Susan Hated Literature

Author: Guy Gavriel Kay
ISBN: 0586216774
DDC: 813.54
Reread with FantasyFavorites

On a morning in the springtime of the year, when the snows of the mountains were melting and the rivers swift in their running, Aelis de Miravel watched her husband ride out at dawn to hunt in the forest west of their castle, and shortly after that she took horse herself, travelling north and east along the shores of the lake towards the begetting of her son.

Blaise is a corran, a soldier hired by a lord in “soft, womanish Arbonne”. Recently arrived in Arbonne from the more martial, masculine Gorhaut, Blaise doesn’t like the difference in culture and society, and doesn’t want to understand the politics or lifestyle. All he wants is to be away from his home. To escape the past.

For Gorhaut has recently come out of a long war, and dishonourably in Blaise’s opinion. But Arbonne has a past of its own, and soon he finds himself caught up in the local feuds. And with his homeland at peace for the first time in many years its leaders begin to turn their eyes towards soft, prosperous Arbonne.

As usual with GGK’s books A Song for Arbonne is a character driven story, that is too true to the reality of life to offer a happy, resolved ending. Instead we get great characters, a good plot and wonderful language.

This was a reread for me, so I knew how it was going to end. But that didn’t spoil the story, instead it let me enjoy the book even more. Knowing the characters’ pasts gave a greater understanding of their motivations and actions, rather than take away from any sense of speculation and suspense.

And of course, it is that rare of books, a single volume fantasy novel, so of course I recommend it as a great read.

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ISBN: 0743484231
Author: Guy Gavriel Kay
DDC: 813.54

Yet again Kay’s succeeds in creating a wonderful, fantastical version of history. This time he takes an alternate Britain being raided by the Vikings. It is set in the same alternate-Europe that The Lions of Al-Rassan was based in. But far to the north of Al-Rassan we find a much different world; one where Erlings launch raids on Anglcyn and Cyngael, two peoples who share the same island, but who also have their own differences.

Unlike many fantasy novels you will not find any great quest. No one sets out to save the world, there is no all-powerful evil to defeat. Instead the novel focuses on a wide range of characters whose lives intersect at various places and times, and through whose experiences we come to know Kay’s alternate world.

Kay also introduces characters whose lives are affected by the events that are more central to the novel, briefly telling their stories over a few pages before returning to the main characters. The reason, I think, is to highlight how ordinary people’s lives go on no matter the great events. Yes these events have great impact, but life goes on. Always has and always will. History is not just something that happens because of kings and generals, but it is the story of ordinary people. Kay also uses these stories to make a point, to tell the reader something;

“It happens this way. Small things, accidents of timing and congruence: and then all that flows in our lives from such moments owes its unfolding course, for good or ill, to them. We walk (or stumble) along paths laid down by people and events of which we remain forever ignorant.”

Overall I enjoyed this book, the different ways of life, the characters never felt forced or false, but I never found any that I found so fascinating I’d skim other stories. The closest to a character like that was Alun ab Owyn, a prince of the Cyngael who had quite an encounter in a calm, still pool one moonless night.

GGK’s Penguin Column | SF Review | Infinity Plus review | Eyrie review |

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ISBN: 0586215239
Book 2 of 3
Author: Guy Gavriel Kay
DDC 813.54
It is always hard to review the middle book of a trilogy. I don’t want to give anything away to those who have yet to read The Summer Tree, but how can you review a book without at least mentioning some plot points?

The Wandering Fire opens, as did book 1, in our world. But this time the character are dealing with the knowledge of Fionavar, and are having to cope with what happened to them there. Wondering did Kim’s last message get through to Aileron and the others, waiting to figure out how to get back.

When I first read this series this was in a way my favourite of the books, mainly because of something that happened towards the end that is wonderful in its subversion of the Tolkien elves sailing from the Grey Havens, and yet at the same time honours that image.

This time, however, it seems much more of a middle book. The difficult in-between one. There is no real beginning as we have been introduced to the world and the characters in book one, and there is no conclusion because we are still waiting for book three. Despite these problems I think that GGK does a good job of keeping the story moving, and creating a certain amount of closure at the end of this story.

The Wandering Fire also introduces us to the character of Arthur, of British legend, and we find out that his destiny is linked to one of the original five (I won’t tell you who). Here, Arthur is known as The Warrior, he has fought countless battles in many different worlds. And always he is forced to endure his curse, that of the triangle between himself Guinevere and Lancelot, and always he dies before the end. Will it be the same this time?

GGK’s official site | SFreader’s review | FantaFiction review | GNOD

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Author: Guy Gavriel Kay

ISBN: 0586215220
Book 1 of 3 The Fionavar Tapestry
DDC: 813.54

This is a reread for me, the reason being that we are reading the series at ffseries starting with book 2 as we read the first one in fantasy favorites. So in preparation I thought I might as well skim over this one so I’d know what I was talking about.

When I first read The Summer Tree I wasn’t all that impressed, thought it was quite standard fantasy, and, when compared to other books by GGK, disapointing. I’m glad to say that after my rereading I’d half to disagree with my earlier self.

Yes, there are quite a lot of the standard fantasy cliches; light and dark, a band of inexperienced possible-hero types, older magic figures, kings, maps, and a creature of pure evil. And it was probably these that threw my on my last reading, I wasn’t expecting this form of fantasy, so I didn’t really look past the surface.

Underneath the standard fantasy elements GGK’s writing shines through. His characters sometimes act, or feel, a little too much a little too soon, but overall they are fantasticly written. From the outsider Dave who is “too quick to renounce friendship” to Paul who is still recovering from the loss of his girlfriend.

Another possible reason I didn’t enjoy it first time round is the fact that five characters (Paul, Kevin, Jennifer, Kimberly and Dave) travel from our Earth to Fionavar. Usually the traveling to another magical world is done simply so the author will have a person as clueless as the reader who can ask the questions why, how, where etc. And there is a slight element of that here, but there is also another reason behind it.

The Summer Tree is an example of High Fantasy that rises above its own cliches, and is well worth a read.

Bright Weavings (GGK’s official site) | GGK | Infinity Plus interview with GGK

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Have just spotted on Empire that The Lions Of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay will be made into a film. That could be well cool if done properly.

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ISBN: 0061056219
Author: Guy Gavriel Kay
DDC: 813.54

Loved this book. Pretty much devoured it in one day, and it isn’t the shortest of books.
The version I read was published by EOS and is catagorised as fantasy, as are all the books by Kay that I have come across so far, but in reality this has very few elements of what most people woul regard of fantasy. Yes it has a map at the start, and the countries involved are made up, but the history and culture of these places are based on that of Spanish history, medieval Iberia with its African aspects as well as European.

This is my third Kay book recently, I’ve read Tigana and A Song for Arbonne and loved them both. Lions has the same wonderful writing, and similar themes, in that it dealt with love, loyalty, honour and friendship. I’ve rated this one higher than the other two, but now that I think about it I’m not really sure if it is better. But that would make me move the other two up rather than this one down. Think I am just reluctant to give out 10s

Lions of Al-Rassan tells the story of many different characters, all from different backgrounds and cultures, how they meet and form relationships. How these relationships deepen, yet are challenged by history and culture, by the differences between the countries/religions. It is a story of loyalty,and love, and how they are not enough.

Despite being gutted by the ending, I loved this book

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