Book List
4. The Summer Tree (The Fionavar Tapestry: Book One) by Guy Gavriel Kay
This was another read inspired by araken's Book List entries. He's mentioned Kay several times, and since I've realized over the years that our taste in fantasy novels is fairly similar, his Book List is a go-to spot for me to find new authors! That being said, I was hesitant to start reading another series when I had only just finished book one of a different series. I was worried that I'd either a) forget what was going on in either series by the time I got around to reading book two, or b) get confused and have trouble keeping the stories separate in my head. Luckily, so far at least (b) doesn't seem to be an issue. Anyway, on to the book itself.
The story begins in our world, on Earth - in Canada, to be exact. Five students at a university attend a speaking event, where they are essentially kidnapped (but with their consent) by a mage from another world. He performs a ritual crossing to allow them to enter his world, Fionavar, which is the first of all worlds. They are brought into Fionavar in a time of turmoil. Everything that happens in all worlds is woven in the tapestry of life (similar concept to the Weaver in Orson Scott Card's "Alvin Maker" series), and a very disturbing evil god, Maugrim, the Unraveller, was long ago imprisoned under a great mountain. The many different peoples of Fionavar begin to come together as the god frees himself from his prison and threatens to wreak all kinds of havoc on their world. Meanwhile, the five friends are separated and begin their own self-discovery storylines. I don't want to write too many details, in case any of you decide to read the book, I don't want to give anything away.
Initially, I had a hard time getting sucked into the story. The characters took a while to develop to a point where I felt connected to them. But they did eventually get there, and now I will definitely be reading the rest of the series. Unlike most series, where at least one of the various plot lines becomes my main interest, in this case what I enjoyed the most about the book was getting to know the cultures of the various peoples of Fionavar. This was the first book I've read by Kay, so we'll see if this holds true for other writings of his that I may read in the future, but at least in this book, he is very adept at describing cultures through the actions of the characters. This appeals greatly to the anthro major in me, and I especially enjoyed his portrayal of the Dalrei - the riders of the Plain.
Since this is of course the first book of a series, there was not a true ending to the story, it just kind of left off in the middle. It remains to be seen what my opinion will be by the end of the series, but for now I will simply say that this book was good, enjoyable fantasy, but nothing super spectacular. I don't know quite what I was expecting, but this felt just like a typical fantasy novel. I happen to like fantasy novels quite a bit, so that's definitely not a bad thing, but it just didn't WOW me like the previous book I had read. This one felt like a lighter read (not to say it didn't have its intense moments, it certainly did, but for whatever reason, the general feel of the book was much less EPIC than the other one), which again is not a bad thing at all, just an observation. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series and following the stories of the characters.
This was another read inspired by araken's Book List entries. He's mentioned Kay several times, and since I've realized over the years that our taste in fantasy novels is fairly similar, his Book List is a go-to spot for me to find new authors! That being said, I was hesitant to start reading another series when I had only just finished book one of a different series. I was worried that I'd either a) forget what was going on in either series by the time I got around to reading book two, or b) get confused and have trouble keeping the stories separate in my head. Luckily, so far at least (b) doesn't seem to be an issue. Anyway, on to the book itself.
The story begins in our world, on Earth - in Canada, to be exact. Five students at a university attend a speaking event, where they are essentially kidnapped (but with their consent) by a mage from another world. He performs a ritual crossing to allow them to enter his world, Fionavar, which is the first of all worlds. They are brought into Fionavar in a time of turmoil. Everything that happens in all worlds is woven in the tapestry of life (similar concept to the Weaver in Orson Scott Card's "Alvin Maker" series), and a very disturbing evil god, Maugrim, the Unraveller, was long ago imprisoned under a great mountain. The many different peoples of Fionavar begin to come together as the god frees himself from his prison and threatens to wreak all kinds of havoc on their world. Meanwhile, the five friends are separated and begin their own self-discovery storylines. I don't want to write too many details, in case any of you decide to read the book, I don't want to give anything away.
Initially, I had a hard time getting sucked into the story. The characters took a while to develop to a point where I felt connected to them. But they did eventually get there, and now I will definitely be reading the rest of the series. Unlike most series, where at least one of the various plot lines becomes my main interest, in this case what I enjoyed the most about the book was getting to know the cultures of the various peoples of Fionavar. This was the first book I've read by Kay, so we'll see if this holds true for other writings of his that I may read in the future, but at least in this book, he is very adept at describing cultures through the actions of the characters. This appeals greatly to the anthro major in me, and I especially enjoyed his portrayal of the Dalrei - the riders of the Plain.
Since this is of course the first book of a series, there was not a true ending to the story, it just kind of left off in the middle. It remains to be seen what my opinion will be by the end of the series, but for now I will simply say that this book was good, enjoyable fantasy, but nothing super spectacular. I don't know quite what I was expecting, but this felt just like a typical fantasy novel. I happen to like fantasy novels quite a bit, so that's definitely not a bad thing, but it just didn't WOW me like the previous book I had read. This one felt like a lighter read (not to say it didn't have its intense moments, it certainly did, but for whatever reason, the general feel of the book was much less EPIC than the other one), which again is not a bad thing at all, just an observation. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series and following the stories of the characters.