The Fionavar Tapestry

The Summer Tree
The Wandering Fire
The Darkest Road

This is just about the best series I've ever read.  Guy Kay has managed to follow the rules of the high fantasy genre, and create a book that is fresh and magical.  Wonderful twists, and very good characters.  I've read a number of his books, and they have all been without exception amazing reads.  Very highly recommended.  I don't know why this guy (excuse the pun) isn't a household name.  Perhaps people that think Eddings is at the top of the fantasy ladder, and that there aren't any rungs higher up (look up, waaaay up).

The Lions of Al-Rassan (©1995)

The Lions of Al-Rassan is an amazingly beautiful work. The familiar is twisted and reformed to reveal something new. The world Kay has created mirrors our own early history; where the prejudice between faiths and fear of the unknown is explored through the relationships between characters.

There is a lot going on, and Kay weaves his story with a grace not usually found in the fantasy genre. I found myself totally engrossed in the story and laughed and cried with the characters.

This is an excellent book.

Reviewed November 6, 2004

The Sarantine Mosaic

Sailing to Sarantium (©1998)
Lord of Emperors (©2000)

Set in the same world as The Lions of Al-Rassan, The Sarantine Mosaic is set around Crispin, a surly mosaicist who is just as likely to slap you upside the head as look at you, comes to the big city to decorate the temple of the emperor. Along the way this humble artisan becomes a central character in palace intrigue, and the happenings of an empire.

Kay tells a great story, and over the two books he weaves an intricate tale with a cast of characters who come to life, failings and all. There's a lot going on, and at times you almost need a scorecard to keep track of the players, but it's not that hard to keep up. The chariot races and the minor sidelines involving the greens and the blues is a lot of fun and adds an extra layer to the story.

But the story belongs to Crispin who learns to come to terms with his own grief surrounding the death of his family, his art, and what he cares about.

It's good stuff.

Reviewed December 2004.

The Last Light of the Sun (©2004)

Another trip into the historical fantasy world of Mister Kay. Whereas the stories preceding The Last Light of the Sun were familiar, they were stories that I was all that familiar with. Moving onto the Vikings Mister Kay treads into very familiar territory (holy smokes, I used the word familiar three times, well four counting that last one), which is at once very cool, and also somewhat disappointing.

This isn't to say that the story isn't riveting and compelling and written with a deft touch. It's up to his usual standards in that regard, it's just that the subject matter's been recycled so often it doesn't have the usual snap.

Okay, time out.

Allow me to try and back pedal a little. Since when is fantasy not recycled? Everything written since Lord of the Rings has been derivative - so why single out Mister Kay for special treatment? Easy, because he's brilliant, and he's become a hard act to follow. What's the phrase, "A victim of his own success."

Back to my mangled review.

But what the heck do I know? Let's get on with the good parts. This is a Kay novel, and he does put an interesting spin on the familiar. He also juggles his usual array of characters and finds a way to get under your skin. It was really good, and I burned through the book in a couple of days.

So there. Is it good? Yes, it is really good. If you like Kay you will like it. Guaranteed (mostly).

Reviewed April 28, 2006

The Cloud People

The basic premise: There's a bad guy who wants revenge on some other people. The other people don't want to be the recipients of said revenge so they fight back with the help of some underdeveloped "messiah" named Brian (I don't think this is an intentional tongue in cheek reference to Monty Python). I didn't really like this book that much. Which is too bad, as there was a lot of potential here. The world that was created was vibrant, and alive - unlike the characters. There were some characters you thought would be fleshed out that were introduced once, and then forgotten. I finished this because I started it.

Chronicles of the Deryni

I got this trilogy at a garage sale.  Started them, and couldn't put them down.  Very rich in texture, wonderfully written, and full of all the nonsense fantasy readers love. 

The Legacy of Lehr

Not exactly one of the better books I've read. I've read some of her fantasy work and really enjoyed them. This book is about four blue cats, a starship, a bunch of dead bodies, a minor mystery, allusions to vampires, and a final shoot out. If you own the book already, it's a fun enough read. If you don't, I can't really recommend that you spend your money.