All the Seas of the World
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- Create Date：2022-06-22 06:52:16
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Guy Gavriel Kay
- ISBN：0593441044
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Summary
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。
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。
Reviews
Miriam
，
No doubt he writes beautiful， love his prose！ Somehow it felt less fluid than the other books I read。 Probably because it is more reflexive on various levels。
Jérôme Jaglale
，
It took a while to get into this book。 The editing seemed less good than usual， especially the first hundred pages。 And I wouldn't recommend it to a person new to Guy Gavriel Kay's books: too many storylines， and many references to previous books。But I enjoyed it very much！ When a book happens to be a match for that moment of your life when you read it， with your current thoughts， musings， joys， and sorrows， it's a blessing ❤️ It took a while to get into this book。 The editing seemed less good than usual， especially the first hundred pages。 And I wouldn't recommend it to a person new to Guy Gavriel Kay's books: too many storylines， and many references to previous books。But I enjoyed it very much！ When a book happens to be a match for that moment of your life when you read it， with your current thoughts， musings， joys， and sorrows， it's a blessing ❤️ 。。。more
Eric
，
Guy Gavriel Kay returns to The Middle Sea （Mediterranean） and his Peninsula， which is 11th Century （thereabouts） Italy。 City States individually ruled。 The port cities are active in trade and riches。 One needs to pay attention as the characters are developed。 Lots of different names in an Arabic style。 Major religious differences abound in this fantasy and the parallel would be Christians versus Islam。 The Crusades。An escaped female slave， trained in knives， joins a seafarer/corsair。 The tale fo Guy Gavriel Kay returns to The Middle Sea （Mediterranean） and his Peninsula， which is 11th Century （thereabouts） Italy。 City States individually ruled。 The port cities are active in trade and riches。 One needs to pay attention as the characters are developed。 Lots of different names in an Arabic style。 Major religious differences abound in this fantasy and the parallel would be Christians versus Islam。 The Crusades。An escaped female slave， trained in knives， joins a seafarer/corsair。 The tale follows this pair who are hired for nefarious activities， including assassination。 Along the way they find themselves on the "good" side of events， which leads to riches， meeting the right people and going to war。 More than a few twists and turns along the way。 There is a tad of magic in that our former slave/heroine is able to communicate with another by mind。 Distance is not an issue。 An intriguing trait。 。。。more
Kerith
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One of the best storytellers living， in my little opinion。 I look forward to every time he has another novel published。 so I can get immersed in it。To make this one even better， I'd recommend having read Lions of Al-Rassan and the Sarantine Mosaic （for one thing， these are tip-top stories of his） first， as well as A Brightness Long Ago and Children of the Earth & Sky next。 You will recognize more people and history and it just makes it even richer。 One of the best storytellers living， in my little opinion。 I look forward to every time he has another novel published。 so I can get immersed in it。To make this one even better， I'd recommend having read Lions of Al-Rassan and the Sarantine Mosaic （for one thing， these are tip-top stories of his） first， as well as A Brightness Long Ago and Children of the Earth & Sky next。 You will recognize more people and history and it just makes it even richer。 。。。more
Colette
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I mostly love the last line when the author/storyteller/narrator says "my loves"。 To me， it seems like he is speaking to us， the readers from an outside perspective that tells us how deeply grateful he is to his readership。 Of course he would。 And I love him right back。 I mostly love the last line when the author/storyteller/narrator says "my loves"。 To me， it seems like he is speaking to us， the readers from an outside perspective that tells us how deeply grateful he is to his readership。 Of course he would。 And I love him right back。 。。。more
Garrett Olinde
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Complex story， lots of moving pieces， but they all seemed to be tended to by the end。 Its easy to figure out what the different cities actually are。 Interesting characters。Would have been 5 stars， but the constant shifting of POV and times， and the telling of the result before telling the action， was a bit wearing。I expected a more stressful or even tragic end。 the actual end was almost too upbeat， but I was glad for the characters。I read his last 2 books and did not realize this was kind of a s Complex story， lots of moving pieces， but they all seemed to be tended to by the end。 Its easy to figure out what the different cities actually are。 Interesting characters。Would have been 5 stars， but the constant shifting of POV and times， and the telling of the result before telling the action， was a bit wearing。I expected a more stressful or even tragic end。 the actual end was almost too upbeat， but I was glad for the characters。I read his last 2 books and did not realize this was kind of a sequel。 After 3 years， （I read close to a novel a week）， I only remembered the vague outlines of the stories and characters。 However， I have too many books to read to go back and read the last 2。 。。。more
Alejandra
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* Thanks to Penguin Random House Canada/Viking and Netgalley for an advance copy for review purposes *It took me a while to finish this book， the pace is deliberate and the writing style begs to be savored rather than devoured。 I also struggled a bit to get into this world， partly because I did not know this is a world the author has been building over several other books， but also because it is set on a fictional world loosely based on the Mediterranean around the Renaissance， and my mind kept * Thanks to Penguin Random House Canada/Viking and Netgalley for an advance copy for review purposes *It took me a while to finish this book， the pace is deliberate and the writing style begs to be savored rather than devoured。 I also struggled a bit to get into this world， partly because I did not know this is a world the author has been building over several other books， but also because it is set on a fictional world loosely based on the Mediterranean around the Renaissance， and my mind kept trying to tie together the fictional places and characters to the historical ones （Florence， Rome， Venice， Marseille， Algiers， Tunis， Istanbul，。。。）， pulling me out of the story。 There were no fantastical elements of relevance to the story， so my expectations for fantasy were thwarted。 Once my mind was able to make a peace with a world that is almost like but not quite like our own， I was able to get immersed into this book。There are many beautifully constructed characters in this epic story。 The two main ones， Rafel and Lenia， are a pair of merchants thrown into a life at sea after great losses。 Rafel is an exile from Esperana， forced to leave his home as a child in an event eerily similar to the expulsion of Jews from Spain。 Lenia， initially known as Nadia， is a Jaddite （Christian） woman， captured in a raid and enslaved as a child， and now escaped and looking for revenge against any of the people of her former captors。。 An ambitious contract way beyond their usual trading deals throws them into a whirlwind of action that shapes their world， and themselves。 The book explores the themes of religious identity， belonging and exile。 Many of the characters are displaced and the path they are on was not necessarily their choice （specially for women and religious minorities）。。 Throughout the story， wandering characters encounter each other in different places and circumstances， with each encounter playing a pivotal role in the shaping of the world of that time。 And I can see how breaking away from the real history through the different naming helps explore those themes without all the baggage that comes with them。In a nutshell， I really liked this book because of its characters and lovely writing， but I found the quasi-historical setting distracting at first （it kept pulling me out of the story for the first couple hundred pages）， and the random musings of minor characters on their death felt a little out of place。 I would read more books in this world now that I feel more immersed in it， I am quite interested in reading the Sarantium books and anything where Folco d'Acorsi appears。 。。。more
Lori
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Absolutely loved this but found the authorial voice just too much。
Cyn
，
Guy Gavriel Kay does not disappoint。 This story was like being taken on a sea voyage with stops， not only in beautiful city-states， but also into the thoughts， perspectives， and experiences of some of their very interesting and 3D inhabitants。 I am especially appreciative that the women （Lenia， Raina， Catarina， Leora。。。） written by GGK are strong， clever， and fiercely independent， given the era they inhabit。 Fantastic wordsmithing， as always。
Rick Yagodich
，
This book – as with most of Kay's work – is a masterclass in use of language。 And in storytelling。Indeed， the book starts with – and occasionally resurfaces to – a distinct narrator's voice; the storyteller met by a roadside， recounting a tale。 Not only the events of that tale， but a preamble as to the why and how that the tale could be told。 Not an approach to writing that is recommended – at least in general – within writing communities， which harp on about in media res。 An approach that， in t This book – as with most of Kay's work – is a masterclass in use of language。 And in storytelling。Indeed， the book starts with – and occasionally resurfaces to – a distinct narrator's voice; the storyteller met by a roadside， recounting a tale。 Not only the events of that tale， but a preamble as to the why and how that the tale could be told。 Not an approach to writing that is recommended – at least in general – within writing communities， which harp on about in media res。 An approach that， in the hands of a master like Kay， feels entirely appropriate。Nor is this some high-stakes tale about the rise and fall of kingdoms: it is a study， instead， of the lives of two individuals， defined in large part by their definitions of home， by their sense of exile。 of longing。 Of belonging。 Or not。Yes， as other reviewers say， some might benefit from awareness of events from prior books; one sequence in particular appear as a convenient bit of magic without the reference from A Brightness Long Ago， though it is presented in a way that， assuming the reader doesn't expect a bubble world where everything is explained， makes sense from the protagonist's perspective: something happened， it is strange， but others involved have prior experience， and so it is explicable if not explained。 。。。more
Sheilah
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So damn good。 Just that。
David Schibeci
，
Guy Gavriel Kay never disappoints。
Idina Jomia
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A beautiful book filled of history and fantasy， lyrically written and all around beautiful。 I picked this up after a reading break and it was a good way to get back into it。
Carrie
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Beautiful， rich， and complex as usual。 The themes of exile and fluidity of belief/location hit home。
Jeff
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Brilliant as always。 The best living writer of Fantasy has done it again。 It’s too soon to decide where this ranks in his amazing body of work， but suffice to say it is a thoroughly enjoyable read， with a bittersweet thread woven throughout。 That’s what he does， and no one does it better。
Wanda Pedersen
，
A book over 500 pages can be either a burden or a joy。 This one was a joy to me， consumed over two days， but I will savour it for some time to come。 It is set in the same world as Kay's previous novel， Children of Earth and Sky。 Knowledge of that novel may enhance your appreciation for this work， but isn't necessary to enjoy it。I've said it before and I will say it again—Guy Gavriel Kay writes female characters with tremendous skill。 He writes women as fully realized as his male characters， reco A book over 500 pages can be either a burden or a joy。 This one was a joy to me， consumed over two days， but I will savour it for some time to come。 It is set in the same world as Kay's previous novel， Children of Earth and Sky。 Knowledge of that novel may enhance your appreciation for this work， but isn't necessary to enjoy it。I've said it before and I will say it again—Guy Gavriel Kay writes female characters with tremendous skill。 He writes women as fully realized as his male characters， recognizing the same desires and motivations behind behaviour， but knowing the threats that women face that most men don't。 Lenia embodies this， having been taken as a slave as a very young woman。 If she finds her family after all these years， will they be glad to see her or horrified because she is now “damaged goods"？He also includes his version of the Jewish people （the Kindath）， known for their business skills but generally distrusted。 Nevertheless， Kay treats them with sympathy。 Like any of the nationalities and religions included in the book， there are good and bad people in all the divisions。 As it is in our world。 And really， I wouldn't have thought that I would be cheering for the two assassins who I met in the initial pages。 Yet here I am， sorry that this volume is finished and I won't be able to follow them further。The use of alternative history enables Kay to examine issues without the need to accurately represent the historical record。 He can invent his own powers and potentialities， his own battles and historical events。 Plus， he can add little fantastical elements， white stags among them。 If you have enjoyed Kay's earlier works， you can rest assured that you will feel the same about this one。 。。。more
Ayelet
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I get so excited every time he has a new book but I can't say I loved this one。 It just seemed to drag along with no purpose。 There were so many characters to learn and I couldn't get into the writing style。 I get so excited every time he has a new book but I can't say I loved this one。 It just seemed to drag along with no purpose。 There were so many characters to learn and I couldn't get into the writing style。 。。。more
Aildiin
，
Guy Gavriel Kay is probably my favorite all time writer and I have been reading his novels for the last 30 years。 In fact I have read everything he has published except his poetry。When I pick one of his novel I know what to expect and I wasn't disappointed again this time。 Once again we follow ordinary people swept by history and accidentally influencing it by their actions。This novel as well as the two previous （ Children of Earth and Sky and A Brightness Long Ago） could be bundled together and Guy Gavriel Kay is probably my favorite all time writer and I have been reading his novels for the last 30 years。 In fact I have read everything he has published except his poetry。When I pick one of his novel I know what to expect and I wasn't disappointed again this time。 Once again we follow ordinary people swept by history and accidentally influencing it by their actions。This novel as well as the two previous （ Children of Earth and Sky and A Brightness Long Ago） could be bundled together and they all deal with Mediterranean countries during early Renaissance and some protagonists actually carry from one novel to the next （ sometime as historic figures in the next novel）。Guy Gavriel Kay writes very strong female protagonists and once again we have one in the person of Nadia/Lenia， a woman captured as a child by raiders， enslaved and now part time owner of a merchant/corsair ship with a Kindath man named Rafel。 The novel follows those two as their live mix with the rich and powerful of the time。 Without spoiling things much I will say that this is one of the more optimistic novels by Kay。I highly recommend it and I already plan to re-read in the future as the kay doesn't produce enough novels to keep me entertained which forces me to re-read his old ones （ which is actually such a pleasure I should not complain）。 。。。more
Laura-Lynne Smith
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It took me a while to get into this book but I’m glad I finished it。 The story of Lenia & Rafel was captivating and I enjoyed the way their relationship changed throughout the book。 I was confused a few times but I didn’t realize there are books before this one that would have helped with understanding had I read them。 The supporting characters added so much to the book and I appreciated the strong female characters the most。This book is not a genre I read much of but the cover drew me in。 This It took me a while to get into this book but I’m glad I finished it。 The story of Lenia & Rafel was captivating and I enjoyed the way their relationship changed throughout the book。 I was confused a few times but I didn’t realize there are books before this one that would have helped with understanding had I read them。 The supporting characters added so much to the book and I appreciated the strong female characters the most。This book is not a genre I read much of but the cover drew me in。 This book was well worth reading。Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the chance to read this book。 。。。more
Bryan Lacey
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Another great read。 Honestly one of my favourite parts of his novels are the acknowledgements at the end where he references the works and histories he read that ended up influencing the creation of his stories and characters。 While it's not all he does in his writings Kay reminds us through his fiction that our own world is filled with amazing stories， people and lives if you just look for them。 Another great read。 Honestly one of my favourite parts of his novels are the acknowledgements at the end where he references the works and histories he read that ended up influencing the creation of his stories and characters。 While it's not all he does in his writings Kay reminds us through his fiction that our own world is filled with amazing stories， people and lives if you just look for them。 。。。more
lorraine
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4。25 stars
Torontodragon
，
Guy Gavriel Kay has created an amazingly vibrant and realistic world that spans several books and several centuries。 It is a pleasure to read about such likeable characters in such an interesting world。 A sense of true adventure throughout the entire book。
Chales
，
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 I have to start this review by saying I was not aware of the fact there were two previous books that would have help this particular novel be a bit more cohesive for me。 I scooped it up because the assassination plot/vengeance genre was very intriguing！ But。。。I didn't get any of the satisfaction of a perfect ending for a trilogy， or even understand the book in its entirety。 So， I can only comment on Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 I have to start this review by saying I was not aware of the fact there were two previous books that would have help this particular novel be a bit more cohesive for me。 I scooped it up because the assassination plot/vengeance genre was very intriguing！ But。。。I didn't get any of the satisfaction of a perfect ending for a trilogy， or even understand the book in its entirety。 So， I can only comment on the structure/writing of the novel because。。I guess not knowing a ton about the backstory， it really didn't do it for me。 This is a me problem。。and nothing to do with the story itself。 It has tons of great reviews and people who were invested in world loved it！The book itself is very well-written but it's written in epic fantasy language， which may be a bit。。fancy （this isn't the right word but I can't think of the right word）。。。for some who aren't well-versed in how fantasy novels can be written。 There's huge descriptive paragraphs that allow you to build the world in your mind while you're reading。 I'm 100% going to read the previous two novels because I did enjoy this story。。I want to understand more！！ He get 4 starts because I think， if read properly， this book will blow your socks off with all the history/fantasy， etc。 This is truly one of the worst reviews I've written because quite honestly。。I'm a bit lost here with this book lol 。。。more
Leigh Lamey
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An amazing culmination of recent worksI haven't read any of Kay's work for a while so decided to read "A Brightness。。，" before diving into "All the Seas。。。" and am very glad I did！ Being able to recognise and appreciate references to recent works such as "Children of Earth and Sky" as well as the weaving of stories from the Sarantium Mosaic and one of his best "Lions of Al-Rassan" left me giddy with delight。As always using the stories of "unimportant" figures during important times brings life a An amazing culmination of recent worksI haven't read any of Kay's work for a while so decided to read "A Brightness。。，" before diving into "All the Seas。。。" and am very glad I did！ Being able to recognise and appreciate references to recent works such as "Children of Earth and Sky" as well as the weaving of stories from the Sarantium Mosaic and one of his best "Lions of Al-Rassan" left me giddy with delight。As always using the stories of "unimportant" figures during important times brings life and feeling to large events and as always this story had me crying in all the right places。Another corker， Sir！ Thank you once again 。。。more
Henry Lazarus
，
The fall of Constantinople is considered the end of the middle ages。 In Guy Gavriel Kay’s alternate history （with a dash of magic） the fall of Sarantium is just as important to the three religions that worship the Sun， the two moons， and the stars。 Five years after the fall Five years after the fall a small ship lands the captain and his ex-slave partner near another city with the aim of killing its Kalif。 All the Seas of the World （hard from Berkley） takes a lyrical look at that world and the i The fall of Constantinople is considered the end of the middle ages。 In Guy Gavriel Kay’s alternate history （with a dash of magic） the fall of Sarantium is just as important to the three religions that worship the Sun， the two moons， and the stars。 Five years after the fall Five years after the fall a small ship lands the captain and his ex-slave partner near another city with the aim of killing its Kalif。 All the Seas of the World （hard from Berkley） takes a lyrical look at that world and the implications of the assassination attempt。 I’m certain that this will be up for a Hugo。 。。。more
Jahn O'Neill
，
So surprised but can't make it to the end of this one， and I'm a BIG fan of GGK。 Maybe it suffers as an audio book as I'm feeling chiggered by the ticks。。。of SimonVance。 But it's feeling pointless， inane。 A half world contact that's thinner than a ghost， etherial is one thing but this is totally unconnected--unsupported。 The long lost brother feels very forced。 And GGK might just as well have written， "Oh yeah， and a Subir。" Sheesh， damn， I mean the whole thing， really cadged。 So surprised but can't make it to the end of this one， and I'm a BIG fan of GGK。 Maybe it suffers as an audio book as I'm feeling chiggered by the ticks。。。of SimonVance。 But it's feeling pointless， inane。 A half world contact that's thinner than a ghost， etherial is one thing but this is totally unconnected--unsupported。 The long lost brother feels very forced。 And GGK might just as well have written， "Oh yeah， and a Subir。" Sheesh， damn， I mean the whole thing， really cadged。 。。。more
Kelly Sedinger
，
GGK is my favorite living author， so I'm pretty-much hard-wired to love his work。 And I loved this one。 Set again in the pseudo-Europe he has been chronicling since THE LIONS OF AL-RASSAN， here GGK writes a largely plot-less novel exploring what might be his oldest theme， which can be found in every one of his post-FIONAVAR TAPESTRY novels: the choices and situations forced onto the shoulders of normal people by the forces of history。GGK is masterful at avoiding the obvious story development; I GGK is my favorite living author， so I'm pretty-much hard-wired to love his work。 And I loved this one。 Set again in the pseudo-Europe he has been chronicling since THE LIONS OF AL-RASSAN， here GGK writes a largely plot-less novel exploring what might be his oldest theme， which can be found in every one of his post-FIONAVAR TAPESTRY novels: the choices and situations forced onto the shoulders of normal people by the forces of history。GGK is masterful at avoiding the obvious story development; I find his works more consistently surprising than most other authors， and he doesn't rely on gratuitous death for shocks。 I appreciate this immensely。His gift for characterization endures， and I find myself loving more and more his authorial asides， his diversions to inform us of the historical fate of minor characters， and more。 GGK's books， more than many others， suggest a much LARGER world than many fantasy novels manage to evoke， and his people seem so real that when he tells us that one minor character would go on to become one of the most beloved poets of his time， I had to remind myself that this character doesn't exist， and I can't go track down their poetry to read for myself。ALL THE SEAS forms the third volume of a kind-of trilogy， comprising CHILDREN OF EARTH OF SKY， A BRIGHTNESS LONG AGO， and this book。 This is not a direct sequel to BRIGHTNESS， but it features some of the same characters and some references will be missed by readers unfamiliar with the earlier work。 CHILDREN takes place AFTER the present book， but it too has echoes here， particularly in GGK's use of quiet magic。 （The magic in this book， as is almost always the case with GGK， is very muted and only shows up sporadically and without bidding。 If you need a "magic system" loaded with explanations and intentionality， this book may frustrate。 I am fine with it。）And now， the long three-year wait for the next novel begins。 Sigh。。。。 。。。more
Akiva
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Kay doing his Kay thing and I think his best take on in it ages， though definitely still not up to his peak。
Andrés
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Another very good book， that's simultaneously not one of Kay's best。 Still， it's full of fulfilling bits and passages。 I was particularly moved by Rafel's story with his brother。You can't miss with Kay。 Hear it read by Simon Vance for an enhanced experience。 4/5 Another very good book， that's simultaneously not one of Kay's best。 Still， it's full of fulfilling bits and passages。 I was particularly moved by Rafel's story with his brother。You can't miss with Kay。 Hear it read by Simon Vance for an enhanced experience。 4/5 。。。more
Laurie Lachapelle
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