The Wandering Fire

I remember the first time I read this series. It took me four days (it would have taken three, but there was a delay in getting the last two from a friend). I was moved more deeply than any other work in fantasy I had read. I remember staying up until 6 AM (I was in theater at the time) reading them, and weeping my way through the last third of the last book in the series. Without doubt, Kay invokes all that is deep in us as people who have created mythos and myths to carry us. He evokes all that is strong in us, while showing that even the mythic have their weaknesses. While later works of Kay's may be more polished, this is the raw material that he still works from. As with every reading, when I finished my recent re-read I was almost traumatised to leave the world that had been so well crafted. The end leaves all satisfied, but there is a bittersweet flavor to it, since the people he has created are no longer accessable to the reader. This is the series I would want while stranded on a desert island. And I cannot think of anything more to say than that.

I love the Fionavar Tapestry. In these books Kay has woven a beautiful, complex story. The setting is Fionavar, a gorgeous and enchanted world filled with magic and history--a world which reminds me of Narnia or Middle Earth. The story is filled with strong, compelling characters, both male and female, who sometimes have to make difficult choices. At times the story is sad but Kay's writing is so graceful that I enjoyed even the sad parts.The Wandering Fire, the second book in the triology, continues the saga begun in The Summer Tree. It contains many moments not only of excitement and action but poignant emotion, especially in the stories of Darien and Finn and that of Kevin.I would highly recommend The Fionavar Tapestry to anyone who enjoys epic fantasy with powerful magic and beautiful settings.

Better than the first and it kept building and building. Gotta love what Kay has done to the Toronto folks who arrived in this new world. They suddenly become legends and heroes and saviors. I was never a fan of Donaldson's Thomas Covenant because I never cared for the cross over in worlds. Kay, however, sucked me, which I thought would be nigh impossible.

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!

As I mentioned in my review of The Summer Tree (first in the Fionavar Tapestry), Mr. Kay is the one and only reason I read fantasy now! This book just reinforced what I learned about his writing ability while reading The Summer Tree.The Wandering Fire picks up where The Summer Tree left off, taking the reader further into the development of five former college students and their encounters in a beautifully depicted world of magic, mythology and Arthurian legend. I knew the basic story of King Arthur, Lancelot and Guinevere, but Mr. Kay's incredible ability to convincingly combine his created world of Fionavar with Arthurian legend and mythology made this second book even more interesting, exciting and rewarding than The Summer Tree. The story never slips and the characters are even more engaging this time around. Anyone who immerses himself/herself in this Trilogy will wish it would never conclude. Thank goodness Mr. Kay continues to write more fabulous stories!