Guy Gavriel Kay - The Fionavar Tapestry

[Kookamoor]

I've been splurting out bits and pieces about this series all over the Forum today. It kept me up until 2am this morning because I *had* to finish the last book. It's the first fantasy I've read in a long time which has had a conclusive ending and no sign of a prequel, sequel or spin-off on the horizon. It's a really nice, tight way to encompass the story and I'm left very, very satisfied.

It's a really interesting mix of British mythology and fantasy, and takes place in a world, Fionavar, which is reached from our own world. Five young people, students at the University of Toronto, are brought to Fionavar to take part in the festivities of the High King's celebrations. But it soon becomes apparent that these young men and women have a greater place in the the future of what is to come.

I'm not a blurb writer, but that's as much as I can really say without giving the plot away too much. The genre is what some people would call 'urban fantasy', and what I prefer to term 'real-world fantasy', although less than 20 pages of the book is actually set in our world.

Thanks to ds (who for all his praises may well be Mr Kay himself, ) for the recommendation. I think I'm converted, and I'm off to the library asap to see if I can find Tigana, the next of Kay's series'.

 

[Jenem]

that sounds a bit like Timeline... anyway, i just read The Last Light of the Sun and now I'm hooked on Guy Gavriel Kay. plus i loved Timeline so maybe i should check out The Fionavar Tapestry next.

 

[direstraits]

Kook, I'd love to join you - I've been trying to hunt for the Wandering Fire (Book 2) in all the book shops I've been in the past week, but invariably all either had no Fionavar, or have 2 books, which is, you guessed it, The Summer Tree (Book 1) and The Darkest Road (Book 3). What the heck do I have to do to get the blinking 2nd book in the series???

And the only edition of Last Light of the Sun here that I've seen is the trade paperback, and it's a little pricey for me at present.

ds

 

[Kookamoor]

Dammit, ds!! I was looking forward to having a good ol' rant with you about certain things in this book. I hope you can find it eventually . My library had all the books, so I guess I was lucky - but then, I think he is Canadian.

 

[ions]

The first book of that series is the only book I started that I never finished. I tried a few times and could not get into it.

 

[Halo]

Ds had almost convinced me to try this by his cunning use of the subtle-but-constant method of brainwashing, and now Kook says she liked it... I was just about convinced until ions said he couldn't get into it, so now I'm wavering... Argh! Maybe I should just buy the damn book anyway (and earn ds some more commission ).

 

[ions]

To be honest I found the writing style boring. For a Fantasy book I didn't find the imagery particularly inpsiring and it was rather dry. I've heard some say that it's an acquired taste and maybe it's a taste you have or will acquire.

Take my criticism with a grain of salt. I have only made it about 50-60 pages into the first book. I did make at least 3 efforts to read it though and each time I ended up reading something else.

I talk about this a bit in the worst book you ever read thread here: http://forums.thebookforum.com/showpost.php?p=95609&postcount=65

 

[Wabbit]

Halo, you could try Tigana as it's just a single volume. It might be a good starting ponit

 

[Kookamoor]

Glad you posted that thread, ions, because it answered the question I was about to ask you which was, "Are you a Lord of the Rings fan?" I'm not a fan of the books, myself. I've read them and found them a little dry with not a whole lot of action for their length. While I admire Tolkien for his groundbreaking work in the genre, I think that many better works have been written. I also feel that there is too much emphasis on comparing every fantasy genre book to Tolkien - a flippant tool of reviewers who are not well versed in fantasy at all, IMHO. I'm sure you agree with me on that one

I don't think Kay bears much similarity at all to Tolkien. This first book isn't an 'epic journey', and the writing styles vary greatly. If one is looking for beautiful imagery this isn't the author for you. Kay is much more to the point about what's going on, relying more on dialogue and descriptions said by the characters to describe the world.

I was really into this book about 20 pages in - the mysterious opening sequence sucked me in right away. So, Halo, I'd suggest giving it a shot because the story is great. But if, like ions, you find the writing style not to your taste, you'll find out before you get too far into the book.

 

[Halo]

Hmm... Wabbit: I might try Tigana then as it is a single volume, to see if I like Kay's writing.
Kook: I'm not that bothered about beautiful imagery, and indeed prefer a straight-forward style.
Ions: Yes, I think you do know pretty quickly if you're going to get into a book or not.

A certain blue banana man has been recommending this author to me for ages, so I'll look them up on Amazon!

 

[pwilson]

A certain blue banana man has been recommending this author to me for ages, so I'll look them up on Amazon!

I'm no blue banana (and would never claim to be) but I would say give Tigana a try. It's the only one of Kay's I've read so far but I thought it was very good.

 

[direstraits]

Halo, if you're unsure, do try and get any Kays you find (just don't get the ones that start in the middle of a duology or trilogy) from the library. That's safest, plus it gives you a chance to return the library's copy of King's The Dark Tower you're probably still hogging onto to see if the ending changes.

ions - It is kinda ironic that you don't like Kay since it was Kay who helped Tolkien finish Silmarillion (after Tolkien was, uhm, unable to finish the piece himself). His works are in a dramatically different style than Silmarillion, though (which explains your dislike). If you've got the chance, try Kay's Lions of Al-Rassan.

Btw, Kook, here's a link to Kay's website that has plenty of extra stuff on Fionavar that you'd probably be interested in.

ds

btw pwilson - I've Cloud Atlas sitting in my TBR, so do tell if you think the book is any good.

 

[pwilson]

btw pwilson - I've Cloud Atlas sitting in my TBR, so do tell if you think the book is any good.

I'm almost done and it's definitely worth a read. I'm sure you've read a little bit about it but basically it's six stories that span centuries and continents yet are all interconnected. He visits each character and story, 1-6 and then goes backwards 6-1. Sorry if I'm telling you what you already knew but it's very unique. I'll let you know my final verdict here in the next few days.

 

[Kookamoor]

Btw, Kook, here's a link to Kay's website that has plenty of extra stuff on Fionavar that you'd probably be interested in.

Dammit, ds, and there I was all primed to actually get work done today!

 

[Halo]

...plus it gives you a chance to return the library's copy of King's The Dark Tower you're probably still hogging onto to see if the ending changes.

That made me laugh! After I'd read the ending three times and it didn't change, it went back fairly quickly in disgust.

What I read about Tigana on Amazon didn't exactly interest me much, to be honest. I think I will have to drag myself down to my library and request it (as they certainly won't have it )

 

[Oberon]

One big debt I owe this forum is putting me on to this writer! Unfortunately, I can't find many of his books for sale. I'm looking at local library listings to see if I can read more. And thanks for the link to his Web site.

I must confess that the whole "historical" fantasy novel doesn't light me up, but now that I've seen how he develops characters and relationships and adds these great touches of wonderment (the "birds" in Saratine Tapestry, for instance), I am willing to get onboard.

 

[Kookamoor]

I'm halfway through Tigana now, and it's just awesome. There doesn't seem to be elements of real life in this one (unless there's mythology I don't know about...). But I'm staying away from the Tigana thread until I've finished it... I don't want missing spoiler tags to ruin anything. And I don't want my feeble willpower to fail me and sneak a peek!

Halo - I found the prologue and the first chapter hard going, but from Chapter 2, I was hooked.

I seem to be really lucky that my library has *a lot* of his work. Perhaps it's because he's Canadian...

 

[pwilson]

I'm halfway through Tigana now, and it's just awesome.

Halfway, huh? I'm waiting!

 

[Kookamoor]

Halfway, huh? I'm waiting!

Yeah, I've been really busy of late, unfortunately. By my partner's away tomorrow night, and I'm hoping for a lovely evening in my recliner with this book. Mmm...

 

[direstraits]

I must confess that the whole "historical" fantasy novel doesn't light me up, but now that I've seen how he develops characters and relationships and adds these great touches of wonderment (the "birds" in Saratine Tapestry, for instance), I am willing to get onboard.

Hey Oberon, when you said "birds", did you mean chicks... er, I mean, the ladies in the Saratine Mosaic, or did you actually mean birds, the ones with feathers?

Because I remember the chic... uhm, ladies in the novels, but not the significance of the birds.

ds