The Summer Tree - Guy Gavriel Kay

THE SUMMER TREE
Book 1 of "The Fionavar Tapestry"

ISBN - 9780451458223
FIRST PUBLISHED - 2001
PAGES - 303
GENRE - Fantasy
PUBLISHERS - Roc

AUTHOR - Guy Gavriel Kay

SYNOPSIS - 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.

QUOTES - 

• There are kinds of action, for good or ill, that lie so far outside the boundaries of normal behavior that they force us, in acknowledging that they have occurred, to restructure our own understanding of reality. We have to make room for them.

• We salvage what we can, what truly matters to us, even at the gates of despair.

• Alluding and attacking, summoning a courage, embodying a gallantry of defiance that hurt to see, it was so noble and so doomed.

• One didn't stop to talk with creatures from one's nightmares.

FL Speak - There are books which draw you in with their huge cast of interesting characters and there are some whose magical systems leaves you speechless. There are books of war and death, of friendship and weasley brothers, of coming of age and well, of aged wizards (I'm looking at you Raymond Feist) 

And then there are books which are poetry in motion. Beautifully structured, gracefully written which deserves the recognition of being an art in the world of fantasy. This is one such tale. 

The first thing that comes to mind when you read this book is Dragons and Dungeons. The second thing would probably be Narnia or Harry Potter. But unlike the latter two, this isn't a world which exists within one nor you're as young as you'd like to be when you discover FIONAVAR. 

Summoned to a world between worlds and the balance of the entire cosmos lies in the hands and fates of five young people. Five people, completely different from each other, each with their personal issues. And in the world of Fionavar, bonds are broken before they can be made. This is a spectacular tale of black vs white vs grey. 

I love the way Guy Gavriel writes. He doesn't waste time in doling out words just for the sake of making it beautiful. Forget words, he skips out sentences and actions. Too often, I've found myself anticipating if something is going to happen only to turn the page and find oh well, it did. 

Book 1 ended with a dire warning. The gongs have sounded, the Gods have spoken and the darkness has spread forth. Will these 5 be the catalyst and where their paths lie is yet to be determined.

RATING - 4/5