---
product_id: 6930490
title: "River of Stars Paperback – April 1, 2014"
brand: "guy gavriel kay"
price: "$38.83"
currency: USD
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 8
url: https://www.desertcart.us/products/6930490-river-of-stars-paperback-april-1-2014
store_origin: US
region: United States of America
---

# River of Stars Paperback – April 1, 2014

**Brand:** guy gavriel kay
**Price:** $38.83
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

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- **What is this?** River of Stars Paperback – April 1, 2014 by guy gavriel kay
- **How much does it cost?** $38.83 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.us](https://www.desertcart.us/products/6930490-river-of-stars-paperback-april-1-2014)

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## Description

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## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    A satisfying novel
  

*by D***. on Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2023*

Historical fiction has always been a favorite genre for me. Mr. Kay is a gifted writer. The only reason thus isn't 5-star is the pace, which was a little slow, and the difficulty pronouncing and remembering the foreign names.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Epically Enjoyable Read
  

*by J***E on Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2013*

Like so many others, my first exposure to the world of fantasy literature was JRR Tolkien's sagas of Middle Earth. My younger self enjoyed these books...over and over again. As I began to look for other works to read in the genre, however, my enthusiasm began to wane somewhat due to the fact that everything I read seemed to be a flaccid rip off of Lord of the Rings.  For almost thirty years I didn't even consider anything that was described as fantasy.  That is, until I read Game of Thrones, which is fantasy,  with a firm footing in what looks like medieval Europe and borrows heavily from that continent's history. My enjoyment of Martin's work propelled me towards historical fantasy and the first stop I've made is Guy Gavriel Kay's River of Stars. River of Stars is based heavily on 11th century China. Set in the fictional Empire of Kitai, the book tells the story of Ren Daiyan, youngest son of a clerk born in a backwater of the Empire. The book follows Daiyan as he realizes his destiny lies far beyond his humble place of birth. As he tries to fulfill that destiny, Ren Daiyan must battle his own doubt, factions within the court of the Emperor of Kitai and enemies beyond his land's borders; enemies who desire to destroy the empire. One of the first things I noticed about the book was the sparse dialog in the opening pages. I thought this might be an issue until I remembered an old favorite that I had reread not very long ago: James Clavell's Shogun. Like the characters in that classic, the people in Kay's book live in a world where one's thoughts and motivations are, whether because of tradition or the need to survive, masked by formal patterns of speech and ritual. It was through this well written and entertaining inner dialog that characters like Lin Shan are formed. Shan, who becomes close to Daiyan, is an unusual woman at that time in her country in that she has been educated and encouraged to be independent in thought by her doting father. While River of Stars has an epic feel to it, with its grand political intrigue and its great armies battling across vast Kitai and beyond, the book's strength lies in Kay's fully formed characters and how they act in relation to one and other. I particularly enjoyed a device Kay uses very well to flesh out his characters. He writes a small obituary when one of them passes away, revealing both small and large details about their life and how the world will, or won't, remember them. I wondered at times if these were the author's way of personally saying goodbye to his beloved characters, so tender was some of the writing. Kitai itself is a character that Kay must invent and do so with conviction. If not, then the motivations and decisions of human characters in the book don't make much sense. The author does a very good job of doing this, moving through various plots and subplots, all the while giving a very real sense of realism to a place that never existed. Within the inner meanderings of the characters, there are short digressions that sometimes hurt the book's pace. And at one point, I read a couple chapters that, though entertaining, seemed out of place in the whole of the book. But for the most part the tale moved at a pretty good clip toward a conclusion that was satisfying in its sadness and ambiguity. Unlike a lot of Tolkien knockoffs I read when I was younger, the strength of River of Stars lies in its treatment of a land in a time of war and upheaval, where death is too common and triumphs are, at best, half victories. Kudos also to Kay for including an afterword with a list of sources he used in researching ancient China. Although Kitai's Twelfth Dynasty is a fabrication, the author did spark my interest in the place and time on which it was based and I was appreciative that he took the time to point me in the right direction for further reading.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Sucked me in despite slow pacing
  

*by S***S on Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2014*

"When the world changes greatly this can occur because of a single dramatic event, or because many small elements, each inconsequential in itself, fit together - like the pieces of a wooden puzzle box, of the sort sold in any village marketplace for a few copper coins"I really liked this book but beware even if you are familiar with Guy Gavriel Kay’s works, this book's pacing is extremely *extremely* slow much more than usual even for him at least for the first 50% and this book is 639 pages long. I had to force myself to continue reading the first maybe five percent but then it sucked me in. For me the slow pacing fits perfectly because it is ancient China and I always imagine the rhythm of life there to be much slower than say in Europe. Characters are carefully introduced one by one and they create a beautiful picture together, even if the plot seems to not move, but really I think it does move in a sense that the picture gets bigger and bigger. I don't know - I really enjoy it even if it takes me several days to read it and will probably take few more.I cried through last two chapters of the book – but again if you are familiar with Kay’s works you should know that the most you can hope for is bittersweet ending and for the characters I usually fell for the most in his books it is not even that .Would I recommend it? Wholeheartedly so, but again please be warned - very slow pacing."THAT NIGHT NORTH of the Wai the cloud cover finally broke and a waxing moon shone among hard and brilliant stars. What followed become the matter of legend"It was moving much faster in the second half, more like even in the last third of the book, but only in comparison with the first half of course, because fighting and battles finally came in the last quarter, but it is still rather leisurely paced in comparison with so many other books. And it still grieves me that rulers of the world always did and always will betray the best and brightest and most loyal to them. And those loyal till the end will still continue fighting on their behalf.I thought the main theme in the book was that "our lives are not just our own" - every individual means very little by himself, only as a tiny part in the huge tapestry of what China was and is. I know it reflects the philosophy of some Asian cultures, but for some reason in my head it was more contemporary philosophy and related to China's societal structure.Because I totally understand the "collective" is everything and "individual" is nothing argument - my teenage years were spent in the country with the similar philosophy, so to a degree I can relate really well. Amusing how the philosophy of the governments looks so similar.Did I like this philosophy in general and as applied to the book? Well, I think he reflected the historical reality, it rang true, etc, but my Goodness I hated that individuals mean nothing except to increase the glory of Kitai.The best, the brightest, the most loyal - yes they can be the small part of the whole, as long as the rulers are happy - and boy their unhappiness with you can come fast.But these characters , they live for their country, they die for their country - I am just an outsider watching and crying for them.

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*Product available on Desertcart United States of America*
*Store origin: US*
*Last updated: 2026-02-27*