The Dreaming Tree

This is an omnibus edition of Cherryh's two Ealdwood novels, THE DREAMSTONE and THE TREE OF SWORDS AND JEWELS. The cover art on this edition is Michael Whelan's painting THE TREE OF SWORDS AND JEWELS, clipped a little at the edges. While THE DREAMING TREE contains the complete text of THE DREAMSTONE, it omits the prologue of THE TREE OF SWORDS AND JEWELS, which summarized the storyline of THE DREAMSTONE and made it possible for those who had never read the first book to follow the plot of the second. I'm a bit unhappy about the omission, because I myself read the second book first, and I enjoyed the prologue. However, I can understand why it would have been considered redundant in this edition. For more detailed analysis of the individual books, please consult their specific reviews; I'll only try to give an impressionistic overview here. Rather than being science fiction, as many of Cherryh's other novels are, the stories are fantasy, set in the last days of the fading of the greater powers of Faerie from the world of men - or so it seems, at first. "Most of all [Men] brought the chill of iron, to sweep away the ancient shadows. But they took the brightness too. It was inevitable, because that brightness was measured against that dark...the darkest burrowed deep and the brightest went away, heartbroken." "Save one, whose patience or whose pride was more than all the rest." The story's heart lies in a wood where humans fear to go, wherein the last of the Sidhe guards the trees upon which her brothers and sisters left their swords and the stones containing their hearts, so that they could leave the lands they had loved. The story begins with Arafel being awakened by the presence of a human outlaw in her domain, who (having lurked in the woods bordering his own old lands since the fall of his king) has finally grown weary enough not to care if he offends any otherworldly powers by building a fire in the deep woods and roasting a fish from the stream. So begins Arafel's interaction with Niall. Feeling kindly toward him, since he meant no offense, she helps him escape both the perils of the wood and those of his human pursuers to a more kindly portion of faerie, a sanctuary few are lucky enough to find once and fewer still twice. The story contains a great deal of these kinds of contrasts, where a cozy bit of human light and warmth is given a richly textured description, and constrasted with the chill, mysterious otherworld lying all around it, like an island of familiar things in a sea of alien wonders and terrors. Arafel's interaction with humans is split between her point of view and theirs, and since time flows differently for her than for humans, the story stretches over more than one generation. Her loneliness leads her to occasional acts of compassion and friendship toward the few humans who enter her domain, although in the long run this often causes as much trouble for them as it solves, as Niall and his descendants acquire a reputati

This novel is unlike any of the other fantasy books I have read- and I have read several hundred. I have read it a half dozen times, and I'm sure I will do so again. Rather than give plot spoilers- because spoilers are really what they would be- I'd like to make some more general remarks.This book conveys a sense of the tragic and the melancholy missing from the normal sword-and-sorcery affairs. (Elves have /never/ been handled better.) Cherryh makes an atmosphere that is nearly palpable, and subtly and lightly sketches the characters and their cares. The shifts of narrative pacing serve to place the importance where it ought to be, and the deft handling of scene and dialog allows the characters to express themselves without hammering the reader over the head with self-exposition and historical monologues. The overall affect is like that of a dream, or a beautiful tale you once heard- and all of this is only heightened by Cherryh's research and careful treatment of Celtic/Welsh folklore and language. Perhaps most remarkable, she has made in one volume a fantasy which most other authors would have felt the need to butcher over eight and who still would have been unable to equal let alone approach this effort.

Don't let someone's negative review from New Jersey put you off. If you're into anything Celtic, she has done her homework. One of the most convincing books I have ever read dealing with "the Otherworld" and its inhabitants. Finally an author who knows that elves are more than humans with long, blonde hair and pointy ears! Magnificent read. I felt like I was literally walking through the pages with Arafel and the characters. If there is an author who deals with the faery realm more convincingly than Cherryh, I don't know who it would be.If you're looking for fast-action fantasy fluff, you'll probably only make it half-way through this book. If, however, you can cope with looking up a few terms in the glossary, you'll love it. It has a richness to it that only comes from research into the mythological memories of our past. She says more in one chapter than Robert Jordan can convey in 3, 1,000 page books!!Loved it!

This partly rewritten combination of two earlier books shows her versatility, taking us to Celtic lands of fantasy. Cherryh got up to her elbows in Celtic language, myth and culture for our benefit; the resulting portrayal is powerful and evocative. The character development is excellent; the characters effortlessly take shape and flesh out, inspiring strong reactions and a lot of wonder as to how the story will go. A pronunciation guide in the back, with English synonyms for names, is of special interest for those who like to roll a name off the tongue to get the feel of a book.If you truly enjoy this book, there is a song called 'Arafel's Lament' inspired by it done by Heather Alexander that really captures the magic of it.Worthwhile for any fan of fantasy, particularly Celtic fantasy.

The book was wonderful, historically accurate (as much so, at least, as a fantasy novel could be). I've read it twice. Definately something to pick up.