Tigana cover art

Tigana

 Preview
Free with 30-day trial
A 30-day trial plus your first audiobook free.
1 credit/month after trial—to buy any title you like, yours to keep.
Listen all you want to a selection of thousands of Audible Originals, audiobooks and podcasts.
$16.45 a month after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.

Tigana

By: Guy Gavriel Kay
Narrated by: Simon Vance
Free with 30-day trial

Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $46.99

Buy Now for $46.99

About this listen

Acclaimed author Guy Gavriel Kay has been honored with the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel (Ysabel) and the International Goliardos Award for his work in fantasy.

Eight of the nine Palm provinces of the Peninsula have been overcome by warrior sorcerers Brandin and Alberico. But the sorcerers don't know that a small band of survivors is plotting their removal. With tensions mounting, the sorcerers become increasingly at odds as each decides where his own path - and that of the land - should truly lie.

"Brilliant. Rich in intrigue and subtlety. A gracefully plotted story. Highly recommended." (Library Journal)

©1990, 1999 Guy Gavriel Kay (P)2009 Penguin Audio Action & Adventure Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Magic Magic Users
All stars
Most relevant  
interesting themes, but I get tired of sword play and brutality. The air wheels are especially unpleasant.

Good, apart from too much blood

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
What a journey. So intricate and compelling. Performance was also excellent, voices were varied and easy to discern.

Robust and enjoyable

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I have loved this story since I first read it as a teenager. it spoke to me and has remained one I visit often. the performance is wonderful and lends a credibility and gravitas to the story that is often missing in fantasy and science fiction narration making the same tawdry. however it is the afterward read by the author don't has made this audiobook stand out for me. as a teenager and the child of immigrant's the themes around the loss of identity and memory resonated deeply with me. the afterward brings for me another layer and a far deeper understanding of the story and my own reactions to it. original I engaged with this work as a wonderful story but the afterward has given me the chance to engage with it as an adult and with an adult's understanding of loss and politics and having to use Duolingo to speak the language of my grandmother.

the afterward is the best part

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I loved the concept since throughout our own history there have been countless tyrants and conquerors who wish to ERASE the existence of a land and its people - their names and history. This was a beautifully written book and wonderfully performed by star narrator Vance. Some reader comments about too much sex are a bit confusing for me since there were only about 4-5 scenes in a long book and they were all relevant to the story and well-written between consenting adults. Ultimately these scenes added to the character development - they highlight what makes us human with our loves and memories- what motivates us to do what we do villain or not? And speaking of villains, I thought it interesting that one was made to look more evil than the other just from his inability to love anyone but himself and his climb for power. Very well done!

Beautifully written

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Pacing, characters, nuance, memory, love, darkness, endings - so good, will read more of this authors work.

Excellence!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Overall this is a pretty decent listen. The author has created a compelling and interesting fantasy world (with sorcery and creatures of myth) based loosely off geopolitical situation of Italy (from what I understand from the author's note). Given the strange names terminology used, the author does a good job of re-explaining terms and plot points just enough times to have it sink in, without it being too repetitive,

The themes were interesting and very thought provoking (particularly around love, memory, belonging and revenge). I found myself thinking about the themes and characters more than in other fantasy novels. In this way it would be a good book club book. The author's note at the end was excellent and a great way to cap off the novel in this sense. I had found that I had thought a lot about the key themes from this book and it was good to get the author's intent at the end - More novels need this.

There were a couple of slightly awkward parts - particularly to do with some female characters, but not so unusual given this was written in 1990. There were some more progressive parts too (about some female characters) which were nice.

There were some slightly more monotonous parts of the book, particularly in this age of Game of Thrones, it feels like there were not enough twists and turns. A lot of the pieces came together neatly and conveniently.

The performance is top quality by Simon Vance. Easy to listen to, nothing felt forced or awkward.

Overall I am happy with this listen, and recommend giving it a go, unless you need lots of twists and turns in your fantasy novels.

A memorable tale

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
One of the most perfect stories I’ve ever enjoyed. If you don’t get a little misty-eyed during this you have a stone heart.

A classic

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
such a good book, the one
that truly got me into fantasy

the story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I couldn’t follow the characters or the plot. It was nice listening to, a soothing voice, but the storyline did not hook me and was not something I cared about.

Nice performance, could not follow the story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.