The Summer Tree, Guy Gavriel Kay, McClelland and Stewart, 1984, 323 pp.

The Summer Tree is the first work of fantastical fiction by Guy Gavriel Kay, who has become one of the top writers in any genre. His key traits are already evident in this debut: strong and polished writing, an interesting world, fascinating characters, and the ability to wrap all of the above into a package that is simultaneously exciting and thought-provoking. A rare skill.

The Summer Tree is also the first book in a trilogy, The Fionavar Tapestry, and forms a lovely introduction to that world. A group of five friends live in Toronto, in our world; they are taken into the land of Fionavar by the mage Loren Silvercloak (Part 1 of the book, "Silvercloak," tells this segment of the story). The five think they are only going for two weeks, but they are soon entangled in an incredibly complex series of events, and can hardly think of leaving. Kim becomes the new Seer of the Kingdom, Kevin befriends Prince Diarmuid, Paul takes the King's place on the tree of the title, and Jennifer is abducted by minions of the evil Maugrim the Unraveller (Part 2 of the book, "Rachel's Song," is about these first encounters in Fionavar). The fifth friend, Dave, was separated from the others in transit to Fionavar, and his story is picked up a little later in the book (Part 3, "The Children of Ivor"). He becomes part of a tribe of horsemen in a nearby country, and, after some heroic journeys, joins the others. The book concludes with a series of scenes that escalate in tension, to the point where the inevitable cliffhanger is almost unbearable. It's perhaps better to buy the book in an omnibus so that you don't have to waste time putting down this book and picking up the next one in the trilogy!

The Wandering Fire, Guy Gavriel Kay, Harper Collins, 1986, 298 pp.

The Wandering Fire follows The Summer Tree in the trilogy called The Fionavar Tapestry. Kay addresses the middle-book problem -- when the middle book of a trilogy has no beginning, no end, and not much dramatic urgency -- and does so in a specific way: our heroes have the overall goal of defeating the evil Maugrim the Unraveller, but they don't know precisely how to do it. The Wandering Fire tells of an enormous step in that quest, the cost of doing so, and sets up the third book nicely for the final confrontation.

The Wandering Fire, like the previous book, is divided into four subsections. The book begins with "The Warrior," and here we learn that the five friends from Toronto are there once again, and waiting to somehow cross over to the fantastical land of Fionavar. Kim, now a powerful Seer, resurrects Arthur, the warrior, and brings him along for the fight against evil in Fionavar. Part 2, "Owein," tells of another force that is enlisted on the side of good: the Hunt, led by Owein, and accompanied by the human boy Finn who tragically loses his place with his family. The third section of the book, "Dun Maura," is another bittersweet victory for the fight, as one of the five friends sacrifices all in order to end the winter that was lying heavy on the land for half a year. The Wandering Fire concludes with "Cader Sedat," and an ocean voyage to find and stop a rogue mage who is fighting on the side of Maugrim.

The Darkest Road, Guy Gavriel Kay, Harper Collins, 1986, 420 pp.

The Darkest Road concludes the Fionavar Tapestry trilogy. The first two books set up an enormous amount of plot and character information, and it falls on this book to wrap them all up in a satisfying way or risk the perception that the whole endeavour was for naught. The Darkest Road doesn't disappoint, and it makes full use of a third more pages than the previous two volumes in the trilogy.

The Darkest Road follows the same structure as the first and second books: four sections, with a fifth section this time around to wrap up the trilogy. Part 1, "The Last Kanior," reintroduces us to what is happening in Fionavar, and follows Kim the Seer as she goes to rescue the trapped giants known as the Paraiko; as is mentioned many times in this trilogy, the rescue becomes a double-edged gift, as the Paraiko are changed by the necessities of war. Part 2, "Lisen's Tower," describes the aftermath of the sea voyage that ended the previous book. Most of the characters reassemble at Lisen's Tower at the ocean's shore, and we learn more about the lonely fate of Darien, Jennifer's son. Part 3, "Calor Diman," wraps up one of the last storylines that has been building all along: Matt, the Dwarf King, goes back home to reclaim the crown that he once renounced. All of the elements come together in Part 4, "Andarien." Here we read about the final battle between the forces of good and evil, and the surprising twist that comes after. The final section, "Flowerfire," is shorter, but here Kay tells of the fateful decisions of all of the various major characters, those who have survived.

A Song for Arbonne, Guy Gavriel Kay, Viking, 1992, 515 pp.

A Song for Arbonne is Kay's love letter to Provence, and it's also a remarkably effective entry in Kay's career. Arbonne, a fantastical land analogous to Provence at the time of courtly troubadours, does not have much magic; if anything, this book is about the strengths of an artsy way of life, even if it is under great threat.

Like many of Kay's stories, this book is about the reverberating effects of human tragedy and passion. The Prologue begins with a look at the beginnings of just such a tragedy in the country of Arbonne. Aelis, wife of Urte de Miraval and daughter of the current ruler of Arbonne, meets Bertran de Talair for a secret assignation. The rest of the book picks up a few decades later, as Bertran and Urte are still locked in hatred of each other; Aelis died giving birth to Bertran's child, just after telling Urte about her affair. Now two of the most powerful nobles in the land are busily undermining each other, and this at a vulnerable point in history.

The Lions of Al-Rassan, Guy Gavriel Kay, Viking, 1995, 582 pp.

The Lions of Al-Rassan, Kay's excellent new novel, takes as its historical basis the past of the Spanish peninsula. Al-Rassan is the kingdom of the Asharite invaders from across the straits in the desert to the south; however the tribes still in the desert regard the people of Al-Rassan as debauched and quite fallen away from the faith of the prophet Ashar, and the worship of the stars. To the north of the peninsula lies the three kingdoms of the Jaddites, sun-worshippers, also former nomads who have begun to settle permanently. They regard Al-Rassan with envious eyes as their former homeland. And the picture is completed by the tribe of the Kindath, the permanent wanderers, who worship the two moons, and are persecuted by both Jaddite and Asharite. A compelling foundation for what's to come.

Jehane is a famous Kindath doctor, the daughter of an even more famous Kindath doctor, Ishak. Jehane lives in Fezana, one of the northernmost cities of Al-Rassan, and leaves the city when the rulers massacre almost the entire ruling class for seditious behaviour. One of her patients was also slated to be killed, and, in a tense sequence, she escapes with him. Outside of the city, she happens to meet with Rodrigo, a Captain of the Jaddite forces, on his way to gather tribute from Fezana. Events there later trigger Rodrigo's exile from his home kingdom; Rodrigo meets up with Jehane once more in the eastern Al-Rassan kingdom of Ragosa. There they meet up with the third main character of the book, Ammar ibn Khairan. Ammar knew Jehane and Jehane's father in Fezana, and was himself exiled for actions later in Fezana. The two men fight as mercenaries for Ragosa, with Jehane as the company physician. The book builds toward chaos and armed struggle as the Jaddites contemplate a holy war against Al-Rassan, as do the Asharite tribes still in the desert. Will old loyalties hold Rodrigo and Ammar, even if that means the destruction of everything grand and charismatic about them? What will Jehane make of her life? The three main characters carry the story and its tragic implications particularly well.

Last modified: March 22, 2004

Copyright © 2004 by James Schellenberg (james@jschellenberg.com)