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Before reading Tigana, it was inconceivable for me to picture a stand alone fantasy book without any intention or hope of a series. I often wondered how it would be possible to create a whole new world in just one book and give it a satisfactory ending. When I read this book, I finally understood.

Tigana is not a book. It is a journey. A journey through the lives of men and their emotions. A journey of wonder, a journey of pain and a journey of understanding. Rarely do you come across a book as this in the fantasy genre, where the emotionally rich characters and elegant writing demand your attention, define your thoughts and deserve your praise.

1. Plot The book tells the story of a nation and it's people and their desire to right a wrong that has been done to them. The plot itself is quite straight forward and often takes backseat to characters. The focus on the plot is considerably less and often feels like it is something vague in the background compared to the strong characters. It is not a book about what they did or how they did it. It is a book about how they felt when they did it.

2. Writing GGK is undoubtedly one of the best writers I have read. The elegance through which the narration flows is second to none. He makes it seem so effortless that you can never imagine how difficult it must have been to create such characters and bring out their emotions as he has. In the entire book you feel a rhythm emerging through the pages. Melodious music flowing through each character and the pieces of the puzzle coming together like the notes in a perfect tune, at the right time, at the right place.

3. Worldbuilding It is a very difficult task to create a whole new world and make it believable in just one book. Despite being a stand alone, Tigana offers an interesting take on the Italian provinces. There is little in terms of details when it comes to magic. Apart from the fact that the two sorcerers have considerable power, we are told little as to what they are exactly. The only strong magic that has been described serves as the center of the plot. There are a few interesting customs which are revealed, the Ember days being the most curious one.

4. Characters It is the characters along with brilliant writing that truly holds this book high. GGK has a talent for bringing out the pain, the suffering, the hope and anger of his characters and make you believe them. Whether it be Alessan or Dianora you can feel their pain and understand, to some extent as to what they are going through.
However there are times when you feel frustrated that there is a bit too much emotion involved. As the men often weep at the slightest provocation you are left wondering at the serious lack of testosterone in the novel. A few even cried in the heat of battle which was quite unbelievable. But most of the times the emotions are carried very well and are a treat to read.

People who are fond of reading fantasy must give this book a try. It is so different from what you generally encounter that it redefines your parameters of the genre.

I am now officially a fan of Guy Gavriel Kay.