Though there are a handful of Kay’s books I abhor (The Fionavar Tapestry, Ysabel), I enjoy the vast majority a lot. Then there are the ones I simply adore, and The Lions of Al-Rassan is possibly the one I love the most. It was my first Kay novel, and I’ve read it multiple times since.

The setting, a fantasy version of Moorish Spain, the believable characters, and the lyrical prose all come together into a sublimely bittersweet book. I’m a huge sucker for the delicious anguish Kay writes so well, and I’ll no doubt re-read “Lions” again in a couple of years.