Review - The Fionavar Tapestry
I just finished reading the Fionavar Tapestry trilogy, by Guy Gavriel Kay. the_reader, I think, introduced the books to me an age ago with some commentary on how the female characters were Mary Sues and the books terribly like a "got sucked into a book" fanfic and derivative, and yet it works.
It's true. The books are flawed. A lot of it is so terribly derivative -- mostly of Tolkien. My friend's summary is the best I've heard yet, so.
If you summarise the plot of the Fionavar Tapestry, it goes a bit like this:
Five teenagers are whisked from their world by a wise, grey-haired wizard and taken to a world where elves lios alfar live in a hidden refuge called Lothlorien Daniloth (and go over the sea when they die), the Riders of Rohan the Dalrei live on the plains and dwarves ...er, dwarves live under Belegost and Nogrod Banir Lok and Banir Tal and are made king by seeing their reflection in spending the night by a special lake.
Meanwhile, Sauron Rakoth reawakens and raises an army of orcs svart alfar, and Saruman the White Metran the White turns traitor. The old steward king dies and the rightful king shows up to take his place. (Then Arthur and Lancelot turn up and it all goes a bit silly.)
So far, so very Eragon every thirteen-year-old's LOTR Mary Sue (e.g. Eragon). And yet I love those books.
And my feelings are exactly the same. The characters were living in my head from very early on, and my heart went through the grinder so many times. It had me rooting for characters a page after meeting them. I cried for Paul on the tree, for Kevin bringing the summer, for Diarmuid taking Arthur's fight as his own.
I loved the plot thread of Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot. It was just lovely, too, to see them reconciled and happy at last, the longest and saddest tale all wrapped up.
The writing itself was, in places, really not my cup of tea. Particularly in the first book, perhaps before I got into the style of it, the writing did something I normally find quite lovely -- there were a lot of little repetitions. But sometimes that just broke the rhythm for me -- something in the wrong place, or the wrong word being repeated. The omniscience of the narrator didn't do me any favours, either.
But even taking the flaws into account, I love those books so much.
As I said to another friend: if the recommendation of me and Jay (both, by the way, generally holding books to high standards) doesn't make you at least consider reading the books, you are soulless. :p
(Or, you know, just not big on fantasy/books that make grown men cry as well as eighteen year old girls/reading in general. But that's beside the point!)
It's true. The books are flawed. A lot of it is so terribly derivative -- mostly of Tolkien. My friend's summary is the best I've heard yet, so.
If you summarise the plot of the Fionavar Tapestry, it goes a bit like this:
Five teenagers are whisked from their world by a wise, grey-haired wizard and taken to a world where elves lios alfar live in a hidden refuge called Lothlorien Daniloth (and go over the sea when they die), the Riders of Rohan the Dalrei live on the plains and dwarves ...er, dwarves live under Belegost and Nogrod Banir Lok and Banir Tal and are made king by seeing their reflection in spending the night by a special lake.
Meanwhile, Sauron Rakoth reawakens and raises an army of orcs svart alfar, and Saruman the White Metran the White turns traitor. The old steward king dies and the rightful king shows up to take his place. (Then Arthur and Lancelot turn up and it all goes a bit silly.)
So far, so very Eragon every thirteen-year-old's LOTR Mary Sue (e.g. Eragon). And yet I love those books.
And my feelings are exactly the same. The characters were living in my head from very early on, and my heart went through the grinder so many times. It had me rooting for characters a page after meeting them. I cried for Paul on the tree, for Kevin bringing the summer, for Diarmuid taking Arthur's fight as his own.
I loved the plot thread of Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot. It was just lovely, too, to see them reconciled and happy at last, the longest and saddest tale all wrapped up.
The writing itself was, in places, really not my cup of tea. Particularly in the first book, perhaps before I got into the style of it, the writing did something I normally find quite lovely -- there were a lot of little repetitions. But sometimes that just broke the rhythm for me -- something in the wrong place, or the wrong word being repeated. The omniscience of the narrator didn't do me any favours, either.
But even taking the flaws into account, I love those books so much.
As I said to another friend: if the recommendation of me and Jay (both, by the way, generally holding books to high standards) doesn't make you at least consider reading the books, you are soulless. :p
(Or, you know, just not big on fantasy/books that make grown men cry as well as eighteen year old girls/reading in general. But that's beside the point!)