The Wandering Fire (Fionavar Tapestry)

I feel a little bit sorry for whomever had to blurb the three books in this series. It just sounds so generic YA. I mean, try this on for size - "It all began with a lecture that introduced five students to a man who would change their lives, a wizard who would take them from Earth to the heart of the first of all worlds: Fionavar...In a marvelous land of gods and mythical creatures, five young people will discover who they are truly meant to be. For they are a long-awaited part of the pattern known as the Fionavar Tapestry,...".But get this. The writing is crisp when it needs to be, dramatic and gripping at the thrilling and suspenseful parts, and dreamy and poetic when the mythic and legendary are in play. We have wizards and villains and an indescribable evil and sacrifice and conflict, and instead of feeling old or used up or derivative all of this is fresh and exciting. Our five heroes are modern and contemporary, but once in Fionavar they revert to timeless archetypes and relive stories and events that feel like they've just been newly created from the ancient Celtic tales.This series feels vaguely medieval, and drifts in part into a sort of Arthurian legend cycle, but it's actually clearly and subtley plotted to tear the companions apart and then reunite them in interesting and unexpected ways. Each character is in fact, ultimately, deeply and permanently transformed, and each character is the center of his or her own hero tale, with all them bound up in the fate of Fionavar.So, we do get a bit of a slow start just because we have to sketch in some modern background for each of the five main characters. The action picks up quickly enough and before the reader knows it we're in Fionavar. Again, then, it takes a bit of foundation laying before we feel invested in Fionavar, but soon enough the story takes off. It is not predictable; it is not just magic or sword and sorcery; it is not standard action and adventure. This is deeply Romantic, in the classic sense, and wildly inventive. It is fantasy for adults, and strikes me as a remarkable achievement and a real treat for those who crave a little meat on their fantasy bones.For what it's worth, Guy Gavriel Kay writes many different sorts of books in many different styles, and when you look at his body of work it's hard to believe that it has all been written by the same person. I mention that only because if you like this series you might very well not care for others of his books. Conversely, you probably shouldn't judge this series by other books of Kay's you may already have read. (In that sense this reminds me a bit of Kay's fellow urban fantasy writer and countryman, Charles deLint.)My bottom line was that this series was ambitious, Romantic, and truer than most to the poetry and conflict that underlies classic myth cycles. A wonderful find.

"The Wandering Fire" is the second installment in Guy Gavriel Kay's Fionavar Tapestry. Picking up where "The Summer Tree" left off, the second act of the trilogy brings together the elements for the series' climax in a series of slow, plodding steps.The Fionavar Tapestry tells the tale of five young people who find themselves pulled into a fantasy world. At first, just experiencing the strange land is enough to keep them busy, but soon they discover that they are at the center of something bigger. Great evil has awakened and seeks to spread itself across the lands. Epic storytelling ensues.Mixing post-Tolkien influences with Arthurian legends and time-honored fantasy standards, "The Summer Tree" manages to stand up well on its own despite its clear influences, largely based on the author's strong writing. You'll see plenty of familiar characters with changed names - elves, orcs and the like - but it never feels like More Of The Same.There is certainly a lot to like here. The story picks up quickly and thrusts us back into Fionavar. A more tense Fionavar on the brink of war. The climax, too, is brisk and thrilling, a wonderful finish to the second act that will keep readers tearing through the final 50 pages.The middle portions of the book, however, fall a bit short. Where Kay's marvelous prose are enough to keep the first book moving even when very little of consequence is taking place, "The Wandering Fire" cannot always make the same boast. The book suffers from long, slow stretches. Kay dwells in sadness and melancholy - well written sadness and melancholy, to be sure - until the reader almost feels beaten over the head with it.Second acts, however, are hard to really nail down, and when all is said and done, Kay's effort is admirable. Even in taking a step down from the first book, it is better than a good deal of the more pulpish fantasy out there. The climax is so good, you'll probably want to race right out and get the third. And after all, isn't that what the second act of a trilogy is supposed to do?

This second book in the Fionavar Tapestry series is every bit as amazing as the first. It is a combination of Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” series and “The Once and Future King”, a very well written, giant sprawling epic with well developed characters you want to love and hate.In this series Fionavar is a world at the center of all worlds, our own world being one of many “spin offs”. What happens on Fionavar has rippling effects through all the worlds. Five people are pulled from our world into Fionavar with key roles to play in this age old story of light against dark.In volume two, the battle starts in earnest. The past is reached back into, and some legendary warriors are pulled into play. So much good, so much evil, love, grief, redemption...I haven’t cried reading a book like this in a long time. I cannot recommend this book enough, and now I must go read book three. Do give yourself time when you start this series, it is very hard to put down, you will lose sleep!

The Wandering Fire was tremendously better than the opening book of this trilogy. I was engaged in the action, in the connection to myth, in the burdens the characters carry, in the selfless sacrifices. I’m looking forward to what I hope will be even better, the final book!

I just can’t deal w the glomming on of fictional/ mythical characters that we all know onto a fictional world

Filling the trilogy to almost perfection, the best that fantasy has to offer and a must read. You can thank me later.

I have read this trilogy several times in paperback form. My tired eyes now need the kindle edition so I can enlarge the text. The story line is amazing and you can recognise many faiths throughout. I cry at certain parts EVERY time as they are so beautifully written and I am by NO MEANS a cryer ordinarily. But one death in particular is remarkably "beautiful"My personal opinion is that these books are so much more than any other fantasy books and the twists and turns and surprise elements are so well written you feel every emotion and pain of the subjects.

So moving so heartfelt, the hardest part is getting through the modern day. I love ggk,s work,.Finding it hard to appreciate any other authors.His books are treasures. So happy I still have the third book to read.

Meaningful fantasy, plenty of action and description, plenty of plot - I found this book engrossing and would recommend it to anyone

Very well written story, mixing fables with modern characters