Author Origin: Weyburn, SK - lives in Toronto, ON
Page Count: 305
Genre: High Fantasy
Difficulty: Medium
Grade Level: 10+
Key Talking Points: The importance of friendship, responsibility vs. desire, sacrifice, the effects of grief, good vs evil.
Sensitive Subject Matter: Rape and violence
Warning: When I say fantasy, I mean FANTASY.
February being a short month, I returned to an old favourite. This is Guy Kay's first novel, written in 1984, and it represents his high fantasy writing. High fantasy is the kind of fantasy where there are alternate worlds, different races of creatures, magic, etc. This is different from Kay's other writing because while almost all of the above still apply, those novels are grounded in a historical time period/culture/people that he layers fantasy on to in order to depict the magical beliefs of the people as the truth they would have lived. An example of this is in The Last Light of the Sun, where the story is founded in Viking history. The Vikings believed in faeries, and so faeries are a concrete part of the narrative. This differs from The Fionavar Tapestry because, as you'll see below, it begins in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and the main characters are transported through magic to another world that is parallel to our own.
The main reason I wanted to revisit this one was that this exciting news was announced on Guy Kay's facebook page (excerpt below) on December 19th of this year:
Ahhhh! Dream come true! But this of course starts the conversation of how, and who, and they better do it right! I'm excited. Very excited. Because even though they may not represent one of my treasured books the way I image it, this is an opportunity for the word to get out about Kay's incredible storytelling and hopefully bring a whole new generation of readers to him. More readers than my humble blog can bring him at any rate.
So let's get on to that humble blogging...
Part of the news release for making The Fionavar Tapestry into a television show was a beautiful summary of The Fionavar Tapestry Trilogy. So rather than write one myself, I included it below.
Summary: "The Tapestry tells the tale of five young men and women who are brought to Fionavar – the first of all worlds. Told they are simply to be guests for the 50th anniversary celebration of a king's ascension to the throne, each of the five discovers they have a greater, dangerous role to play as they're thrust into a war between the forces of good and evil, whose outcome will affect all worlds, including our own.
"Kay draws upon a variety of creatures and mythologies, predominantly Celtic and Norse, to create the world of Fionavar, and the saga also features the legendary story of King Arthur, Lancelot, and Guinevere, heroes of medieval literature." (Boat Rocker Studio's Press Release December 18th 2017)
The art here, as always with Kay, is the artful weaving of all the mythologies and legends into a new story. One that tickles you because you kind of know where it is going, but still surprises you at every turn. To say that he makes you care about the characters is an understatement- every character is so complex that you don't just have one or two favourites, you love them all.
Unlike some of his other works, Tigana for example (the first novel I reviewed for this blog), Kay is much more clear about good and evil. The evil are VERY evil and you hate them. The good are complicated but still, undeniably good. It wouldn't be Kay without a few 'grey' characters too, but even they are 'grey' for all the right reasons and you can't help but empathize.
Teacher Note: Also unlike many of his other works, this narrative is more linear. It doesn't sweep in and out of time, zooming from the present outwards to trace the life of an insignificant character until it's end, then returning to the present. It just flows. This makes it easier for readers than some of Kay's other works. This isn't to say it is less artful or beautiful- it is just different. This also makes it more accessible for younger readers who are interested in fantasy and want strong male and female leads to connect with. Many of the challenges the characters face are relatable across age groups and cultures and offer multiple avenues for assignment topics. However, as stated above, there is a scene of rape. It isn't graphic or gruesome, but it is emotional and definitely worth the warning.
Final Thought: Returning to this book was returning to an old friend. And it's hard to stop here! I'm probably going to set up the books-on-tape for books two and three of the trilogy in my car for my commute so that I can start reading my March book but still maintain the relationship I've once again started with Fionavar. Kay's my favourite author of all time for good reason.
Kay calls this trilogy a tapestry. The weaving of the different threads of worlds, creatures, cultures, characters, and stories makes a beautiful piece of artwork to enjoy... as long as you don't mind having a little magic wear off on you in the process.
📚 Ms. CAN Lit
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