Book Review: The Summer Tree by Kay

The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I took quite some time to warm-up to this earliest novel of Guy Gavriel Kay. I just couldn't get excited about five Canadian college students agreeing (with the exception of one malcontent ... but there's always got to be one rebel) to be whisked or warped or rifted or transported (take your pick) to the world of Fionavar just to attend the king's jubilee. Thrust into a seemingly medieval setting, complete with court politics, royal succession quandaries, manipulative magicians, kingdom-wide drought and blight and an approaching storm of vengeful evil, these young men and women adapt readily and a bit unbelievably. Even the initial loss of one in the crossing barely causes a blip of concern once the remaining four become embroiled in the avalanche of events bearing down on the kingdom.

Of all the characters, both from our world and Finovar, I respected Dave the most as well as Sharra (and I hope to learn more about her in the rest of the series). Paul seemed to excel at doing the right things for all the wrong reasons. Kimberly went native almost before leaving Earth, but Kevin remains an enigma to me. I barely glimpsed Jennifer's tribulations and fear for her fate.

I saw the influence of Celtic mythology throughout Kay's worldbuilding and drew parallels with other epic fantasies prevalent and popular in the late 70s and early 80s (Tolkien, Lewis and to a lesser extent Brooks).

I suspect I missed reading the Fionavar Tapestry in high school and early college because I had to rely on what I saw at the grocery store book/magazine aisle, since I didn't have access to a library or a book store and GoodReads wasn't even a gleam on the Internet's nascent horizon. Had I read this series then, I am confident I would have added it to my permanent re-read collection. While The Summer Tree and the rest of the Fionavar Tapestry will remain on my shelves besides Kay's other later great novels, I doubt I'll be tempted to re-read it. Not with Tigana or the Lions of Al-Rassan enticing me to return and relive the wonder and the glory.

For further insights, please visit the discussion threads at the GoodReads Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Club held in June 2011.

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Book Review: A Shot in the Dark by Stewart

A Shot in the Dark by K.A. Stewart

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 stars

A Shot in the Dark continues a few months after A Devil in the Details, with Jesse James Dawson mostly recovered from his last demon death-dance and tornado tango, but still suffering from nightmares of an earlier near-fatal demon fight. His annual Colorado camping trip with his buddies should provide ample opportunity for rejuvenation and recreation… What should have been a relaxing retreat quickly turns into a siege reminiscent of the Alamo . . .

A Shot in the Dark provides a good mystery, a few thrills, a new take on zombies, MacGyver-esque innovations in demon fighting and a peek into the true identity of Jesse’s favorite demon sidekick, Axel (hint: read To Reign in Hell by Steven Brust or Milton’s Paradise Lost). This is a strong sequel to last year’s A Devil in the Details and a great summer vacation read. Just don’t forget the holy water, mirrors and swords.

Read more at FantasyLiterature.com

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Book Review: A Darkness at Sethanon by Feist

A Darkness at Sethanon by Raymond E. Feist

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The final installment to the Riftwar Saga series contained page-turning action and most of the answers to mysteries and questions posed from earlier in the series, including a surprise twist that posed ... more questions. While I enjoyed reading A Darkness at Sethanon, I felt the characters gained less growth this time around, being more reactive to the harsh circumstances thrown at them on their quest to stop Murandamus. The Pug, Tomas and Macros cameo chapters intrigued me the most, providing more background about themselves and the other elves, and more worldbuilding with glimpses of rift space and the end or beginning of the universe.

I enjoyed reading this series and feel it provides a good solid fantasy adventure story.

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First Third of My Summer Reads - June 2011

Just a few of my favorite things . . . thanks to participating in GoodReads groups and as a guest reviewer for FantasyLiterature.com:

SciFi and Fantasy Book Club's currently-reading book montage

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Welcome to the SciFi and Fantasy Book Club!

Books we're currently reading

Consider Phlebas
by Iain M. Banks

Start date: June 1, 2011

The Summer Tree
by Guy Gavriel Kay

Start date: June 1, 2011

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Beyond Reality's to-read book montage

747 members

Welcome to the Beyond Reality SF&F discussion group on GoodReads. In Beyond Reality, each of our me...

Books we plan to read

The Magicians
by Lev Grossman

Start date: June 1, 2011 *

In the Garden of Iden
by Kage Baker

Start date: June 1, 2011

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For lovers of Fantasy, monthly book discussions
May read: The Name of the Wind by...

Books we're currently reading

Leviathan
by Scott Westerfeld 

Start date: June 1, 2011

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Can't resist the lure of an epic saga full of fantastic creatures, scintillating sorcery, heroic...

Books we're currently reading

House of Chains
by Steven Erikson

Start date: May 15, 2011 *

Daughter of the Empire
by Raymond E. Feist

Start date: June 1, 2011

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* I am not reading these selections.

Anything else I tackle this month can be found on my current-month book shelf at GoodReads.

Book Review: Silverthorn by Feist

Silverthorn by Raymond E. Feist

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

(To view spoilers, please highlight this redacted text.)

With the closing of the rift at the end of Magician, I wondered where Raymond Feist would take me in Silverthorn, the next novel in the Riftwar Saga series. The three brothers (Arutha, Lyam and Martin) spent a year touring the Kingdom and returned to Krondor to plan Arutha and Anita's wedding. Jimmy the Hand, a young full-of-himself thief and rising star in the Mockers, foiled an assassination attempt upon Prince Arutha. Because Jimmy aided both Anita and Arutha in escaping Krondor during the Riftwar, he chose to warn Arutha before reporting to the Mockers, and for his divided loyalty he was branded a traitor by his Guild. Arutha haggled with the Upright Man, the leader of the Mockers and, unknown to Jimmy, his father. Arutha agrees to make Jimmy his Squire and the Mockers agree to hunt for the Night Hawk assassins. With the Mockers' assistance, Arutha invades the Night Hawks' hideout in Krondor, but what should have been a rout, instead turns into a zombie apocalypse melee until Jimmy burns the place down around them.

Thinking the threats to his life abated, Arutha and Anita proceed with their wedding. Jimmy gets a bad feeling and restlessly searches the upper galleries of the hall, stumbling upon a former high-ranking Mocker now turned assassin. Despite being knocked senseless, gagged and restrained, Jimmy manages to divert the assassin's shot, which misses Arutha but strikes his bride-to-be Anita. Even the great Pug can't cure Anita, so he places a spell upon her that slows time down to a barely perceptible crawl, allowing Arutha time to find an antidote for the poison. An interrogation session with the assassin reveals the name of the poison (and also the antidote) to be 'silverthorn' but no one on hand in Krondor has ever heard of it.

Thus, a quest is begun. Pug returns to Stardock to search Macros' library and eventually discovers a way to return to Kelewan, where an even more comprehensive library exists founded by the Tsurani Assembly of Great Ones. Predictably, Pug is detained as a result of his last acts at the Imperial Games before closing the rift. Meanwhile, Arutha and a small party, including Jimmy, head to the Kingdom's own repository of knowledge at Sarth.

Eventually, knowledge of the silverthorn is gleaned and Arutha's party seeks it through elven territory in the west and the far northern reaches of Midkemia. Pug extricates himself from detention and goes on his own quest for the Watchers, also in the far northern reaches, but on Kelewan. Both storylines include action, adventure, danger, puzzles and more walking dead. Jimmy provides some sidekick humor to lighten the mood.

Arutha returns with the antidote and saves Anita. Jimmy continues his campaign to become Duke of Krondor. Pug finds the Watchers and agrees to be instructed in magic for a year.

Silverthorn delivered an almost typical quest adventure, focusing on Arutha's obsessive need to save Anita and Jimmy's transition from thief to trusted companion and squire to Arutha. Even though Pug only popped in for a few chapters, I am positive his quest will result in further adventures in later novels. Tomas appeared only in a couple of brief cameos, but at least he's settling in nicely among the elves and fatherhood agrees with him. Princess Caroline, twice bereft of lovers in Magician, sets her sights on Laurie and I see another royal wedding in the near future.

Probably not quite a four star rating, but definitely better than three or three and a half. Stop in at Fantasy Book Club Series group to review discussions of Silverthorn (with a Q&A thread monitored by Raymond E. Feist) from April 2011.

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Book Review: Magician: Master by Feist

Magician: Master by Raymond E. Feist

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The second half of Magician became increasingly dark as I approached the climactic end to the Kelewan-Midkemian Riftwar. I observed definite growth to full maturity between Pug and Tomas, and perhaps that growth from boyhood through young adult into adulthood is what I lament - the rite of passage of most normal young boys, though Pug and Tomas could never be mistaken for normal. While everything seemed wondrous and adventurous in the first half of the novel (also known as Magician: Apprentice), I felt the oppression of circumstances, the collision of events and the machinations of a magician previously thought trustworthy. Not all was dark and gloomy, yet I didn't walk away from this book thinking it ended on a resoundingly happy note.

A couple of scenes stood out as a bit over-the-top and stretched the envelope of believability: Milamber's reaction to the Imperial Games and Tomas' ability to overcome a dead dreaded god-like being with his boyish mental fortitude. And I can't deny I felt gut-punched by the eleventh-hour betrayal by Macros. (to view spoiler, please highlight this paragraph).

For a debut work, I applaud Raymond Feist for a magnificent tale and the beginning to a well-loved fantasy epic. I'm continuing the Riftwar Saga by reading Silverthorn this month.

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Book Review: Peril's Gate by Janny Wurts

Peril's Gate by Janny Wurts
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm speechless and breathless (and have been for several weeks) after finishing this penultimate tipping-point volume in Janny Wurts' Wars of Light and Shadow series. Even taking a break and reading a half dozen other books hasn't allowed me to express the emotions that wracked me or the wonders assuaging them. Not since reading Janny's To Ride Hell's Chasm has a book's pacing been so unrelenting and rewarding. And to think she wrote that novel after Peril's Gate to step back from writing this series!

I highly recommend this book, but also strongly suggest you not start with this novel. Begin at the beginning, with Curse of the Mistwraith and immerse yourself in all things Atheran.

Please see Stefan's outstanding review of Peril's Gate for a concise synopsis and insightful comments.

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Book Review: Magician: Apprentice by Feist

Magician: Apprentice by Raymond E. Feist
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am kicking myself for not reading this novel when published, my only excuse being I was a teenager with no funds and no connections (remember the state of the Internet in 1982?). I lived twenty miles away from the nearest library back then. If my mom didn't own the book, I didn't get to read it.

This story overflows with likable characters: Pug, Tomas, Carline, Roland, Arutha, Kulgan, Meecham, just to name a few. The pacing skips, trots, canters, gallops, crashes, walks, jumps, and flies. The magic system teases you through Pug's apprenticeship, yet we glimpse broader examples through Kulgan and the invaders. The classic fantasy races make an appearance via elves (both light and dark or good and bad as you prefer), dwarfs, goblins, trolls and dragons.

The world building interwove seamlessly with the narrative as we followed along with Pug and Tomas as they ventured along with the Duke's expedition to seek aid to stave off an invasion of aliens from his royal kin over the mountains and east of his far western holding of Crydee. The aliens control rifts between their world, Kellewan, and Midkemia, where the Kingdom reigns through the Duke's royal relatives. Through these rifts, the aliens establish a bridgehead and proceed to slowly encroach upon Midkemia, first to mine metals in the mountains east of Crydee, and then to expand westward to gain access to the sea.

The book ends abruptly, but understandably so, since the original publication was one large volume, not the two we see today published as Magician: Apprentice and Magician: Master. I look forward to reading the second half of this opening salvo in the Riftwar Saga next month.

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FBCS 2011 Upcoming Reads Montage

February is just four days away.

On the first, we start reading Feist's the Riftwar Saga series with Magician: Apprentice.

On the fifteenth, we will start reading Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen series with Gardens of the Moon.

Both of these series will keep us occupied, discussing and debating for the rest of 2011. Come join in the fun. Don't feel pressured to read and/or discuss both series ... unless you desire to.

Fantasy Book Club Series's to-read book montage for 2011

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Can't resist the lure of an epic saga full of fantastic creatures, scintillating sorcery, heroic...

Books we plan to read

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FBCS Run-Off Poll: Riftwar v. Malazan

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193 members

Can't resist the lure of a soaring epic saga full of fantastic creatures, scintillating sorcery,...

Books we've read

Stormed Fortress
by Janny Wurts
Start date: December 1, 2010

Traitor's Knot
by Janny Wurts
Start date: November 1, 2010

Peril's Gate
by Janny Wurts
Start date: October 1, 2010
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Fantasy Book Club Series Run-Off Poll

Second Series Run-Off for FCBS

Riftwar Saga by Raymond E. Feist
v.
Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson

First three books of Riftwar Saga:



First three books of Malazan Book of the Fallen:

Riftwar Saga by Raymond E. Feist
Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson

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Fantasy Book Club Series (GoodReads) Selecting the Next Series for Group Read

Polls open until midnight Saturday night (15 January 2011).

Fantasy Book Club Series's bookshelf: read

190 members

Can't resist the lure of a soaring epic saga full of fantastic creatures, scintillating sorcery,...

Books we've read

Stormed Fortress
by Janny Wurts
Start date: December 1, 2010

Traitor's Knot
by Janny Wurts
Start date: November 1, 2010

Peril's Gate
by Janny Wurts
Start date: October 1, 2010

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Members are Selecting the Next Series for Group Read

A dozen fantasy series were nominated, including Black Jewell by Anne Bishop; Corean Chronicles by L.E. Modesitt Jr.; Deverry by Katharine Kerr; Tales of the Flat Earth by Tanith Lee; Fortress by C.J. Cherryh; Inda by Sherwood Smith; Riftwar Saga by Raymond E. Feist; Malazon Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson; Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock; Riyria Revelations by Michael J. Sullivan; Saga of Recluce by L.E. Modesitt Jr.; and Windrose Chronicles by Barbara Hambly

Results of the poll will automatically be visible after midnight on Saturday 15 January 2011.

FBCS Nominations Average Ratings (from GoodReads)
Series	Author	Number Published	All Avg Ratings	Total Avg Rating for Series
Black Jewels	Bishop, Anne	9	36.89	4.10
Corean Chronic les	Modesitt, L.E., Jr.	7	26.69	3.81
Deverry	Kerr, Katherine	15	55.92	3.73
Flat Earth	Lee, Tanith	5	21.01	4.20
Fortress	Cherryh, C.J.	5	18.69	3.74
Inda	Smith, Sherwood	4	16.28	4.07
Riftwar Saga	Fesit, Raymond E.	4	16.27	4.07
Malazan Book of the Fallen	Erikson, Steven	9	38.48	4.28
Mythago Wood	Holdstock, Robert	5	19.27	3.85
Riyria Revelations	Sullivan, Michael J.	5	20.35	4.07
Saga of Recluce	Modesitt, L.E., Jr.	16	61.81	3.86
Windrose Chronicles	Hambly, Barbara	4	15.45	3.86