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Summary: The Dreaming Tree is great!
Review: My dad loves C. J. Cherryh books, so he has all these copies of her books. The dreaming Tree used to be called Arafel's Saga, and I have a copy of that. I've read the first book The Dreamstone, and now I'm in love with C.J.Cherryh's books! Arafel is the last of the Dione Sidhe, or elves, who lives in the last part of a magical forest called Eald, a forest that once covered the entire earth. Everything in this book centers around Eald, and many magical things happen. Every fantasy lover should read it!
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Summary: One of Cherryh's most masterful works
Review: The book starts drawing you in from the first page, with Cherryh's depth of characterization, wealth of imagery, and flawless composition. This is an excellent trilogy, and an absolute must read for fantasy fans.
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Summary: An enchanting and enlightening story.
Review: The book was wonderful, historically accurate (as much so, at least, as a fantasy novel could be). I've read it twice. Definately something to pick up.
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Summary: Three books in one.
Review: The Dreaming Tree is actually a composite book that contains both THE DREAMSTONE and THE TREE OF SWORDS AND JEWELS. The stories are set in that time of eald when Man was new to the world, and the creatures of faerie were departing the land, fleeing before the changes that Man wrought. All fled but two. The first of the Fair Fok is the Gruagach. He is a furry little troll (mental picture of a very hairy hobbit) who has dedicated himself to aiding any creature in dire need. He does this by maintaining a land between Man's world and the Faerie world that can be found by both animals and Man when there is little hope elsewhere. His little vale is the setting for a goodly portion of the first book which introduces the Cearbhallain (the King's Champion), and gives readers the background/historical information needed to follow the rest of the tale. The second is Arafel, the last remaining Daoine Sidhe (high elf). Arafel is the self appointed guardian of Ealdwood and of the Tree that is adorned with the dream crystals of the departed Folk. Both books detail her, and the Men she allies with, struggle to preserve the last of Faerie and prevent an ancient evil from destroying that which Man has built and which she has kept alive. Cherryh has included a section in the back of the book to assist with pronunciation and meanings with some of the words used.
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Summary: Gloomy and drags
Review: This book has a lot of interesting concepts. It uses some traditional Celtic mythology and some traditional Celtic & Old English words. It hypothesizes the world of faery as a parallel world into which the "Sidhe" can appear and disappear at will; and the land of the Lord of Death as a similar parallel world. The approach is almost evocative of science fiction.
Unfortunately, the magical world is an extremely gloomy place, where everything seems to be falling apart. There is a constant sense of foreboding -- undending crisis that never seems to be resolvable. The fact that this is 2 books together increases this impression, since each book has its own hero who is conducting his own life's battle in almost the same context. I found myself wondering whether we were ever going to get past the situation, or whether the children described near the end were just going to be a reincarnation of the two prior heroes.
The ending seems to be pulled out of nowhere.
There seems to be no real romance to the thing. It's more about mysterious battles and marriages of political convenience. Sometimes it's even a bit hard to figure out what is going on.
Rating:
Summary: Very good book
Review: This is one of my favorite books, next to the Dragonbone Chair. The book really makes you feel the mood of the story, though very melencholy, it is very rich. I would very much recommend this book no matter what. Action book fans may not like this book as much, though still enjoy it.
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Summary: Hauntingly Atmospheric Fantasy
Review: This novel is unlike any of the other fantasy books I have read- and I have read several hundred. I have read it a half dozen times, and I'm sure I will do so again. Rather than give plot spoilers- because spoilers are really what they would be- I'd like to make some more general remarks. This book conveys a sense of the tragic and the melancholy missing from the normal sword-and-sorcery affairs. (Elves have /never/ been handled better.) Cherryh makes an atmosphere that is nearly palpable, and subtly and lightly sketches the characters and their cares. The shifts of narrative pacing serve to place the importance where it ought to be, and the deft handling of scene and dialog allows the characters to express themselves without hammering the reader over the head with self-exposition and historical monologues. The overall affect is like that of a dream, or a beautiful tale you once heard- and all of this is only heightened by Cherryh's research and careful treatment of Celtic/Welsh folklore and language. Perhaps most remarkable, she has made in one volume a fantasy which most other authors would have felt the need to butcher over eight and who still would have been unable to equal let alone approach this effort.
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Summary: magical, Celtic, complex, engrossing
Review: This partly rewritten combination of two earlier books shows her versatility, taking us to Celtic lands of fantasy. Cherryh got up to her elbows in Celtic language, myth and culture for our benefit; the resulting portrayal is powerful and evocative. The character development is excellent; the characters effortlessly take shape and flesh out, inspiring strong reactions and a lot of wonder as to how the story will go. A pronunciation guide in the back, with English synonyms for names, is of special interest for those who like to roll a name off the tongue to get the feel of a book. If you truly enjoy this book, there is a song called 'Arafel's Lament' inspired by it done by Heather Alexander that really captures the magic of it. Worthwhile for any fan of fantasy, particularly Celtic fantasy.
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Summary: Elven folklore mixed with ancient Celtic realism and fantasy
Review: Though I am not a fan of most of her work, Cherryh's "The Dreaming Tree" duology captured my heart as an adult like nothing since some of Orson Scott Card's work when I was in college. It's a rare fantasy book that sticks close to the harsh realities of ancient Celtic life, mixed with Elven folklore and narrative surprises (namely, that as the point of view moves to the elf, time rushes by so that human characters have suddenly died and theirs war long over and we're moving on to their descendents' lives and their wars and intrigues), expertly done. Some have said in their reviews that there's not enough action. This surprises me. I find most fantasy novels more build-up than execution, and The Dreaming Tree is an exception. Because of the way time can suddenly jump ahead, I find a great deal of action relative to the fantasy norm. The second book is a bit slower in this regard, admittedly (as it sticks pretty much to one set of characters), but on the whole I found the content swiftly communicated, highly original, and lacking the usual fantasy cliches.
Rating:
Summary: Elven folklore mixed with ancient Celtic realism and fantasy
Review: Though I am not a fan of most of her work, Cherryh's "The Dreaming Tree" duology captured my heart as an adult like nothing since some of Orson Scott Card's work when I was in college. It's a rare fantasy book that sticks close to the harsh realities of ancient Celtic life, mixed with Elven folklore and narrative surprises (namely, that as the point of view moves to the elf, time rushes by so that human characters have suddenly died and theirs war long over and we're moving on to their descendents' lives and their wars and intrigues), expertly done. Some have said in their reviews that there's not enough action. This surprises me. I find most fantasy novels more build-up than execution, and The Dreaming Tree is an exception. Because of the way time can suddenly jump ahead, I find a great deal of action relative to the fantasy norm. The second book is a bit slower in this regard, admittedly (as it sticks pretty much to one set of characters), but on the whole I found the content swiftly communicated, highly original, and lacking the usual fantasy cliches.
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