Rating: 
Summary: THE SUMMER READ
Review: After reading TIGANA, I decided to read the first book in this acclaimed series. I did manage to read the whole book, which is one good thing, because the really bad books I stop reading as soon as they get boring. In short, the book does keep your attention. I think most of this is due to the book's originality. Sure, the OTHER WORLD apart from OUR WORLD may not be so original--Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber comes to mind--but there are other parts that ARE original. The hunter in the wild fields. The overall storyline about five young ones going to a world they don't understand. The summer tree itself. One thing that I noticed was that Kay used FAR too many commas in this book. Some sentences, sorta look, like this. In the end, this is only a mediocre fantasy novel, especially when compared to the works being cranked out by such heavy-hitters as Robert Jordan, Terry Goodkind, and George R. R. Martin.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I knew that this book was GGK's first, and I also knew it concerned the cliched fantasy theme of downtrodden Good guys must somehow defeat the powerful Bad guys. But I was really hoping that with Kay's superior writing evident in Tigana, the Summer Tree would also be similar in enjoyability. Alas... it was not not. I only got halfway thru it, before I had to set it aside, unable to get interested in it. Mundane names like Kevin and Kim and Paul and Dave mixed in with fantasy names like Loren Silvercloak and Diarmuid and Eilathen and Ailell just didn't work for me. I think the part that really did me in though, was during a scene where somebody explains about how ..."the wolves have been coming down from the North. And these are BIG wolves..." C'mon, how many times have we all read that scene during years of reading fantasy? I will definitely give Kay credit though, since these are his first published books. And of course he was influenced by JRR via the Silmarillon that he helped re-construct. Not a bad book I guess, but after reading Tigana, I expect much more than this re-canned plot. I will probably read A Song for Arbonne or The Lions of Al-Rassan next.
Rating: 
Summary: The finest living writer of fantasy
Review: I read Kay very early in my "initiation" into the genre of Fantasy, after classics such as "Lord of the Rings" and "The Narnia chronicles." No later work of any (still living) author I have read has ever come close to the greatness of Kay's books. The Summer tree is the first of the three books in the Fionavar tapestry, and in my opinion, this series is also his best. Initially I was sceptical to the idea of modern, real-life people entering a fantasy universe (Fionavar - the first of worlds,) but this feeling soon evaporated through sheer reading bliss. The plot is grand, tragic, comic, romantic - everything you could ever hope for in a fantasy. What really lifts Kay above your average author, is his language - he writes more beautifully, poetic and complex than most. Also, his plots are always very strong and inspired, and his worlds are so realized as to contain an atmosphere unrivaled in anything bar J.R.R Tolkien and C.S. Lewis' works. Add to this immensely involving characters, and you have arguably one of the best fantasies ever written.
Rating:
Summary: Epic tale told large
Review: Starting from a rather contrived premise of bringing 5 young adults from our modern world to the magical first of all worlds, Fionavar, you will quickly forgive as the plot deepens and we are captured in a growing myriad of events. There is room in this tale for many heroic acts and heart breaking events. When the five heros find in themselves their special talents and strengths, they are close enough to you that you will be able to share it. It is a epic told large, and Kay spares little effort to dig out the emotions of the reader. I read this series back in the eighties, and it moved me to buy copies for my college friends. Everything I have read since I have compared with Kay's books for writing style. Remember when you read it that this is his first and least mature effort, and with confidence you will reach for his other novels.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful plot with awkward writing
Review: I really like this series. Kay has some real imagination and beauty to his books. His ideas are truly original and his world is on full of wonder. Nonetheless, I found his writing style a hindrance to being fully immersed in this book, and the following books of the series. He is choppy and downright confusing at times. It is not that he is a complex writer - I don't mind that. It is that he seems to be trying to be complex and comes off being vague and confusing. With that said, this book is one of the better ones of the fantasy genre. And, as a fellow Canadian with Kay, I wish him all the best!
Rating:
Summary: read it twice
Review: I read it twice because reading it once is cheating yourself. That statement is from someone that loves to read good well told stories but hates to waste her time on book that promises more than it delivers. I am currently reading my sixth Guy Gavriel Kay book. That should be testament enough.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent para-Christian fantasy
Review: I find Kay's poetic prose beautiful and haunting. His mythology also has, beyond the obvious Norse-Celtic ties, a strong Christian element that I find fascinating without being heavyhanded. I've thoroughly enjoyed this trilogy, though I've not yet read others of his novels. I am interested to find out if this factor carries over to them.
Rating:
Summary: Gotta get my hands on #2
Review: Okay, I just set this book down and I am dying to get my hands on the second one! Talk about a cliffhanger! What happens next??? But perhaps I shouldn't start at the end, I should go back to the beginning... I decided to purchase this book because I am always interested in books about ordinary people in extraordinary situations. Fantasy is not my genre of choice, although I've read some great fantasy novels, but the description of this one caught my interest. It begins with 5 people in our world who are, in short, asked to take a journey to another world. Both the best and the most frustrating thing about this book is that throughout the novel I had little to no idea of what was going to happen next, why these characters were in this other world, and where the story was going. You truly feel as if you are along with Kevin, Paul, Dave, Jennifer and Kimberly on this great adventure. And slowly, over the course of the book you begin to see the pattern Mr. Kay is weaving and things begin to make sense. The last 50 pages rush you to a tumultuous ending. I honestly couldn't read them fast enough. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of this book. Oh, and while you're at it, get the second one too. Trust me on this one!
Rating:
Summary: Good but nothing that's never been done before...
Review: I liked this trilogy a lot, although I think it pales compared to G.G. Kay's later works. Although something is disturbing me about this book. Am I the only one to see huge resemblances between this trilogy and the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan?
Rating:
Summary: I loved this book
Review: I can't understand so many references here to "A Song for Arbonne" being a superior work. The Fionivar Tapestry was a wonderful work of fantasy. A Song for Arbonne read like a romance novel. If you want excellent fantasy, read this series. If you want something that should have Fabio on the cover, read A Song for Arbonne.
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