The Summer Tree (The Fionavar Tapestry, Book 1)
by Guy Gavriel Kay
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 833)
Read in November, 2006
recommends it for:
People who like Tolkien imitators
Being a fan of Guy Gavriel Kay on the basis some of his other works (particularly The Sarantine Mosaic and Tigana, books which I find to be among the best in the fantasy genre), I was incredibly excited to read this, his first novel. I have never been a fan of the "person/people from our world drawn into a fantasy world" type of story; however, I felt that if there was one author who could do it right, it would be Guy Gavriel Kay. Alas, the Kay writing The Summer Tree displays none of...more
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Read in December, 2006
recommends it for:
die hard fans of the author
My first introduction to Kay was the stand-alone novel, Tigana. It took me a while to really get into Tigana, but I really started to appreciate Kay's eloquent style, fleshed out characters and whit in dialogue and plot development. I decided that before going on to read the rest of his works, I had better read Fianovar. I didn't quite find the same reading experience here.
While the characters in Tigana are well thought and believable, those in the Summer Tree are quite the opposite. The re...more
While the characters in Tigana are well thought and believable, those in the Summer Tree are quite the opposite. The re...more
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Read it when it first came out - over 20 years ago. Loved it then and have continued to love it every time I've reread it.
The Summer Tree is the first in the Fionavar Tapestry - probably the only trilogy that that comes close to Tolkien in terms of epic scope, depth of story and characterisation.
Some might complain that it's a Tolkien rip-off (not surprising considering Kay's connection with The Silmarillion) and that the use of the Arthurian legend is a bit corny. But that is to miss the po...more
The Summer Tree is the first in the Fionavar Tapestry - probably the only trilogy that that comes close to Tolkien in terms of epic scope, depth of story and characterisation.
Some might complain that it's a Tolkien rip-off (not surprising considering Kay's connection with The Silmarillion) and that the use of the Arthurian legend is a bit corny. But that is to miss the po...more
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Read in February, 2008
recommended to Mike by:
La Maison Anglaise
Was I time I read quite a bit of fantasy novels, which is in direct correlation with my gamer past. And as long as it has been since I've read, it's been even longer since I read a fantasy novel (which, I believe, was the Icewind Dale trilogy).
Since my 52 books in 52 weeks challenge began, I've done a short story collection, a piece of literary history, a significant modern work, and a poetry collection; I might as well go on and get some high fantasy in there as well. And high fantasy it ...more
Since my 52 books in 52 weeks challenge began, I've done a short story collection, a piece of literary history, a significant modern work, and a poetry collection; I might as well go on and get some high fantasy in there as well. And high fantasy it ...more
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Read in June, 2001
recommends it for:
Fantasy enthusiasts
The Fionavar Trilogy are the first books Guy Kay wrote after helping young Chris Tolkien organize the Silmarillion. They are written as a response to many of the ideas Tolkien put forward (elves going west, ultimate evil, hope and despair, choice). They're lovely and poetic, but you must take them in the vein in which they were meant.
Thoughts on a Re-Read:
These books are full of what makes other Kay books so heart-breaking: The finely drawn and intense looks at the relationships between p...more
Thoughts on a Re-Read:
These books are full of what makes other Kay books so heart-breaking: The finely drawn and intense looks at the relationships between p...more
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Five Canadian college students are transported to a magical kingdom, and all of them are pretty blasé about it. Their lack of reaction cued me in pretty early on that I wasn’t going to like this book. None of these characters felt like real people to me; the students are pretty interchangeable (one’s a bit crankier! one has guilt! two possess vaginas!) and they all completely lack one of the most important things, in my opinion, for a successful fantasy novel: a sense of wonder. Noth...more
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I first read this at about age 19, and that may have something to do with my reaction to it.
I loved it, provisionally. There was (and is) a part of my brain that continually shouts "This is just a Tolkien ripoff" which only quieted down when I learned that Kay was one of the people who helped Christopher Tolkien edit his father's works after his death. So, in some ways, of course it's a bit derivative.
However, everything that Kay has shown us he is so good at in later books...more
I loved it, provisionally. There was (and is) a part of my brain that continually shouts "This is just a Tolkien ripoff" which only quieted down when I learned that Kay was one of the people who helped Christopher Tolkien edit his father's works after his death. So, in some ways, of course it's a bit derivative.
However, everything that Kay has shown us he is so good at in later books...more
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recommends it for:
everyone
everyone says this is a LOTR rip off, but i personally can't stand the narrative style of LOTR. every five years or i try to read LOTR and i just can't. i get maybe 100 pages in, if i'm being extra patient, and then chuck the whole endeavor. and truly, an endeavor is what it feels like: long and arduous. the whole thing is so damn wordy, and there are way too many 3-page hobbit songs. sorry if that offends all the tolkien lovers.
the Fionavar Tapestry is much more accessible. the narrative is...more
the Fionavar Tapestry is much more accessible. the narrative is...more
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I love fantasy and I've heard good things about this author but I'm really struggling through this book. I bought it, in part, because of the glowing reviews on the jacket cover that compared it to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Only now as I'm reading the stupid book do I remember that I wasn't that crazy about the Lord of the Rings books. It was the movies that I liked.
My two main problems are:
1. There are two many characters to follow in one seamless plot so we jump around a lot. ...more
My two main problems are:
1. There are two many characters to follow in one seamless plot so we jump around a lot. ...more
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Read in July, 2008
recommended to Jenna by:
momrecommends it for: mature peoples
I was considering giving this a 4 because at parts it was a hard read and a very slow start, but then I decided that's more a fault of the reader than the book, and it really does deserve a 5.
Sort of like Narnia (I dislike Narnia btw) in the idea of kids from Earth stumbling into another world and having to save it, only a million times darker and more interesting. I actually cried reading this book, and I never cry. My favorite character was the dark and unfathomable Pwyll.
I usually hate bo...more
Sort of like Narnia (I dislike Narnia btw) in the idea of kids from Earth stumbling into another world and having to save it, only a million times darker and more interesting. I actually cried reading this book, and I never cry. My favorite character was the dark and unfathomable Pwyll.
I usually hate bo...more
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Read in August, 2007
Fionavar is an amazing world. It rivals Middle Earth in its complexity and in its ability to captivate and charm. I have also become very attached to several of the characters, to the point where I almost think of them more as friends than as ink and paper - in my experience, that is almost always a sign of a marvelous book.
Aside from the world and the characters, the issues treated in this trilogy go beyond the basic question of good versus evil which every epic fantasy deals with in some...more
Aside from the world and the characters, the issues treated in this trilogy go beyond the basic question of good versus evil which every epic fantasy deals with in some...more
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Read in January, 1996
Many years ago, my friend Holly practically forced me to read this series. I am so glad she did. Kay's writing is lyrical and spellbinding; you might know what is coming but you don't expect to feel it quite the way that you do. I know this series has been likened to Tolkien's LOTR - and there are similarities - but I think I prefer Kay's trilogy simply because I feel more connected to his characters than I did to the LOTR characters. (Of course, I didn't read LOTR until college, and many...more
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Read in August, 1996
recommends it for:
anyone
Last month my husband found the entire trilogy in hard cover first editions at a yard sale for $5, so I took the opportunity to re-read this book (and the two sequels) for the third time. It's just fantastic, and, yet, it's so far inferior to some of GGK's other books. I recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy (or just good fiction), but don't read it immediately after you've read Tiganna or some of GGK's other masterpieces, because it pales by comparison.
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Read in May, 2007
recommends it for:
Everyone.
Book one of "The Fionavar Tapestry." This book mixes "our world" with that of Fionavar. People from this world travel to the other world. Generally, I'm not a big fan of this type of set-up. I usually just like a story in our world, or in a different time or place. But Kay does it pretty well in this series. It doesn't bother me much in this context. Please see comments for "The Wandering Fire," (book two) for more on this series and Kay...
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recommends it for:
Fantasy/Tolkien Lovers
This is the first book in my favorite, favorite series ever. I read all three books at least once a year and I still find something new in them and I still cry. They changed my life and I don't care if that sounds hooky. Tolkien may be Zeus, but Kay to me was prometheus and it is his fire that I try to channel whenever I write. Brightly woven indeed. I can't recommend it highly enough.
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Read in July, 2008
This is the first book to what I think will be a promising series. I know its been out for awhile, but am just now getting to read it. I'm looking forward to the next two books. The book was good in building the characters and the world. I was drawn in by the characters faster then I thought I would be. If your looking for something new in High fantasy then look no further.
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recommends it for:
diehard fantasy fans and people who like epic sagas of good and evil
My favorite book in my favorite series of all time- no really! I read The Summer Tree when if first came out years ago, and then lost track of it.
Rediscovering the book years later, and the two subsequent books in the series, stands as one of the most joyous reading experiences of my life.
These books are amazing, but are too haunting, beautiful and sad to read often.
Rediscovering the book years later, and the two subsequent books in the series, stands as one of the most joyous reading experiences of my life.
These books are amazing, but are too haunting, beautiful and sad to read often.
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Read in January, 2008
I enjoyed the story and its themes, but it was chock full of fantasy cliche, so much so that I put it down several times thinking I wouldn't finish it. I did, on the strength of its story. I couldn't figure out if the amount of cheesy fantasy stuff was because it was written in '85 or because the author just loved Tolkien so much he didn't want to depart from his love.
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Read in January, 1996
This was one of my favorite fantasy trilogies. The paralells to the King Arthur legend were wonderfully done. I think in the second book of the series was one of the only times that I bawled my head off during a story. It wasn't the ONLY time, but it was one of the worst times. It was heart-wrenching. A must-read for those who enjoy the King Arthur legend.
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I am a huge fan of Guy Gavriel Kay's writing, and this is the first book of his I ever read. I am just in love with the way he uses language, as well as the way he can take familiar elements of old stories and make them fresh and new again. I read all of his books over and over again, just to bask in his words and the worlds he creates.
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book data (includes all editions)
avg rating (all editions): 4.06 (698 ratings) avg rating (this edition): 4.07 (634 ratings) number of reviews: 70popular shelves
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"There are kinds of action, for good or ill, that lie so far outside the boundaries of normal behavior that they force us, in acknowledging that they have occurred, to restructure our own understanding of reality. We have to make room for them."
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