Rating: 
Summary: Early writings of a great writer
Review: When I was first introduced to The Summer Tree, I had a hard time suspending disbelief in order to become drawn into the world of Fionavar, or even to become drawn into caring about the characters: Kimberly, Dave, Jennifer, Kevin, and Paul.As a result, due to that inability to become drawn into their lives and the world of Fionavar, the book seemed to me to be an overly melodramatic hash: a fledgling writer's first opus comparable to R.A. Salvatore's early works - although not as abashedly low as some of the works of impoverished and desperate writers of the Choose-Your-Own-Adventure genre. It is to Guy Gavriel Kay's credit that already, from the beginning, his passion for his stories and his love for his characters were clear to readers. Each novel written since The Summer Tree has improved upon the other, leading to the masterpieces that are Tigana, A Song for Arbonne, and The Lions of Al-Rassan. I look forward to more from Kay, relishing each passage with the heart and soul of a being who, also, shares his love for his creations. I hope his next book draws (very loosely, as always) upon historical China and Japan...
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but Tigana and The Lions of Al-Rassan were better.
Review: This was an okay book, good to read when you have nothing better to do, but I enjoyed Tigana, The Lions of Al-Rassan and A Song for Arbonne better. The female characters lacked depth and did...nothing. That was my main objetion. Everything remotely exciting or dangerous was left to the men! And the plot, while exciting, was hardly original. Good guys beat bad guys. Think of something new already. Despite all this the story was very well told and far from boring. I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't read it a second time (as I have Guy Gavriel Kay's other books). Stick with Tigana and the other stand-alone books.
Rating: 
Summary: Wow.
Review: I have owned seven, yes, seven copies of The Summer Tree. Five of those copies were "borrowed" from friends, never to be seen again, and I didn't mind giving them up if it meant one more person could have read this magnificent work. The other copies were lovingly retired after the dog-eared, yellowing and occasionally tear stained pages started to fall out. I guess you could say I've read it a few times.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: After 'Lord of the Rings', every fantasy epic (I have read several) pales in comparison. I started this one with high hopes after reading the reviews on the cover but abandoned it after a couple of hundred pages.The characters (Dave et al) seem unbelievable (and somewhat unlikeable), and the events are all minor variations of the 'fantasy novel' theme (dormant evil unleashed, with an assortment of humans, dwarves and other 'good guys' with strange names fighting an unleashed evil power with armies of foul smelling, flesh eating, repulsive monsters and corrupt human followers, against hopeless odds, etc. etc. etc.). Of course, the 'Lord of the Rings' is all of this, but it was the original and has a magic that the others all lack; I will give up my quest for its worthy sucessor and re-read it for the 5th time. (Incidentally, I was not nearly as impressed with 'The Hobbit' and abandoned the Simalliron(?) after a few pages). If anyone out there has not read the 'Lord of the Rings' I would heartily recommend it - it is my choice for THE 'desert island book'.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but...silly.
Review: This is a good fantasy, and I did like it. I did, however find it a bit silly. Obviously, it must be allowed a certain amount of silliness, as it IS a fantasy. However, the willingness with which the main characters accepted the fact that a man they had met about two hours previously was a mage from another world was a little odd. It hampered the suspention of disbelief necessary to a fantasy. The book does, however, improve, and I would recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: "Hurtfully" Picturesque
Review: The plot to The Summer tree may have been predictable but the style in which Kay worte the novel is astonishing. Not to give anything away but when Paul is Hanging from the tree and his mind is flashing through events in his life, I have never felt so drained. I actually had to put the book down the onl other time i had to do that was with Steven King's the Stand. 5 stars for style. 4 1/2 for plot.
Rating:
Summary: Not a bad fantasy series, but too much of a soap opera.
Review: After reading all of the 5-star customer reviews, I thought that this book would be incredible. Well, I was disappointed, but not disappointed enough not to finish the other two books in the series. I enjoyed Kay's fantasy writing, but I found about a third of the book to be nothing but a big soap opera. This distracted me from the plot and I found myself skipping various passages or pages. I also did not understand how one of the characters translated his basketball skills into a professional axe-wielding warrior. On the whole I'm giving the book 3 stars which might be a bit generous. I'd recommend that readers try one of Kay's other books called "Tigana". I'm shocked at the level some people have placed The Summer Tree in their reviews, but The Summer Tree cannot compare to the Lord of the Rings trilogy or the Thomas Covenant series.
Rating: 
Summary: Classic high fantasy.
Review: This book is, ultimately, a pretty straightforward work of high fantasy. Its in the "Truly, it was a dark shadow that lay heavily upon the wind swept fair land of Fillintheblank" (to get the right feel, say this with your nose pinched, and in a nasal slightly English accent). It started with an interesting twist, the main characters comming into a magical land from our prosaic Earth, but for some reason, Kay does not really mine this very well. Within a few pages, the characters integrate pretty fully into their environment (Dave, for instance learns to swing his axe quite effectively with out a lot of practice, thank you very much). Nevertheless, the descriptions are well drawn, and the characters pretty consistent and complex (although all the standard icons are there-the wise mage, the stalwart dwarf, the capricous elves), with a fair amount of internal dialogue going on. There are more than enough surpises even for a jaded reader like me, and the world Kay constructs is ultimately rather poetic, if somewhat archtypal. I am a bit mystified at the huge accolades on the book's cover. This book certainly is better than the interminable and self-flagelating Thomas Covenant works, and more sophisticated than the Shanarra (sp?) dreck by Brooks, but not nearly as insightfull or deep as Patricia McKillup's (sp?) Harpist in the Wind series. Tad Williams Memory Sorry and Thorn has this beat hands down, too. Still, if you are just willing to be entertained, this will do. I got the other 2 in the series as well, for what its worth.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful book for all fantasy-novel lovers.
Review: The whole way it is written is detailed and Kay has definitely come upon a wonderful writing style. Reminiscent of Arthurian legends and Tolkien. Characters are vivid and very realistic to life.
Rating:
Summary: Why can we only give this five stars?
Review: The Fionavar Tapestry deserves all the stars in the heavens! And perhaps the moon as well. This book, which I first read two and a half years ago, has become an integral part of how I view the world. It is full of beauty, love, and the things that build dreams. Loren Silvercloak and Matt Soren truly touched my heart, not to mention Yssane, Kim, Pwyll, and Sharra. Fionavar is a world so full and beautifully crafted that it is real to those who have read it. I have only one question: Why did Kay abandon this beautiful world to write Tigana (a good book but no where near as good as Fionavar) and Arbonne and Lions of Al-rassan (can we say boring?), when he could have been writing more about Fionavar?
|
