Wandering Fire (Fionavar Tapestry)

I have now read this and its prequel, The Summer Tree, and am earnestly searching for Book Three, The Darkest Road (as usual with trilogies and suchlike, bookshops never have the one you're looking for!). When I read about the Fionavar Tapestry at the back of The Lord Of The Rings, of all places, I was immediately attracted by the idea of people from our world becoming characters in a fantasy epic.
Very frequently I have seen the Fionavar Tapestry compared to the works of Tolkein. In my opinion it is hard to compare them as they are very different. Tolkien's is a created mythology, supposedly preceding recorded history; Fionavar is a parallel world, and our own modern world is involved in the story by the use of the five protagonists. The characterisation is also different: Kay develops the relationships between his characters far more, at the expense of the much more complex and richly developed world of Tolkien. This is not to say that either is superior to the other, they are simply different, possibly because of their differing times of writing: Tolkien reads like classical epic or tragic poetry, whereas the Fionavar Tapestry is more modern in its treatment of characters and events, though the themes in both are the same.
Comparisons with Tolkien aside, I feel that the glowing reviews of the Tapestry are well deserved. The characters, particularly the five people from our world, are believable and easy to sympathize with. The story rarely descends into cliche (I say rarely - there are one or two moments which I thought could have been more originally handled, but they were still enjoyable and it is almost impossible to avoid cliche entirely, as I have just discovered - _descends into cliche_ is itself a cliche!) and blends real folklore and the author's own ideas excellently (I recognised a lot of things, such as the lios alfar, from the work of Alan Garner, which uses folklore as well). With respect to The Wandering Fire, I thought that the new spin it brings to the legend of King Arthur was extremely clever and original.
All in all, a cleverly constructed non-genre version of the classic war between Good and Evil.
As a final thought, be sure to read the Summer Tree before this one, otherwise it will have a lot less impact.

While the three books that form the "Fionavar Tapestry" are engaging, they all suffer, to varying degrees, from a loosely scripted, and at times, implausible plot, as well as the inclusion of Arthurian elements that remain contrived and unnecessary except as a "hook" pandering to the appeal the Camelot legend holds for many readers, and that has already elsewhere been overworked. Further, I question the plot device of characters that are transported by varying means from "our" world into parallel fantasy realms that appear popular with many fantasy writers: Effectively used to inform the story in Donaldson's "Covenant" series, other writers turn to its use solely as a clever artifice by which to move characters around.
While better than most of the fantasy fiction about, this trilogy lacks the focus of Kay's later, more mature and individual works, such as "Tigana" or "Song for Arbonne." Read these if you are seeking serious and original fantasy tales. Save the "Fionavar Trilogy" for moments of simple, unexamined diversion.

The Wandering Fire is the second volume in The Fionanvar Tapestry (starting with The Summer Tree and ending with The Darkest Road).
In Fionavar, Maidaladan, Midsummer's Eve, is approching but an unnatural winter is spreading all over the land. The Kings and Mages are gathering to try to understand the reason of this mysterious cold, and the armies of Brennin, Daniloth and Cathal are preparing for an oncoming war. Back in our world, Kim, now a Seer, summons Uther Pendragon in Stonehenge to help her wake his son Arthur in Glastonbury Tor, and crosses with the latter to Fionavar, for he is the legendary Warior who'll help them fight against Rakoth the Unraveller.
Meanwhile, Jennifer secretly gives birth to Darien, the fruit of Rakoth's rape, and puts him in the hands of Vae, Finn's mother, to hide and foster him. On the plains, the Dalrei try, not without great difficulty, to protect the last herds of eltors from the attacks of the monstrous wolves of Galadan, the Wolflord.
I was looking forward to reading this book, I really was. Having gone through the rather tedious introduction of The Summer Tree, I thought this one would start right on with more suspense and fast paced action (although I also enjoy highly desciptive books, such as Tad William's Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series, which I highly recommend, by the way). But it doesn't.
Indeed, I found Kay's style awkward and irregular, and the plot messy and somewhat grotesque at times. It's like he was afraid of revealing too much and enrobed his story in numerous unnecessary and confusing elements that did nothing but slow my reading down. Maybe, had I known the story of Arthur, I would have liked it more.
However, the book also has some good bits, even though I had to wait half the book before the story became interesting, and in the end I can say I enjoyed it. Let's just hope The Darkest Road becomes gripping quicker.

After having read the reviews preceding this one, I am sorely dismayed! For all lovers of the Fantasy genre or Celtic myth & legend - this is THE BEST TRILOGY IN PRINT! Don't let the category of fantasy make you shy away if wizards & fairies just aren't your "thing"! These volumes, while steeped in Celtic lore have a totally contempory feel. I considered myself to be not easily impressed and after reading this series for the second time, I still found myself "moved". I came to this page to purchase the entire set as a gift for my niece, as her first "grownup books" - and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it for everyone!