Book Haunt

A richly woven tale that focuses on a handful of people, each of whom, for a different reason, is compelled to leave the place they call home and embark on a new adventure in life. We follow the lives of pirates, spies, merchants, soldiers, artists and emperors as they travel into the unknown. They each face new and dangerous experiences, on a journey to reach their separate and unexpected fates.

I was thrown off a little in the beginning as each of the main characters and plot were brought into focus. I wasn’t sure what type of book I was picking up to read. The author introduces us to an intricate political and religious landscape, and then he quickly and masterfully pulls everything together, giving us an epic tale in only 585 pages. Much less than your usual epic!

Children of Earth and Sky is a sumptuous reading journey which I thoroughly enjoyed. Aptly titled too!  History and fantasy combine effortlessly.  Kay took inspiration from assorted influences such as Venice, the Ottoman Empire, Renaissance Europe, the maritime trade of Dubrovnik and the Uskoks of Croatia, among many other historical periods. You can see that this author is well-versed in a lot of areas and you can also see that he loves history. I haven’t read any of Kay’s books before but I have noticed that he has a great following and I can certainly see why. Told in the tradition of a Bernard Cornwell novel, this author surely has a lot of those same fans.

I want to thank the publisher (Berkley Publishing Group) for providing me with the ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.