The Summer Tree (The Fionavar Tapestry, Book 1) (Paperback)

by Guy Gavriel Kay (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Five university students--Kimberly, Dave, Jennifer, Kevin, and Paul--meet a wizard who takes them to the heart of all worlds, Fionavar, where they discover who they were truly meant to be.

From the Back Cover
It all began with a lecture that introduced five university students to a man who would change their lives, a wizard who could take them from Earth to the heart of the first of all worlds--Fionavar. And take them Loren Silvercloak did, for his need--the need of Fionavar and all the worlds--was great indeed.

And in a marvelous land of men and dwarves, of wizards and gods--and of the Unraveller and his minions of Darkness--Kimberly, Dave, Jennifer, Kevin, and Paul discovered who they were truly meant to be. For the five were a long-awaited part of the pattern known as the Fionavar Tapestry, and only if they accepted their destiny would the armies of the Light stand any chance of surviving when the Unraveller unleashed his wrath upon the world.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Roc (February 4, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451451384
• ISBN-13: 978-0451451385
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 3.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (149 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #439,164 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 1 in The Fionavar Tapestry Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I WILL READ EVERY BOOK THIS MAN WRITES!!!, September 9, 1999

By A Customer

I consider myself an intellectual reader who can't even stand to look at the pictures on most fantasy books, let alone read them!

Mr. Kay has changed my perception of the fantasy genre and his stories have increased my love for reading!

This book started it all for me with it's story of five college students who attend a lecture which ultimately changes their lives by offering them the opportunity to enter another world, where their personalities and previous life experiences combine with new revelations, ancient history, magical, mythological events and the oldest battle ever waged to give each a sense of their unique purpose and destiny.

Mr. Kay's book does not meander aimlessly down a narrow story path full of cliches, but keeps you constantly guessing, hoping, feeling and experiencing every unique and satisfying moment through the eyes of each well-developed character.

Though this book stands on it's own, you will cheat yourself if you don't read the other two books in the Fionavar Tapestry. I was overjoyed when I realized that this book was just the first of three! I have read the Trilogy four times myself and have loaned the complete set out to many friends of varied personalities and interests. Each one has had only positive comments. I never received one set back!!!

Do yourself a favor and indulge in every one of Mr. Kay's fabulous fantasies! This is just the book to start with!

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A stunningly underrated trilogy, March 21, 2003

By	david bowers (CO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Summer Tree (The Fionavar Tapestry, Book 1) (Paperback)

I've read many - at least a thousand, certainly - fantasy books, and The Summer Tree (and the entire trilogy) is simply one of the very best. The 'Fionavar Tapestry' is so painstakingly crafted that it must have been a labor of love (and probably a first book), and I can never understand why I don't hear far more about it.

The language is frequently lyrical, far above the usual standard for fantasy writing; "words more strung with fire", to use one of Kay's own phrases, than any but the likes of, say, Bradbury's. The whole really IS a tapestry; a complex and intricate interweaving of different characters, plot strands, and fantasy elements. And so tightly and carefully woven that it's unbelievable - half a sentence in one book can subtly foreshadow a major event in another book three hundred pages later - yet it's never slow, as I'd expect given all the connections and resonances. You just don't normally find this level of plaited storytelling, even in the endless 300 pound series.

Obviously I was blown away by this trilogy - will probably read it every few years for life - but many of the Amazon reviews were negative and I'd like to address some of the comments. First, a number of the reviewers seemed to be giving Kay low marks mostly because he hadn't written some other book. For instance, some would have preferred a book in which all the characters came from the one world, not some from Fionavar and some from earth. Or some would have preferred a book that was more like Tolkien, or less like Tolkien, etc. I'd say that these are simply valid alternate choices as to the form, and he should be judged on the job he did, not downgraded because he didn't write another book entirely.

A few reviewers thought the plot cliche or even PREDICTABLE. I'll just flat-out claim that noone could have predicted his plot; it was simply too complex and detailed. It could only be honestly considered cliche or predictable if you simplify it to the level of Good vs. Evil; who's going to win? If that's the criterion then many, if not most, fantasy books just fail.

I do agree with some reviewers that it seemed like the 'earthlings' adapted amazingly well to an entirely new existence on another world and seemed to cut loose of their pasts with almost no remorse. Though I'd almost bet that Kay had that all worked out in his mind, not enough justification made it into the pages of the books. He did give us a few reasons(and hints)to think that some of the 'earthlings' had no strong personal ties back home, and that the one who did frequently thought about that tie, (his father), but I too think that he could have fleshed that out more.

And I agree that the two female main characters weren't
delineated well enough at the beginning. At first it was hard to really tell them apart, (though after a critical event in one of their lives that problem was taken care of).

There are some smaller imperfections as well, but compared to the vast majority of fantasy books out there...!

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars first kay book i read, January 31, 2000

By	MellyH "withthewookie" (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This was the first Guy Gavriel Kay book I read and at the time I picked it up I was having a hard time finding any fantasy novels I liked (Kept reading Mckinley over and over). This book introduced me to the Fionavar Tapestry that is key to understanding his other books such as Tigana. I have since read the Tapestry trilogy, Tigana and Song for Arbonne. This book is about a group of college students who are taken to a world where each discovers their true identity. In finding that identity, they also learn more about the new world they are now woven into. There is, of course, an impending war, gruesome creatures, deaths, deceptions and deep romance. If you are looking for a new author to read (as I was), I would suggest starting with the Fionavar tapestry and try Kay out! I look forward to and hope to enjoy all his works.