tree wolf image by chic2view on 123RF.com

We’re super excited to be taking part in another Wyrd and Wonder read along!

This year, Beth, Nils, and Scarlett will be joining in Imyril’s read along of The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay.

We’ll be sticking to the following reaching schedule, and posting a weekly discussion of that week’s chapters. Imyril will be doing the same on her blog, and everyone is welcome to join in! If you don’t have a blog, feel free to join in the conversation on Twitter.

• Week 1: Overture – Chapter 6 (hosted by Imyril)
• Week 2: Chapters 7 & 8 (hosted by the Fantasy Hive)
• Week 3: Chapter 9 – Chapter 12 (hosted by @queenzucchini)
• Week 4: Chapter 13 – end (hosted by @bkfrgr)

SPOILERS AHEAD: This post is a book-club style discussion of the novel, rather than a review to tempt new readers in. We do discuss plot points, character motivations, and twists – if you have not read the book and do not want it spoiled, please do not read further!

The first volume in Guy Gavriel Kay’s stunning fantasy masterwork.

Five men and women find themselves flung into the magical land of Fionavar, First of all Worlds. They have been called there by the mage Loren Silvercloak, and quickly find themselves drawn into the complex tapestry of events. For Kim, Paul, Kevin, Jennifer and Dave all have their own part to play in the coming battle against the forces of evil led by the fallen god Rakoth Maugrim and his dark hordes.

Guy Gavriel Kay’s classic epic fantasy plays out on a truly grand scale, and has already been delighting fans of imaginative fiction for twenty years.

Week 1 Discussion  | Week 2 Discussion

Week 3 – Chapter 9 – Chapter 12

1. We’ve seen some extreme behaviour – we learn that Galadan’s wants to unravel the world because it witnessed his rejection. Ysanne’s sacrifice takes her out of the Tapestry entirely. What were your reactions to these and other character motivations?

Nils: Beth, am I allowed to be brutally honest?

Beth: I wouldn’t expect anything less!

Nils: Come on, the reason for Galadan wanting to destroy an entire world is lame! He basically wants to punish the whole of civilisation because one person didn’t want to marry him? Has he ever heard of “plenty more fish in the sea?” Ok, I’m probably exaggerating here as Beth made a fantastic point in our WhatsApp chats that historically men have done extreme things over rejection and jealousy. But I just wanted more, you know? I wanted a bigger, deeper or just an outright malevolent reason behind it all because that’s where I was expecting the narrative to lead.

Beth: It’s an odd one, isn’t it! I was fully expecting the old “evil for evil sake” routine, which would frustrate me with a modern novel as I like to see more nuance in characters. But I would have preferred that over spurned lover, it feels quite an extreme reaction doesn’t it!

Nils: Exactly, Beth. I completely agree.

Scarlett: I agree with you Nils, but I also think it’s a pride thing for Galadan. That’s the first thing that came to my mind. Basically, she chose someone lesser in terms of bloodline versus him and I think that stung so badly, he is punishing everyone. Kind of in stark contrast to what is happening to Paul right now, don’t you think?

Nils: Yes, Gavriel Kay does love contrasting the characters! That’s a really good point about pride, Scarlett. I think ego in a lot of characters plays a huge role. 

Beth: Brilliant point Scarlett, Paul and Galadan are very interesting contrasts in their reactions to rejection. 

Nils: I’m still a touch confused over why Ysanne had to sacrifice herself. Beth, I know you said it was to give Kim some last bit of knowledge, do we know what that is? Again, it felt a bit of a let down. I was hoping the sacrifice would be for a bigger reason, but I suppose I can’t judge just yet because maybe the real reason will emerge later on. 

Beth: I was confused about that part too. From Kay’s prose it felt like it was supposed to be such a profound moment, but I felt it was completely lost on me, like I was removed from it, because I couldn’t understand why it was profound!

Scarlett: Wasn’t she also quite old? It seemed to me it was her time to pass on the baton. 

2. And speaking of sacrifice, Paul has spent his final night on the Summer Tree and all his defences have been stripped. How are you feeling towards Paul now and what do you think might happen to him next? Rereaders – do you remember your first reactions to this? 

Nils: I’m going to sound like a real grump this week, but I’m having a hard time feeling for any of the characters, so Paul’s sacrifice, although a heroic character quality, didn’t have much of an impact on me. I also don’t believe he’s truly dead, I think he’ll appear in further books as perhaps a spirit or deity of Fionavar. Or even resurrected. Fantasy loves resurrections. What do you both think?

Scarlett: Ok, so I am not quite finished with this part in the tree, but I want to jot down just a few thoughts. I enjoy how GGK parallelsas to what happened to Paul in real life paird with the different stages of his “dying” in the tree. Also, I listened to this part on my run today, and I found the writing of this secton, or the idea of the levels of stripping Paul naked in a sense of his feelings…as it prolongs actually rather good. I don’t like what he did, and I like seeing the remorse/grief in him (in contrast to Galadan), but I also wonder, how did he get away with it??? That moment of lingering, that split second of hesitation that aided in Rachel’s death…is it considered murder? Although overall, I am not impressed by Paul so far, I did like this scene with him and learning more about his background.

Nils: Unless you confess that you hesitated and therefore caused the accident, it’s very hard to prove. Also I don’t think a moment of indecisiveness is classed as murder, it’s not like it was planned it all along, it was just in the moment. Could be considered manslaughter though, but again that’s hard to prove without a full confession? And there weren’t any witnesses.

Scarlett: True. Internally, he is wrestling with it though. 

Beth: Like you Scarlett I loved the language used in that part with Paul. I thought I’d made a note of it somewhere, but apparently not… Anyway, his stripping back in that way, and the sense that it was that act of baring his soul that was the true sacrifice, was wonderful. The whole importance of that moment though was that he was shown that he didn’t hesitate. He’s believed all this time that he did, and the events were therefore his fault, but the goddess granted him that final mercy. I’m glad he had that moment of peace and acceptance at the end, although whether that was truly his end, I’m not so sure. I’m with you Nils, we know fantasy loves a good resurrection! 

Nils: As Scarlett mentioned earlier, I do like the way Galadan and Paul are contrasted/paralleled. We now know they both acted out of jealousy and anger, they’re both kind of dicks, but one chooses to destroy whilst the other at least attempts to redeem himself. 

Scarlett: Very true!

Beth: You say redeem himself, helping others kind of seemed secondary to him just ending his own life. Like he’d found a way to destroy himself that others couldn’t really argue with.

Nils: That’s true Beth, maybe it wasn’t to redeem himself at all, maybe he just couldn’t live with the guilt any longer. 

Scarlett: Yes to both. 

3. Alongside (or because of?) Paul’s time on the Summer Tree, some cosmic forces seem to be moving in Fionavar again. Last week we talked about prophecy, but how do you feel about the role of deities and mythology in the book?

Beth: I thought it was quite fun seeing so many deities this time! I’m not sure exactly how they fit into this world, particularly the deities of (that tribe Dave ends up with). Those were from Celtic myth, so it’s difficult to marry what I know of them culturally and how they fit in this fantasy world and with these people.

Scarlett: I’m enjoying how the floor is given to more moments of prophecies, but I could not tell you where it is going. 

Nils: That about sums the plot up Scarlett, I’ve no idea where it’s going either!!

I really liked seeing the deities too though, but like you I can’t see what part they will play in the overall story. I’m suspecting we may not find out in this book because there isn’t much left to go. 

Beth: Oh good point Nils, do you think this is more a set up for later things?

Scarlett: Probably.

Nils: It sure feels like it. 

4. We have (officially) met the banished prince Aileron! Impressions? And does his presence and return to court give us any further insight into the politics of Brennin?

Nils: I’m just glad he’s not Pervy Prince number two! I actually like Aileron, from what we’ve seen of him I think he’d make a good prince/king. Especially with the aid of Kim and her seer abilities. I quite like the pair of them together. 

Beth: For me, this whole section was very much the Dave Show, and anything that happened pre that is very foggy in my mind. I’d suspected it was him, so it wasn’t a huge surprise, and yes Nils I was relieved that he’s nicer than Pervy Prince. He seemed quite the Aragorn figure, didn’t he? Hidden in exile, and then kicking absolute ass! Seems Kay likes his broody outcasts that can fight, as he’s not the only one!

Nils: There was definitely a resemblance to Aragorn there, Beth!! 

Scarlett: I like him too. Anyone else pick up on a slight romantic touch between him and Kim? I was listening to that part on audio, and the inflection seemed to allure a tender beginning, despite their differences. I could be off though. 

Beth: Ooh interesting Scarlett! I’m struggling to pick up on the subtle nuances with this one, so it must be interesting listening to it and having the support of the narrator!

Nils: I did see a hint of flirting, but it was very subtle.

5. At last, Dave has returned to grace the pages! His absence has caused much speculation, but how do you feel about him now that we know what he’s been up to?

Beth: I was relieved that he ended up in a safe place and made friends! It was clear that he was being dragged along for the ride (literally) to begin with, with a bunch of people that he merely knew, rather than was friends with. So I was happy for him that he found somewhere he seemed to be able to connect with.

Nils: That’s an excellent point Beth. With the other five travellers, Dave never seemed to quite fit within the group, as shown by everyone’s lack of urgency and concern when they discovered he was missing. Perhaps he was pulled into Fionavar because it was finally a place where he could belong. 

Scarlett: Ahhh, there he was. I was getting very excited to find out what happened to him. I am picking up on that, Nils, he seems to belong there quite well…though temporary as it happens. That  was a great chapter though. I enjoyed how he made it “in” and immediately became a mentor. The whole progression of that chapter seemed like a coming home for Dave.  

Beth: Thinking about it, almost everyone (poor Jennifer!) seems to have found ‘a place’, haven’t they? 

As for Dave, I’m still not sure I like him? But that extends to all of them – it’s so bizarre, I’m not sure I’ve read anything before that’s left me feeling ambivalent about all the characters! I really do think I’d experience this book very differently on a reread. I also think that I’d have thought very differently had it been one of my first fantasies instead of, say, Eddings.

Nils: Agreed, as I said earlier I’m having a hard time feeling anything for the characters. And yes Beth, perhaps had I read this around the time I read Lord of the Rings or Wheel of Time, maybe I’d feel differently too, nostalgic reads always make more of an impact. It doesn’t help that Kay often throws in lines about the characters which just make my eyes roll. Beth and Scarlett, do you remember the line about Dave casually sleeping with two or three women at once? 🙄

Scarlett: Yep…rolling eyes here. 

Beth: Oh god the bit that made me really cringe was how he said he’d bet there be plenty of kids along in nine months? As in, for the tribe as a whe, not just the results of his own actions, but he was so flippant about it, I hated it. 

Scarlett: That line did stand out to me, but also the warning about the girl not being his! 

6. Dave’s time with the Dalrei gives us a great deal of insight into a previously unseen culture within Fionavar, so it’s time for a world-building check in! Anything standing out?

Nils: Erm, my dear Beth you had some things to say about the tribe using Welsh names, didn’t you? 😂

Beth: Ugh yeah… I did find myself really enjoying the chapters with the Dalrei, despite the weird mix of Native American/Celtic influences. I get that the lore behind this world is that all worlds are connected, and Fionavar is the first world, so the echoes we’re familiar with in our world would have originated in this one. But I find I’m not immersed enough to accept that, and instead find myself frowning at blonde tribesfolk who have spirit/totem animals and “olde worlde” sounding names like Gereint. 

Nils you struggled with the lack of descriptions of the creatures?

Nils: I did! Let me check my notes at what the creature was called… Ahh there was something called an ‘urgach’ that attacked Dave and Tabor, I think it was, and I have no idea what it looked like. Kay has a tendency to describe the creatures as  “monstrous” and leave it at that, as though that gives us a clear picture of it, and perhaps his aim is to let us imagine the creatures for ourselves and find fear in the mystery of it all. However I’d prefer some more detail. The Balrog or Shelob in Lord of the Rings are scary because of their descriptions and the characters’ fear, you feel its sheer power from that, and I’d have liked to have felt that here too.

Scarlett: Yes, I am having a little difficulty picturing the monsters with so little description but I just take it as is. What was interesting to me, which might fit with what Beth was saying about the Native American/Celtic invluences, is that there are rituals and laws about hunting and killing in terms of the number of stabs for example. Also, the coming of age and into the ranks of hunters for those young boys. Roots in history certainly come to mind. 

7. And as always, any other thoughts?

Beth: Anyone else well excited for the unicorn?!

Nils: Yesss! Me! Also I’d like to see more of this huntress in green! Whoever she was, she was pretty badass at the end of this week’s chapters. 

Scarlett: Oh yess! I am slowly getting the hang of Fionavar and GGK’s writing. It will all come together well I think, though a large learning curve for me, admittedly. I am excited to continue reading, and plan on, at this point, to continue the next book. 

We hope you enjoyed this week’s discussion!

We only have one week left of this Wyrd and Wonderful Read-along.

If you’d like to join in the conversation, you can comment below, or on our Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!