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A review by jgrace
The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay
adventurous
3.0
<b>The Summer Tree</b> - Kay
Audio performance by Simon Vance
3 stars
This was not bad fantasy, but I was warned that G.G. Kay’s earlier books were not as polished as his more recent work. This is the first book of a fantasy series that Kay wrote in the 1980’s. It felt very derivative of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. I found myself checking off the expected fantasy tropes; dwarves, wizards, a quest, and of course a trilogy. The magical entrance of five Canadian university students into a parallel world is very much like a trip into the Wardrobe and Narnia. There was little world building and the story jumped almost immediately into epic conflict.
Oh well, I probably would have loved it if I’d read it in 1984. I might continue the series to the end to satisfy my curiosity. However, I will read rather than listen. Usually, I love Simon Vance, but his Canadian accent was horrible and the female voices more than annoying. It’s good to know that one of my favorite authors and a favorite audio performer have both improved with time.
Audio performance by Simon Vance
3 stars
This was not bad fantasy, but I was warned that G.G. Kay’s earlier books were not as polished as his more recent work. This is the first book of a fantasy series that Kay wrote in the 1980’s. It felt very derivative of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. I found myself checking off the expected fantasy tropes; dwarves, wizards, a quest, and of course a trilogy. The magical entrance of five Canadian university students into a parallel world is very much like a trip into the Wardrobe and Narnia. There was little world building and the story jumped almost immediately into epic conflict.
Oh well, I probably would have loved it if I’d read it in 1984. I might continue the series to the end to satisfy my curiosity. However, I will read rather than listen. Usually, I love Simon Vance, but his Canadian accent was horrible and the female voices more than annoying. It’s good to know that one of my favorite authors and a favorite audio performer have both improved with time.