Written on the Dark is GGK's shortest novel, and in a lot of ways, I think it needed to be longer. Brightness Long Ago, his next shortest, is over 100 pages longer, and is my second favorite GGK novel. So it's not like it needed to be huge! But a lot of it felt rushed or haphazard in the exploration of its themes and characters. The plot just kinda comes in for awhile and then is over, and then people hang around for awhile, and then more plot stuff happens....all of this, in isolation, is great. But it left the novel feeling like it was not as good as the sum of its parts. This sounds negative, and in comparison with Guy's other novels that I've read, it is. But it's still a GGK book, which means it is still very good. The prose is still great, every minor and major character's inner life is accounted for, and there are some great characters in this one. Theres a chapter in this book that is primarily following Joan of Arc (but GGK twisted, so not really) that is spectacular.

And part three of this book is incredible. The whole climax was extremely gripping and moving. And then the epilogue is...maybe, just maybe, the best epilogue I've ever read. It ties into Sarantine Mosaic and Brightness Long Ago, my two other favorite works from GGK, and it made me so incredibly emotional.

So I can't fault it too much.

8.5/10

I have enjoyed some of the author's previous works but unfortunately struggled with this one and DNFed at 57%.

As always, the prose itself was beautiful, even more so since the main character is a poet. However, I struggled to feel anything for the characters and to become invested in the plot.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was poetic and incredible. GGK has the writing style to match the greats. The story itself was fantastic and I’ll so glad to get more GGK stories.

A fantasy that reads like historical fiction, we follow Thierry Villar, a poet who gets swept up into courtly politics and a murder investigation.
This is my first Guy Gavriel Kay and it won't be my last. I loved the writing, and how the characters felt like living and breathing people. There's plenty of political intrigue and I was invested in the storyline, although I did become confused at times as there were a number of characters.

Kay cannot write a bad book even if under death treath.
Another story that could be historical fiction with fantasy elements or fantasy with historical elements.
To be honest i don't care as this huge book kept hooked and turning pages.
GReat world building and storytelling
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This was my first experience of Guy Gavriel Kay and it certainly won’t be my last. A thoroughly unique and highly recommended experience.

This is a beautiful historical fantasy novel loosely inspired by the life of the poet François Villon. It takes us to a world that will be familiar to Kay readers – a world with two moons, one blue and one white, where the three main religions are Asharite, Jaddite and Kindath, corresponding to Islam, Christianity and Judaism – but where his most recent novels have been set in thinly disguised versions of Venice, Dubrovnik and Constantinople, this one takes place in Ferrieres, based on medieval France.

On a freezing cold night in the city of Orane, the young poet Thierry Villar steps out of the tavern in which he’s been staying to find that he is surrounded by armed horsemen. He’s convinced that he’s going to be arrested – desperate for money, Thierry had become embroiled in a plot to rob a sanctuary – but to his surprise, he is escorted through the streets to where a man lies dead, brutally stabbed. This is the Duke de Montereau, one of the most powerful noblemen in Ferrieres and the younger brother of King Roch, who is struggling to rule due to mental illness. In return for not arresting Thierry, the provost of Orane asks him to help discover who murdered the Duke by listening to gossip in the city’s shops and taverns.

If you know your French history, you may have guessed that King Roch is based on King Charles VI, nicknamed ‘the Mad’ due to his episodes of mental instability and a belief that he was made of glass. Montereau, then, is a fictional version of the King’s brother, the Duke of Orléans, who was assassinated in 1407. Other people and incidents in the novel can also be connected to real characters and events from the Hundred Years’ War, which adds an extra layer of interest to the story if you’re familiar with this period of history. If not, it doesn’t matter at all since, as all the names have been changed, the book can also be read as a work of pure fiction.

Written on the Dark is a shorter novel than is usual for Kay and feels more tightly plotted than his other recent books, with a stronger focus on the main character and fewer diversions into the stories of minor characters. This probably explains why I thought this book was more enjoyable than the last two or three. Although I know nothing about the real François Villon so can’t say how his story may correspond with Thierry Villar’s, I found Thierry a likeable character; he has his flaws and sometimes makes mistakes, but this just makes him feel more relatable and human. An overarching theme of the book (and of Kay’s work in general) is the idea that even people who are considered ordinary or insignificant can play a key role in important events and influence not only their own fate but the fates of many others.

The fantasy aspect of the novel is limited mainly to the alternate version of France and to a mysterious character known as Gauvard Colle who can communicate with the ‘half-world’. There are also some surprising twists where things like the Battle of Agincourt and the story of Joan of Arc don’t go in quite the direction you would expect! I loved this one and am looking forward to reading his earlier book inspired by medieval France, A Song for Arbonne, which is one of a small number of Kay novels I haven’t read yet.

Is there something as beautiful as a Guy Gavriel Kay book? Luxurious, generous, poetic writing coupled with melancholic, imperfect and slightly lost lead characters set in a quasi-European sitting with a hint of otherworldly mysteries dealing with times of instability and change. Written on the Dark features Thierry Villar, a tavern poet who finds himself enmeshed in matters of the state at the behest of Robbin De Vaux, the Provost as they investigate the murder of the king's brother. All this set amidst a bleak winter in the medieval city of Orane ruled by a mad king who is mostly locked up and ruled otherwise by his wife, the queen.

A GGK book is like an event and it needs to be savored in that manner. This is an incredibly beautiful book filled with so many lovely interludes. The sense of storytelling is rich and incredibly lyrical. GGK also references the Hundred Year War and Joan of Arc even as he expands the scope of the book and then brings it narrow again focusing on characters more than anything. While events do happen conveniently, the focus of the book is on the richness of emotions and the choices that characters make. My previous book was the Devils, which was awesomeness on a blockbustery scale and this is a perfect counterpoint to that kind of a book - to be savored, relished and ruminated leisurely.

A GGK book isnt just a book, its an emotion and an experience and Written on the Dark lives up to every bit of it. Gorgeous

2.5 rounded up.

I’ve read and loved two of Guy Gavriel Kay’s books so far (The Lions of Al-Rassan and A Song for Arbonne), so I was really excited to read his latest novel early. Unfortunately it didn’t fully meet my expectations.

As always, Guy Gavriel Kay has beautiful prose and manages to evoke his historical settings very well, though he definitely does this better in the other books I’ve read. I liked the way that poetry was weaved in to the narrative (our main character is a tavern poet). There were some profound passages relating to art and fate which I highlighted throughout! I also enjoyed the low magic aspect, as it worked really well with the historical setting. The book also has some good rep for both queer and female characters, which was great to see.

Where this book fell down for me was the characterisation and the plot. These characters really felt like they lacked the depth necessary for the book to hit properly. I kept feeling frustrated by the way Kay would gloss over major character events, and felt that I was being kept at arms length from the characters and the story the whole way through. Other Kay books have had me emotionally invested but I just couldn’t connect with this one in the same way.

Due to the above, I wouldn’t recommend Written on the Dark as an introduction to Kay’s work as I don’t think it showcases his full potential as a writer, but I think existing fans will appreciate certain aspects of it. I’ll definitely keep reading Kay’s backlist as I enjoy many elements of his writing.

Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the eARC!

It is always an absolute pleasure to become utterly absorbed into this author's work. It's akin to staring at a beautiful painting for so long that it becomes hard to tell where it ends, and you and reality begin.

An unexpected encounter, and a brutal murder on a cold winter's night leads both the protagonist and the reader onto a path that no one expected, into the world of kings and prince, the world of war and poetry and the world of love and sacrifice. Filled with wonderful characters that will linger long after the last pages, this is a book that will appeal to lovers of historical fiction, as well as the more fantastical.

Shorter than many of this author's previous works (but no less that for that) this is a great jumping off point to enter the wonderful imagination and writings of Guy Gavriel Kay.

I am still new to this author and his prose this takes a little bit of more work to enjoy. He weaves a complex enough world with rich history and many sweeping storylines which I did enjoy for the most part. It was brutal and immersive at times mirroring the historical references and events. This is a book I will return to in the future where I feel I am more equipped as a reader to thoroughly appreciate it, I am starting my historical fantasy journey so this was possibly not at the right time for me.

3.5 stars rounded up

I feel a little conflicted when reviewing Written On The Dark - in a nutshell, my two cents is that this is an ok story, but written exceptionally well. This is the first of Kay’s novels I’ve read, and I’m certainly going to be seeking out more, as the high praise he receives from other authors seems absolutely justified.

My first impression of Written On the Dark is how well written every single scene is, regardless of setting or content. Kay’s style of writing is incredibly stylish and eloquent, and feels refined and elegant throughout the story. In a way, his writing feels quite reminiscent of Tolkien’s work, though this may also be due to the role poetry and spoken word plays in the story. Poetry is one of the driving forces in the story, which reflects the personality of main character Thierry very well. As with the other characters, Thierry and the friendships he forms in the story seem genuine and heartfelt.

I’d say the story feels like it straddles the line between fantasy and historical fiction, perhaps leaning more towards the latter. The world is most definitely fictional, though it is clearly based heavily on Medieval France in setting; The map is quite reminiscent of northern France, especially with reference to the warring nation of Angland a short hop over the ocean to the north. The references to Joan of Arc and the battle of Agincourt also make me question how much French history from the period was referenced in the book that went over my head!

It wasn’t a five-star read for me, and when I question myself why, I honestly feel the story wasn’t particularly engaging or exciting. There was a slow and ponderous tempo to the story that served the poetic style very well, but didn’t do the stakes or drama of the plot any favours in my opinion. All twists and revelations seemed to be forecast several days in advance, and left me questioning at several points whether I was reading this book the wrong way, and in fact the plot was meant to be a backdrop to the setting and characters. I feel that in a weaker author’s hands this book would have been quite mediocre, but Guy Gavriel Kay’s writing absolutely elevated it to be greater than the sum of its parts.

A land plagued by endless war. A poet bearing the weight of a broken world. Two women—headstrong, intelligent, fiercely loyal. A maiden leading an army. A god of justice, echoing the spiritual reverence of Christian belief. Guy Gavriel Kay’s new novel is a thing to behold: intimate and epic, brutal and beautiful, in every way.

‘’Sometimes we retain the quiet moments that come in the midst of chaos, or after it. The city, my city, in the night. Our lives, written on the dark.’’

Epic and moving, without the vast scope of places and characters of previous novels, his new book is focused on Orane and a handful of characters, allowing the reader to breathe and concentrate on the themes that form the heart of the story. It explores war and its endless, torturous consequences: sorrow, famine, enmity. Poems that speak of valour cannot conceal the scorched earth left behind. Guy Gavriel Kay paints a fascinating imagery of the Dance of Death, perpetually defining the fates of countries and their people. And the endless cycle, the snake eating its tail.

‘’Usually there are no headstones for the dead of a battlefield. Sometimes a mound is raised.
What we know, or decide we know, of the past needs to be judiciously weighed and measured. It rarely is. We have our allegiences, even when centuries have gone by, season after season, year after year after year.’’

The observant, educated reader will notice the parallels between the story of Orane and the Hundred Years War—especially Jeanne d’Arc, the battle of Agincourt, and the fascinating ways in which history has been woven into this work of fiction. At the centre is Thierry, a character who is earthy, relatable, and direct—someone readers can easily connect with and care about. He’s supported by two intriguing, enchanting women, who add further depth to the narrative.

‘’It seems to me that most moments in a life can be called interludes; following something, preceding something. Carrying us forward, with our needs and nature and desires, as we move through our time. It also seems to me that it is foolish to try to comprehend all that happens to us, let alone understand the world.’’

As the two moons—first seen in the mystical A Song for Arbonne—rise once more, the fate of a land unfolds. Men and women struggle for justice, for meaning, for survival, in a brilliant work of literary art from a true master of the craft.

‘’There was still blood on the ancient stones. Rain would wash it away in due course. It had done that before. The moon, rising, shone down upon the arched bridge and the river, and the stars did. In the teachings of that time and place, Jad of the sun was in the darkness below, battling demons to protect his children, as he did every night since the world had been made, and remade, and remade.’’

Many thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/

Fun fantastical worldbuilding and adventurous politics that were really interesting to read. I loved the characters and enjoyed the story for high fantasy.

A historical fantasy novel, similar to most other works by the author. This one has some minimal elements of fantasy, but is essentially a historical novel, though without a direct link to our history. This one is inspired by 15th century France, and the 100 year war. The protagonist is a young poet, who gets dragged into a world of political intrigue, assassinations, and war. Naturally, there is a love interest, and quite a lot of romance.

I enjoyed the book overall, despite its numerous flaws. The writing, as usual with the author, is engaging and fun. The pacing is fast and the scenes are vivid and enticing. The protagonist's character was also nicely developed.

That being said, the book was rather uneven, in my view. Some characters (like the protagonist and the poet Marina) were nicely done, but most others lacked the necessary depth. This was to the extent that I often confused some of them, because, while the back-stories were different, the behaviours and actions could have easily been anyone's. In addition, the storytelling was also a bit jumpy - some scenes were described in minute detail, while others (very important ones) were glossed over. This created a jittery effect that was hard to overcome, making the overall experience less pleasant than it needed to be.

I recommend to fans of the author, but, I would not start with this book if you've not read anything by the author previously (Tigana is better).

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Another great GGK book, this time focusing on the events around the Hundreds Years' War.

Whilst this book had all of the things we expect from GGK, like the amazing prose and well researched historical fiction, it was different from his other books. The writing was choppier with shorter sentences. We didn't get into the characters as much. It was broken up, as well. I'm not sure how to describe it, exactly, but it was definitely a different style of writing. Not bad, just different.

I loved the interweaving of the story of Joan of Arc in this one. It was fantastic how well it was done, with a lovely little surprise at the end.

The characters were great and allowed us to see a wide range of people from clerics to royalty, poor to rich. Masterfully woven political intrigue with inexplicable religion and superstition.

I still prefer Tigana and other works, but this is an excellent story, especially if you are interested in this time period.

4.5 stars rounded up

Guy Gavriel Kay’s Written on the Dark is a beautifully crafted blend of historical fantasy, steeped in lyricism and rich with emotional resonance. Set in a vividly imagined world that echoes medieval France, the novel follows Thierry Villar, a tavern poet whose life is upended when he’s drawn into the perilous world of royal politics and the tensions of a kingdom on the edge of war.

Inspired by the life of French poet François Villon, Kay shapes Villar into a deeply compelling and relatable figure. His journey from dimly lit taverns to the opulent, dangerous corridors of power is filled with encounters that are as complex as they are memorable—an aristocratic poetess who challenges him intellectually, and a mysterious young woman compelled by inner voices to heal a troubled king.

What Kay does so masterfully is weave a narrative that resonates on multiple levels: emotionally, politically, and artistically. His dialogue is sharp, his characters nuanced, and his worldbuilding—as always—lush and immersive. There’s a poetic rhythm to his prose that gives even the quietest moments weight, lending the story a lyrical beauty that’s distinctly his own.

For me, Written on the Dark reaffirms Kay’s extraordinary gift for blending the historical with the fantastical. It’s a novel that speaks to art, memory, power, and the choices we make in the face of uncertainty. Whether you’re a long-time admirer of his work or discovering him for the first time, this book offers a powerful and unforgettable journey into a world where reality and myth interlace with haunting elegance.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publishers Hodder and stoughton publishers for a free ebook and an honest opinion.

For those familiar with Kay's work, there will be nothing surprising in this book or the enjoyment I experienced reading it. Then again, for those familiar with Kay's work, why would you want anything different? Drawing from the Hundred Years' War, Kay invokes the characters, imagery, and actions of 15th century France, as we follow the life of a tavern poet drawn from a normal life into the great events of the times after the murder of a Duke. Kay always manages to weave through many perspectives, from royalty to poverty, creating a rich tapestry of the historical period he is invoking. His writing varies slightly from my experience of his other work, making use of cut-short sentences rather than using flowing, beautiful prose that we may be used to. Nevertheless, Kay still draws emotion from the reader, building connections between characters and audience without the reader even being aware it is happening. This is the weakest Kay I have read, but this more signifies the brilliance of his oeuvre. Read Guy Gavriel Kay! He has become one of my new favourite authors and whether it is his new novel or part of his back catalogue, I believe he is a voice that deserves to be supported!

This is actually my first novel by this author, and I can't wait to pick the rest up!
Written on the Dark is a sweeping novel, where tavern poet Thierry finds himself thrown head first into a deadly world of court assassinations, ambitious rulers and war. The novel cleverly comments on power and ambition, while keeping the reader glued to the pages.
The novel is so action packed, it's a wonderful blend of historical fiction and fantasy!
Huge thank you to Hodderscape for the proof of this book!

As with all of Guy Gavriel Kay's books, the prose is breathtakingly beautiful and a joy to read. This story felt more straightforward than his other books. The focus was largely on the main character, Thierry Villar, a tavern poet. The direction of Thierry's life changes significantly one winter's night when he finds himself ordered to become involved in political matters. The story that follows is a wonderful historical fantasy version of events in medieval France. I loved the cast of characters. Even the most minor character is given solidity and substance. As soon as I finished the book, I was yearning to read more.
Highly recommended.