Customer Reviews

The Wandering Fire (The Fionavar Tapestry, Book 2)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have now read this and its prequel, The Summer Tree, and am earnestly searching for Book Three, The Darkest Road (as usual with trilogies and suchlike, bookshops never have the one you're looking for!). When I read about the Fionavar Tapestry at the back of The Lord Of The Rings, of all places, I was immediately attracted by the idea of people from our world becoming characters in a fantasy epic.

Very frequently I have seen the Fionavar Tapestry compared to the works of Tolkein. In my opinion it is hard to compare them as they are very different. Tolkien's is a created mythology, supposedly preceding recorded history; Fionavar is a parallel world, and our own modern world is involved in the story by the use of the five protagonists. The characterisation is also different: Kay develops the relationships between his characters far more, at the expense of the much more complex and richly developed world of Tolkien. This is not to say that either is superior to the other, they are simply different, possibly because of their differing times of writing: Tolkien reads like classical epic or tragic poetry, whereas the Fionavar Tapestry is more modern in its treatment of characters and events, though the themes in both are the same.

Comparisons with Tolkien aside, I feel that the glowing reviews of the Tapestry are well deserved. The characters, particularly the five people from our world, are believable and easy to sympathize with. The story rarely descends into cliche (I say rarely - there are one or two moments which I thought could have been more originally handled, but they were still enjoyable and it is almost impossible to avoid cliche entirely, as I have just discovered - _descends into cliche_ is itself a cliche!) and blends real folklore and the author's own ideas excellently (I recognised a lot of things, such as the lios alfar, from the work of Alan Garner, which uses folklore as well). With respect to The Wandering Fire, I thought that the new spin it brings to the legend of King Arthur was extremely clever and original.

All in all, a cleverly constructed non-genre version of the classic war between Good and Evil.

As a final thought, be sure to read the Summer Tree before this one, otherwise it will have a lot less impact.

I remember the first time I read this series. It took me four days (it would have taken three, but there was a delay in getting the last two from a friend). I was moved more deeply than any other work in fantasy I had read. I remember staying up until 6 AM (I was in theater at the time) reading them, and weeping my way through the last third of the last book in the series.

Without doubt, Kay invokes all that is deep in us as people who have created mythos and myths to carry us. He evokes all that is strong in us, while showing that even the mythic have their weaknesses. While later works of Kay's may be more polished, this is the raw material that he still works from.

As with every reading, when I finished my recent re-read I was almost traumatised to leave the world that had been so well crafted. The end leaves all satisfied, but there is a bittersweet flavor to it, since the people he has created are no longer accessable to the reader.

This is the series I would want while stranded on a desert island. And I cannot think of anything more to say than that.

The Wandering Fire is the second volume in The Fionanvar Tapestry (starting with The Summer Tree and ending with The Darkest Road).

In Fionavar, Maidaladan, Midsummer's Eve, is approching but an unnatural winter is spreading all over the land. The Kings and Mages are gathering to try to understand the reason of this mysterious cold, and the armies of Brennin, Daniloth and Cathal are preparing for an oncoming war. Back in our world, Kim, now a Seer, summons Uther Pendragon in Stonehenge to help her wake his son Arthur in Glastonbury Tor, and crosses with the latter to Fionavar, for he is the legendary Warior who'll help them fight against Rakoth the Unraveller.

Meanwhile, Jennifer secretly gives birth to Darien, the fruit of Rakoth's rape, and puts him in the hands of Vae, Finn's mother, to hide and foster him. On the plains, the Dalrei try, not without great difficulty, to protect the last herds of eltors from the attacks of the monstrous wolves of Galadan, the Wolflord.

I was looking forward to reading this book, I really was. Having gone through the rather tedious introduction of The Summer Tree, I thought this one would start right on with more suspense and fast paced action (although I also enjoy highly desciptive books, such as Tad William's Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series, which I highly recommend, by the way). But it doesn't.

Indeed, I found Kay's style awkward and irregular, and the plot messy and somewhat grotesque at times. It's like he was afraid of revealing too much and enrobed his story in numerous unnecessary and confusing elements that did nothing but slow my reading down. Maybe, had I known the story of Arthur, I would have liked it more.

However, the book also has some good bits, even though I had to wait half the book before the story became interesting, and in the end I can say I enjoyed it. Let's just hope The Darkest Road becomes gripping quicker.

As I mentioned in my review of The Summer Tree (first in the Fionavar Tapestry), Mr. Kay is the one and only reason I read fantasy now! This book just reinforced what I learned about his writing ability while reading The Summer Tree.

The Wandering Fire picks up where The Summer Tree left off, taking the reader further into the development of five former college students and their encounters in a beautifully depicted world of magic, mythology and Arthurian legend.

I knew the basic story of King Arthur, Lancelot and Guinevere, but Mr. Kay's incredible ability to convincingly combine his created world of Fionavar with Arthurian legend and mythology made this second book even more interesting, exciting and rewarding than The Summer Tree. The story never slips and the characters are even more engaging this time around.

Anyone who immerses himself/herself in this Trilogy will wish it would never conclude. Thank goodness Mr. Kay continues to write more fabulous stories!

Sigh. I really had hopes for this series. Unfortunately, after trudging through two mediocre novels, it remains to be seen whether I will bother with the third.
The Wandering Fire, the second book in the Fionavar Tapestry series picks up not exactly where the first book, The Summer Tree, left off. Some time has elapsed since Kim's rescue of Jennifer from Starkadh, and the five are back in their own world, waiting for something to bring them back to Fionavar. That something is a dream from Seer Kim Ford, which will tell them what their next move should be. We also find out that Jennifer is carrying the child of Rakoth Maugrim, which she intends to keep. Eventually Kim has her dream and the five are sent back to Fionavar through the power of Kim's ring, the Baelrath. Kim also summons King Arthur (yes, THAT King Arthur) to help them in their quest. Soon all five are involved in their own paths in the war against the Unraveller. The novel chronicles the struggle to find out how Maugrim is creating the perpetual winter that is crushing Fionavar, and then how to defeat it when they finally do find out.
The Wandering Fire is plagued by the same problems of the first novel- too much melodrama, not enough character development, and several rather silly things. I spent much of the first half of the book rolling my eyes, especially at the appearance of King Arthur. I mean, come on, can't you even think up your own heroes? I also spent a lot of time rolling my eyes over the ludicrous amount of sex in this novel. GG Kay uses sex as as such and important plot device that it left me wondering just where he was drawing inspiration from. I don't have a problem with sex in a novel if it's used correctly, but GG Kay dramatizes it to the point where it's sickening.
Don't be misled by the comparisons between this series and Tolkien's work. Tolkien's works are far more engrossing and monumental, and unlike Kay, Tolkien knows where to direct his attention and when to quit. The Wandering Fire suffers from too many different elements and characters, to the effect that the heart of the novel is lost.
Lastly, there was something that irritated me about both novels, and I couldn't put my finger on it until recently. And that is that GG Kay writes with too much ambiguity. Ambiguity has its place in fantasy novels, granted, but GG Kay uses it so much that I felt like I was wandering in a perpetual fog, unsure of what was real and what was imagined.
The Wandering Fire is at least entertaining, if you can manage to not be distracted by the aforementioned items. For me, the Fionavar Tapestry series takes itself far too seriously, and I think I'll take the advice of others and try some of GG Kay's later work.

I love the Fionavar Tapestry. In these books Kay has woven a beautiful, complex story. The setting is Fionavar, a gorgeous and enchanted world filled with magic and history--a world which reminds me of Narnia or Middle Earth. The story is filled with strong, compelling characters, both male and female, who sometimes have to make difficult choices. At times the story is sad but Kay's writing is so graceful that I enjoyed even the sad parts.

The Wandering Fire, the second book in the triology, continues the saga begun in The Summer Tree. It contains many moments not only of excitement and action but poignant emotion, especially in the stories of Darien and Finn and that of Kevin.

I would highly recommend The Fionavar Tapestry to anyone who enjoys epic fantasy with powerful magic and beautiful settings.

The Sarantine Mosaic series was reccomended to me by a friend, and after reading it, I considered Kay to be one of the better fantasy writers out there.

Unfortunately, this book (and the one before it) have forced me to reconsider that opinion. This is Kay's first series, and it shows. He crams tons of characters in, with little depth given to any of them, and then (the biggest sin in my opinion) makes the mistake that many new writers make and tries to use ALL of the myriad of ideas they have in their first story. (The appearance of King Arthur was really the last straw for me)

Not reccomended (though his later work is)

While the three books that form the "Fionavar Tapestry" are engaging, they all suffer, to varying degrees, from a loosely scripted, and at times, implausible plot, as well as the inclusion of Arthurian elements that remain contrived and unnecessary except as a "hook" pandering to the appeal the Camelot legend holds for many readers, and that has already elsewhere been overworked. Further, I question the plot device of characters that are transported by varying means from "our" world into parallel fantasy realms that appear popular with many fantasy writers: Effectively used to inform the story in Donaldson's "Covenant" series, other writers turn to its use solely as a clever artifice by which to move characters around.

While better than most of the fantasy fiction about, this trilogy lacks the focus of Kay's later, more mature and individual works, such as "Tigana" or "Song for Arbonne." Read these if you are seeking serious and original fantasy tales. Save the "Fionavar Trilogy" for moments of simple, unexamined diversion.

Book two in the Fionavar Tapestry, this book lives up to the first ones legacy. While some strange plot holes marr what should be a 5 star rating, the people and world in this book still sparkle and the overall story arc is satisfying. If you like fantasy, you will like these books plain and simple.

"The Wandering Fire" is the second installment in Guy Gavriel Kay's Fionavar Tapestry. Picking up where "The Summer Tree" left off, the second act of the trilogy brings together the elements for the series' climax in a series of slow, plodding steps.

The Fionavar Tapestry tells the tale of five young people who find themselves pulled into a fantasy world. At first, just experiencing the strange land is enough to keep them busy, but soon they discover that they are at the center of something bigger. Great evil has awakened and seeks to spread itself across the lands. Epic storytelling ensues.

Mixing post-Tolkien influences with Arthurian legends and time-honored fantasy standards, "The Summer Tree" manages to stand up well on its own despite its clear influences, largely based on the author's strong writing. You'll see plenty of familiar characters with changed names - elves, orcs and the like - but it never feels like More Of The Same.

There is certainly a lot to like here. The story picks up quickly and thrusts us back into Fionavar. A more tense Fionavar on the brink of war. The climax, too, is brisk and thrilling, a wonderful finish to the second act that will keep readers tearing through the final 50 pages.

The middle portions of the book, however, fall a bit short. Where Kay's marvelous prose are enough to keep the first book moving even when very little of consequence is taking place, "The Wandering Fire" cannot always make the same boast. The book suffers from long, slow stretches. Kay dwells in sadness and melancholy - well written sadness and melancholy, to be sure - until the reader almost feels beaten over the head with it.

Second acts, however, are hard to really nail down, and when all is said and done, Kay's effort is admirable. Even in taking a step down from the first book, it is better than a good deal of the more pulpish fantasy out there. The climax is so good, you'll probably want to race right out and get the third. And after all, isn't that what the second act of a trilogy is supposed to do?