Written on the Dark

LoveReading Says

Each time, each and every time, I fall more in love with Guy Gavriel Kay’s writing. The wait between books, the expectation, knowing that when I finally open the pages I’m going to feel that familiar and exquisite ache of recognition alongside the startling thrill of discovery. To put it simply, he is my favourite author, his words have kept me company for forty years and they have shaped my love of reading. Written on the Dark slips into the city of Orane in Ferrieres during a harsh winter, and we meet a poet. The history of our world shapes this fictional story, with elements of the Hundred Years’ War making an appearance. Hugely epic in scope yet as intimate as can be, assassinations of consequence and raging battles are met as equals by those moments and people who dwell within the margins. It’s cleverly done, and entirely possible for someone on the page for just a sentence or two to form an everlasting memory in my mind. Notes from history are sometimes altered, and that is why I so appreciate the author’s wish to change the setting and names. This is his take, his words, his wishes, and they create the most emotionally compelling story. I cried, several times, as my thoughts and feelings were caught and thoroughly tested before being released. Words matter, and these words matter to me, so I’ve chosen this novel as a LoveReading Star Book as well as a Liz Pick of the Month. Written on the Dark is a beautifully striking and eloquent tale of individual and momentous battles for survival and power, for honour and love, and I absolutely adored it. Highly recommended.

Liz Robinson

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