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The Summer Tree
(book 1, The Fionavar Tapestry)

Guy Gavriel Kay
Internet Top 100
1984

Fantasy trilogy more similar to The Lord of the Rings than anything we've seen. The similarity is a two-edged sword though (an analogy/theme frequently used in the story): on the downside, the familiarity detracts from the suspense - it feels at times like we've already been there and know what's going to happen. On the upside, it's an opportunity to continue the ambiance and adventure Tolkien started. Substituting college students from Toronto for hobbits might make the characters more personal and easy to identify with though some may find themselves nostalgically missing the fuzzy Frodo and company.

It's almost like a continuation of the same story with different names and situations. The evil fortress Starkadh is like Mordor, the hero wizard Silvercloak plays Gandalf, the evil Maugrim becomes Sauron, the betraying wizard Metran the betraying wizard Saruman, Ailell is Aragorn, the dwarf Soren Gimli, on and on. It stands well on its own but how could anything compare favorably with Tolkien in his own world?

New elements do come into play: we have more Greek god/goddess divine/human type interactions and it's a refreshing touch to add into the mix contemporary themes like basketball, law school and Dvorak Cello Concertos. This bridges the gap to our world but sometimes produces too much dissonance (cf. modern slang in courtly, medieval settings).

Probably better as an appetizer for Tolkien than a dessert; but, are there many out there who still haven't discovered "The Lord of the Rings"?

HomeHugosNebulas Locus Grand Masters Newbery
Internet Top 100Short StoriesNovellas, Novelettes