Apent ages waiting for this to be re-printed in the UK, finally got it and almost felt like it couldn't live up to the hype this site had given it....
...I was definitely wrong.
Tigana is one of my favourite books now, the characters are good, the plot engaging and well done to Kay for building an entire world and mythos in a few hundred pages, without causing confusion, and all whilst creating a well thought out story around it. Definitely heavily recommend this book.

The book is so sentimental it becomes humorous and left me cheering for the tyrants to crash their pity party and blow them up with magic. Every chapter someone is going on and on about how sad everything is for them. This book needed a lanaster very very badly.

Seriously, not a single chapter goes by that someone isn't weeping like a baby. The book tries to be sad and melancholy, but only suceeds in being hilarious. Sorry, by the end of the book, I started imagining the smallest violin in the whole world playing for these characters, mockling them while they wallowed in self pity and depression. Egads this drama is almost as bad as Kevin Costner's "Postman".

Problem is, the story itself, the world, and the ideas are all top notch and absolutely original. I just wish I could drown a few of the really bad characters early on and replace them.

I picked this up because of the #1 ranking on this site. I found several books I enjoyed rated pretty high and several I thought were awful on the worst books list, so I thought maybe we have similar taste.

I was wrong. Tigana is like eating French food. You can cook it up in butter and cream, but at the end of the day you're still eating snails and frog legs.

Guy has a love affair with adjectives and internal monologues. He takes ages to move the story along. He's too caught up in describing the emotions and internal conflicts rather than just telling his story. A band of singers - really? Crying about this and that because of a forgotten name? Crying about a mean father? Enough already!!

I'll probably get flamed for this post, but I found finishing this book to be an act of stamina and determination.

Just finished reading TIGANA after seeing your recommendation,
Thank you !!
Good ending and great story,
this one will stay with me for many years I think.

Going to check more from this site!

I have read many many fantasy books, but few have been as disappointing as this work was. I say work because that was what it felt like when i was reading it. It was boring and the most exciting parts were mediocre compared to most any other decent fantasy novel.

I like Tigana, and I like the idea, but I liked A Song for Arbonne and The Lions of Al-Rassan more. I haven't read The Sarantine Mosaic, Last Light of the Sun, or Under Heaven. Ysabel is a good read and I think it's possibly on a par with Tigana.

I can't believe that this book would get negative comments.
It might not have the epic scope of the lotr trilogy... but I don't recall ever being so personally and emotionally invested in the characters of a story... and so many of them too! I agree that the way Brandons character was introduced and evolved was great, and unexpected. I highly recommend this book to any fan of fiction.

I bought this book and I'm actually trying to force myself to finish it. Much more of a traditional fantasy tale in the most predictable and clicheed sort of way. I loved most of the others on this list.

An enjoyable story, with a novel approach to some of the characters (for me at least). Not sure about the tears, but well told tragic element to it. I liked the angle taken on the cost of magic, with a taste of the different types.
I wouldn't put it at #5, and it's not in same league as Tolkien, but it should be on this list and it is worth the read.

I absolutely loved this book. I think it should be higher in the rankings. Its a stand alone book in a group of series books, which means the author had to be more concise and creative to tie the whole story into one medium sized book. I loved the sexual energy scattered throughout the storyline. You were able to emotionally connect with his characters.
I'll admit it was hard to get into, but after the first 20 pages or so, it's EXTREMELY hard to put down.
I wish he had physically described the men as much as the women, I was often left wanting for a more elaborate mental picture of them.
The story is wonderful, so different that alot of the fantasy series out there.

To be honest I was disappointed. To rank this book above any of Tolkien's work is some sort of sin, but perhaps my expectations were to high...
I appreciated that the author was able to finish the story all in one book, but I'm not all that shocked as looking back I have to echo Alex's sentiments about the lack of major events. I found myself plodding through most of the novel knowing I had invested too much time to turn back now, but desparately praying for the end to come swiftly...

I agree with Frank that Tigana is not Kay's VERY best work (my vote for that one goes to A Song for Arbonne) but it's definitely a close second. Kay is one of the most talented and underrated writers out there. His gift for beautiful and moving language is hard to match.

good choice, but not his best book imho. He doesn't have any bad books, but The Lions of Al-Rassan is my fav of his.

I actually despised this book. I didn't finish it because the prose was so horribly overwrought and pretentious. Do yourself a favor and read the negative reviews of the book on Amazon before you buy it.

I read this based on the recommendation on this site and I loved it. I've recommended it to others now as well. This site is great. It's so hard to know what to pick up in the hundreds of authors at the book store. I haven't been disappointed yet.

Kay is my favourite living fantasy author and Tigana is my favourite fantasy novel after Lord of the Rings.

To like fantasy and not read Tigana is madness!

To be honest, i regard tigana as one of Kay's mediocre works. The sarantine mosaic by far outshines tigana, as does a song for arbonne.

I thought this whole series was well written and rich in imagery and emotion.

Thank you for including this in your list. I never would have looked for it otherwise. Was looking for a fantasy book that actually had an ending (haha I'm always afraid of the authors dying before properly ending their sagas). I loved this book. Dianora and Brandin has now topped my Romantic Couples in Fantasy list.

In general, I agree with the majority of books on the list except this one. I read this book a while back, but at the time, I found it to be cloying and too sappy for my tastes. Maybe I just wasn't in the right emotional place to read it, but it struck me as forced and generally unremarkable.

I am glad that this site posted Tigana else i would never have heard of it. Tigana is the kind of book i was looking for at the time, a good fantasy story in 1 book. Now, my thoughts...
It was a good book. it kept you entertained and really did hit you on that "emotional" level i keep reading about. For fans of action and such, there is not to much of it here. This story is more about the lives of the characters in it. The only thing is that he did not seem to deal with them to much. there did not seem to be any MAJOR events, and after a while i actually started to not want the "protagonist" to succeed. though i believe that may have been the way it was written. its a good story that gets you to feel for the characters, but it is not an AMAZING WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE story

Tigana is beautiful and poignant! It has one of the most unforgettable characters - notably Branding of Ygrath - and one of the most original love stories. Historical fantasy at its best.

I just finished this book. One of the best I've ever read. Incredibly emotional and beautiful.