The Summer Tree
Fionavar Tapestry: Book One

Guy Gavriel Kay

3/7/1999

This is one of those novels that you close at the end and think about before you move again. There is so much contained in this story, and so much more to follow.

Five college students attend a Celtic Conference together where the recluse, Lorenzo Marcus, is speaking. After the conference he invites the five of them out for a quiet evening of coffee rather than the round of parties planned for him.

He stuns the five of them by inviting them to another land. Loren explains he is a mage from Fionavar, the first world, and he used magic to cross to our world. He wants to take the five of them back to Fionavar for a two week festival. The are allowed to decide of their own free will. If they decide to come, they are to meet him the next evening.

They all decide to accompany Loren for different reasons. At the last moment, Dave tries to change his mind. Kim was holding him and knew he made the crossing. Then he was separated from them. Now these four are brought to the king's court. There is much brewing, and they quickly realize they are not there to just help festivities. They each have a purpose in Fionavar. And Fionavar is what they need to discover their true selves.

This is a compelling novel. It is deep, with twists and turns. This is the beginning of a major saga. Some story threads are resolved. But there are many, many more. The people of Earth and the people of Fionavar have much to do.

Reviews for this novel can be found at . I first found this series reviewed at Happy Blue Dog

After you've read this series, visit . They have an abridged version of this you can read in a minute or less. Great humor!

The Series:

The Summer Tree
The Wandering Fire
The Darkest Road