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Summary: Kay's lyrical, fluid, prose is often more like poetry
Review: This is not a book where worlds are built; this is a book where I delve into wonderful prose and drink it like water, as I lick up every scrap of wonder at his ability to link such wonderful language with the absorbing psychology of his characters and their cultures. I first came across Guy Gavriel Kay when I was 12 years old. At the time, I also loved Madeline L'Engle, Alexander LLoyd, C.S. Lewis, Susan Cooper, Ray Bradbury Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tamara and Meredith Pierce and of course, Tolkien, to name a few. Since I had read extensively in Welsh, Greek and Arthurian mythologies as well, perhaps this helped when I read the Fionavar tapestry. Fantasy stories of this genre tend to follow a certain path that I will not at all call cliche in this case. Some spoilers ahead! In the storyline, some college friends are transported to the "world of all worlds" or what Kay refers to as the first world, where all stories come from, by a professor in our world who is a powerful person in his world. An important element to note is the many different threads from different Welsh and Celtic mythologies used, as well as Native American legends. I loved this book because it was like a grown up Narnia or Never-Ending Story in some ways, while bringing my favorite characters from different myths to life, like Arthur and Guenevere, a unicorn, and the Black Swan and much, much more. When reviewing a story like this, it is important to note that there are many different kinds of fantasy such as there are sci-fi. For instance, People get on Bradbury's case because he's not Arthur C. Clarke or Isaac Asimov, and therefore, often scientifically inaccurate. The point they're really missing, is that Bradbury is a DIFFERENT kind of storyteller than Asimov or Clarke. In much the same way, Kay is not Tolkien. He does not have to totally build worlds. This is THE world, the first world. Each of the characters who come on the journey are called there, they find, because they fill a need in that world. For instance, Paul must overcome his personal tragedy of losing his girlfriend on Earth to a car crash. Each character sacrifices themselves in some way. One character must overcome being ravaged in one of the most psychologically intense scenes ever written. In fact, Fionavar continually acts as a catalyst for each person's character. That is the most attractive element about Kay's books to my mind is the peronal struggle each character faces in the trilogy. Each reader makes about style preference. Those of us who like both character and world building love Robert Jordan, for instance. If you like characters more than technical explanations for everything, and a bit of mysterious mythology intertwined with it all, and great lanuguage, this trilogy will go straight to your heart. As it will if you'd like the final word on Arthur Lancelot and Guenevere, because since Fionovar is the original world, it is also their home, they are summoned there. For me, the Fionavar tapestry is very satisfying for these reasons, whereas I don't like Kay's other books. This is a very pure work with such fluid lyricisms in prose. Reading it aloud is often like reading poetry. I feel for these reasons, the Fionavar tapestry is what it is, and should be appreciated on its own merit.
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Summary: Turns out great!
Review: The Summer Tree is the first book in The Fionavar Tapestry series (continuing with The Wandering Fire and The Darkest Road).At Loren Silvercloak the mage's bidding, Kevin, Kim, Jennifer, Paul and Dave, five University students from Toronto, 'cross' into the Kingdom of Fionavar, the First of all Worlds, to help him in an oncoming war against Rakoth the Unraveller, and thus fulfil their destinies. Like the five heroes, the reader is teleported into a land of magic and fantasy which the author only describes little by little. Although certainly used as a stylistic device, this sometimes makes it hard to understand the ins and outs of certain characters' actions. In the same vein, I also found the few sex scenes somewhat a bit out of place and unpoetic. Anyway, looking back upon it, I realize these were just details. And indeed, as you turn the pages and learn more about the people and history of Fionavar and about the role the heroes have to play in it, the book really turns out to be enthralling and hard to put down. I particularly enjoyed the third part, where Dave is taken in by a tribe of hunters called the Dalrei, and learns about their customs and rites, to finally risk his own life for them. Although at first I was a bit sceptical about the mixing of today's world with fantasy, in the end I really liked this book a lot and I'm looking forward to reading the next two. So don't let the first 150 pages or so get you down and read on, it's definitely worth it!
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Summary: Timeless fantasy
Review: Guy Gavriel Kay's "The Summer Tree," the first in his Fionavar Tapestry trilogy, is a satisfying trip into classical fantasy that sometimes moves slowly, but rewards readers willing to become emotionally attached to the story and characters. The Fionavar Tapestry tells the tale of five young people who find themselves pulled into a fantasy world. At first, just experiencing the strange land is enough to keep them busy, but soon they discover that they are at the center of something bigger. Great evil has awakened and seeks to spread itself across the lands. Epic storytelling ensues. Mixing post-Tolkien influences with Arthurian legends and time-honored fantasy standards, "The Summer Tree" manages to stand up well on its own despite its clear influences, largely based on the author's strong writing. You'll see plenty of familiar characters with changed names - elves, orcs and the like - but it never feels like More Of The Same. Kay's prose is rich throughout, written with a cadence that almost begs for reading aloud. It is, admittedly, sometimes a bit much. At times he ramps up the weepiness almost to the point of pretension in a way not unlike Stephen Spielberg does in his films - yet it never drags the story down because he is such a fine writer, his characters are well-realized, and the story itself is interesting. Action buffs will find the story slow and are encouraged to look elsewhere for reading satisfaction, but readers who like the written word and who enjoy character-based fantasy written in the "high" style are encouraged to take a look at the first book in Kay's beloved series. This is epic, emotional stuff that is likely to stand the test of time with the best the genre has to offer.
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Summary: first kay book i read
Review: This was the first Guy Gavriel Kay book I read and at the time I picked it up I was having a hard time finding any fantasy novels I liked (Kept reading Mckinley over and over). This book introduced me to the Fionavar Tapestry that is key to understanding his other books such as Tigana. I have since read the Tapestry trilogy, Tigana and Song for Arbonne. This book is about a group of college students who are taken to a world where each discovers their true identity. In finding that identity, they also learn more about the new world they are now woven into. There is, of course, an impending war, gruesome creatures, deaths, deceptions and deep romance. If you are looking for a new author to read (as I was), I would suggest starting with the Fionavar tapestry and try Kay out! I look forward to and hope to enjoy all his works.
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Summary: A Storm of Cliches
Review: Please accept my humble apologies. I did not like this book. I know that it is considered a fantasy classic, that thousands of fans adore it, and that Kay is one of the genre's all-time greats. But "The Summer Tree" just doesn't have it. Oh sure the writing is competent and the characters are above average but the overall work doesn't add up to anything. It's a hodepodge of elements collected from elsewhere that never justifies its own existence. Just look at the fight scenes. Bad guy sends thousands of incompetent minions into battle. Good guys fearlessly march out to meet them. Despite being pompous fools who are vastly outnumbered, good guys somehow win without getting a scratch. Sound familiar? Maybe that's because we've already seen this happen thousands of times in countless other fantasy novels. Any good guy who's ever in danger gets rescued by a last-second magic trick. And some claim that the dialogue in this book is special. Not so. For instance, head villain Rakoth sounds so much like a comic book cliche bad guy that I almost laughed out loud. Which isn't to say that the book is entirely bad. Some scenes, such as a character's internal reflections on a past incident during a moment of self-sacrifice do strike a genuine emotional chord. It's interesting to note that Kay's better works are the ones that focus on smaller personal stories rather than grandiose struggles between good and evil. Perhaps he should have skipped this trilogy entirely and gone straight to his later novels. Certainly Tolkien and Donaldson, among others, have done far better at classical fantasy than this freshman effort.
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Summary: Haiku Review
Review: Tolkien scholar does
Multi-verse druid story.
Brings warmth to old tales.
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Summary: A warmly beautiful work
Review: The Summer Tree is not, I must admit, the most finely designed book I've read, nor the best G.G. Kay has written. The dialogue seems a bit contrived, as is the ease with which five earthlings enter the life and language of Fionavar. (Maybe GG Kay found it hard to have a "common tongue" as did Tolkien; they are, after all, from a different world. GG Kay, though, could have done after C.S. Lewis, who used a "cosmic language" in Perelandra) Nevertheless, I must say the work is beautiful, if only for the depth with which GG Kay portrays human emotion, be it the grief of losing someone loved, or the horror of being victim to cruelty. That, and the sense of wonder that pervades the novel makes the book admirable. I guess it's not so much a mind-novel-- you can dissect the plot and element quite easily-- as it is a heart book. It's not often that a writer can make us feel, and that would be reason enough to read it.
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Summary: Do not even bother unless you are a fantasy reader
Review: This book was one of the most uninteresting books that I have ever read. I am not a fantasy book reader but I saw the reviews so I thought I would give this book a try. I really thought that there were way too many characters in this book. I will admit that it was really helpful that the author did put together a listing of who is who. Maybe it is because I am not an avid fantasy reader but I just found myself extremely bored reading this book. The 5 main characters did not interest me along with the storyline. After reading this book I will not read another fantasy book for a long time.
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Summary: Entertaining
Review: This was my first Kay novel and I have to say that I found that it lacked much imagination. It was entertaining up until the "cliffhanger" climax but I am not so curious how it all resolves. I would recommend revisiting Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia instead.
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Summary: Oh My God!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: This is so much better than A Song for Arbonne.It has more magic ,less pointless stuff,and it's much more interesting.The first say ,one hundred and sixty pages are world development,but as soon as things get exciting,you're in for a treat.
I can not wait till my order for The Wandering Fire and The Darkest Road come in.The ending really left me out on a limb.
Anyone who likes detail is sure to like this.There is detail not only on the plot,but on the races,the history,the characters.
This has every creature a fantasy lover can ask for.Lios alfar(light elves),Svart alfar(dark elves),dwarves,wolves that stand on their hind feet,a hand of fire that splits a mountain apart,seers,mages,urgachs,eltors,just about everything.
In case you hate books that are poorly edited,this book is considerably more well edited than most Roc books.
Kimberly,Kevin,Jeniffer,Paul,and Dave are transported by the mage Loren Sivercloak and his source Matt Soren to the world of Fionavar.Things are beginning well,Kimberly is learning to be a seer,Kevin and Paul are traveling with Prince Diarmuid ,but as soon as Jennifer is captured,Rakoth Maugrim becomes free from the mountain in which he was chained.Danger is ahead.
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