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The Fionavar Tapestry

(The Fionavar Tapestry #1-3)

Guy Gavriel Kay (Goodreads Author)

4.21 · Rating details · 6,904 ratings · 246 reviews

In the three novels that make up the Fionavar Tapestry trilogy collected in this omnibus edition (The Summer Tree, The Wandering Fire, and The Darkest Road), five University of Toronto students find themselves transported to a magical land to do battle with the forces of evil. At a Celtic conference, Kimberley, Kevin, Jennifer, Dave, and Paul meet wizard Loren Silvercloak. ...more

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Paperback, First Thus edition, 792 pages

Published 1995 by HarperCollins Publishers Canada (first published 1986)

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· 6,904 ratings · 246 reviews

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Aug 10, 2010 Stephen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 1980-1989, 6-star-books, all-time-favorites, mythstories-and-legends, love-those-words, fantasy, omnibus

6.0 stars. On my list of "All Time Favorite" novels. This trilogy has taken over the TOP SPOT on my list of "heroic" fantasy trilogies, knocking the standard, LOTR, down to number two. In fact, given how shicking that last statement may sound, I intend to re-read LOTR in the not too distant future just to confirm for myself the accuracy of the above.

In many ways the plot of The Fionavar Trilogy follows the classic heroic fantasy script created by LOTR though, in my opinion, in such a way as to ...more

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Dec 14, 2010 Jackie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arthurian, celtic, epic, fantasy, parallel-world

Wow, I am in awe of the breadth and scope of this extraordinarily layered masterpiece.

A true epic fantasy not to be missed.

Often compared to LOTR and not in a bad way... though, I must confess that as much as I loved LOTR, The Fionavar Tapestry far surpasses it on so many levels. This is a case of the pupil exceeding the master. Know that I do not say this lightly. The Fionavar Tapestry now holds my #1 top spot of Best Epic Fantasy Trilogy of All Time.

A unique blend of Celtic mythology and Arth ...more

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Jan 28, 2010 Kara Babcock rated it did not like it

Shelves: 2010-read, canadian-author, fantasy, from-library, 2010-worst10

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This is one of those times where borrowing the omnibus edition from the library because it's easier to get all three books that way is a bad idea. I felt compelled to read the entire trilogy as a result, when I knew I should just stop after the first book. The Summer Tree was painful; The Wandering Fire was brutal; I blacked out sometime near the beginning of The Darkest Road, so I can only assume that it was slightly better than the first two but not enough to redeem the trilogy.

In case you hav ...more

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Aug 03, 2010 Joy rated it liked it

Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy

This is a great read-- a totally consuming fantasy novel with all the typical light against dark themes. The creativity in this book lies less in its newness but rather in its skilled borrowing and "weaving." Let's be straight here- Kay knew how much he was borrowing from Tolkein and I think the matching arcs of the books were quite intentional. But like some of the best folk music, I cannot help but love when a familiar story is enriched by a new kind of telling- one that adds a different persp This is a great read-- a totally consuming fantasy novel with all the typical light against dark themes. The creativity in this book lies less in its newness but rather in its skilled borrowing and "weaving." Let's be straight here- Kay knew how much he was borrowing from Tolkein and I think the matching arcs of the books were quite intentional. But like some of the best folk music, I cannot help but love when a familiar story is enriched by a new kind of telling- one that adds a different perspective. We've been telling these kinds of stories as long as we've known how, and Kay draws on that fact by including strands from Tolkein foremost, but also the King Arthur stories, Greek mythology, Norse mythology, and so Wikipedia tells me though I did not know, Chinese literature.

But this gets a mere three stars because despite my love of the classic stories, I do prefer magic and myth with a little more realism, as you might find in George RR Martin (indeed even in Tolkein with the struggle in our hearts over the love of power). In Kay's book, everyone gets redeemed and the bad guys are uncomplicated and so have to die. No character is allowed to stay a mixture of good and evil, and love conquers all. Hell, even the good guys have an inner nobility which allows them to discriminate between good and evil- confusion is not a part of Fionavar. The themes about destiny and freedom are unclear and some major events in the story don't make sense when looked at through this explanation (the Greek fates/ Great Weaver and the Wild Hunt/Randomness in universe polarity didn't quite flesh out in my opinion), and though the redemption theme is powerfully written its use is also inconsistent. I'm not going to say why or this would be a spoiler but feel free to ask me why I think this is if you do read these books. And really, I do appreciate a good love story, but this book has nothing but cupid's arrows, love at first sight and happy ever after. Hard to relate to, eh? Though on the flip side despite a lack of actual sex scenes, the characters do have a lot of sex that seems recreational and light-- in one of the tribes it is the women who seem to do all the partner choosing- indeed I might even call it a theme of this book! Written from 1984-1986, it seems pretty understandable that women have big roles and a lot of power in this world.

For lovers of a good yarn, this is your cup of tea. For discriminating readers looking for complex characters, pick up Martin, though it remains to be seen if that deadbeat will ever finish his series! ...more

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Jun 21, 2015 Mindy rated it it was amazing

I will only rarely write a review, but for this I will. I love books like treasured friends, so I prefer to accept the enjoyment they give me without analyzing them too closely. I love all kinds of books, but the ones that hold the most special place in my heart are the kind where people struggle against a seemingly insurmountable evil and yet find a way through to the light.

The Fionavar Tapestry is such a story. It is told with such majesty and grace that any description I give here would fall ...more

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Jun 27, 2008 Inkpot rated it really liked it

At first glance, this trilogy seems to be nothing more than another Tolkien clone. However, the author surpasses Tolkien on a number of points. Firstly, the characters in this tale are three dimensional with real feelings and conflicts. Secondly, the author's ability to make you feel alongside with the characters has touched me perhaps more so than any other series. I confess that I teared up at several points throughout the tale - which is a rare occurrence for me. The author's writing style, l ...more

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Oct 22, 2015 Amanda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2015

The Fionavar Tapestry is among the dwindling numbers of portal fantasy stories—I can’t help but feel that if more people read it, then this particular sub-genre would make a roaring comeback beyond the realm of fanfiction. Literary, expertly crafted mythology and worldbuilding, and that incredible Kay ability to create a host of beautiful characters have made for a series that may be as dear to me now as Lord of the Rings.

University of Toronto students Kim, Kevin, Jennifer, Paul, and Dave all at ...more

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Oct 22, 2010 Petra rated it really liked it

Shelves: canadian-author, floor-joists

An incredibly epic tale. Kay is a natural storyteller and he shows it in this tale. There are so many facets to this story and Kay manages to balance them all and keep them active and interesting. With all the various situations occurring and escalating, Kay manages to keep the story moving forward in such a way that the excitement escalates. As a reader, I found myself drawn into the world of Fionavar and its struggles, in its people and their lives. Good doesn’t always win; a win isn’t always An incredibly epic tale. Kay is a natural storyteller and he shows it in this tale. There are so many facets to this story and Kay manages to balance them all and keep them active and interesting. With all the various situations occurring and escalating, Kay manages to keep the story moving forward in such a way that the excitement escalates. As a reader, I found myself drawn into the world of Fionavar and its struggles, in its people and their lives. Good doesn’t always win; a win isn’t always without bitter-sweet elements. The story rates 5*.
The writing though is early-Kay and it shows. There are flaws and they do distract from the reading. The language is very flowery and the conversations are stilted, using somewhat archaic language (our 5 heroes are from modern times, so it seems awkward). However, by the third book, Kay has grown as a writer and these flaws start to disappear; it’s interesting to see the change between the second and third book in terms of character development, language and impact.
In the first two books, the characters are somewhat flat in that with all that’s happening to them they feel no surprise or wonder or amazement. They are faced with out worldly experiences and yet they aren't surprised, they just "know" what needs knowing as the situation arises. But by the third book Kay has learned to bring depth to his characters. They grow, they see the wonder of what’s happening and they aren’t so sure of themselves anymore……they feel for those & the world around them. With the new depth of the characters comes deeper, more significant, conversation and situations. Kay hones his story well and brings all the elements together in a phenomenal way.
There’s a lot of repetition in regards to the roles each character plays (ie: Paul “Twiceborn”, the Seer and constant references to The Weaver). It does perhaps keep these roles in the forefront but it can get somewhat tedious (although the magical implications of The Weaver and the tapestry and the interconnections are central and relevant and add a mystic that’s undeniable).
All in all, a highly recommended book but be aware of some flaws, especially in the beginning of the tale. Kay’s style has a poetic and mystical feel to it and he manages to pull this trilogy together and tell a marvellous tale.

The Summer Tree
A decent story of 5 people transported to a mystical land of legend and magic at a time when all hell is about to break loose. They seem to unquestionably accept their situations. There's no wonder at what's happening, at what they're seeing or experiencing.

The Wandering Fire
Well, if there's a myth or legend, it's added to this novel. The story is a pretty decent one, though. It's interesting; just not "magical" or "wonderous".
There's a lot of unnecessary sex (not that sex is unnecessary but this is casual, non-meaningful sex where the participants feel "gratitude" afterwards and nothing more), which makes the book seem a bit juvenile.

The Darkest Road
Wow! What a turn around! Kay manages to bring it all home in a seamless and awesome way. The characters gain depth, they gain feeling and a sense of awe and wonder, the story pulls together in a multi-layered and intricate telling that keeps the reader in suspense. This is an awesome ending to this tale. I’m sad on many levels for the ending of this trilogy and glad I read it. The tapestry is woven as it is meant to be woven with all its colours and textures.
...more

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Sep 22, 2014 Tim Hicks rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: all fantasy readers

Shelves: fantasy

Folks, if you haven't read this trilogy, you can't say you've covered the basics of high fantasy.
Level One contains Lord of the Rings, and this. No, really.

Kay gets one star simply for daring. He postulates an original world from which all others, including ours, are derived. Then he populates it with about 80% of all the gods and magical characters that western literature has ever known. And some elves and orcs and dwarves, because you have to have those. Clumsily drop in five people from ou Folks, if you haven't read this trilogy, you can't say you've covered the basics of high fantasy.
Level One contains Lord of the Rings, and this. No, really.

Kay gets one star simply for daring. He postulates an original world from which all others, including ours, are derived. Then he populates it with about 80% of all the gods and magical characters that western literature has ever known. And some elves and orcs and dwarves, because you have to have those. Clumsily drop in five people from our world, so we can identify with them, and away we go.

There is, of course, a Really Bad Guy, because that's a given in high fantasy. So shake all the characters together, and every once in a while someone is going to Know that something Noble needs to be done, and go do it. Someone might very well die, and there will be mourning but mostly it's about how Noble it was, and you know that in a few more pages it will be someone else's turn.

Kay has totally mastered the required style, in which - shall we say - Rob Ford would become High Councillor of the Realm of Etobicoke, home of the steadfast suburbanites and their mighty TTC buses, bright was the day he was elected. Thankfully, there's very little low fantasy - which to me is all inns and stew and lutes. There are a few annoying tropes that continue, notably that in fantasy the archers on the good side always get an instant kill with every arrow, no matter what. Or that at some point our heroes will have to fight an overwhelming ground force, there will be pages and pages of hacking and slashing, and just when things look bleakest ... well, you know.

Things roll out almost incidentally. At one point the Bad Guy uses winter and snow to thin out the opposition, and not much later he's using killer rain. In the last book, three major encounters end in very similar ways. Somehow it's OK, because epic as those confrontations are, they aren't what the series is about. It's about the people, how they change, how they handle responsibility and love and power and magic.

Which is why Kay can even stir in King Arthur and Lancelot and Guinevere without seeming silly, and even change the loop of fate they're caught in, just as he does for some other characters.

If this seems like an insanely complex plot, it is. But Kay pulls it off with style. Remember that thing that happened on page 80 of book one and was never mentioned again? On page 400 of volume 3, it will turn out to have been very important. I would really, really like to see some photos of Kay's desk as he developed the plot. I'm thinking heaps of papers, Post-it notes all over the walls, mythology texts everywhere, and a typewriter or maybe a crude word processor.

I'd call this required reading. Once you've put this in your brain, you can read some of Kay's later work, which is less vast but perhaps even better written. And then you can read some other attempts at high fantasy, and see how far short some of them fall.

...more

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Dec 14, 2009 Margaret rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy-and-science-fiction, arthuriana, authors-kl, favorites, 2015-read

The Fionavar Tapestry was Guy Gavriel Kay's first venture into fantasy; he got his start in the genre helping Christopher Tolkien edit his father's unfinished Silmarillion, and to an extent, that shows in The Fionavar Tapestry. The story begins when five college students are invited by the mage Loren Silvercloak to journey to his world of Fionavar, the first of all worlds, of which all other worlds are but a shadow. Fionavar has many echoes of Middle-Earth: there are elves (the lios alfar), who ...more

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May 21, 2016 Michael Drakich rated it it was amazing

There is a strange dichotomy to writing a review to this series. There are so many things one could say that can be construed as negative. The dialogue, for example. Many statements made by the main characters are simply groaners. Then there is the eventual conversion where everyone from Earth talks like a Fionavarian. Seriously? They change, just like that? Another complaint will be how so much in this series is a complete rip off from older ones. Lord Of The Rings? From elves, dwarves, goblins There is a strange dichotomy to writing a review to this series. There are so many things one could say that can be construed as negative. The dialogue, for example. Many statements made by the main characters are simply groaners. Then there is the eventual conversion where everyone from Earth talks like a Fionavarian. Seriously? They change, just like that? Another complaint will be how so much in this series is a complete rip off from older ones. Lord Of The Rings? From elves, dwarves, goblins and an all powerful evil one, this book uses everything Tolkien invented and more. Everything fantasy is in there - dragons, gods, magic, swords and more. There's even a flying pink unicorn for gosh sake. (Okay, not pink, blood red, but close enough. It's still a unicorn that flies.) And then there is just about every cliche ever written. Colored eyes (multi-colored ones too), undefeatable swordsmen who vanquish a horde of enemies in seconds, altruistic characters who willingly go to their death for the Light, almost everyone is either totally evil or totally good, and so many more. If it's a high fantasy cliche, it's in there. Then there's the writing. Written in some wild mix of omniscient and third person limited with more head hopping than a jackrabbit on the run it has moments where you get lost on who the POV belongs to. The one dimensional aspect of almost every character. All of these things should make me hate this series.

And yet... and yet...

I liked it. Why? I've just listed a whole host of reasons not to. Introspection was needed to delve into how I enjoyed the series. Ir came down to two things - pace and plot lines. Not including the first couple of chapters, the pace is almost frenetic. So many things happen so quickly, and in such a way as to keep a reader glued to the pages. This intensity runs right to almost the end with, like LOTR, a couple of cool down chapters to close things off. As to plot lines, never before in high fantasy have I seen so many plot lines so expertly woven throughout the story. Every one foreshadowed well and tied in at the right time - the separate tale of each of the five from Earth, the war, the exiled king, the romantic prince, the son of the dark god, the Camelot factor with Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot, the longest road, the darkest road, and a host of other smaller ones, all which left me amazed at how the author managed to squeeze so many into one series.

As I read this series, I managed to ignore all the negatives and focus on the story, and in doing so, became immersed in the complexity of it all.

I cannot totally forgive all the transgressions so my review is 4.5 stars, but since I can only post either 4 or 5, my level of satisfaction at the end moved the needle up. ...more

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Feb 29, 2012 Dawn rated it did not like it

Shelves: canadian_author, eclectic_bookclub

Left unfinished.

I finished the first book, The Summer Tree under duress because it was a pick for my bookclub. I was told it would get better. It didn't.

I started the second...... I cannot FORCE myself to read further. I dread picking it up. I rarely NOT finish a book, but I will not finish this. It's excrutiating.

I don't like any of the characters. I don't care about the war. I just can't get through it. It's dry and dull. The good news is I'm sleeping better....

Is Kaye a bad writer or is this ...more

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Nov 09, 2018 THE BIBLIOPHILE (Rituranjan) rated it it was amazing

A grand and passionate homage to Tolkien, a lyrical tour de force of high fantasy. Most of the readers tend to dismiss this as a imitation of the great master, and to do so is not fair at all. Undoubtedly the influence of Tolkien is palpable in the story, in regards to worldbuilding and some of the tropes, but, Kay's mythos has more depth, poignancy, and a tragic feeling that subdues Tolkien's bitterweet nostalgia. Kay tells about things lost, the sacrifice that behooves us all of joy, but gives ...more

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Jun 08, 2020 Josh Angel rated it really liked it

I feel like I would have enjoyed this series more if I hadn’t finished reading Lords of the Rings recently. Had I known this series was essentially a beat-for-beat reinterpretation of the Lord of the Rings (with Arthur, Lancelot, and Guinevere thrown in for good measure) I may have put it off for awhile until the tropes wouldn’t feel so overused to me.

While I did not enjoy it as much as I may have with better timing, I do feel this is an underrated series that I think has MASSIVE appeal for a ce ...more

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May 17, 2016 Monica rated it really liked it

it was really interesting and the world building was incredible. i got real into it near the end so im glad i liked the ending!

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Aug 10, 2018 Rhoddi rated it it was ok

Shelves: could-not-get-to-the-end

I don't know what happened to me and this trilogy. The first book was pretty wondrous. I really enjoyed the characters, settings, world building and the part of the plains people. There is a intriguing connection that grows between reader and book the deeper one gets into it. I did find the writing a little weird at times as Mr. Kay likes to use lots of comma's and I also found the writing at the start to be a little choppy, but otherwise the first book was good fun.

Then the second book happened ...more

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Jul 13, 2020 Cassie rated it liked it

Definitely not my favourite Guy Gavriel Kay, I could certainly tell it was one of his older books. This was pretty good, if a little over complicated, and the Camelot backstory was a lot with the whole Fionavar mythology as well.

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Sep 11, 2013 Andrea McDowell rated it it was ok

Shelves: fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I read this and really liked it in my early twenties. I'm rereading it now, and am far less impressed.

Look, I love GG Kay. He's a lovely person, a fellow Canadian; he's doing something different and unique with his historical fantasy novels; I own and have read most of his books. But this trilogy is not good work.

1) The continually overwrought language. OK, I get it. High fantasy. It's got to be high-falutin', and yes, it was his first book. He's sounding like Tolkein. But it grates on me. Parti I read this and really liked it in my early twenties. I'm rereading it now, and am far less impressed.

Look, I love GG Kay. He's a lovely person, a fellow Canadian; he's doing something different and unique with his historical fantasy novels; I own and have read most of his books. But this trilogy is not good work.

1) The continually overwrought language. OK, I get it. High fantasy. It's got to be high-falutin', and yes, it was his first book. He's sounding like Tolkein. But it grates on me. Particularly in the dialogue--particularly when it's the modern-day Toronto characters speaking--it does not sound at all natural.

2) Constantly telling the readers how to feel. We don't need the author or the characters to tell us how sad something is! It's sad! We get it! Imagine watching Romeo and Juliet, and at the end of the show one of the characters comes on stage with a massive monologue about all of the layered complexities of sorrow and how exactly much their heart was breaking and how this compared with all of the other sorrows and heartbreaks throughout the play. Jebus. Cut it out. If it's really sad, we will figure it out on our own; if we're reading it and we're not sad, then the solution is not to have a character plunk themselves down and start telling us about exactly how terribly sad it all is.

3) The freaking misogyny. Come on. Fionavar is supposed to be "first of all the worlds," and the one on which all others were patterned. And here, even here, women are second-class citizens. Oh yes, I do see his subtle attempts to make meaningful female characters. I even appreciate them. Definitely a step up from Tolkein in that regard. But consider that every female character in these books has a choice to make between power and love--and one that the male characters do not need to make. Consider that Ysanne and Jaelle both needed to be kicked out of their sisterhood for the crime of loving a man. Consider that the sisterhood, the powerful female priestesses, worship blood, for crying out loud, and draw their power from the earth. Consider that they were deposed by the superior and intellectual mages drawing on "sky-lore." You might as well just label the Mormae as "scary man-hating feminists."

But the misogyny bothers me less for being present, than for being present in a world that is supposed to be the basis of all other worlds. Great. So sexism, then, isn't an error, or an injustice, it's structural.

4) Too many deus-ex-machinas. We can't have Jennifer's rape-baby born on Earth, eh? Having a child mature to adulthood in less than one year would be awfully disconcerting and possibly require a long hospital stay and a lot of genetic tests. He needs to be born in Fionavar; and besides, how else is he supposed to confront his terrible choice? So better have Galadan corner Paul and Jennifer in a museum in Toronto when she's 7 months pregnant, for apparently no other reason than to force Paul to momentarily figure out how to get them to Fionavar, just so she can go into preterm labour and leave her baby with a local woman before heading back to Toronto. Gods and goddesses aren't supposed to interfere--except that they do, whenever the main characters are in a real scrape, with some dialogue about the price they will be forced to pay for helping, and no indication of what that price may be. (sigh)

It all adds up to some decent literary comfort food, but nothing I can really lose myself in anymore. ...more

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Oct 26, 2013 Hannah Fergesen rated it it was amazing

I read this book as a middle schooler in Toronto, having no idea what I was in for. All I remember is that I didn't want to read young adult books, I wanted to read epic fantasies with interesting characters that were not available in "My" section of the bookstore. So my parents bought the omnibus of these books for me, over 1000 pages of text, for $20 (it was Canada, over a decade ago). It had a pretty dragon on the cover and couldn't be that bad, right?

This book is now incredibly well worn, wi ...more

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Jul 26, 2009 Jayme rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, canada, mythology

This is an epic slightly arthurian fantasy. There are three books that make up the Tapestry: The Summer Tree, The Wandering Fire, and The Darkest Road. Starting out at the University of Toronto, of all places, five acquaintances find themselves sucked into another world and an ancient story. All the stories and people created in here are beautiful, I can't recommend this one enough to anyone who loves fantasy.

It's my favourite fantasy book of all time, possibly my favourite book. It beats even L ...more

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Mar 13, 2013 Sheila rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-2013, favorites

Book 1 (The Summer Tree) reread finished 3/12/13. I really like the stilted, formal tone of this book (it's almost Biblical, and it really suits this kind of epic myth). I also like the characters and the interweaving of mythology (especially Celtic--the cauldron, the horn, etc.). I still don't like the ending. 3.5 stars.

Book 2 (The Wandering Fire) finished 5/9/13. Oh. My. God. Amazing and heartbreaking. 5 stars.

Book 3 (The Darkest Road) finished 7/6/13. I had to take this home to finish; I'd be ...more

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Jun 19, 2009 Ian Mathers rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2009

It's been too long since I read a good fantasy novel (or novels, I guess). My dad tried getting me to read this as far back as high school, but I generally hate it when real world characters are put in fantasy worlds. Kay makes me realize that I feel that way because most authors assume that such real world characters would be overly credulous/idiotic/skeptical, though, and in fact the characterization here is one of the biggest strengths of the Fionavar books. It's really not doing anything too ...more

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Dec 10, 2009 Travis Cottreau rated it really liked it

Guy Gavriel Kay is just a good writer. This was his first book, an homage to J.R.R. Tolkien, but much better constructed in my mind, with well rounded, realistic characters and amazing writing, with a classical, well told story.

Kay has everything a good writer should have, with the integrity to write a series or novel in isolation without folding to publisher pressure to re-use the stuff that's already been successful.

While there is a feel of a common background, each of his stories is separate ...more

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May 23, 2015 Robert Hudder rated it liked it

Two of four big books that I intended to read this year. Left is the Game of Thrones series and the Homer stuff. This one reflects on the nature of fate. It was a really good read and the closing of a large circle that gives me hope for the future.

As hokey as it is, I first found out about this book in high school. It is one of three books/series that I wish I had finished then. I bought a copy when a book store was going out of sale a long time ago. Now it is done. Sometimes you read the right ...more

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Sep 07, 2010 Amanda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: i-own-a-copy, favourites

Normally I don't go for real world/fantasy world cross-overs, but this is a special set of books. "Tapestry" is the right word - this is an intricate and ultimately beautiful story. It knits together everything from Arthurian legend to the old fantasy standby of the epic, across-the-ages battle between good and evil in richly detailed and breathtakingly moving way

I love GGK's writing style. There's a rich, lyrical quality to his prose that is beautiful and affecting. This set of stories is no ex ...more

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Aug 07, 2011 Ted Hopkins rated it liked it

A disappointment after reading Ysabel, but then this was Kay's first book. The transitions from contemporary Toronto to Fionavar are awkward and less than believable. Arthurian inclusions are messy and contribute only weakly to plot development. Though predictable, the plot holds a certain intrigue that meant that I did pick the book up again each time I put it down and thus read it to the end. ...more

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Feb 01, 2015 Jackie Harlow rated it it was amazing

I have been meaning to read this book for over 20 years ... I have no idea why I waited so long!

It was definitely worth the wait! I was actually tempted to re-read it immediately after finishing it. It is everything I love in a fantasy novel - huge epic storyline, complex characters, humour, parts where you actually get angry at the novel, etc.

The next time I see a book I really want to read I won't wait 20+ years to do so. :-) ...more

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Mar 17, 2011 Cdelory rated it liked it

Really a 3.5. Satisfying for fantasy readers. Liked the use of "the weaver" as a creator and associated language. For example, characters congratulating each other by saying, "Brightly woven." Really didn't like the King Arthur, Lancelot, Guinevere subplot--the fact that they were supposedly living this life over and over again w/o any ability to control their own destiny. Irked me. ...more

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May 05, 2012 Melanie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

my absolute, hands down, favorite books of all time. period. i recommend them to everyone, always, and i re-read them once every year or so. they are fantastically written, the story is amazing, and the characters touch you and get into your soul.

if you haven't read them, there's nothing else i can say but GO. READ.

NOW. ...more

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Mar 10, 2013 Peter Levi rated it liked it

A solid fantasy trilogy, although I think it works better for younger/more casual readers. A few SPOILER comments: for gods who can't interfere in events, they interfere a lot. There's a great deal of weeping and melodrama. We also have the classic moment of the villain revealing their weakness. It's inferior to Kay's later work, but worth reading nonetheless. ...more

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J.R.R. Tolkien: Group Read April-June 2016: The Fionavar Tapestry	10	65	Jul 25, 2016 10:27AM
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About Guy Gavriel Kay

Guy Gavriel Kay

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Guy Gavriel Kay is a Canadian author of fantasy fiction. Many of his novels are set in fictional realms that resemble real places during real historical periods, such as Constantinople during the reign of Justinian I or Spain during the time of El Cid. Those works are published and marketed as historical fantasy, though the author himself has expressed a preference to shy away from genre categoriz ...more

Other books in the series

The Fionavar Tapestry (3 books)

Books by Guy Gavriel Kay

The Summer Tree (The Fionavar Tapestry #1)

The Wandering Fire (The Fionavar Tapestry, #2)

The Darkest Road (The Fionavar Tapestry, #3)

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Trivia About The Fionavar Tape...

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Quotes from The Fionavar Tape...

“most hated by the dark, for their name is light.” — 23 likes

“This was not a beauty that warmed one. It cut, like a weapon. There was no nuance of gentleness in her, no shading of care, but fair she was, as is the flight of an arrow before it kills.” — 8 likes

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