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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
Second January book (which means I am on track for 24 books this year despite the fact that my work life has become a whirlwind) is The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay. Let's get to it:
Expectations - It must be at least a decade since I first heard about this book. I don't remember where, or what was said, other than that it was all positive and I put the book on my 'to read' list because it intrigued me. It proved difficult to find in shops, and this was before I had a debit card with which I could order things online. Then there were other things to read and... I just didn't get around to it. Until now. So, sadly, I can't really remember my expectations for this book.
I was expecting it to be good, and I was expecting it to be fantasy. As it turns out, it wasn't the type of fantasy I thought it was. It was the kind where humans from the real world are dragged into the fantasy world. As much as I love C S Lewis, that isn't really my preferred form.
Positives - Despite that, I did enjoy this book. It didn't take long at all for me to get past the 'why is this book set in Toronto?' factor and start really getting into the emotional meat of the characters. And the characters certainly do have a lot of emotional depth which is slowly uncovered. Not only the humans from our world but the Dwarf King and the Magician as well. I struggled to keep the five humans straight for a while, but eventually got the hang of it. The relationships between them are interesting, as are the varying relationships between each character and their families. There's not a lot of that, because they move to the fantasy world fairly fast, but what there was was enough to keep me interested in their stories.
The structure of this book did some interesting things. At the beginning, it seemed normal as we followed the group of five humans plus two Fionavar residents. Then, as the character went their separate ways the narrative started switching between them. There was no warning that this was happening, the book would just launch into a new viewpoint. (This may have been a fault in my ebook, but I doubt it.) I swear, towards the climax of the novel the sections got much shorter and it started to feel almost like they were weaving in and out of one another.Which is appropriate, as there's a lot of reference to The Weaver (a god figure) and The Tapestry (fate). Then the narrative went back in time to almost the beginning of the story, which was incredibly frustrating because I want to know what happened. But then, as with the best authors, I got into the new story - which wasn't presented in the tapestry form. Even though this structure didn't really carry through, it was still interesting.
Negatives - I don't have a lot of criticism for this book, and most of what there is revolves around the end. I was not entirely pleased to find that there's surprise rape and torture about thirty pages from the end. It was well written, and not explicit, but I still could have done with it. Though, that said, it made the actual final-page ending a lot more powerful. The other problem with the ending was that it was a cliffhanger. Now, this is part of a serious so I wasn't expecting everything to be neatly wrapped up, but I do prefer not to be left wondering if everyone is still alive.
Final Thoughts - I'm not sure this book is AS good as the praise I heard made it out to be, nor am I convinced it was worth waiting ten years for. I did enjoy it, though, which is more of an achievement given I don't like this specific subgenre that much. The characters were enough to carry off any faults with it, and I find the structure interesting. 7 stars.
Expectations - It must be at least a decade since I first heard about this book. I don't remember where, or what was said, other than that it was all positive and I put the book on my 'to read' list because it intrigued me. It proved difficult to find in shops, and this was before I had a debit card with which I could order things online. Then there were other things to read and... I just didn't get around to it. Until now. So, sadly, I can't really remember my expectations for this book.
I was expecting it to be good, and I was expecting it to be fantasy. As it turns out, it wasn't the type of fantasy I thought it was. It was the kind where humans from the real world are dragged into the fantasy world. As much as I love C S Lewis, that isn't really my preferred form.
Positives - Despite that, I did enjoy this book. It didn't take long at all for me to get past the 'why is this book set in Toronto?' factor and start really getting into the emotional meat of the characters. And the characters certainly do have a lot of emotional depth which is slowly uncovered. Not only the humans from our world but the Dwarf King and the Magician as well. I struggled to keep the five humans straight for a while, but eventually got the hang of it. The relationships between them are interesting, as are the varying relationships between each character and their families. There's not a lot of that, because they move to the fantasy world fairly fast, but what there was was enough to keep me interested in their stories.
The structure of this book did some interesting things. At the beginning, it seemed normal as we followed the group of five humans plus two Fionavar residents. Then, as the character went their separate ways the narrative started switching between them. There was no warning that this was happening, the book would just launch into a new viewpoint. (This may have been a fault in my ebook, but I doubt it.) I swear, towards the climax of the novel the sections got much shorter and it started to feel almost like they were weaving in and out of one another.Which is appropriate, as there's a lot of reference to The Weaver (a god figure) and The Tapestry (fate). Then the narrative went back in time to almost the beginning of the story, which was incredibly frustrating because I want to know what happened. But then, as with the best authors, I got into the new story - which wasn't presented in the tapestry form. Even though this structure didn't really carry through, it was still interesting.
Negatives - I don't have a lot of criticism for this book, and most of what there is revolves around the end. I was not entirely pleased to find that there's surprise rape and torture about thirty pages from the end. It was well written, and not explicit, but I still could have done with it. Though, that said, it made the actual final-page ending a lot more powerful. The other problem with the ending was that it was a cliffhanger. Now, this is part of a serious so I wasn't expecting everything to be neatly wrapped up, but I do prefer not to be left wondering if everyone is still alive.
Final Thoughts - I'm not sure this book is AS good as the praise I heard made it out to be, nor am I convinced it was worth waiting ten years for. I did enjoy it, though, which is more of an achievement given I don't like this specific subgenre that much. The characters were enough to carry off any faults with it, and I find the structure interesting. 7 stars.
This is a reread for me, the reason being that we are reading the series at ffseries starting with book 2 as we read the first one in fantasy favorites. So in preparation I thought I might as well skim over this one so I’d know what I was talking about.
When I first read The Summer Tree I wasn’t all that impressed, thought it was quite standard fantasy, and, when compared to other books by GGK, disappointing. I’m glad to say that after my rereading I’d have to disagree with my earlier self.
Yes, there are quite a lot of the standard fantasy cliches; light and dark, a band of inexperienced possible-hero types, older magic figures, kings, maps, and a creature of pure evil. And it was probably these that threw my on my last reading, I wasn’;t expecting this form of fantasy, so I didn’t really look past the surface.
Underneath the standard fantasy elements GGK’;s writing shines through. His characters sometimes act, or feel, a little too much a little too soon, but overall they are fantasticly written. From the outsider Dave who is “too quick to renounce friendship” to Paul who is still recovering from the loss of his girlfriend.
Another possible reason I didn’t enjoy it first time round is the fact that five characters (Paul, Kevin, Jennifer, Kimberly and Dave) travel from our Earth to Fionavar. Usually the traveling to another magical world is done simply so the author will have a person as clueless as the reader who can ask the questions why, how, where etc. And there is a slight element of that here, but there is also another reason behind it.
The Summer Tree is an example of High Fantasy that rises above its own clichés, and is well worth a read.
When I first read The Summer Tree I wasn’t all that impressed, thought it was quite standard fantasy, and, when compared to other books by GGK, disappointing. I’m glad to say that after my rereading I’d have to disagree with my earlier self.
Yes, there are quite a lot of the standard fantasy cliches; light and dark, a band of inexperienced possible-hero types, older magic figures, kings, maps, and a creature of pure evil. And it was probably these that threw my on my last reading, I wasn’;t expecting this form of fantasy, so I didn’t really look past the surface.
Underneath the standard fantasy elements GGK’;s writing shines through. His characters sometimes act, or feel, a little too much a little too soon, but overall they are fantasticly written. From the outsider Dave who is “too quick to renounce friendship” to Paul who is still recovering from the loss of his girlfriend.
Another possible reason I didn’t enjoy it first time round is the fact that five characters (Paul, Kevin, Jennifer, Kimberly and Dave) travel from our Earth to Fionavar. Usually the traveling to another magical world is done simply so the author will have a person as clueless as the reader who can ask the questions why, how, where etc. And there is a slight element of that here, but there is also another reason behind it.
The Summer Tree is an example of High Fantasy that rises above its own clichés, and is well worth a read.
This is the third of Guy Gavriel Kay’s novels I’ve read, but it was the first he wrote, and while there are some first-novel weaknesses apparent, there is also, as ever, an abiding depth and sureness of approach that is always compelling. Of the three I’ve read (Tigana — his masterpiece — and The Lions of Al-Rassan being the other two), this is by far written in a style that is most traditional to the tropes of High Fantasy, and that’s where some of its occasional creakiness lies; there are lots of mysterious names and a ton of info dumping about Fionavar’s ancient history that calls to mind the excesses of J.R.R. Tolkien. But when Kay makes choices that feel more personally drawn, and when he grounds and fleshes out his vast cast of characters, there are few writers of fantasy who are better at evoking beautifully rendered moments.
Even though there were passages that felt a little obtuse here, I had plenty of faith in his overall skills to ride it out, and I’m glad I did. I am definitely interested to see where he takes his version of Good going to war with Evil in a Mystical Land in the second and third volumes of this trilogy.
Even though there were passages that felt a little obtuse here, I had plenty of faith in his overall skills to ride it out, and I’m glad I did. I am definitely interested to see where he takes his version of Good going to war with Evil in a Mystical Land in the second and third volumes of this trilogy.
I read this when I was about 11 or 12, I borrowed it from my Dad. (I think I just liked the unicorn on the cover.)
I know I finished it, but I remember so little, I thought I'd read it again. (And then read the other two books in the series, which I never did as a teen.)
And now I've read it as an adult, and it does hold up, I hadn't forgotten very much - except maybe the brutality of the rape scene - but what I remembered best was Dave/Davor being with the Riders.
Moving on to The Wandering Fire.
I know I finished it, but I remember so little, I thought I'd read it again. (And then read the other two books in the series, which I never did as a teen.)
And now I've read it as an adult, and it does hold up, I hadn't forgotten very much - except maybe the brutality of the rape scene - but what I remembered best was Dave/Davor being with the Riders.
Moving on to The Wandering Fire.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Rape, Violence
This is the first book in Kay's The Fionavar Tapestry series and I really enjoyed it. I know this was his first published novel, and it does draw from a lot of the Celtic and Nordic lore seen in Tolkien and other popular fantasy novels of the time. I read Tigana a few years ago and it blew me away and I can definitely see that Kay's writing is younger and less developed here. Nonetheless, the book is pretty fabulous fantasy. The start is slow but towards the middle the book really starts to build momentum as the characters, the mythology, and the worldbuilding become clearer and the action picks up.
Oh, right, what's the book about? Five college kids who are transported by a mysterious man to another world, Fionavar, which is the first of all the worlds. Sounds simple enough and I'm sure you know if you like that trope, but even if you don't and you're still a fantasy fan, I'd say give Kay a try, but maybe not start with this one.
Oh, right, what's the book about? Five college kids who are transported by a mysterious man to another world, Fionavar, which is the first of all the worlds. Sounds simple enough and I'm sure you know if you like that trope, but even if you don't and you're still a fantasy fan, I'd say give Kay a try, but maybe not start with this one.
Would have been three stars without the brutal rape scene at the very end of the book of a female character that doesn’t seem to exist for any purpose but to be raped and to show how bad the Dark Lord Bad Guy Character is.
The writing style was good, and I know it was intentionally riffing on Tolkien and Arthurian legend and so on, but it keeps the bare bones of Tolkien’s worldbuilding without keeping what makes Tolkien worth reading, in my opinion. Which is the sense of hope, of light, of the story as told by those who would rather be at home with the kettle on.
The types of female characters in this include:
-perfect beautiful uwu pure beings of light and justice
-conniving bitchy misandrist witches
-sexually available tavern wenches/court ladies
-that’s it?
Also, the main characters in this were pulled from the modern world but all seemed to be instantly good at swordfighting and horseriding. What gives?
The writing style was good, and I know it was intentionally riffing on Tolkien and Arthurian legend and so on, but it keeps the bare bones of Tolkien’s worldbuilding without keeping what makes Tolkien worth reading, in my opinion. Which is the sense of hope, of light, of the story as told by those who would rather be at home with the kettle on.
The types of female characters in this include:
-perfect beautiful uwu pure beings of light and justice
-conniving bitchy misandrist witches
-sexually available tavern wenches/court ladies
-that’s it?
Also, the main characters in this were pulled from the modern world but all seemed to be instantly good at swordfighting and horseriding. What gives?
Love it love it love it love it love it. Reminds me of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Appealing characters, fascinating world, unpredictable but thoroughly enjoyable plot. One of my favourite fantasy series!!
Well, now I understand why there are so many "my OCs fell into Middle Earth!!" fanfictions, as they are clearly knocking off this.
*happy sigh of relief*
It has been a long time coming, me reading the Fionavar Tapestry. I picked up nearly every other books Kay wrote before this one, but now I'm falling into this story as I did every other: with great pleasure, a sense of lyrical wonder, and major writer envy. I will say, it's been a while since I read epic fantasy of this shape and scope, but it is still a genre I adore.
And since I bought all the trilogy at once, I'm going to go read the next one right away. :)
It has been a long time coming, me reading the Fionavar Tapestry. I picked up nearly every other books Kay wrote before this one, but now I'm falling into this story as I did every other: with great pleasure, a sense of lyrical wonder, and major writer envy. I will say, it's been a while since I read epic fantasy of this shape and scope, but it is still a genre I adore.
And since I bought all the trilogy at once, I'm going to go read the next one right away. :)