The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay
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The Summer Tree is the first book in Guy Gavriel Kay's trilogy The Fionavar Tapestry. Five men and women find themselves flung into a magical land called Fionavar, First of All Worlds. They have been summoned by the mage Loren Silvercloak and his source, former King of the Dwarves, Matt Soren.
Kim, Paul, Kevin, Jennifer and Dave must all play their parts in the upcoming battle with the fallen god Rakoth Maugrim. Kim Ford is recognised by an ancient seer to be the successor that was prophetically dreamt. Kevin and Paul join the band of the High King's son, Prince Diarmud. Dave, who gets seperated when crossing, ends up in the far north, amongst the Dalrei, The Riders of the Plain. Jennifer's road is definately the saddest and most difficult.
Guy Gavriel Kay takes characters from our world and places them in a fantasy world. This in reminiscent of C.S. Lewis' Narnia novels and Stephen Donalson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.
The Summer Tree: Chapter 3
This is an enjoyable book that promises greater things to come. Being the first novels by Guy Gavriel Kay, you get the feeling that he cut is teeth on this trilogy and that his writing improved as he went along. The 5 main characters are all interesting and well introduced. This helps the reader become quickly involved with the storyline and care about what happens to the main protagonists. There are shades of Tolkien in every chapter of the book but the way in which Kay merges the real and fantasy worlds is a nice departure from most fantasy novels.
A good start to a trilogy that definately leaves the reader interested in what will happen in the next two books. A good, solid read.
The Summer Tree (Fionavar Tapestry) (Amazon.co.uk)
Author: Guy Gavriel Kay
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 400
Publication date: 1992-06-11
Publisher: Voyager
RRP: £6.99
Lowest new price:
Lowest used price: £0.01
The Summer Tree (Fionavar Tapestry) (Amazon.com)
Author: Guy Gavriel Kay
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 400
Publication date: 1992-06-11
Publisher: Voyager
RRP: $14.45
Lowest new price:
Lowest used price: $1.31
The first volume in Guy Gavriel Kay's stunning fantasy masterwork. Five men and women find themselves flung into the magical land of Fionavar, First of all Worlds. They have been called there by the mage Loren Silvercloak, and quickly find themselves drawn into the complex tapestry of events. For Kim, Paul, Kevin, Jennifer and Dave all have their own part to play in the coming battle against the forces of evil led by the fallen god Rakoth Maugrim and his dark hordes. Guy Gavriel Kay's classic epic fantasy plays out on a truly grand scale, and has already been delighting fans of imaginative fiction for twenty years.
Product Description
Edie from Derby
"It's OK but the kids in it didn't work for me. I really didn't care much about what happened to them. Guy Gavriel Kay has done much, much better than this - check out Tigana, The Sarantium Mosaic, Song for Arbonne and The Lions of Al-Rassan - they are the best."
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