So I just found his Fionavar Tapestry trilogy at a local “tiny library” and I’m wondering how it rates? I’m generally into sci-fi but my fantasy reads include A Song of Ice And Fire, Kingkiller Chronicles, Battlemage, Wheel Of Time and my favorite books of all time, The Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit. I’m currently finishing up Neil Gaimans, The Ocean At The End Of The Lane and wondering if I should start this series? Let’s hear some opinions.
by theferalturtle
5 Comments
Can’t speak to Fionavar, but his light fantasy historical fiction books are amazing. If you want to them a crack try tracking down “Under Heaven”.
Just posting to see what people say.
It’s a TLOTR ripoff, but it’s pretty damn good at it. I enjoyed those books quite a bit. Some parts of those books stick with you years later.
There are some good ideas, and I remember them fondly, but there are also bad parts. I think its worth a read, and also worth to read about what the fantasy market was like at the time of its creation. There are some parts that I do not think aged well, but some ideas that have stuck in my head for years.
I really like Guy Gavriel Kay. I think you should give them a try.
His fantasy is usually based on deeply researched historical times/places. Fionavar Tapestry is one of his earliest works and sorta breaks that pattern, but I think he does interesting things with the story. I don’t want to give away any spoilers and it’s been a while but… I do remember being surprised by how many seemingly minor details add up over the series in interesting ways.
These are not stand-alones, you really do want to commit to all three books to really appreciate the story.
If you want to try him out on something shorter, Tigana is my favorite of his – and it is not as long as some of his other stand-alones.
I will say, his writing style continues to develop from this auspicious beginning. I did enjoy Fionavar Tapestry, but I’m not sure it is the one to judge him as an author by. (Though Tigana is also a pretty early work, too.) I feel that way about most freshman efforts from most authors, tbh – if you love the first work, chances are they only get better. But if you don’t, well… authors have growing up to do, too.