingly evocative narrative and an arresting imagery that leaps off the page。 Exile， loss， faith， identity， and love are just a few of the themes explored throughout this novel。 Building on storylines and characters from two other books sharing the same setting， All the Seas of the World manages to surpass them both in terms of quality。 Which is high praise indeed given that both were unforgettable reads。I've said it in previous reviews。 Kay's talent and imagination allow him to create a living and breathing environment that draws you in and refuses to let go。 I don't know how he manages to do it， but Kay's worldbuilding is almost always a subtle thing。 The setting never takes precedence over the story and he never relies on info-dumps and other such contrivances。 Still， somehow， seemingly effortlessly， as the tale progresses Kay ends up with an elegantly crafted setting that never fails to dazzle the eye。 Few authors can immerse readers in such a vivid manner， and Kay's eye for historical details and traditions imbues his latest book with a realism that is seldom seen in works of speculative fiction。 All the Seas of the World is a more sprawling novel than its two predecessors。 It's a big， meandering sort of book。 Not as self-contained as what Kay has accustomed us to in the past。 Vaster in scope， nearly all the kingdoms and locales of the Middle Sea are visited or play a role in this story。Around the time when Children of Earth and Sky was about to be published， Kay told me that as much as anything， he wanted that novel to be about non-powerful （not same as ordinary） people on borderlands in a time of war， trying to shape their lives （very differently） in difficult times。 They intersect， some of them， with power， but that isn't the heart of the story。 It was also important for Kay to balance the five of them， not let one character take over the book。 Add to that his usual desire to also balance awareness of history and themes against characters， narrative drive， etc， and you ended up with a complex and satisfying plot on your hands。 For the most part， the same could be said of A Brightness Long Ago。 The difference was that the protagonists were "less important" people in the greater scheme of things who get caught in the periphery of influential men and women whose actions will cause world-shaking ripples that will change the world as they know it。 Once more， it appears that Kay used the same recipe for All the Seas of the World。 Taking center stage in this one are two main protagonists。 One is Rafel ben Natan， a Kindath merchant and sometimes corsair with various identities due to his faith。 The other is Lenia， a young woman who was abducted by Asharite corsairs as a child and turned into a slave。 Now that she has escaped， Lenia has vowed vengeance upon those who wronged her。 Guy Gavriel Kay has always possessed a deft human touch and his past novels are filled with memorable characters。 And once again， it's the superb characterization which makes this book impossible to put down。 As is usually his wont， the author came up with a group of disparate men and women， whose paths will cross unexpectedly and whose fates will be spun into a vast tapestry of love and tragedy。 The supporting cast is particularly good， chief among them Folco d'Acorsi and Raina Vidal。Though the pace can be slow-moving at times， All the Seas of the World is never dull。 Though meandering in terms of plot， with Kay's lyrical prose the narrative is a joy to read from start to finish。 I for one wouldn't mind if the author revisits the lands of the Middle Sea for an encore。 Or several encores！This book deserves the highest possible recommendation。For more reviews， check out www。fantasyhotlist。blogspot。com 。。。more
MarilynW
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All the Seas of the World by Guy Gavriel KayThe vastness of this world and it's history overwhelmed me。 I now realize that there were two book before this one and I know I would have been more immersed in this world and the characters if I had read the first two books。 I did like some of these characters a lot， especially Rafel and his partner Nadia/Lenia， and I am happy with their progression through the story。 There were other characters I liked and many I despised and I appreciate when certai All the Seas of the World by Guy Gavriel KayThe vastness of this world and it's history overwhelmed me。 I now realize that there were two book before this one and I know I would have been more immersed in this world and the characters if I had read the first two books。 I did like some of these characters a lot， especially Rafel and his partner Nadia/Lenia， and I am happy with their progression through the story。 There were other characters I liked and many I despised and I appreciate when certain characters get their just desserts。Another character I liked was Danio Cerra and it seems that the first book in this trilogy would tell me more about him。 That's one of the reasons I think I would have benefited from reading the first two books before I read this one。 For as much world building， description， and information that we get in this book， I always felt like I was missing something， that I should know more。 I was overwhelmed by too much yet thinking I didn't have enough from the story。 I suggest reading the first two books in this trilogy， before you read this one， to get the full story。 For all that we go through， as we read the story， and for all the characters go through， I really liked the ending of this story。 That is the kind of thing I wanted more of， the characters， without being overwhelmed by the world。 Published May 17th 2022Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC。 。。。more
C。 Edwards
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It always takes me a long time to read GGK's books。 I savor every page and know the story has to end， but not wanting it to。 Kay is such a master storyteller and the weaving of characters is brilliant。The kindness and patience of Rafel， living his life as best he can in a world set against him as a Kindath and Lenia's past move perfectly into the present， their fates unfolding。It was great to see old friends in this book， although if you have not read any of Kay's books this can be a stand alone It always takes me a long time to read GGK's books。 I savor every page and know the story has to end， but not wanting it to。 Kay is such a master storyteller and the weaving of characters is brilliant。The kindness and patience of Rafel， living his life as best he can in a world set against him as a Kindath and Lenia's past move perfectly into the present， their fates unfolding。It was great to see old friends in this book， although if you have not read any of Kay's books this can be a stand alone， you won't miss anything。 Folco especially is an old friend you hope will visit often。I will be living in this world for a week or two， feeling like I came home from a great vacation， and wish I were still at the beach。 Kay pulls you into the world and leaves you there。My thanks to Penguin Random House Canada for the free copy。 。。。more
L。A。 Smith
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All the Seas of the World （2022） is Guy Gavriel Kay's latest novel， set in the pseudo-Renaissance Europe he has explored in other books， including his latest two。 This book is not a sequel， but a stand-alone novel that can be read without knowledge of the other books。 The book opens with the omniscient narrator of the story musing about the fate of an exile and all the ways a home can be lost， and morphs into the question of where is the best way to start a story。 Whose story is most important？ All the Seas of the World （2022） is Guy Gavriel Kay's latest novel， set in the pseudo-Renaissance Europe he has explored in other books， including his latest two。 This book is not a sequel， but a stand-alone novel that can be read without knowledge of the other books。 The book opens with the omniscient narrator of the story musing about the fate of an exile and all the ways a home can be lost， and morphs into the question of where is the best way to start a story。 Whose story is most important？ How do their decisions make up the narrative of their lives， and what place does chance and circumstance play？ This gives you a clue that this novel has important things to say about these things。 It also sets up the beginning of the story， zooming in on a small ship going ashore in the middle of the night， discharging two men and a woman who are engaged on a deadly mission。 Characters you care about and a well-crafted story exploring themes of exile， chance and circumstance， faith， and the meaning of home add up to a solid read， even though at times the attempt to blend real history and fantasy strikes a discordant tone for me。 But Kay is a good writer， and the journey he takes you on in this well-crafted book includes highs and lows， unexpected twists， and two main characters you quickly root for。 A solid addition to Guy Gavriel Kay's impressive body of work。Note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley as part of a pre-publication promotion。 I was not expected to provide a positive review in return。 For a fuller review， see my blog at https://lasmithwriter。com/review-all-。。。 。。。more
Neil
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Guy Gavriel Kay seems to have developed his own genre。 Historical novels which take place in a near-Earth which is nearly ours but not quite。 In a near_Renaissance time with analogues of the various countries， cities， empires and dominant religions of that time all described in his beautiful prose styling， perfectly adapted to capture the nuances of a sophisticated but ruthless clash of individual and cultures。 This book was preceded by two others set in the same universe – A Brighness Long Ago Guy Gavriel Kay seems to have developed his own genre。 Historical novels which take place in a near-Earth which is nearly ours but not quite。 In a near_Renaissance time with analogues of the various countries， cities， empires and dominant religions of that time all described in his beautiful prose styling， perfectly adapted to capture the nuances of a sophisticated but ruthless clash of individual and cultures。 This book was preceded by two others set in the same universe – A Brighness Long Ago and Children of Earth and Sky。 I have not read them （an omission I will soon remedy） and found this to be no handicap in enjoying and understanding the motives and machinations of the large cast of characters。I suppose the book is， strictly speaking， a fantasy in the sense that it takes place in an earth that never was but the character stay grounded in very real human situations and motivations。 There is only one occasion， and a memorable scene it is， when the world of supernatural fantasy intrudes into this near-Renaissance – when a clearly magical white stag is menaced and perhaps destroyed by a monstrous form in the fog。The characters are complex， attractive and appealing。 The setting and environment is beautifully realized and the writing itself is of the highest quality。 Strongly recommended。 。。。more
Danielle
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Firstly thanks for the copy I received from Netgalley for an honest review。 3。5-4 stars。 With that out of the way， it has been years since I’ve read a book by Guy Gabriel Kay， and the premise of this book was interesting enough to catch my attention and have me wanting to give this author another go as I have enjoyed his previous books immensely。 That said， I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about this book for a lot of it。 Not to say it was bad by any means， I still enjoyed it or I would never have Firstly thanks for the copy I received from Netgalley for an honest review。 3。5-4 stars。 With that out of the way， it has been years since I’ve read a book by Guy Gabriel Kay， and the premise of this book was interesting enough to catch my attention and have me wanting to give this author another go as I have enjoyed his previous books immensely。 That said， I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about this book for a lot of it。 Not to say it was bad by any means， I still enjoyed it or I would never have pushed through such a lengthy novel。 It just wasn’t quite what I was expecting and didn’t hold my attention as much as I would have liked。 Yet it was still an engaging novel and left me wanting to find out where these characters would end up。 The beginning alone had my attention immediately starting out with such a bang。 There’s an assassination attempt that turns into something of a heist and I loved this part。 I also loved how character oriented this book was as character based storylines are so important to me and something I get really invested in。 This book did that well， revealing backstory about main characters bit by bit so the reader understood more of their actions， and allowing said characters to grow throughout the book and their journeys which is so important to storylines that focus more on character development like this。 However， I will say that at times the plot seemed very slow， perhaps because of this。 There were long stretches where it felt like a whole lot of nothing was happening which is where my attention tended to wane。 And yet， as I said I still kept reading and never considered giving up， so this was only to a point an issue。 I just would have liked to see more actual plot taking place to make the story more investing。 Another fault with this book was that I felt like so many side characters got lost in the sheer number of them and lack of importance that made them stick out。 I could not keep them straight more often than not and sometimes failed to understand why they even needed to be a part of the story because it just seemed to take me out of it more than anything。 However， again， to be more positive， having little bits and pieces of the main characters actions that seemed super insignificant play out in other characters lives as something so important to their realities was a very cool addition to the story which I enjoyed。 It was thinking about how such small actions of people can have such an effect on others that really made these side stories pop out more。 As a quote from the book states， “We can be changed， sometimes greatly， by people who come only glancingly into our lives and move on， never knowing what they have done to us。” （Chapter XIII） This resounded with me because it’s so relevant even in reality; the most insignificant actions can have the most profound effect on someone else， and this idea really latched onto my brain because of this book。 All together a solid read and makes me want to pick up more of this authors books in future。 。。。more
kim
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DNF @ ~21%Thank you， Netgalley， for the ARC！I want to preface by saying this book has loads and loads of amazing reviews with high praise。 Take my opinion with that in consideration。 This review is a very clear case of "it's not you， it's me。"Here’s the thing。 I don’t do well with historical or fantasy books， but there’s often certain ones that steal my attention and keep it forever。 And for this one， I was intrigued by the vengeance and assassination plot。 Right from the start， I was taken away DNF @ ~21%Thank you， Netgalley， for the ARC！I want to preface by saying this book has loads and loads of amazing reviews with high praise。 Take my opinion with that in consideration。 This review is a very clear case of "it's not you， it's me。"Here’s the thing。 I don’t do well with historical or fantasy books， but there’s often certain ones that steal my attention and keep it forever。 And for this one， I was intrigued by the vengeance and assassination plot。 Right from the start， I was taken away by the beautiful writing。 Everything felt so poetic and whimsical。 Although at times it felt too technical and flowery for my simple mind。 It felt like a classic that bored me in high school。 I wanted to get over the world-building aspects and just meet the characters and the plot。 I got to the point where I wasn’t retaining any information。 。。。more
Tina
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I received this book as an e-arc from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review。 All the Seas of the World is an immersive， complex， and realism-based fantasy with interesting characters and a sprawling plot that serves to show how all decisions， even minor ones， have impacts we can’t predict。 I had no idea going into this novel that it takes place in an already developed world from two other novels， and while I don’t think this was detrimental to my understanding of the story， it did feel like so I received this book as an e-arc from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review。 All the Seas of the World is an immersive， complex， and realism-based fantasy with interesting characters and a sprawling plot that serves to show how all decisions， even minor ones， have impacts we can’t predict。 I had no idea going into this novel that it takes place in an already developed world from two other novels， and while I don’t think this was detrimental to my understanding of the story， it did feel like some exposition was lacking。 For example， because the blurb I read on NetGalley didn’t say it was set during an approximation of the Renaissance， I wasn’t sure what the time period was supposed to be based on。 This wouldn’t have mattered at all， until later on in the novel when guns and cannon show up and I was like … wait … guns？ Cannon？ What type of guns？ Why are there guns？ No one used one before … Likewise， while by the end I really enjoyed the novel and there were many times when I had trouble putting it down， it took a little bit for me to get into it。 The reason was that the novel has two particular stylistic choices that take some adjusting to。 The first is that the book serves to give up a lot of its backstory in rather long info-dumps， and the second is that it invokes this “two-sentence wrap up of the result of a scene” before actually describing what happened in the scene。 I eventually realized both of these were due to the narrative style but I found the latter ruined some of the tension for me。 Don’t get me wrong， the novel is so rich in detail， packed with fascinating and fun characters， and has beautiful prose。 I would argue it’s almost a literary fiction because the novel definitely uses a stream-of-conscious style， in that the point of view will shift to another person and pretty much tell their life story before jumping back into the main storyline again。 I think it’s just hard to get into it at first because I wasn’t expecting it and I hadn’t read the other books this world was based on so it was adjusting to both the depth of the worldbuilding and the prose。 While there are action scenes in the novel， it’s definitely not a “sword and sorcery” fantasy， but one that uses the backdrop of fantasy to delve into themes of revenge， self-identity， home， and purpose。 It's deep and complex and enchanting。 I liked the characters。 Nadia is tough， guarded， aloof， and determined， but her tragic backstory shapes a lot of her personality and it’s great to see her grow and learn how to deal with her past。 Rafel was likable albeit a bit boring of a person， but not everyone has to have an over-the-top personality， especially when there were other characters with tons of charisma。 He was reliable， which is why Nadia liked him too， I suppose！The story is too complex to give even a cursory overview without spoilers， as it’s less a straightforward plot than showing how small decisions can spawn large consequences。 As such， the story feels authentic to real life and you’re never sure what is going to happen。 It’s not a thrilling plot， but it’s addictively interesting。 It’s both a serious and safe story， as you can tell by the tone that there aren’t going to be graphic descriptions like in a grimdark fantasy yet it still deals with the effects of slavery and assault。 The novel has normalized queer rep， some moments of humour， poignancy， and gorgeous lines of prose。 I do highly recommend it， but it’s not a novel you can just turn your brain off to read。 Then again， that's one of the many great things about it！ Some spoilers: 1。 （view spoiler）[ One thing I wasn't too keen on was Lania getting with Rafel in the end。 We have so few stories of men and women being friends that it was a little disappointing， especially as they have no sexual connection; I definitely did not ship them。 （hide spoiler）] 2。 （view spoiler）[Did anyone else not understand why Lania had that connection the Lenora？ There wasn't magic anywhere else in the world， so I was really confused as to what made this connection or what it was。 Did I miss it？ （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Kristen
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All the Seas of the World is the story that takes place in the same world as Children of Earth and Sky and A Brightness Long Ago。 Okay， well。。。 I'm pretty sure that most of his books take place in the same world but these ones take place at a vaguely similar time in this same world。 This one especially had characters that were still fresh in my mind。 You don't need to have read the other two to understand what's happening here， but if you have， you will see familiar names and places。 As I said a All the Seas of the World is the story that takes place in the same world as Children of Earth and Sky and A Brightness Long Ago。 Okay， well。。。 I'm pretty sure that most of his books take place in the same world but these ones take place at a vaguely similar time in this same world。 This one especially had characters that were still fresh in my mind。 You don't need to have read the other two to understand what's happening here， but if you have， you will see familiar names and places。 As I said about A Brightness Long Ago， it can basically go without saying at this point that because this is a GGK book， it is beautifully written。 That's just a given to me at this point。 Dat。 Prose。 Tho。This one took me on a lovely ride through alternate-universe Europe just a few years past the alternate-universe Fall of Constantinople to the alternate-universe Ottoman Empire。。。 so。。。 about 1460， give or take？ So， we have a recognizable-but-different setting in which GGK places these characters that I could not help but obsess about a little bit。 This volume mostly follows Lenia Serrano， a former slave and her merchant partner through everything from an assassination to a reunion。 There are other characters who take the stage of course， many of them familiar if you've read GGK's previous two books， but Lenia totally stole the show for me。 She lives in a world which is very harsh to women， and slaves， and female former slaves。。。 and yet she doesn't take crap from anyone along her way。。。 and 'anyone along her way' includes everyone from Dukes to Kings to the actual Pope。 So， I was a fan of Lenia's attitude and how it made her more friends than enemies， even in a world not particularly friendly to women。 So， all told I loved All the Seas of the World and I would 100% recommend it to anyone who likes a really well put together alternate history novel， or loves GGK's work， or loves beautiful prose that takes you away to another world。 As I said， you don't need to read Children of Earth and Sky or A Brightness Long Ago in order to find enjoyment in this novel， but I think that my experience of it was a little better for having read them。 Take that as you will。 ^_^superstardrifter。com 。。。more
Linda
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This is not my usual genre to read， but I was attracted to the history。 The story is well written and the characters are exceptional。 The plot made me keep reading and I thought the climax was a little under par。 It can be read as a standalone but I think that not having read the previous books may have made it a bit less compelling。。 I received a free advance copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving my review。
VT Dorchester
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I looked forward a great deal to reading All the Seas of the World， the latest novel from one of my favourite "fantasy" authors， Guy Gavriel Kay。 （I understand the author prefers to not be stuck in a genre-box， which I would like to respect， but mentioning a genre does make writing reviews easier！） I was happy to receive an Advanced Reader's Copy by e-book， thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada， as well as thanks to Mr Kay。My favourite story-aspect of Mr Kay's work is that they are I looked forward a great deal to reading All the Seas of the World， the latest novel from one of my favourite "fantasy" authors， Guy Gavriel Kay。 （I understand the author prefers to not be stuck in a genre-box， which I would like to respect， but mentioning a genre does make writing reviews easier！） I was happy to receive an Advanced Reader's Copy by e-book， thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada， as well as thanks to Mr Kay。My favourite story-aspect of Mr Kay's work is that they are set in a sort of alternative history which might be alternative but is still somewhat recognizable as being pulled from our "real" history - this makes it easier for someone like me， who is not much of a fantasy fan as a general rule， to accept the fictional world created。 All the Seas of the World is set in an European-Renaissance-like world。I have read Sailing to Sarantium and Children of Earth and Sky， set in the same world， previously， but it has been quite some time。 （I have not read A Brightness Long Ago， which is mentioned as a sort of prequel by other reviewers。） I feel there is no particular need to have read previous books before enjoying this title。 While I did have the feeling that a good and recent knowledge of the previous entries in this world would add to the reading of All the Seas， I never felt particularly lost with only my vague recollections。I did enjoy this book， the world-building is， as always， quite entrancing， and the draws you in - however， I found this story felt a bit longer than it needed to be， with some repetition that felt a bit unnecessary to me。 Perhaps this was in part because I was reading in an e-book format， which I find is better suited to shorter works。 I found the occasional shifts in perspective and tense a bit disconcerting at times， although it was all very beautifully done。 Despite the multitude of characters， I was able to keep them all more or less clear in my mind， something that I don't always find possible in books with large 'casts' - another sign that this book is indeed very well written。However， I was not fully engaged by the 'main' characters and their various plights - and wanted to learn more about some of the 'supporting' characters and was left somewhat frustrated by the speed by which some characters left the story。 I suspect this was at least partially intentional， but it would have worked better for me if I had found Lenia （one of the main characters we do stick with） more compelling。 One of the drawbacks of giving us "unconventional" warrior-leader women characters throughout a book is that they become conventional within the world created， particularly if we're not also shown what a "conventional" woman in the world does， and other characters going around calling our conventionally unconventional heroes "unconventional" becomes a bit amusing。I also felt that some of the political/religious tensions analogies a tad heavy-handed， which might just be me being a cranky pants。 This was a good book， and I enjoyed it， and I would recommend it to those who enjoy historical-fantasy with a fairly big dash of LGBQ representation， but because it was written by Guy Gavriel Kay， I expected a greatness that didn't quite seem to be here， and I was left a little let down。 I would like to give it 3。5 stars out of 5。Thanks！ 。。。more
Heather L
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I hate to say it but this book was just not for me， I am not the right audience for it， I really struggled to get my head around the vast amount of characters。 I also did not know that this was the third book in a series， which probably contributed to my struggles。 I think if you had read at least one of the previous books in this series you would probably fare better than I did。 I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC。
Dan
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Kay’s evocation of a world that is almost， but not quite， the Renaissance Mediterranean is terrifically atmospheric， and he peoples it with characters you care about and believe in。 Perhaps the most elegant fantasist working today， he marshals events on intimate personal and global political scales and walks us through their effects and reverberations in wonderfully smooth prose。 No one else produces work like this in the genre and this new novel is to be celebrated。
Claire
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