Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
4.5 stars, to be exact. It is intriguing, but not spell-binding. Minus points for too many stock characters (exiled son, aging king, the Seer, the warrior, etc.). Plus points for the best way of depicting God that I've ever read - the God is the Weaver, the Devil the Unraveller, and Life is a Tapestry.
This is a wonderful book, and an equally wonderful trilogy. Some may find the writing a bit stilted and characters might be unbelievable, but I was born and raised in Toronto, and reading these is like visiting home. The story isn't quite as high fantasy as Tolkien's works, but I find it the more readable for that very fact.
This is a really good start to a high fantasy series with modern ties. It has characters you can really get into, and an accessible writing style. I look forward to reading the other two in the trilogy. Definitely recommended!
4.5 stars
**Buddy Read with the awesome Kay Squad at Fantasy Buddy Reads**
"There are many worlds," he said, "caught in the loops and whorls of time. Seldom do they intersect, and so for the most part they are unknown to each other. Only in Fionavar, the prime creation, which all the others imperfectly reflect, is the lore gathered and preserved that tells of how to bridge the worlds - and even there the years have not dealt kindly with ancient wisdom."
This is the tale of five twenty-somethings - Kim, Jennifer, Kevin, Paul, and Dave (The Five) - who find themselves transported from their Toronto homes to the world of Fionavar, a place steeped in the rich history of gods, goddesses, heroes, and last stand battles. A place where, eons before, the five peoples of Fionavar battled and defeated an ancient Power known as Rakoth the Unraveller. Since such a Power cannot truly be killed, he was imprisoned under a mountain and the five peoples were presented with wardstones, whose power was perpetuated by sacred fires, to keep him there. As long as the sacred fires burned, the wardstones would continue to hold Rakoth in his prison. But nothing ever really lasts forever, not war...not peace. When portents and dreams start to give warning that something dark is coming it is Loren Silvercloak, a powerful mage, who sets about bringing The Five to Fionavar. He’s not entirely sure why these particular five are needed, only that he feels led to do this. And so begins this magical portal fantasy.
It’s one of Kay’s early works, if not his first published effort, and, coupled with being published in the 80s, it lacks some of the later polish that his writing develops. Even with that being the case, however, the groundwork of Kay’s beautiful and lyrical prose is very much in evidence. One of our Kay Squad members, @Melissa, mentioned that Kay’s storytelling has a bard-like quality to it and I’m in agreement. And like any good bard, Kay spins a tale that will hook in its readers, holding them in thrall until well past the ending of the story. This tale is no exception and even though there are some very recognizable fantasy tropes at work, they are delivered with such exquisite prose - haunting, beautiful, soulful - that you can’t help but take it all in, like a favorite scent or a beloved memory.
We salvage what we can, what truly matters to us, even at the gates of despair.
This is the first part of a trilogy and it does a brilliant job of slowly meting out the history of Fionavar as our five travellers discover this new world. If you’re prone to making character and place name charts (me!), I’d recommend it because Kay throws a lot out there without making it feel like an infodump. There is light and dark in this world and some of the dark is pretty brutal, so much so that not all of the Five will be glad to have made this trip. But there is also healing to be found in Fionavar and some of our travellers may find their peace here. Overall, it was a wonderful beginning to a heartwarming and heartbreaking story that I can already tell will join the ranks of beloved books that I will be rereading in years to come.
If you are new to the writings of Guy Gavriel Kay, know that his writing only gets better, though perhaps more polished is a better descriptor. And if you are a connoisseur of Kay’s later works but have somehow missed this trilogy, know that the seeds of his genius and his bewitching prose are very much in evidence here.
**Buddy Read with the awesome Kay Squad at Fantasy Buddy Reads**
"There are many worlds," he said, "caught in the loops and whorls of time. Seldom do they intersect, and so for the most part they are unknown to each other. Only in Fionavar, the prime creation, which all the others imperfectly reflect, is the lore gathered and preserved that tells of how to bridge the worlds - and even there the years have not dealt kindly with ancient wisdom."
This is the tale of five twenty-somethings - Kim, Jennifer, Kevin, Paul, and Dave (The Five) - who find themselves transported from their Toronto homes to the world of Fionavar, a place steeped in the rich history of gods, goddesses, heroes, and last stand battles. A place where, eons before, the five peoples of Fionavar battled and defeated an ancient Power known as Rakoth the Unraveller. Since such a Power cannot truly be killed, he was imprisoned under a mountain and the five peoples were presented with wardstones, whose power was perpetuated by sacred fires, to keep him there. As long as the sacred fires burned, the wardstones would continue to hold Rakoth in his prison. But nothing ever really lasts forever, not war...not peace. When portents and dreams start to give warning that something dark is coming it is Loren Silvercloak, a powerful mage, who sets about bringing The Five to Fionavar. He’s not entirely sure why these particular five are needed, only that he feels led to do this. And so begins this magical portal fantasy.
It’s one of Kay’s early works, if not his first published effort, and, coupled with being published in the 80s, it lacks some of the later polish that his writing develops. Even with that being the case, however, the groundwork of Kay’s beautiful and lyrical prose is very much in evidence. One of our Kay Squad members, @Melissa, mentioned that Kay’s storytelling has a bard-like quality to it and I’m in agreement. And like any good bard, Kay spins a tale that will hook in its readers, holding them in thrall until well past the ending of the story. This tale is no exception and even though there are some very recognizable fantasy tropes at work, they are delivered with such exquisite prose - haunting, beautiful, soulful - that you can’t help but take it all in, like a favorite scent or a beloved memory.
We salvage what we can, what truly matters to us, even at the gates of despair.
This is the first part of a trilogy and it does a brilliant job of slowly meting out the history of Fionavar as our five travellers discover this new world. If you’re prone to making character and place name charts (me!), I’d recommend it because Kay throws a lot out there without making it feel like an infodump. There is light and dark in this world and some of the dark is pretty brutal, so much so that not all of the Five will be glad to have made this trip. But there is also healing to be found in Fionavar and some of our travellers may find their peace here. Overall, it was a wonderful beginning to a heartwarming and heartbreaking story that I can already tell will join the ranks of beloved books that I will be rereading in years to come.
If you are new to the writings of Guy Gavriel Kay, know that his writing only gets better, though perhaps more polished is a better descriptor. And if you are a connoisseur of Kay’s later works but have somehow missed this trilogy, know that the seeds of his genius and his bewitching prose are very much in evidence here.
I’m quite glad I discovered Kay through Tigana (which I adored) instead of through The Summer Tree, his earliest work. I likely wouldn’t have been interested in any book bearing his name after the first installment in this series. The characters are flat, the dialogue stilted, the plot haphazard, and the world feels unfinished at the edges. Read if you’re interested in observing exactly how far the author had to come to mature his awkwardly flowery prose into its later graceful effervescence.
The Summer Tree is part one of the Fionavar Tapestry trilogy. I had picked it up after watching a Booktuber gush over Kay’s writing.
The Summer Tree follows 5 Canadian college students who, following a university lecture, are transported to another world.
Now, I’m a sucker for portal fantasies, but this one was a bit different. Usually, protagonists are a little younger, and, well, maybe a little smarter.
It wasn’t until 22% into the book that any of them thought to remark on the strange world they found themselves in, where magic is real, the king of dwarves chills in the castle with a human mage, and vile, dark creatures are following and attempting to kill them. Yet it takes around 80 pages for any of them to remark on this and express concern, even though some have been having casual sex with the castle-dwellers.
So, umm, yeah.
This took me three weeks to read, which is obscene for a book less than 400 pages. I really struggled to believe the characters would react the way they did in the situations in which they found themselves, and that effort to suspend disbelief kept me from ever really connecting with any of the main characters, which is a major problem if you expect someone to invest their time in a trilogy, assuming it follows the same characters.
The book also ended on a cliffhanger, which I hate beyond almost everything in the known universe, as it seems a cheesy way to attempt to goad readers into coming back.
I don’t think this reader will.
While I didn’t loathe the book—Kay actually had some really good thoughts and various assorted passages that were relatable—it was too uneven to make me want to continue the series.
3 out of 5 stars.
The Summer Tree follows 5 Canadian college students who, following a university lecture, are transported to another world.
Now, I’m a sucker for portal fantasies, but this one was a bit different. Usually, protagonists are a little younger, and, well, maybe a little smarter.
It wasn’t until 22% into the book that any of them thought to remark on the strange world they found themselves in, where magic is real, the king of dwarves chills in the castle with a human mage, and vile, dark creatures are following and attempting to kill them. Yet it takes around 80 pages for any of them to remark on this and express concern, even though some have been having casual sex with the castle-dwellers.
So, umm, yeah.
This took me three weeks to read, which is obscene for a book less than 400 pages. I really struggled to believe the characters would react the way they did in the situations in which they found themselves, and that effort to suspend disbelief kept me from ever really connecting with any of the main characters, which is a major problem if you expect someone to invest their time in a trilogy, assuming it follows the same characters.
The book also ended on a cliffhanger, which I hate beyond almost everything in the known universe, as it seems a cheesy way to attempt to goad readers into coming back.
I don’t think this reader will.
While I didn’t loathe the book—Kay actually had some really good thoughts and various assorted passages that were relatable—it was too uneven to make me want to continue the series.
3 out of 5 stars.
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I need to say upfront that this is a hard novel to get into and begin to feel a connection to its characters. More times than enough the reader will be overcome by the feeling that the contents are all too familiar, and they would be right as it gives more than a passing nod to some of the better known epic fantasy novels out there; it fully embraces themes, countries and characters, but this isn’t a bad mark that I can hold against this book.
In the beginning all the characters are portrayed as being rather one-dimensional, their conversation is stilted and they almost appear to be awkward appearing on the pages of the book, but as the storyline progresses and the reader begins to learn more about these people they visibly develop and grow into true three-dimensional characters before the readers eyes, and a connection is made. With a skilful hand the Author is able to turn trite and shallow characters into fascinating, enigmatic people the reader takes a real interest in.
The book itself is full of the modern and classic, the mystic and mysterious, tragedy and victory all set in the flowing and expansive locations of a fantasy world that weaves its spell and stretches the imagination with each page. It doesn’t matter if the locales seem familiar; it is the way the Author takes the familiar and turns it into something new that makes this book wondrous.
So why only four thumbs; it just wasn’t long enough and this will mean I will definitely be picking up other books in this series to continue the adventure. Yes, I would definitely recommend this book to lovers of the fantasy genre, and those who are looking for a new, but at the same time oddly familiar read.
Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.com/2014/01/10/review/
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
In the beginning all the characters are portrayed as being rather one-dimensional, their conversation is stilted and they almost appear to be awkward appearing on the pages of the book, but as the storyline progresses and the reader begins to learn more about these people they visibly develop and grow into true three-dimensional characters before the readers eyes, and a connection is made. With a skilful hand the Author is able to turn trite and shallow characters into fascinating, enigmatic people the reader takes a real interest in.
The book itself is full of the modern and classic, the mystic and mysterious, tragedy and victory all set in the flowing and expansive locations of a fantasy world that weaves its spell and stretches the imagination with each page. It doesn’t matter if the locales seem familiar; it is the way the Author takes the familiar and turns it into something new that makes this book wondrous.
So why only four thumbs; it just wasn’t long enough and this will mean I will definitely be picking up other books in this series to continue the adventure. Yes, I would definitely recommend this book to lovers of the fantasy genre, and those who are looking for a new, but at the same time oddly familiar read.
Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.com/2014/01/10/review/
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
I have to say that I think this is a well written book and once through most of the introductions, the series feels like it has great potential. The book is definitely more interesting through the second half versus the first.
But I am not, at all, a fan of books that involve characters from our current world being transported anywhere, never mind to an entirely fantasy, magical world and I could not get over that aspect of the story enough to enjoy it.
But I am not, at all, a fan of books that involve characters from our current world being transported anywhere, never mind to an entirely fantasy, magical world and I could not get over that aspect of the story enough to enjoy it.