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The Summer Tree (Fionavar Tapestry) [Paperback]

Guy Gavriel Kay (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
RRP: £11.99
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Book Description

Publication Date: 29 July 2011 | Series: Fionavar Tapestry

The first volume in Guy Gavriel Kay’s stunning fantasy masterwork, now reissued with the beautiful original cover art by Martin Springett.

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.

Frequently Bought Together

The Summer Tree (Fionavar Tapestry) + The Wandering Fire (Fionavar Tapestry) + The Darkest Road (Fionavar Tapestry)
Price For All Three: £24.81

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Product details

  • Paperback: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Harper Voyager; New Ed edition (29 July 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0007217242
  • ISBN-13: 978-0007217243
  • Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 17.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 111,860 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

Review

‘I’m not just impressed by THE SUMMER TREE – I’m overwhelmed’ Marion Zimmer Bradley

‘Engrossingly worthwhile’ Asimov’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine

‘A lovingly detailed work … a classic of the genre’ Fantasy Review

From the Back Cover

'GUY GAVRIEL KAY
'THE SUMMER TREE''
THE FIONAVAR TAPESTRY BOOK 1

“The only fantasy I know which does not suffer by comparison with 'The Lord of the Rings'“
'INTERZONE'
“I’m not just impressed by 'The Summer Tree' – I’m overwhelmed!”
MARION ZIMMER BRADLEY

'The Summer Tree' is the first book of a fantasy trilogy on a grand scale, in the epic tradition of 'The Lord of the Rings'. Five young people find themselves flung into the magical land of Fionavar, First of All Worlds, there to play their part in the vast battle against the forces of evil led by the fallen god Rakoth Maugrom and his dark hordes.

“Engrossingly worthwhile”
'Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine'
“A lovingly detailed work of fantasy … a classic of the genre”
'Fantasy Review'

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Turns out great! 27 Feb 2001
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
The Summer Tree is the first book in The Fionavar Tapestry series (continuing with The Wandering Fire and The Darkest Road).

At Loren Silvercloak the mage's bidding, Kevin, Kim, Jennifer, Paul and Dave, five University students from Toronto, 'cross' into the Kingdom of Fionavar, the First of all Worlds, to help him in an oncoming war against Rakoth the Unraveller, and thus fulfil their destinies.

Like the five heroes, the reader is teleported into a land of magic and fantasy which the author only describes little by little. Although certainly used as a stylistic device, this sometimes makes it hard to understand the ins and outs of certain characters' actions. In the same vein, I also found the few sex scenes somewhat a bit out of place and unpoetic. Anyway, looking back upon it, I realize these were just details.

And indeed, as you turn the pages and learn more about the people and history of Fionavar and about the role the heroes have to play in it, the book really turns out to be enthralling and hard to put down. I particularly enjoyed the third part, where Dave is taken in by a tribe of hunters called the Dalrei, and learns about their customs and rites, to finally risk his own life for them.

Although at first I was a bit sceptical about the mixing of today's world with fantasy, in the end I really liked this book a lot and I'm looking forward to reading the next two. So don't let the first 150 pages or so get you down and read on, it's definitely worth it!

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Slow start but improves greatly 13 Jun 2009
By P. J. Bragg
Format:Paperback
Anybody who remembers the cartoon series of Dungeons and Dragons from the 1980's will be familiar with the premise of this book - 5 college kids from modern day (well, circa 1983) Toronto are taken to a parallel world where magic and fantasy creatures abound.

The concept has been done before, most famously in the Narnia series. It's not a particular favourite of mine but I was willing to give it a try as the book had several good reviews.

To be honest the first quarter of the book isn't too promising. It's a bit slow and the narrative style seems to swing backwards and forwards between a Lord of the Rings style (lots of foretolds and forebades) and a more modern vernacular. This swinging starts to jar a little after a while. At one point even the author seems to get a bit confused and has one nomadic plains rider saying "We did all right back there" and I almost expected them to start high fiving.

The book also seems to fall into the common fantasy novel traps in that (i) the world they are taken to seems to have been stuck at a 13th century level of development for the last thousand years and (ii) despite this the students seem to have little difficulty in assimilating to their circumstances .

It is worth sticking with the book, though as it really picks up pace after the first 100 or so pages and the storytelling style becomes more consistent. The action starts to come thick and fast and it starts filling in a lot more of the history and backstory that it alludes to at the start of the book.

It does seem to set up the second book well, which I have yet to read.

I have no hesitation in recommending this book, with the warning that it might not immediately appeal.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting take on "Standard" fantasy 1 Sep 2011
By Mr. Kevin P. Futers
Format:Paperback
There are many Lord of the Rings clones out there and this is definitely one of them. What marks the Fionavar Tapestry out is that it actually tries out new ideas and explores some ancient ones.

The milieu of Fionavar is more overtly Celtic than LOTR. Both books draw heavily on both Germanic and Celtic source material but the balance is more the opposite way round here. A closer antecedent are the excellent children's fantasies The Weirdstone of Brisingamen and The Moon of Gomrath by Alan Garner, which use the same mix of svart and lios alfar (goblins and elves) plus dwarves.

There have been criticisms of the portrayal of the races elsewhere. To my way of thinking, if you are drawing upon stereotypes then you should largely stick to them - otherwise you end up with a travesty such as Orcs: Bodyguard of Lightning, Legion of Thunder, Warriors of the Tempest (Gollancz S.F.). Yes, in fantasy, you expect dwarves to live underground, elves to be tree-huggers and goblins to be little, nasty and vicious.

The author adds some new races of his own; the urgach with their six-legged mounts, the Paraiko who are not your typical giants (although a nod towards the giants in The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever: "Lord Foul's Bane", "Illearth War" and "Power That Preserves", perhaps?) and the demigod race of the andain, whose lord is a servant of evil but they are not themselves committed to one side or the other.

In a final word, although the themes are to an extent hackneyed, the story itself is not and contains its own unique path towards the inevitable confrontation between good and evil. That, surely, is the mark of a successful genre novel.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars good not brilliant
Comparisons with Lord of the Rings are a bit of a joke. The first half of the story is slow and the rather wooden characters don't grip as they don't behave like contemporary young... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Potterywhizz
2.0 out of 5 stars I tried.
I really did, but I'm not going to be able to finish this book. It just doesn't 'grab' me.

It all began with a lecture that introduced five university students to a man... Read more
Published 18 months ago by StarPlayer
4.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written mythical fantasy
Five students from twentieth century Toronto find themselves singled out by the mysterious Professor Lorenzo Marcus. Read more
Published on 29 April 2010 by AnetteF
5.0 out of 5 stars Stays with you
I first read this and expected nothing more than a dungeon & dragons scenario. Instead I found one of the most evocative fantasy writers around. Read more
Published on 27 Jan 2008 by toomanybooksnotenoughtime
4.0 out of 5 stars Yes, yes I think so...
I read this book about a year back, i did the first 80 pages and wasn't that impressed. I didn't warm to the characters and the reality of the five students from Toronto was well,... Read more
Published on 20 Oct 2007 by Mr. A. S. C. Kindred
2.0 out of 5 stars Don't pick up this one.
GGK is a wonderful author. 'Tigana' and 'A song for Arbonne' are so wonderful. Tigana always makes me weep with its bitter-sweet ending, and I was hoping for something similar when... Read more
Published on 25 Jun 2007 by R. Williams
2.0 out of 5 stars A total disappointment...
I borrowed this book from the library and all I can say is that I'm glad I didn't waste money buying it.

I'll be honest... The Summer Tree is majorly boring. Read more
Published on 13 Dec 2006 by Emily M
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely great
Great author with huge imagination. This book is one of the best books I ever read and I believe one of the berst books around.
Published on 18 Nov 2006 by Jason Buob
4.0 out of 5 stars A good beginning to a not so good trilogy...
Book 1 of the Fionavar Tapestry is very enjoyable. It's original, intriguing and promising. The mythology described in this book is every Fantasy fan's dream: it has been... Read more
Published on 7 Oct 2006 by Ms. A. Voulgari
5.0 out of 5 stars An Amazing and Fantastic Fantasy (excuse the pun)
Guy Gavriel Kay and the Fionavar Tapestry - what can I say except it is one of the best trilogies I have ever read and, in fact, this trilogy was the first one I ever read,... Read more
Published on 20 April 2006 by Poppy
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