Children of Earth and Sky (61 page)

Children of Earth and Sky

Guy Gavriel Kay

1. Readers of Guy Gavriel Kay's Sarantine Mosaic novels,
Sailing to Sarantium
and
Lord of Emperors
, will recognize the setting of
Children of Earth and Sky
. (This is also the near-Europe of
The Lions of Al-Rassan
and
The Last Light of the Sun.
) If you're familiar with those books, what are your thoughts on returning to this world, especially to Sarantium nine hundred years later? How has it changed in political and religious terms? How does this novel reflect or change the themes of the earlier novels? Kay has said he wants these works to be “entirely accessible” to readers who have never read earlier works of his, but also to offer “grace notes” to those who do look back. Do you think he succeeds?

2. This novel draws inspiration from the fall of Constantinople (in 1453) and the subsequent realignment among major powers. How does your understanding of the historical inspiration for the setting affect your reading of the novel? Kay has said one reason he uses a “quarter turn to the fantastic” is to cause readers to look at known events a little differently, with fresh eyes. He's also said he loves when readers use his novels as gateways to their own reading about history.

3. Even though the novel presents a world similar to Renaissance Europe, does it also reflect or comment on contemporary political and religious issues? Or the challenges faced by “ordinary” men and women in the midst of dramatic times?

4. The novel explores the lives of leaders, villagers, and the souls in between, truly all the “children of earth and sky.” Discuss the ways in which the novel explores differences and similarities among a range of social classes. Would you say the major characters are “important” people in their world? If not, is the author making a point about this?

5. The reader is also shown many leaders at different points in their careers. Grand Khalif Gurçu, for example, is at the height of his power, while Duke Ricci contemplates a quiet retirement, leaving behind the burdens of ruling. The rebel Skandir, having lost the lands of his ancestors, now survives as a guerrilla fighter, no longer young. Leonora takes on power within a religious retreat, but is at first thought too young for that position. How does this range affect a reader's response to the novel?

6. The idea of “borderlands” is prominent in the book: how boundaries shift and how people living on borders might behave in ways (such as converting from one faith to another) that differ from the expectations of those who rule them. This issue also emerges when the book considers trade—also across borders—as men and women seek ways to survive and flourish, even in a time of war. Do you think this split between higher religious and political demands and the needs of ordinary people is persuasive as a theme? Does it also apply today?

7. Several characters leave their former identities behind when they embark on journeys. Kay even uses the phrase “sailing to Sarantium” to mean that one's life is about to be altered—whether a ship is involved or not. Consider how journeys serve as catalysts, not just symbols, for personal change in the book and in our own lives.

8. Which character did you find most interesting? How did that character's story and fate reflect the themes of the novel?
Children of Earth and Sky
seems to have five main protagonists—Danica, Pero, Marin, Leonora, and Damaz—pursuing very different goals. Kay has said one of the challenges he set himself was to keep them in balance for the reader as the story unfolds. In your opinion, did he succeed?

9. The novel is written in a realistic style befitting historical fiction, but with some subtle supernatural elements. Discuss the influence of Danica's grandfather on the story. It appears that this was a period in which the supernatural was very much a part of peoples' worldview. What effect is achieved if a novel incorporates it? Kay writes in
Children of Earth and Sky
that we must not think we understand everything about the world. Does the presence of Danica's grandfather (or the unseen singer in the roadside chapel at night) succeed, for you, in underscoring that thought?

Author photo by Beth Gwinn

Guy Gavriel Kay
is the international bestselling author of twelve previous novels and a book of poetry. He has been awarded the International Goliardos Prize for his work in the literature of the fantastic and won the World Fantasy Award for
Ysabel
in 2008. In 2014 he was named to the Order of Canada, the country's highest civilian honor. His works have been translated into more than twenty-five languages.

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